The Royal Contract

If this was a dream, she did not want to wake up.

Stop! Stop! Stop! She repeatedly shouted in her mind, giggling uncontrollably. But no words came out of her lips as she was overwhelmed by the tingling sensation in her body.

Then, she wiggled her way out of his hold, freeing herself. She ran, but she knew he was not far behind. And she was not getting away for long. She turned around and found him catching up fast.

“You have to stop.” She finally pleaded with him when she found her voice, turning to face him. “Please, I can’t take it anymore.” She begged him as she slowly stepped away while avoiding his hands from getting a grip of her again.

She let her legs move backward, feeling the sand and water underneath the sole of her feet. But her eyes remained fixed on the handsome face of the man she had long to see. She did not even want to blink, afraid he might suddenly vanish from her line of sight.

“I just want to hold you, Haley.” She heard his beautiful voice that charmed her in the first place. “I miss you so much.” He continued as he strode closer. “I promise I will not tickle you anymore.”

Of course, how could she deny the chance to be in his arms again? She had dreamt of this chance for so long. She could not pass up the prospect of enjoying his company for the rest of their lives.

“You promise.” She said, stopping on her spot as she watched him come closer. A few more steps and he would be within her reach. But something else seemed to try to attract her attention.

.....

Something was moving behind him.

But she did not want to look because she did not want to break their connection. She wished to stay in this world forever, where she was with the man she loved.

“I...” But she never heard the rest of what he had said, as something else caught her attention.

A cry?

She heard a wail coming from behind him. She believed a child was crying. But who was the child? Where did the baby come from? Where was the baby?

She tried to look behind him, trying to catch a glimpse of the baby. But she could only see the beautiful ocean and the stretch of sand. She stretched her neck and widened her eyes, but nothing.

“Did you hear that?” She finally asked, confused and worried. What was going on?

“Hear what?” He asked as he also turned to where she was looking.

“A baby.” She said, then, instinctively, her hands touched her belly. “Our baby.” She said. Then, she was surprised that her abdomen was flat. “Wait, where is our baby?” She asked.

“Our baby?” He asked.

“Yes, our baby.” She looked again at him, but she could not find him anymore. He was gone.

“No, Gerald. Come back.” She said. She knew it. She should not have looked away. Now, he left her again.

Then, she started crying. “No. Come back.” She kept repeating, wanting to hear his voice and see his face again.

Then, she opened her eyes with a jerk, finding herself in a white room covered with walls. But she could hear the waves gently gliding on the shore.

Damn!

That was a dream as she instinctively touched her already mildly swollen belly. She concluded that hearing Gerald’s voice or what sounded like his tone had reminded her of him again.

But that was just a dream. What did it mean? Her dream? She had no idea.

Nevertheless, she decided she would not waste her time on it as she had better things to do. She could not keep leaving in false hope, not when her child depended on her.

“Maybe that was what my dream was telling me. I can’t have both.” And if she insisted on having Gerald, too. Then she might lose her baby in the process.

She had to stop this foolish fantasy of bringing the dead back to life. She did not want her baby to suffer the consequence of her unhealthy behavior.

She quickly moved out of bed, seeing that the sun was already up. It was ok to be late today since it was her first day, and she still had a slight jet lag. But she could not make a habit of making excuses.

She had to be on her toes if she was starting a new life in this place. “No more excuses.” She told herself.

She reminded herself that she had reached her success by not giving others a reason to doubt what she could do. She produced results through her hard work.

Quickly, she showered, feeling the hotness in the air. The place had a warmer climate compared to back home. She already expected this since she had been in tropical areas before.

Nonetheless, it was different when her body was extra warm due to her pregnancy. She felt like she needed something to cool her down. “Aaaahhhh!” And the cold shower was perfect.

She only packed light since Mike suggested she buy most of what she needed here. She was glad she listened to him since most of her clothes would not fit in this hot temperature.

But she had brought a few things that would do for now. After changing into something cool and comfortable, she strode outside her room and began to explore.

Soon, she was walking in the hallway of the new resort where she would be staying. It was the same resort that she would be renovating for three to six months, depending on the time frame of her project proposal.

But first, she needed to find the manager working with her. She quickly marched to the reception area, hoping to ask for information. But even before she reached it, the woman who picked her up at the airport walked toward her, greeting her.

“Ms. Haley. I am glad that you are awake.” The woman, Trixie, introduced herself as her assistant while on the island. “Your breakfast will be served on the patio.” She ushered her to the other exit toward the poolside.

Then, she guided her to a table where she had prepared a bountiful breakfast. “Why don’t you join me so we can talk?” She offered, wanting to get to know her assistant a bit better.

“We can do that later, but the manager will join you soon. He will be briefing you on your job here at the resort.” Her assistant informed her.

She had no choice but to agree with her assistant. After all, she was just another employee in this place. Not the part owner of a big corporation. She had to abide by their rules and follow what they told her she should do.

In the meantime, she looked at the place, scouting the area. She could already see several changes in the old structures and designs. But, of course, she would like to see the entire project before deciding how she would best tackle this humongous task.

“Wait! You don’t have to do that.” She stopped her assistant when she noticed that she was pouring her coffee for her.

She did not like people serving her when she could do it herself. She would only ask her to do that if she was out of options and swamped with work. But she had barely done anything yet.

“This is part of my job,” Trixie said as she looked at her.

“Not anymore.” Haley put her hand on top of hers. “I can do this. If you have other things to do, you can go now. I will call on you if I need you.”

She needed an assistant at her job. But she did not sign up for a nanny, who would wait on her hand and foot. She knew what Mike was doing. Still, she would not let him smother her with his overprotectiveness.

Still, she found it sweet of him to do such a thoughtful thing. Nevertheless, she could not act like an imbecile who could not even get her coffee.

“Good morning. Sorry if I kept you waiting.” An older gentleman appeared before them with a friendly smile on his lips.

She quickly assumed he was the manager. Because even in casual clothing, he still exuded confidence and overwhelming charisma. She could already tell he was good at his job handling a place like this.

“No worries. I just woke up.” Haley stood up to extend her hand to the man in charge of the place. “At any rate, I think I am the one who should be apologizing for waking up late.” She said as she shook the man’s hand firmly.

Soon, her assistant excused herself. Then, she and the manager sat down to enjoy a pleasant conversation while having a delicious breakfast. Of course, a pregnant young woman could never say no to delicious food, attacking the various delicacies with gusto.

She guessed she should take advantage of this paradise while it lasted. Mike was right. It was the perfect hideaway for someone like her who wanted a clean slate.