The Royal Contract

“I will try to be back tonight. But do not wait for me. I will call if I am already on my way over.” Lance told her, wishing that he did not have to leave her in the first place.

But his father insisted that he should assist on an urgent matter. It was a disturbance in the company that needed his attention. He did not remember leaving a situation when he left the office, but it could be another incident that went out of hand.

He pulled her in a tight hug before kissing her passionately as they stood by the door. Suddenly letting her go was becoming harder each time that they were together.

“Just drive safely.” She said with concern, remembering how they loved to drive fast. Then, with one more kiss, she finally let go of him.

She watched him walk toward the elevator until he vanished behind the closed doors. Slowly, she returned to her room and closed the door, leaning on the wooden frame, feeling a loss she had never felt before.

Would she always feel this way whenever he left her alone? The feeling of emptiness creeping up inside her. She was never dependent on any man, but why was she feeling so down when he was not with her.

.....

As if she needed him to breathe or for her heart to start pumping normally again. She felt weak and out of motivation when he was not around, but her entire world went upside down once he entered her door.

This scene was crazy, especially since she was not a fan of relationships and commitment. She never believed in putting her life in the hands of a man. But here she was, wishing for him to come back.

“Get your mind back on the game.” Her mind told her, but it felt like she was not the same person anymore.

She quickly moved to her kitchen, hoping to busy herself with food or something that would preoccupy her mind. Maybe after a nice meal alone, she could go to her office and work.

It did remind her that she still had to convince Lance to do a face-to-face interview with her. At this moment, that seemed to be the least of her worries.

She was moving around the kitchen when her door made a buzz. She wondered if Lance had returned so quickly. It had been barely a few minutes since he left.

She wondered if he had left something.

She checked her phone first, thinking he had called or left a message. But it was empty except for the other messages she received from the office. Not one came from Lance or even Amelia.

“Wait!” She shouted as she wiped her hands on a towel, moving away from the kitchen to answer the door.

Maybe she should give him a key so that he could come as he pleased to her apartment. But would that be too presumptuous of her to assume that he would want full access to this relationship?

It sounded like she was jumping the gun and assuming that he was serious about what they were doing when she fully knew that this might not even mean that much to him.

It was even possible that he was using her to drive Amelia away from him since he was not interested in marrying her. She was the perfect alibi to make Amelia run away again into her world, away from this place.

“Don’t be silly.” She chastised herself as she neared the door, only to be met by another buzz on the door.

Whoever was behind that door was quite impatient as the buzz went on again, making her ears bleed from the constant noise. She would make sure that the person behind that door would wish never to cross paths with her.

“Wait! I am not deaf, but I think you are.” She shouted amidst the noise as she drastically swung the door open.

But before she could say more. Shock took over her as her eyes gazed at her unexpected visitor. Suddenly, her mouth went dry, and her eyes slightly bulged out of their sockets as she stared at the face before her.

“I am sorry, I thought it might not be working, so I kept pressing on it.” He made his excuse, but she doubted that was the case. She believed he did it intentionally to intimidate her.

At the moment, she believed it had worked as she lost her nerve to speak. Her mind kept telling her to say something, but her lips refused to move. She was left gawking at the man, looking like a big fool.

“By the way, I hope you don’t mind my sudden visit.” The man spoke up, slightly jolting her brain and body to function together again. “Let me introduce myself.”

“No need, Count Thomas Wellington.” She finally found her voice again. “I know who you are. Would you like to come in?” She widened the door opening, gesturing for the older man to enter her premises.

She moved toward the living room where she had occupied earlier with his son, suddenly wary of his presence in her apartment, slightly having an idea of why he would seek her out.

Then, it clicked in her mind. The phone call Lance received just a few minutes ago. This man knew she had a relationship with his son and wanted him out of her apartment before he arrived.

“You have a very nice apartment for a journalist.” The Count commented, moving further inside the room, but he did not bother to sit down as he turned around to face her.

“Thanks, but I do not think you came here to make idle chitchats.” Eida did not believe in prolonging the agony. She already knew why a Count was here to see her.

Not because he was bringing her some honor, but on the contrary, he was here to take back what was his, his son. For this royal family, she did not belong in the nobility.