The Royal Contract

She forced herself to smile as Jacky dragged her with them on their tour. They did not go far since of their condition, but still, she had to leave the comfort and security of her room.

She constantly wore her hat with a partial veil that shaded her face from the harsh sun and her reliable wide-eye shades that covered almost half of her ace.

She could not be too careful. She did not want anybody to notice who she was. There could be tourists in this part of the town that knew her. She was not taking any risk, not with her child's safety.

"Aren't you done acting like a tourist?" Haley walked over to her friend, finding the heat of the blazing sun too much for her skin.

"I have barely seen anything," Jacky complained as she sat beside her under the shaded area away from the sun.

But the sun was not the real issue as she decided she had enough of looking at nothing. Yes, all these captivating sceneries surrounded the place, but she hardly appreciated any of it as her mind remained stuck on Gerald's face.

He was still as handsome as she remembered him. The first thing she noticed when she first laid her eyes on him.

Although she did not usually use physical features as a baseline for her ideal man, she could not ignore his well-chiseled nose, square jaw, and soft lips as a bonus.

Nevertheless, she knew she fell in love with him, not by his looks alone. He had this charisma in him that fascinated her.

There was this element of danger that seemed to ooze out of him. He had this badass image that brought about a mystery around him.

She thought it was just a feeling that piqued his curiosity, but now, she realized that Gerald had always lived with the barrel of a gun pointed at his head.

All his life, he had lived on the knife's edge. He had played with his life, balancing between living and dying. In the end, he always had a target on his back.

She just realized he was the wanted man that hid well behind the law. He was a criminal and an evil mastermind.

"Come on, Haley. You need to put all of those things behind you." Jacky wrapped her arms around her as she attempted to comfort her.

Her friend probably saw the trouble lines on her face as she stressed about her latest discovery. She could not help it. She could not stop thinking about him and what he did for a living, at least behind the scenes.

"How could I?" She finally answered her friend. "How can I forget that the man I loved and respected was a hardened criminal, a crook, a drug cartel leader, and a murderer."

And she thought that her father was the devil himself. But sadly, she just realized they were not at all different. And they both could rot in hell.

"You should not judge him outright like that. Maybe he had a good explanation for all of this." Jacky insisted as her eyes looked at her with sympathy. Or was it pity?

"Oh my!" She gasped with tears mildly forming in her eyes. "My child's father is the most wanted man in our city."

She could not help but feel sorry for her child, knowing that her baby would have to suffer the implications of what Gerald had done.

"Haley..." She could see the concern in her friend's face as they faced each other. "I hope you won't jump to any conclusion. They could be framing Gerald for something he did not do."

Jacky had a point, but so far, from what she had read, the authorities had enough evidence to prove his guilt against all his accusations.

"Let us say someone framed him. How could he defend himself and prove his innocence?" She questioned as she thought about it. "We both know that he is already six feet buried underground."

But she would admit, the idea of him crawling out of his grave would be a dream come true. She guessed her love for him would still outweigh whatever accusations they threw at him.

She wished he would live, defend himself and prove to everyone that he was not the criminal they said he was.

"I supposed that is the problem." Jacky finally seemed to agree with her.

But the idea that Gerald was innocent stuck in her mind. Maybe his enemies just wanted to ruin his stellar reputation by pinning all these crimes on him.

They must have set him up, thinking he could not fight back since he was already dead. He was the perfect scapegoat for the real perpetrators.

"Damn! Maybe you are right." Suddenly, she wanted the idea that somebody framed Gerald more acceptable than her initial thought.

"For now, can we stop thinking of Gerald?" Her friend suggested as she wiped the few tears that grazed her cheeks. "And think of our kids." Reminding her that another life was also depending on her.

Oh my! She had forgotten about her child as she felt the hunger that she had suppressed since this morning.

She could not be negligent and selfish as she thought only of herself. She always had to prioritize the welfare of her child, among other things.

After having a sumptuous meal, they all decided to call it a day and return to their villas. Although she tried to enjoy her few moments with her brother and sister-in-law, she still preferred the privacy of her room.

"Can we do this tomorrow again? I am exhausted." She had excused herself from another dinner invitation from her brother. "I will just rest tonight."

Marcus was a bit hesitant, but a little convincing did the trick. Of course, she loved spending time with them, but she also just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Continue your saga on mvl

"We'll see you tomorrow." Jacky reluctantly let go of her as they left her in her room to return to their villa.

A part of her was also sad to see them go. After all, she had longed to be with her family. But another part was relieved as she entered her empty room.

After a while, she took out her phone and dialed a number, but it only went to voicemail. Nobody answered her call.

"Where are you, Mike?" She stared at the screen of her phone, wondering if she could find the answer.

But for an unknown reason, Mike had never responded to her calls or text. It was odd. Usually, Mike would never ignore her calls or messages.

She wanted to reach him because she knew if anyone knew the truth, it was him. He was Gerald's bestfriend. They had been working together for a long time.

Therefore, Mike must have an idea.

But her efforts were wasted when Mike did not pick up her calls or respond to her messages. He seemed to have vanished too.

Should she start worrying about Mike too? Was he also in trouble?

"I guess you are hungry again, my sweet little pea." She mumbled to her growing child as she felt the grumbling inside her belly.

She moved to her small kitchen and worked on preparing something light. But she could not help but think of Gerald and Mike.

What a mess!

But what if Gerald was not innocent? How did she feel about it?

Honestly, her initial reaction was anger. She hated that Gerald would involve himself in illegal activities and lead the organization.

But now, she did not know. She loved the man, and he was about to be the father of her child.

After eating her sandwich, she returned to the comfort of her bed. She guessed she was more tired than she thought. In just a matter of minutes, she quickly succumbed to darkness.

Once again, a man was the first thing she saw. She watched him move around the room as if busy with something.

"Gerald?" She would call his name, knowing he was the man she loved.

He would keep moving while she continued following. However, she never caught up with him. He was just too fast. And when she was about to grasp him in her hands, he would vanish.

But that was not the case today as she followed him to the other room. He continued walking, making it to the other side of the room before he stopped.

"Gerald." She called him, confident that the man was him.

They had the same build, his back was the same size, and his hair had that unruly wave she loved to play with her fingers. And even his musty, masculine scent wafted in the room.

"Gerald, please show yourself." She begged him, feeling that this time, things would be different.

She stood not far from him, afraid to come near for fear he might vanish if she dared to touch him. But her eyes steadily watched, not wanting to miss anything.

And then, finally, he gradually turned around, so slow that she felt her heart was about to explode from the anticipation.

She could finally see partial features of his face, confirming what she already knew. Automatically, her feet moved forward, slowly in time with his movement, until she stopped just a meter from him.

Now, she was face to face with the man she loved, alive in her dreams. For the first time, she had seen his face again. And she could feel how her heart rejoiced to be with him again.

" We love you, Gerald." Just like that, all her fears about who he was vanished. It was only him that mattered to her and her child.

But.

Bang!

A loud deafening sound reverberated in her ears. Then, he fell to the ground.

Suddenly, she watched him die all over again in that borrowed space and time.

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