The Royal Contract

"You can't do this to me." She said as tears brimmed around the corner of her eyes. "You can't make me love you and then leave me." She shouted, putting all her emotions into her words.

"It is not fair." She wailed, but the tears failed to drop in her eyes as she paced the floor in her living room.

Then, frustratedly, she threw the script on the sofa, letting it drop unceremoniously on the leather seat. Before, she followed, letting her body slump into the soft cushion.

"What is wrong, Serena?" Her assistant asked as she entered the room, witnessing her frustration. "You don't like the story."

Nora just sent her a new movie that her manager wanted her to check out. The title seemed interesting, and the story outline intrigued her.

"I do. I like it, Claire. I think it is the best yet I have read." She acknowledged the potential of the storyline. She even liked the few lines as she practiced portraying the main female lead.

"But...?" Claire questioned as she stopped in the middle of the room, carrying the new clothes she picked up from another clothing line she would endorse.

"The problem is not with the script." She admitted. "It is me." She buried her face in the cold palm of her hands as she felt another wave of desperation hit her hard.

"Why? What is wrong?" Her assistant asked, looking worried. "Are you sick? Do you wish me to call a doctor?"

Maybe she was sick as she felt her stomach churned. But she believed her health had nothing to do with it. And she also doubted that a doctor could cure whatever weighed her down.

"No, I am not sick." At least physically, she thought as she exhaled all the air out of her lungs and leaned on the backseat, staring at the beautifully bordered ceilings.

She supposed it was her mind that had the problem. She could not focus on the lines. She could not concentrate on her job.

Unfortunately, she could not think of anything else but the one person that had plagued her mind as his face crossed her vision.

"Then, what can I do, Serena?" Her assistant asked, acting like she genuinely wanted to do something for her. "...to help?" She added.

At any rate, she could not think of anything Claire could do to help her. But in the end, she concluded that no one could help her but herself. Still, she could not think of how to resolve her situation.

She hated him for cheating on her. Or maybe hate was too much of a strong word. She guessed she was angry at her situation.

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Besides, Roseann said that she was wrong about the whole thing. That doctor swore it was a misunderstanding. And if anyone was at fault, it was her.

"I don't think you can help me." She hopelessly uttered as she closed her eyes. "I don't know if anyone could help."

Of course, a part of her wanted to believe that woman and absolve Adam from all his wrongdoing. However, another part of her was terrified to commit the same mistake she had done in the past, over and over again.

Her heart had been torn many times into pieces. She doubted if she could put it back together again one more time.

"I don't know if this will help, but I thought you should know." Claire sat beside her, looking directly at her.

On the other hand, her curiosity also got the best of her as she turned to look at her. She could not help but wonder what her assistant was about to say.

Usually, Clair kept things to herself. She very seldom spoke her mind, especially about personal matters. But she liked that she sometimes became bold, expressing her thoughts with her.

"What is it?" She guessed she did not mind hearing any suggestions, advice, or anything to help her get her life back to what it used to be.

First, she needed to return to work while the movie studios still wanted her despite her career setback after she broke it off with her last boyfriend.

Second, she needed to decide to let go of Adam and move on. Or should she give him another chance and take another risk with him?

"I agree with Nora. I don't think Adam is the same as the others." Her assistant voiced her opinion. "And I have seen him a couple of times. I even bumped into him once."

She had heard of what Nora thought of Adam, but the last part was news to her. She had no clue what her assistant was rambling about.

"Seen him?" She could not help but ask. "What are you talking about?" She finally questioned as her mind swirled with confusion.

Did he come to see her? Then, where was she? Did he try to approach her when she went out? She could not understand why her assistant saw him, but she did not.

Honestly, she had been dreaming of bumping into him. She had been fantasizing that he would bang on her door and demand to see her.

But his silence only intensified her belief that he was guilty of his crimes. But was she harshed on judging him without giving him enough credit and a chance to explain himself?

"I saw him a few times, watching the building in his car. But he never stayed for long. Once he saw you, he usually left immediately. I guessed he only wanted to see you.

Then, when we had gone on one of my errands, I bumped into him. He only said hi and asked how you were, but he never wanted to bother you." Her assistant narrated the few events she had seen him around.

"But just to be clear, I don't think he was a stalker or anything like that. He seems genuinely concerned about you. And only wanted to make sure that you are ok." Claire quickly added, hoping to ensure that there was no misunderstanding.

She could not believe he had always been around, but she never saw even his shadow. What was wrong with her?

And he came to check on her, guaranteeing she was doing well. That only meant he truly cared about her.

Right?

And she was so stupid to believe he did not care about her when all he had done all this time was to think about her welfare.

"When was the last time you saw him?" She asked her assistant. Suddenly, she wondered if he had given up on her. She would probably have had enough of her if she was in his shoes.

"I think I saw his car earlier at the front of the building. But I..." Claire was still telling her something when she bolted out of her seat and rushed to the door.

She ran along the hallway and stopped by the elevator, pressing hard on the button like a madwoman on a mission.

"Serena, where are you going?" She could hear Claire hot on her trail, but she did not stop to answer her as she quickly slid inside the elevator and pressed for the ground floor.

"I am fixing my problem." That was the only word she could squeeze out of her lungs as she watched the door closed on her assistant.

Then, she counted the numbers on the small screen, willing it to go faster. But that was not her luck. After a few floors below, the doors opened, and a couple with a child joined her.

But she could not care if they stared at her while whispering between themselves. However, she could probably imagine how she looked at that moment.

She remembered running her fingers on her hair several times earlier. Therefore, she could only picture the bird's nest on the top of her head.

In addition to her lack of makeup or the drab clothes she wore. But worse, the bareness of her feet as she saw the child stare at her feet.

"Where are your shoes?" The young girl curiously asked when she made eye contact with her.

She was so desperate to get down on time she did not realize she had run barefoot out of her hotel room.

Moreover, her mind was so preoccupied that she barely felt the coldness of the metallic floors, failing to realize that she had nothing covering her feet.

"Do you know the story of Cinderella?" She asked the child, who nodded in acknowledgment. "I am playing her part. Now, I am about to look for my Prince Charming."

She cheerfully related to the child, who looked more confused by her explanation.

"But that was not how the story goes." The child complained, raising her voice a few decibels higher as if correcting her. "The Prince Charming will be the one to look for you. Not the other way around."

"You have to excuse, Roseann. She could sometimes be nosy and opinionated." The woman, who she would assume as the mother, reprimanded her child for talking to her in that way.

The irony of it all.

It was just her dumb luck.

Was it a sign? Or was it just a coincidence?

But more importantly, how did she want to interpret it?

"That is ok. I like a young woman who knows how to speak her mind." Serena praised the young girl, somewhat seeing herself in her back when she was young.

"But you see, he tried to look for me, but I keep hiding from him." She regrettably admitted not only to the girl but to herself. "And I think he did not deserve that. So, this time, it is my turn to find him."

More importantly, she had to ensure that the shoe fit.

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