The Royal Contract

"Hang in there, Alex. We will find a way out of this." Dani could only hope and pray that Nick had not harmed him.

But, Nick was a vengeful man. He probably had inflicted pain on Alex in more ways than one. She could never rely on his humanity because Nick had none.

However, the footsteps had stopped just outside her door, alerting her of their presence. She quickly stood from the bed and grabbed the blanket, preparing herself for her unwanted visitors.

She had to stop thinking of Alex for now. Because she had to save herself first, she thought, as the door was unlocked from the outside.

"Move your ass, my lady. Get dressed." He mockingly curtsied by the door while his companion shook his head behind him. "Our boss wants you to dine with him."

"What are you doing, man?" The other man knocked him with the palm of his hand behind his head.

"Hey, stop that." The man faced his partner, ready to retaliate. "She is a princess." He referred to her. "That is how you address a princess, you dumdum." The man proudly said to his partner, feeling a bit smarter than the other.

He stepped inside the room and dropped some clothes and a pair of shoes on the bed. Then, hurried to get out of the room. "Hurry up." He shouted behind the closed door.

She did not know what to feel about what she witnessed. But she was relieved, confirming that at least some of the guards watching her were a bit dumb while taking note of their faces.

She quickly changed into the clothes given to her and wore the shoes with three-inch heels. The dress was a little too provocative for her taste, remembering that it was the sort of clothes Cassie loved to wear.

"Just a few more minutes." She yelled back when a knock came through the door. She was expecting them to barge in without regard if she was ready or not, but she was glad that they did not.

She tried to fix the dress, but there was no use. It was too short. Well, she guessed it was designed to be that way, and her cleavage was way too exposed for her liking.

She did not like what she was wearing, but she had no choice. At least it was covering more parts of her body and more comfortable than just parading in her nightwear.

"Ready," Dani knocked on the door to signal to the man outside. Then the door was opened for her.

She was not sure if she was actually ready to see Nick again. But the sooner she figured out his plans, the better she could devise a way out of here. She could only hope that the odds were in her favor.

"Right this way, my lady." The man guided her on the long hallway of what would seem to be an old manor. Judging from the texture of the wood and the old paintings on the wall, this must be an ancestral home.

Then, she remembered Nick mentioning before about some acres of farmland that his mother owned. She shuffled her mind for the location, but it eluded her at the moment.

Nick hated going to this place for vacation when he was young. He said that it was too quiet, smelly, and old. He did grow up in the city, so she understood his concern back then.

"You definitely look gorgeous in that dress." Nick complemented her as soon as he saw her walk into the dining room.

He stood from his chair, beckoning her to join him, gesturing for her to take the seat next to him. He had his chef prepare a sumptuous meal because he wanted to celebrate.

He knew it was too early to declare victory, but he could not help it. He could already feel it in his blood as excitement rushed into his veins. There was nothing more that could ruin this moment. Tonight, he would fulfill their destiny.

"I think your taste in clothing needs to be improved." She answered back, hating the way his words creeped her out. She could feel her body cringe at the sound of his voice.

However, she had to injure his company while working her way out of this situation. Although she would have preferred to stay away from him or even give him another kick in the balls.

"Now, now. Calm down. We are here to enjoy a nice dinner." He pulled the chair and waited for her to take her seat. "If you cooperate, I might even let you see your husband or rather a soon-to-be ex-husband."

He could see he had caught her attention as she moved towards him and took her seat quietly. He smiled at her, knowing that he had won that round.

But, the game was far from over, he thought, seeing the defiance still lingering in her eyes. It would take more than an idle threat to make her submit to his demands.

"Where is Alex?" She demanded, watching the despicable man sitting right next to her.

She could care less for the food that he was offering her. She was more interested to hear his answer to her question. The more time she spent away from him, the more she was afraid of his fate.

If only she could see that Alex was alright, then the more she could calm down and think straight. But knowing that his life was on the brink of danger, she could not help but worry for him.

"Have a taste of this, Dani? If I remember right, this is one of your favorites." He opened the stainless steel plate cover and revealed a delicious entree of roasted lamb.

He knew she must be starving by now. He purposely only gave her a small amount of food earlier. He was counting that she would enjoy the food tonight in his company.

He continued when she remained silent, only staring at the food before her. "If you eat with me, I will make sure that we visit him after we have our dessert," Nick promised her as if she was a child who refused to eat until she had her present.

He began to eat but occasionally looked at her, checking if she had touched her food. He smiled when he saw her take her utensils and cut the meat in front of her.

It was a small victory, but soon he would have her obeying all his commands. He already had everything working according to his plan.

"Ok." She finally conceded, answering him as calmly as she could muster. She needed him to think that she was willing to cooperate for her to see Alex again.

She kept telling herself that she could do this. For Alex, she encouraged herself to take the first bite and swallowed it, despite her instinct to spit the food into his face.

There was only one thing on her mind at the moment, to find Alex and escape this place that Nick called his new home, more like a prison for her.. She would find a way by hook or by crook.