The Royal Contract

Then, she almost screamed when he looked up and said her name. She was about to run to the emergency exit, not caring if it was a long way down to the ground floor. But a hand stopped her.

“Hey, Ria.” The man greeted her. Just like her, it seemed he was surprised to see her too. Gradually, his voice registered in her mind, making her realize who he was.

When she focused her eyes on his face, it confirmed that he was not her ex, making her expel a sigh of relief. Quickly, she inhaled a large amount of her, filling her almost empty lungs before she fainted due to lack of oxygen. She could feel that her body was already hyperventilating.

She was not expecting to see him again, thinking he would have been long gone. It had been a while since he had left. Therefore when the door opened, seeing a man, she immediately thought it was her ex she did not want to see.

“Is there something wrong?” He asked, walking closer to her as he exited the elevator. He probably noticed the frantic look on her face.

Yes, her life just turned upside down. She wanted to tell him but reminded herself that this was not his problem. She did not want to involve him in her personal issues.

However, she could use his help in another way as her mind finally came up with an idea. It might be a farfetched plan, but she had no choice unless she could think of another one. She was stuck with this one.

“Yes, Zach. There is.” Ria quickly thought of a good excuse for her current situation without revealing too much information to this man. “But we should not discuss my problem here.” She pressed the elevator button as her mind planned her next move.

.....

But now was not the time to explain to this man her plans. The last thing she needed was a reunion between her, her ex, and this man in this hallway. She hastily pushed him to the other elevator that opened its doors and was on its way down.

“Where are we going?” Zach seemed confused by her unusual behavior, but she was too anxious to be as far away from this place.

Fortunately, she relaxed as the elevator was empty. There still seemed to be no signs that her ex was coming. But she was not waiting to find out as she pulled Zach into the cart before it closed.

Then, she immediately pressed the close buttons on the side panel, continuously pushing on it until the doors closed shut. Before she leaned on the metallic walls, feeling relieved.

“Wait!” He said, shocked that she dragged him with her. “I forgot something from my room.” He attempted to stop the door from closing but failed.

He looked at her as if he saw her as someone who had loosened her screws. But she did not care as long as she was on her way out of there. The sooner, the better.

“You will just have to get it later.” She said as she stopped him from going back up. She could not afford to return upstairs.

“What is going on?” He asked as he watched the numbers on the screen count down as they passed the lower floors on their way to the lobby. Then, his eyes landed on hers.

She knew he was waiting for an explanation, and she was still ironing out her excuse. Then, she remembered his offer. That could work. It seemed better than what she initially thought.

“I remembered you offered to show me around. Maybe we can do it now.” She suggested, thinking it was a great idea.

She might be spending time with him, but at least she would be as far away from this place for the time being. Maybe, by the time they returned, her ex had forgotten all about her.

He would have moved on with another woman he could play with, and she would be in the clear. Then, she could return to her son as if this nightmare had never happened in the first place.

“Well, yes, I did. But I think I got the impression that you never wanted to spend a minute longer alone with me.” His earlier confusion seemed to have changed as his lips curved into a playful smile. “What changed?”

She could see that he seemed amused about their situation. But she tried to come up with a clever answer to his statement.

“It is not like that.” Suddenly, she felt like he had pushed her into a corner, and there was no way out.

Was it better if she confronted her ex than being trapped in this situation with this man? She doubted, but luckily, the doors opened, and a lovely older couple joined them inside.

Silence initially enveloped the room before the older woman looked at them and smiled. “I hope you two are having a blast on your honeymoon. Isn’t this place a paradise?” The woman commented as she looked lovingly at her husband.

Then, her husband looked at her before kissing her adorably on the lips. Then, he turned to them. “It is our 30th anniversary, and she still made it seems like we are newlyweds.”

“What is the secret?” Zach asked as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pretending they were together as he winked at her, telling her to get along.

She wanted to protest against his idea, but looking at the excitement in the other couple’s eyes stopped her. Eventually, she decided to play along with his plans.

“I think my husband and I could use some friendly advice.” She encouraged a conversation with the other couple, knowing she had no choice. She hated to ruin the illusion of this adorable couple.