The Royal Contract

She would not be surprised if it occurred on rare occasions, knowing that some transactions needed privacy and secrecy. But Zeny informed her that it had been happening for months. Therefore, it was not something that she could ignore.

“What is going on, Dad?” She looked outside the window of her room, finally noticing the security roaming their lawn.

She was suddenly aware of her surroundings, temporarily forgetting her grief. She could see that the patrolling guards seemed unusually active. It was like they were on high alert.

Was her father in trouble? Maybe just like Gerald, he had received death threats that he was not telling her. Could it be someone from the opposing party who felt threatened by Gerald’s popularity?

There had been speculation that they might have something to do with his death. She heard about it at the funeral. Still, they had no proof to support such an accusation.

Still, it was well-known that his father had intended to back up Gerald in his political plans. Maybe they were now going after him. She knew she had to find out what her father had kept from her before it was too late.

“Don’t do it.” She told herself as she saw her reflection in the glass window. But she had to find out.

Slowly, she exited her room, careful not to alert anyone. Why did it suddenly feel like she was a stranger in her own house, sneaking around like a thief?

.....

She looked left and right, wondering if she would bump into anyone. She must have an excuse if her father accidentally caught her putting her nose where it did not belong.

But what?

She would think of something, but now, she had to get close enough to the door to hear their conversation. Fortunately, there were no guards around the house. She was expecting someone guarding outside his office.

She tiptoed along the empty hallway, not wanting to alert anyone that might be close by. She just wanted to be sure that her father was in no danger. And whoever was in there was not putting him in harm’s way.

“Miss Haley.” Suddenly, she held to her heart as a familiar voice startled her, stopping her in her tracks.

“Stop!” Zeny appeared from nowhere and walked toward her. “You are not supposed to go there.” She warned her in a murmur, looking terrified. Their maid held her hand, tugging her as if telling her she needed to get out of there.

“No. I need to know what is going on.” Haley answered in a whisper. “I won’t make a sound.” She promised the older woman as she pulled her hand away from her.

“But you should not be here.” Zeny still insisted that they should leave.

“Either you help me, or we get caught together.” She finally told the other woman because she was not going anywhere until she got some answers.

The woman finally gave up and nodded her head. “Please, don’t stay too long.” The woman reminded her.

“Ssshhh!” She placed two fingers across her lips for the woman to shut her mouth. They would get caught if she kept talking.

Soon, she stood by the door while Zeny hid behind the corner where her father would not see her if he accidentally came out of the room. Then, she placed her ears closer to the door, trying to hear the conversation inside.

However, all she heard were muffled voices, not enough to understand a word they were saying. She moved closer, mindful not to make any unnecessary noise. She did not want the men inside to know she was there, listening.

Carefully, she had the side of her face leaning on the wooden surface. Her ears stuck to the door, trying to grasp the voices inside. Finally, she heard a few words.

“Then, it is a deal. You are finally going to endorse Michael as the next Governor.” She listened to a manly voice. She might have heard that voice before. But she still could not picture where.

Who was Michael? It seemed like they were forcing her father to endorse him in replacement for Gerald. Did they have something to do with what happened to Gerald? But they could just be asking for endorsement since Gerald was gone.

She was temporarily distracted when she looked at Zeny, who was signaling her to hurry up. But she did not have enough information yet. Nothing made sense to her if that was their big secret.

“Wait.” She mouthed, trying not to make a sound, but gestured it with her hands. Then, she returned to listening to the door. She knew as long as they were talking. She had time to listen.

“Of course, I am sure Michael would be a better Governor than Gerald.” Her father said, sounding satisfied.

Wait! That was not the voice of someone forced to do anything. It sounded more like her father had agreed with the other man. What was going on? Now, she was more confused than earlier.

“I am glad to hear that.” The voice of another man said. This one sounded younger than her father and the other man. “It was just a shame that Gerald had to die.”

What? Did she hear him right? Did Michael have something to do with Gerald’s death? Now, she needed to hear more. If they killed Gerald, she had to know why.

“Did he have to die? You know that he would have been perfect with my plans. He was about to marry my daughter and be the Governor. Then, I would have him by the balls.” That was her father speaking. She was sure of that. And it seemed that he also had something to do with this.

Oh my! She wanted to scream.

She could not believe that her father might have something to do with Gerald’s death. She knew that her father could be heartless sometimes, but she had never imagined he could be a criminal.