The Royal Contract

"You need some help?" Her husband stepped into the room while she was juggling between playing with her son and talking on the phone.

She sat beside Ares, lying on the mat, as she dangled some colorful soft toys above him. She could not take her eyes off his adorable face as his hands and fingers tried to reach up.

However, she was also busy talking to her assistant, enumerating her list of things to do. She could barely work today since her mind was distracted, thinking about her brother's situation.

"Hey, your home." She temporarily put her phone aside as she greeted her husband, who leaned down to give her a short but sweet kiss. "How is work?"

"Tiring," Alex expelled a large breath while loosening his tie, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt, and rolling his sleeves.

Then, he put all his attention on their little bundle of joy, kneeling and bending down until his face was inches away from Ares.

"How was your day, honey?" He said, on the other hand, after he was through tickling and peppering his son on the feet with kisses.

She could not help but smile at his son's reaction. It was clear he was ticklish as his lips curved into a smile. Then, tiny giggly sounds hummed in the air.

"Busy," Dani answered but quickly held her fingers at her husband, realizing she was still talking to her assistant.

"I guess that is about it. I will text you if I forgot something." She hastily said, feeling slightly guilty for making her wait as she hung up.

She had been dumping much of her work on her since she could not concentrate on anything else. Then, to top it up, Jacky was away on a trip, leaving her with an additional workload.

"By the way, we will have a visitor coming over for dinner," She informed her husband since she forgot to discuss this with him earlier.

It was an impromptu event. Dani did not have time to call Alex. But she knew he would understand with all the stress she was in.

She was lucky to have an understanding husband who did not judge her for all her shortcomings. But instead, he supported her through the hard times.

"Visitor?" He seemed surprised as he picked up Ares from the mat and cradled him in his arms. "Who?"

She could not blame him for looking curious. The only visitors they had, lately, who came unannounced were Marcus and Jacky. But they were away.

They had been at work most days, and when they were home, they just wanted to cuddle with their baby for a quiet night at home.

Weekends were a fun adventure at the park. Or somewhere they could enjoy quality time together as a family.

"I think that will be him." She answered her husband as the bell started buzzing.

She quickly exited the playroom and strode toward the front door, knowing who would be ringing the bell with her husband not far behind.

"Who?" He still asked when she did not name their guest, but she was already opening the door.

"Uncle Ben," She excitedly greeted the brother of her mother. It had been a while since she last saw him. "I miss you." She quickly returned his hug.

He was the second father to her, acting as her mentor when she decided not to follow in her father's footsteps and became a lawyer instead.

He had shown her all the ropes of becoming a good law-abiding citizen and defender of the law. But more than that, he had always supported her causes, giving her solid advice in complicated cases.

"Uncle Ben." Finally, Alex joined them, with Ares still in his arms. "Come in." He opened the door wider, ushering their guest inside.

"And who is this fine young man?" His uncle turned to look at their son, putting up his hand to gently pat him on the head.

"Uncle Ben, this is your grandson, Ares." Alex cheerfully said, introducing their son with pride.

"Aren't you handsome?" Her uncle stated as they both moved to the receiving area.

She already had the dinner prepared by the help that came to help out occasionally. Sometimes doing domestic chores was impossible in their working schedule.

"And you are starting to look more like Ethan." Uncle Ben mentioned, probably remembering her father. "By the way, how is your mother?"

Her uncle was right. There were times that she saw her father in her son. Although Ares took many of Alex's features, their son still had some of hers.

"Oh, Mom is doing great." She answered his uncle, informing him of her mother's last visit. "I have to force her to go home and have fun." She told him.

Her mother would visit them occasionally. But once she had Ares in her arms, she refused to leave his side.

But, of course, she could not do that to her mother. She was still young. She should be having a good time with her friends.

"I think I heard that she is going on a cruise." Her uncle stated as he finally took Ares from Alex and played with him.

Suddenly, she could remember all those times she had sat on her uncle's lap when she was young. She even remembered when Uncle Ben wore Santa's suit during Christmas.

She had to fight to get on the front line against her cousins and all the other kids. What did she wish for that time? She believed it was a pink ballet tutu.

However, it was not for her. It was for a friend. She never needed anything, at least the material things, since her father already bought her everything she needed and more.

"Yeah, I finally convinced her to take a vacation. She is out with her friends." At least that would be a month of her mother only having a fantastic time.

Who knew? Maybe she might find something that could make her happy. Sometimes, she could not help but worry about her since her father died. She knew she was lonely and might need company.

But, of course, she was not forcing it. She would let fate decide if her mother was ready to let go of her father and start a new life with another man. But if not, she was always welcome in her home.

"That is good for her." Her uncle agreed with her plan. Then, they also talked about his family. It seemed that her aunt had not changed, and her cousins were starting with their own lives as they were now in committed relationships.

"So, I guess we will be expecting wedding bells soon." She was glad to hear that things on her uncle's end were ok. "Anyway, thanks for coming on short notice."

She heard that he was here for a convention. Therefore, she took the opportunity to see him and, at the same time, discussed with him an idea.

"I was planning to visit anyway, but you beat me to it." He explained as he finally handed Ares to his father when the boy started complaining.

Ares could be a handful when he was in a mood. She guessed her son would still have to learn to manage his temperament.

"We can discuss more over dinner. I am sure you are already hungry." She interrupted their conversation when she had the signal that dinner was ready.

The nanny took Ares with her while they went straight to the dining table. She did not want the meal to get cold. Besides, she could not discuss her situation when other people were still around.

She still had to wait until she had dismissed them before opening up about the other purpose of meeting with her uncle. Discover more content at m,v l'e-NovelBin.net

"What about your parents, Alex? When are they coming to visit?" Uncle Ben inquired since it had been a while since the Duke and Duchess traveled to see their grandson.

"They are planning their trip soon," Alex told him as they enjoyed their meal with their casual conversations.

Since Lance's coronation was coming up soon, they wanted to visit before the new King sat on the throne and consumed most of their time with their obligations in the Kingdom.

Of course, Lance would need assistance in ruling the Kingdom. Somebody had to show him the ropes. And the Duke was the best person to counsel him.

Soon, the meal ended with reminiscings and laughter about the good old days. Finally, they decided to take their coffee to the rooftop garden. So they could have some privacy.

Then, she dismissed the middle-aged lady helping her in the house, sending her home. Then, she informed the nanny to call her in case of a problem.

"Ok. I know you miss me, my Princess." Her uncle said as he carefully sipped his hot, steaming coffee. "But what is this all about?"

His uncle's eyebrows frowned as he questioned her intention. She guessed her uncle could read her like a book.

"I need your help." She did not waste any more time. There was no need to beat around the bush. "I know you have connections."

She never liked using her uncle for favors, especially when the motive was personal. But she did not plan to commit anything illegal, maybe only go around the law and bend it a little.

"I do, but what is this all about?" He repeated, seemingly confused about where she was going with her statement. "Are you in some sort of trouble?"

Of course, her uncle would do anything to help her if she was in a bind. But that was not the case. She was not the one in need.

Suddenly, she wondered if her uncle would help her. Would he swallow his principle and bend the law for Gerald?