The Royal Contract

He was her father, yet, he failed to protect her. To him, he guessed that was unforgivable.

"Don\'t overdo it." He whispered on the mike, hoping his friend would not force the situation to get a confession of their wrongdoings.

The last thing he needed was for his friend to blow his cover before they could gather enough evidence to put them away for good. Circumstantial evidence was not enough. They needed solid ones.

So far, the three were going in circles about their legitimate businesses, asking Mike for his legal opinion. But nothing about their illegal transactions or latest shipments. They were being careful.

"Technically, the stocks would skyrocket if we do the endorsement correctly." Mike offered his honest opinion on the matter.

Anybody with solid business know-how would know that. It seemed the new bosses were still testing Mike before giving him participating roles in the underground organization.

"Do you think Michael had a chance in the Governor\'s seat?" Don asked Mike as they shifted the discussion into more topics about politics.

He could hear his friend\'s hesitation, probably thinking what he also had in mind. Don offered the same position to him before his dear mentor decided to get rid of him.

But it seemed he found a new candidate to take his place. Michael probably was someone easier to manipulate to do their bidding.

He understood they had to get rid of him because he was someone they could not control. They could not make him dance to their tune.

"You know that money and power could put anyone on the seat. As long as Michael remains clean, he can have a clean campaign." His friend offered his point of view.

The game of politics was a bit messier than business. But the reward could be more. It was not just the money but the control over the governing rule of the state and all its official. That was true power.

"But he needs something that would capture the attention of the press," Mike added as he tried to get into their good graces.

Still, they had nothing that would implicate the three in the illegal business as they continued to talk about politics. Mike needed to convince them to trust him.

"We believe we have something that could stir up the news cycle. And we will need your help to pull this through." It was Alfred\'s voice that dominated the conversation this time.

He listened attentively to their conversation through the earphones in his ears, wondering what the billionaire was talking about.

He suddenly wished he was there so he could witness their activities. But he had to settle inside a closed van, listening to their conversations and watching them on the tiny screen.

"What is it?" He heard Mike\'s curious voice. Then, he saw his friend reach out for a folder from Don, which he pulled out from a side cabinet.

However, he could not see the content. Still, he believed he recognized it. If he was not mistaken, those files belonged to him.

But there was no certainty until he had seen what was inside the folder. But somewhat, he doubted that their enemy would easily hand Mike a loaded gun.

"Damn!" Mike exclaimed, sounding shocked by whatever he saw in his hands. But he quickly recovered from it. "What is this?" He asked as he waved the papers before him.

On his end, he could only speculate. His friend kept moving the files. He could not focus on the content. He would know how to react if he could only glimpse the file.

"Evidence," Don said as if to supply an explanation. "We believe that is Michael\'s ticket to the Governor\'s office." Alfred pointed to the file.

Now, his curiosity had increased tenfold as he scrambled to see more. What were those files for? And how could he use it against them?

"We will release this to the press and guarantee that Michael ends up hailed as the hero for the day for uncovering this horrifying news," Don added.

He tapped his fingers on the control boards, listening attentively to their conversations. He dialed the knob, increasing the volume, not wanting to miss a single word said.

"But the guy is already dead." Mike seemed unconvinced that it was a good idea.

Was it safe to say that his friend referred to him? Were they talking about him? It was the only logical explanation.

Sadly, the only thing he could do would be to wait, as his friend kept him out of the loop. He was a sitting duck, waiting for the scraps of bread his friend threw his way so he could feed his curiosity.

"Which made it more ideal." Michael finally spoke up. "He could not disclaim the accusations. The evidence would all point to him. And no one could say he did not do it."

If his assumptions were correct, the three planned to pin an illegal activity on him. Which one? He could not help but wonder. But he could assume it could be worse than he thought.

"The unsolved crimes would have answers. We will have the name of the mastermind in our hands. Michael becomes the hero for solving the mystery." Alfred continued explaining the plan.

And just like that, he realized what their plans were. They would ruin his reputation, tie his murder to the crimes and get away with it as the white knight.

It would put Michael\'s name on the map if they could successfully pull this through. People would be shouting his name. But not if he could stop it.

"And what is my participation in this," Mike asked as he looked at the three.

He wanted to hear what the three had planned for his friend. Was he just a decoy, or would he have a more significant role after this?

"You have to execute the plan. You have to release this to the press. Then, close this case." Don gazed at his friend as if there was nothing to it.

It sounded simple enough, but it was not.

However, he knew from the look on the man\'s face that this was his friend\'s final test. If he passed this initiation, then he was in. But first, Mike had to do this. Whatever they were asking him to do.

"So, Mike. Are you up to the challenge?" Alfred asked him as the three of them turned their heads at him.

He could see from the camera how they anticipated his friend\'s answer. He wanted to tell his friend what to do, but he had to trust him this time.

"Can you give me time to study this?" Mike waved the file again as he looked at the people in charge of his situation.

He wished he could see the content, but from what he gathered from Mike\'s reaction, it was not a good sign.

"Of course, but we will need an answer immediately. The campaign is about to begin, and we would like to use that on the announcement of Michael\'s candidacy." Alfred informed Mike.

He thought it sounded like a feasible plan. It seemed the three had carefully strategized all this, starting from his death.

The only hiccup was Haley, who had gone missing. Of course, he had heard about her father\'s plan to marry her to Michael. But fortunately, he had the foresight to take her away from all of this before it was too late.

"I will prioritize this. I promise." Mike assured the three, guaranteeing this would be on his top list.

After a few more discussions, Mike excused himself from the group, citing a previous commitment with another client.

Soon, he saw his friend exiting the large structure with the file in his hand. He could not wait to see what those files were for.

But from the heavy breathing of his friend, he could tell that was not good news. "I will see you later." He whispered on the mike, limiting their conversation in case someone noticed.

He also turned his listening device and leaned back on a chair. Then he tapped the small hole that connected him to the driver.

"Samson, drive me home." He would meet with Mike later to get all the information his friend retrieved from the other party.

He could not decide until he saw the evidence against him. He had to weigh its merits and determine a solution to his situation.

But he knew he needed to finish this case, hopefully soon, so he could finally be with his family. It was the only dream that made sense to him at this point.

Without Haley and his unborn child, he realized there was no point in living anymore.