The Royal Contract

She felt like her ass was on fire as she sat restlessly in her seat. Not because it was uncomfortable but because she could sense that she did not belong in this place.

“Ria, have you decided on what you want? Or would you prefer if I order for both of us?” He asked, as he never bothered with the menu, putting it down without looking and gazing at her across the table.

She could only guess that he must have seen her uneasiness as she gave up looking at the menu. She was intelligent, but she never bothered to learn the french language.

“I think I will trust your judgment.” She finally answered, finding it hard to choose from a menu that was in a foreign language.

Her eyes, once again, roamed around the room, finding the place packed with wealthy people dressed to the nines. Nobody seemed to be looking at her, but still, she felt like a fraud sitting among them.

Then, she heard Zach order in what sounded to be fluent french. She did not even know that he could speak french. But most of all, she had no idea how wealthy he was.

Judging from the crowd, only someone rich could afford to eat in a place like this. Besides, Zach appeared to frequent this place as he communicated with the staff as if they were familiar with him.

“I assure you they had the best steak in the city.” He said as the waiter left to fix their orders.

.....

She only smiled, but she thought they could have gone to the steak house near her place. They served a mean slice of beef chunk roasted to perfection. And it would probably not cost much compared to the highly costing price of a single meal in a restaurant like this.

“Ok. I can’t wait to taste it.” Instead, she said, not wanting to hurt his feelings since she could tell he had given much thought about this and planned for this night to be perfect.

She still remembered the smiles he brought to her son’s lips this morning with his surprise. It seemed that she was more than lucky to have met him. It was like she had won the lottery with him. He seemed to be the complete package.

“Anyway, I am sorry about how I behaved with Tabby earlier. But I think he is cool.” Zach told her as the waiter served their bubbly wine.

She was glad that he had changed his mind about her childhood friend. She noticed that he was slightly protective of her and her son when Tabby was around, but he slowly relaxed around him by the time they returned home.

Honestly, she believed that Tabby had hardly changed, at least, his personality. Maybe, physically, she almost did not recognize him, but his heart was still the same.

“I assure you that he meant no harm. Tabby is the same boy that had protected me when we were young. And he is still the same man who only wanted to reunite with his family.” Ria explained to him.

But something about what Tabby said still nagged at her. It had something to do with the investigation. He had information that it was about her and Edison.

Someone wanted their company to dig into all information they could find about her. It seemed someone was paying a large amount of money to find dirt about her. But Tabby still had no idea who.

She might have. She still thought it was Ryan. She must be looking for dirt that he could use against her. If he could not get what he wanted from her, she knew he would resort to blackmail.

“I think I am beginning to realize that now.” He confided with her. “Just like him. I only want to keep you safe.” He said as he extended his hand across the table and held hers.

But before they could talk more, the first course arrived at their table. They stopped, not wanting a stranger to hear their conversation. But she could sense that he seemed to be looking at her strangely.

“Anyway, thanks for this morning. I had never seen Edison laughing that loud.” She gaily said, remembering how happy his son was with all their activities.

Now, Edison was with Sasha’s family. Not surprisingly, Lourdes and Ronnie invited him to join them for dinner, wanting to meet the boy she grew up with in the orphanage.

Of course, Tabby said he could not decline a free meal as he joined them while she and Zach left for their appointed dinner date. She was happy for her friend, who was still single with no kids.

At least now, he had someone to call his family again.

“Hey, there is no need to thank me. You know I will do anything for Edison.” He said when they started eating their delicious food.

She would admit that the food was indeed sumptuous and worthy of praise. It was different from what her tastebuds used to eat, but it was mouthwatering. Still, she could not afford to eat in a place like this.

Soon, she talked about their adventures this morning, laughing as they recollected each blooper and funny moments. She guessed everyone had a few. But no one could beat the tantrum that Edison had when he wanted to take home the bear.

“Honestly, I believe that is the best moment of the day, seeing how you calmly handle Edison just like that.” He smiled as he said this. “Suddenly, I could not wait to have more kids.” He looked at her as if there was more to what he was saying.

Was he saying that he was ready to have a family with her? Did she hear him correctly? Did she not misinterpret his words? Her heart abruptly sped up, feeling the excitement cruising through her body.

But she remained calm, thinking she might be jumping the gun with his words. He might be saying that but in the future and not necessarily not having his kids with her.

“I can already see that you will be a good father.” She said, but the conversation had to stop again when the server served their last course, which was a very appealing chocolate combination. She had no idea what to call it. But it seemed fattening but delicious.

But who cared about how she looked? She never minded her figure since she had Edison or even before having him. Still, she was thankful that her body returned to almost the same size as before she gave birth.

“What about a good husband?” He asked with his dazzling smile. “Do you think I am husband material?” He followed up his question as he continued to study her face.

She could only stare at him as she thought of the answer to his question. But what was there to think when she had already known the answer? It was a no-brainer.

“I think any woman would be lucky to be your wife.” She responded, genuinely meaning her words.

She believed anyone who could catch his heart and have his ring would have a great life with him. It had nothing to do with how much was in his pocket but how much his heart could give.

She had seen firsthand how he cared for her and her son without expecting or demanding anything in return. He was a man who just kept giving and giving without waiting for anything in exchange.

“What about...” But he did not finish his sentence when a shadow stopped over their table.

She was the first to look at the stunning girl standing behind Zach. It appeared that she might know him as she tried to surprise him with her fingers, tapping him on the shoulders.

“Hey, stranger.” The new girl said, making Zach quickly turn around to look at her. Then, his eyes registered recognition as he finally greeted her, but he never stood up.

“Hey, Blaire.” He said as he looked at her, but his eyes seemed to change. But he still maintained a smile as if he was forcing it on his lips.

“I hope I am not disturbing, but I saw you, and I know I should come over. It has been a while since we last saw each other.” The woman named Blair said.

“I am sure we had seen each other not so long ago.” He indifferently said as if it was not his concern.

She had never seen Zach in this mood. It was like she was watching a lover’s quarrel as the girl pursued her lost love. She could not help but wonder if he loved her too. Or if he still loved her.

“I miss you, Zach.” She quickly added with her hands extending to his biceps flirtatiously. “When are you coming to my apartment to visit me?”

She wondered if the women even noticed she was sitting there as she watched them interact. She looked familiar with his boyfriend and the same with Zach. But she sensed Zach’s hostility over her.

“As you can see, I am on a date with my girlfriend,” Zach said, but he had never bothered to introduce her. The other woman seemed uninterested either as she continued to ignore her existence.

From her observation, it would seem that they had a history. That was the only conclusion she could derive from what she had seen so far as Zach gently removed her hand from his arm.

Was she an old flame that had gone bad?