The Royal Contract

Last night, she thought asking Mike to come to her rescue was a mistake. She even feared for her life, thinking that Mike was working for her father. Insane right? But that was what she got for watching too many action movies.

Fortunately, Mike clarified the matter with a reasonable explanation.

“Hey, why did you not wake me up?” She asked when she walked into the large living room where Mike was sprawled on the sofa, watching a news program on the widescreen.

She sat on the other side of the sofa and checked what was happening around the globe. It seemed it was not only her who was having a horrible life. Some were worse than hers, but it did not make her feel less worried about her future.

“I knocked twice, but you did not answer.” He finally turned to her, lowering the volume of the television. “I also peeked by the door. But I swear I did not enter.” He pointed that out.

“Ok!” She believed him. Besides, she trusted him, except for that little incident last night, but she quickly shoved her doubt away.

“I just needed to make sure that you are ok. But you were snoring. So, I know that you are just fine. I decided to let you sleep a few extra hours.” He reasoned, which was understandable.

But. “I don’t snore.” She threw a pillow at him but laughed. But how would she know when she was fast asleep?

.....

Still, a lady did not like to hear such things. Only men snore soundly at night, as far as she was concerned. But it seemed that she was also doing it. But Gerald never mentioned anything about that to her.

“It is probably from your pregnancy. I read somewhere that being pregnant can cause changes in the body and even sleeping patterns.” Mike noted, assuring her that she probably did not snore before and she would stop after she gave birth.

But she was skeptical about his theory. She had not read anything like that in the books she had studied about her condition. Besides, why was Mike reading books about pregnancy?

He was not even married or had a girlfriend that she knew. “Are you hiding a wife I did not know or a child you fathered with some woman somewhere?” She questioned with her eyes narrowing at him.

If she was going to stay with him, she believed she should at least get to know more about him. He might be a friend of Gerald, but he was not her friend, not in every sense of the word.

Based on Gerald, Mike could not hold a serious relationship, meaning he was just like Gerald. Now, she could not stop thinking of Gerald as he remembered him again.

But she promised she would stay tough and determined for their child. She was not going to cry anymore and concentrate more on how to raise their child.

“Of course not. I will never fall into that trap.” Mike expressed, denying her question. “I don’t know what you did to Gerald, but that would never happen to me.” He continued, shaking his head in rejection.

His reaction told her he might be telling the truth. Still, it did not answer her curiosity. “Then, why are you reading pregnancy books?” She finally asked.

“Because I want to know how I can help you. I don’t know a thing about a pregnant woman. Therefore, I have to read up.” He told her as he stood up from his seat.

She was not expecting that from him, touched by his action. He did not have to do that. But still, she appreciated that he took the time to know about her condition.

Maybe that was why he knew how to console her. Somehow, he understood what she was going through. She thought he was just a womanizer and could always work his way into a woman’s pants with his charms. Not that it would work on her.

“Let me warm some food so you can have your breakfast. Or should I say brunch?” He corrected, seeing the time was almost noon.

“I can help you with that.” She said as she quickly followed him to the kitchen.

But he insisted that he could do it since she was his guest. He pointed she should sit on the counter stool or on the table, whichever she preferred, and wait.

“You can cook dinner later if you like. Just give me a list of the items you need so I can buy them in the grocery.” He offered her. “And include all the other items you will also need. I know you did not pack much. You will need some supplies.”

He was right about that, too, she thought. She did not bring any of her toiletries and a lot of stuff she used daily. She barely had clothes to wear. But would she need all of those things? She guessed not.

“I will write down later what I need.” She told him, already making a mental list of necessities, not luxuries.

Suddenly, she could not help but think of what would happen now. She might have escaped her father’s clutches, but it did not mean that her ordeal was over. Truthfully, she believed it had just begun.

How could she build a future for her child when she could not return to work? Then she had no money since her father would have frozen her accounts by now.

She had a few dollars in her wallet and some money in her other bank account that her father could not touch. But would that be enough for her and her child to survive? She doubted.

Besides, she was supposed to hide from her father, so how could she apply for a new job? With one look at her name, everyone would know who she was, especially in her field of work. Then, what? She would be back to square one.

“Here.” Mike placed a cold fresh juice before her. And she believed it was not from a carton but a freshly squeezed fruit. Then, he grabbed two plates he had arranged and placed one before her.

“This looks delicious.” She said, smelling the sweet and tangy aroma of the salad and the sliced meat before her. “Did you cook all of this?” She asked as she quickly dug into her plate.

Could you blame her? She was feeding two people and quite hungry, as she felt her stomach growl at the sight and smell of food. Maybe if the food did not taste that good, it would still taste delicious.

However, she was glad that the taste matched its appearance. It was perfect. Her first bite told her that she wanted another serving. Again, blame it on the hormones.

“Unfortunately, nope,” Mike said. “I can cook but not that great.” He added. “But the woman who came here every day cooks and clean for me. I can only heat the meals whenever I want to eat them.”

His explanation made sense. Gerald described Mike as the perfect bachelor. Anyway, at least he hired someone who knew what she was doing and not some sexy maid who he could fool around.

“Where is she?” She asked as she munched on the salad with gusto. “I want to meet her. Maybe she could teach me how to cook.”

She believed his cook was better than the ones her father hired in their household. They might be first-class chefs, but their food was more aesthetic than sumptuous.

And, of course, now that she was going to be a mother, she had to learn more things that would help her to raise a child. Of course, that should include cooking delicious and nutritious food for her baby.

“She only came here in the morning to buy some groceries and cook. Then, she cleans the house when nobody is around.” He told her. That explains the list of groceries.

He intended to ask the maid to do her groceries. That was a relief because she wondered if she could ask him to buy her feminine stuff. It was too personal to ask a man to buy for her.

But she could not go to the groceries. Not when her father’s security and investigators might be looking for her at this very minute. With his father’s resources, money, and connections, she doubted she could survive a day in the street without him finding her.

Luckily, Mike helped her. “Ok. Maybe I can meet her tomorrow morning.” She told him. Then, she also realized something. “By the way, thanks.” She said. “For helping me even if you did not need to.”

She knew she had already thanked him last night. But she felt it was not enough. She appreciated it very much, how he had risked his life for her, remembering what he had done to secure her escape and safety.

“No need to thank me. I am doing this for you, the baby, and my friend, Gerald.” He repeated what he had told her before.

Still, she would always be grateful to him, no matter what happened, for his act of bravery and kindness. He might be the biggest asshole because of his womanizing ways. By the way, she hated those kinds of men.

But just this once, she excused him for what he was. She would ignore his past sins because she believed he was their savior.