The Royal Contract

Serena paced the room, moving back and forth on the available space between her bed and the wall. She could not think straight, wondering if she was wrong.

Did she harshly pass judgment on an innocent man? Did she readily jump to her conclusion without giving him a chance to explain and defend himself?

"Serena?" Her assistant suddenly knocked on her bedroom door, making her turn, distracting her from her thoughts.

"Yes, Claire." Serena forced a reply from her lips, knowing she was waiting.

"I will call it a night if you do not need anything else from me." Claire hollered on the other side of the wooden door.

She thought about it, concluding that she had all she needed. At least, with her state of mind, she doubted she would require anything else for the night.

Steadily, she moved toward her door, opening it. Since her visitor had left, she had locked herself in her room, wanting a quiet place and privacy.

"Sure, go home." She told her assistant that she would not need her services for the rest of the night. "And spend the weekend off." She added, feeling like she had been hugging her time.

Not because she was miserable. Everybody around her should feel the same way. She felt she owed her assistant some time off. So she could spend quality time with her family.

Claire had done so many things for her, going beyond the boundaries and scope of her job with no complaint. She did not deserve just a relaxing weekend. She also owed her a raise.

"You know I can't do that," Claire uttered in surprise at the suggestion. "Nora would be hysterical if I am not watching you twenty-four seven."

"Besides, what would you do while I am gone? Who would run for your errands?" Her assistant added, slightly uneasy and questioning her plan.

Funnily, she would have asked the same questions a few months ago. She admitted she always depended on other people, paid staff, to do most of her menial chores.

However, since meeting Adam, she realized the error of her ways. Seeing the simplicity of how he had lived his life, she finally saw how she wanted to live hers.

"I am sure I will manage." She answered confidently, learning a few tricks of doing regular chores while in the orphanage. "Besides, I have room service. I think I can survive for a couple of days without you."

She urged her assistant to take her off and enjoy the weekend with her family. If she could not have fun, at least someone else would have a smile on their face.

"Fine," Claire finally conceded. "But if Nora..."

She could see the worry on her face as

"If Nora blows a fuse, I will deal with her, don't worry," Serena assured her assistant, knowing that her manager was like a dragon when she did not get her way.

Nora could explode, breathe fire from her nose and expel steam from her ears, figuratively speaking. However, she also had a heart of gold when it truly mattered.

"If you say so." Claire declared, still reluctant, but eventually accepted her offer, leaving her finally alone in her hotel room.

She watched her assistant walk away before closing the door to return to her private musing. She still had a lot of things to think about and a decision to make.

Hopefully, this time she would not make a mistake. But that was easy said than done. After all the things she had experienced about life and love, choosing the right one seemed to elude her.

She might be lucky in her career, finding the glory and fame she had sought. But unfortunately, she could not say the same thing about her love life.

"I am a failure." She mumbled to herself while her body fell on the bed, letting the mattress and the blanket swallow her, burying herself further under the softness of the pillows.

Nonetheless, her thoughts returned to her earlier meeting with Roseann. She knew she was a doctor at a local hospital far from Adam's place.

Should she believe Roseann incidentally came by the neighborhood and dropped by his place unannounced, just like she had explained?

Why would she travel from the hospital to Adam's apartment unless she was there for a booty call? But she claimed that was not her intention.

"Did something happen between you two?" She knew she had to ask. She could not keep imagining it, not knowing if there was truth to it.

"We kissed..." Roseann admitted to her, shame visible on her face before she lowered her head, unable to look directly into her eyes. "And slightly fooled around, but he stopped before it could go too far."

Did she want the mental picture? Would she like to ask the details of what fooling around mean? But could she handle knowing?

Besides, she said that Adam stopped before they went any further. Did he not like the kiss? Or did he feel guilty for cheating on her?

As far as she could remember, he left her with the understanding that they were already a couple. Therefore, she automatically assumed that they were exclusively dating.

"Do you love him?" She asked, wondering how long they had been seeing each other. Did he meet her before her? Did he belong to him before she snatched him from her hands?

She had many questions but was afraid to ask them. She suddenly realized she barely knew anything about the man she was supposed to love.

"No. You got it all wrong." Roseann shook her head, adamantly denying her assumption. "I met Adam during the time that I was desperate and alone.

At the time, he was in the same boat as I was. He said he just came out from a heartbreak. The woman he liked rejected him." The doctor continued.

"So was I. The man I wanted was already in a committed relationship." Roseann sadly confided. "Therefore, naturally, I prescribed a solution. We could sleep together."

There it was. This woman finally admitted that she was sleeping with Adam. She knew it. How could she be so foolish to think that Adam would be any different from the past men in her life?

It seemed the man she thought highly of would also sleep with anyone in a skirt. He was not immune to the womanizing ways.

But, of course, Adam was her brother's friend. She knew how David and his friends jumped from one woman to another. Therefore, he could be no different.

"I get it." Serena disappointedly responded, wanting the conversation over. She knew where this conversation was going.

"No, you don't." Roseann put a hand before her, stopping her from dismissing her. "You don't get it." She smiled like she knew something that she did not.

Moreover, Roseann chuckled as if there was something funny. Was there something wrong with her face?

She frowned hard, narrowing her eyes at her, unable to comprehend what she was mumbling about. It was like her company spoke in an alien language that she was the only one who understood.

"Then, what is it?" She could feel her uneasiness growing every minute she prolonged the suspense.

But she guessed she also had to stop preempting her story and making unnecessary assumptions. She should give her time to finish her narration.

"He did not accept my offer." Her guest informed her, putting a shocked expression on her face. She did not expect to hear that from her. "He turned me down."

She finally faced her and stared directly into her eyes. "Adam told me how much he loved you. And all he could offer me was friendship. And I was grateful for it." Find adventures at m_v l|e-NovelBin.net

She guessed she was in between believing her and denying what she said. How could she trust a stranger's words? But Adam had never given her any reason to doubt him until now.

"Then, what happened the other night?" She needed answers before she could give this incident a conclusion. "Friends don't kiss and make out." She insisted, thinking that it did not make sense.

"I was feeling down the other night. I knew I needed a friend. Somewhat, I found myself in this neighborhood and accidentally bumped into him outside his apartment.

Maybe, unconsciously, my mind brought me here, thinking I would be safe with him. And he would be a good friend to cry on.

But he was drunk. So, talking seemed out of the question. I helped him to his apartment. Anyway, to make the story short, we ended up kissing." Roseann looked apologetic as she told her about the other night's events.

"I want it badly, feeling the loneliness creeping into my heart. But we stopped when Adam spoke your name." Roseann showed a weak smile on her lips. "Serena." She looked ashamed again as a pink tinge appeared on her cheeks.

"I thought to myself, who is Serena? But then again, I knew that was not me. I firmly believed we both felt like an ice bucket was poured on our bodies, waking us up from making a mistake." Roseann said as she took her hand.

"He loves you, Serena. Don't punish him because of one unfortunate mistake. He did not intentionally want to hurt you." Roseann pledged she was telling her the truth.

But why would she lie? What would she gain if she concocted this story? She could not see a reason for her to help Adam except for being a good friend.

"I don't know." She still could not just accept her words at face value. First of all, this woman was still relatively unknown to her.

But she guessed she could think about it. She should not dismiss her outright. Now, she wondered whether to believe her or stick with her gut.

But her instinct had never been consistent. She had made many mistakes because of what she thought was best.

So, how should she decide? Should she let fate decide, using eeny, meeny, miny, moe, stretching her fingers before her?