The Royal Contract

He was not a man of his word and had always been a bad loser. It was unfortunate that she fell for his act and believed his lies. If she had listened to the few friends who had warned her against him, she would not be in this situation.

Still, she did not want to regret meeting him because he gave her a handsome and adorable son. She just wanted to learn from that mistake and never do it again.

“You seemed to be so far away.” He sneaked up behind her. Not intentionally, she guessed, but she did not notice him approach since she was engrossed in her thoughts. “Are you ok, Ria?”

She was just mildly startled by his sudden nearness, but not enough to scare her away. After all, she had easily identified his voice. Still, the knowledge that he was standing inches away had made her body more aware of him. It was like her instinct was starting to recognize him.

“I was just admiring the view.” She pointed out the beautiful city below them. At least the various lights illuminated the entire large area below them, creating a sparkling view that almost competed with the stars above it. “Thanks for taking me here, Zach.”

He took her to an elevated spot where they could oversee the entirety of the landmass covering the city below. Then, he made her stand on the edge of the cliff. But, of course, safety handrails prevented her from toppling down the crevice below.

The only highest point she had been to in her life was the office she had been working at present. From there, the only view she saw was the other high-rise building surrounding her and the sky above it.

“Just be careful not to slip.” He pointed at the dark cavity underneath them that seemed to have no end. “That is a bottomless pit. Nobody that fell there had ever been recovered alive or dead.” Zach warned her, using a voice that sent chills down her spine.

.....

That forced her to let go of the handrails and step back, making her accidentally bump into him. In turn, it slightly frightened her since she almost lost her balance.

She did not want to fall in there and be the next victim. Her son still needed a mother. That was the first thought that came to her mind as fear spooked her within.

“Hey, I am sorry.” He suddenly held onto her shoulders as he tried to steady her before she lost her equilibrium. “I was only kidding. I did not mean to scare you.” He quickly explained when he realized what he had done.

“It is just a few meters fall but still high enough to break someone’s neck.” He added, which did not help in the situation.

Sometimes, she wondered how women dealt with men’s immaturity. It seemed their reasoning stopped developing even if their body kept growing. Or was she misjudging everyone because of her unfortunate incident with one?

Nevertheless, her fear had been her guide through all these years, preventing her from making the same mistake. She knew it would never lead her astray as long as she avoided getting involved with men.

“I think I have enough of this place. Is there anything else you would like to show me?” Ria told him as she got out of his grip and moved back to the car, slightly annoyed at his insensitivity.

As much as she would like to avoid spending more time with him, she believed she picked the lesser evil by going with him instead of staying in her hotel room.

“Well, we can grab dinner in a diner not far from here and continue on our trip if you don’t wish to return to the hotel just yet.” He suggested as he joined her inside the car.

She pulled the seatbelt and locked it before deciding to answer his question. “Ok.” She believed it was better than going back since she had no idea what was waiting for her in the hotel.

She believed that if she made her ex wait long enough, he would eventually lose interest in her and go away. Then, this fiasco would be nothing more than a terrible memory she could shove aside.

She could return to her peaceful life with her son as if she did not have a horrible encounter with her ex-boyfriend. Because staying away from Ryan was the best for her and her son.

“Again, I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you.” He probably sensed her irritation, making him look guilty and apologetic.

She could tell he would like to say more but instead decided to stay quiet. He probably had nothing good to say, so it was better to keep his mouth shut.

“That is ok as long as you won’t do it again.” She decided to help him, sensing his sincerity. At least his eyes seemed sorry as she glanced at him, but still, she wanted him to learn his lesson too.

It was no joke to play with someone’s life since the result could be devasting not only to them but the people who would be affected by the chain reaction.

Who would take care of her son if something terrible happened to her? She would not want him to end up with his irresponsible monster of a father and his horrific family. That would be the last thing she would wish for Edison.

“By the way, that was not a good joke. Never do it again.” Ria informed him before they both fell into silence. He started the engine and drove while she gazed outside her window and pretended to admire the view.

Were men always this childish that everything to them was either a game, a joke, or a prank? She began to question. Or she seemed to be hanging with the wrong crowd or man.

But there were times that she saw him as someone responsible, kind and caring, but there were also those few times that he seemed to be the opposite. What did she know about him? Not much.