The Royal Contract

Chapter 599: A curse

“Marcus sent their apologies for not attending tonight,” Alex stated.

Alex ran his hand through hers, sitting alongside her at the backseat of the car.

They finally had said their goodbyes to her parents and guests and were on their way back to their apartment. He could sense that her wife was exhausted but not physically, more likely emotionally.

He pulled her into his arms, letting her back to rest on his chest. Then, he started rubbing the palm of his hands on her arms, then making his way to her shoulders.

“Yeah, Jacky also texted me about what happened to her.” She leaned closer to his body, enjoying the feel of his warmth enveloping her. “She assured me that it was nothing serious.”

It would have been better if her friend had been there to support her. Besides Alex, her parents, and a handful of others, Jacky was the only person she could count on to understand what she had been going through.

“We can check on them if you are worried.” He offered, knowing that she might be thinking of Jacky and her current condition.

.....

He knew how close the two were, just like he was with Marcus. He understood that she might want to be around her in a time like this.

“No, I think she is in good hands.” She smiled at him, appreciating what he was trying to do for her and her friend. But she knew she could trust Marcus this time to take good care of Jacky.

Then, she felt his fingers work their magic on the curve of her collarbones. She could feel her tension eased up, relaxing her muscles under his skillful ministration.

She closed her eyes, letting all her worries disappear, even for a little while. For a moment, she thought everything seemed to be in the way it was supposed to be. She felt calm and relaxed.

After a few minutes of thinking about nothing, a thought went through her mind. She slightly opened her eyes and gazed at the view outside.

“Where have you been?” Dani uttered, still staring at the passing cars, buildings, and people on the sidewalk but not seeing anything as her mind reminded her of what happened earlier.

Finally, she turned to watch his expression with the bit of light coming from the window beside him. “You and Dad disappeared for a long time.” Staring at him questioningly when he had remained silent.

She had been looking for him after dinner, and he suddenly disappeared. So, was her father. She could only guess that they probably went to his office to discuss something in private.

They were both acting strange even before the dinner started, but she did not get the chance to confront him about it. Now, she was curious if he would tell her what they had talked about.

“Ethan.” Then, abruptly he corrected himself, “I meant Dad, invited me to join him in his office. I have been away from the office for so long that he only wanted to update me with a few things he thought I should be aware of.”

He could only hope that she would accept his alibi. But from her raised brow, he could tell that she had some doubts. However, he could not share what he and Ethan had discussed.

It was a secret that he had to carry to his grave. If anyone discovered their plans, especially their enemies, they might use them against them instead.

He did not want Dani anywhere near their plans. She should remain clueless about what was going on behind the scenes. That was what he and Ethan had agreed upon.

“Like what?” She questioned him, thinking that he was hiding something.

She could tell from the way his eyes avoided her gaze. She might be mistaken, but her instincts were rarely wrong. She hoped this was one of those times that she had been inaccurate with her assumption.

She did not want to think that he was keeping things from her. But if he was, she was afraid she might have an idea of what it could be. And she did not know if knowing was better than being kept in the dark.

“Just about the business.” He told her casually as if it was not that important to discuss. “You probably heard of the buyer, who is secretly making deals with our investors.”

He explained what he and her father had decided to do with the matter. It was an issue that needed to be addressed immediately, or it might go out of hand.

“Oh, I agree.” She would like to believe, with all her heart, that Alex was telling her the truth. But something inside her was nagging that she should dig deeper.

However, she was afraid of what she might discover. Not only that. She was terrified of what she might feel about her father and husband.

She debated with herself if it was better if she just pretended to have no idea than to keep looking for answers that she might not like in the end.

“Anyway, are you tired?” Alex asked, trying to divert the conversation into something else.

He was done talking about his private conversation with Ethan. Hopefully, she was too. He would like to talk about something else, like their future.

“Why?” She asked, curious about his question, assessing her body of her condition.

She could feel a bit of tension on her leg muscles from all the standing and moving around she did. Other than that, she could tell that she was not that exhausted.

“I have something I want to show you if you are still up for it.” He could still present his other surprise at another time, but he could not contain his excitement.

After she had rejected the house that he planned to build for her, he thought of giving her another gift as a wedding present. It took him a while to figure this one out. He could not wait to see her reaction.

“I thought you might stop with your surprises after what I did with your last one.” She still felt slightly awful for declining his gift the last time. But it was better than to accept it and later on regret it.

“I will never stop surprising you. That I promise.” He grabbed her hand and placed small kisses on her fingers. “I love you.” He uttered in his sweet voice, whispering it into her ears.

He leaned his head closer to her cheeks, resting his body against her back as they stared at the view outside their window. He allowed her arms to snake around her waist, cradling her closer to the safety of his arms.

“I love you more.” She slightly turned her head to answer him back before returning her eyes to the road ahead.

She could only wish that their lives were as simple as this. She never thought of her status as a curse, but at the moment, she wondered if it was.

She had seen how ordinary folks lived their simple lives without caring much about the world. They were not rich, just getting by comfortably each day. But she had seen them happy.

She wished that for her and her family too. But she had to accept that her life would never be anything but complicated. It might be a curse that her kids would eventually inherit from them.