The Royal Contract

"No!"

No!

It could not be.

Her father was lying.

Haley paced around her room, walking from one end to the other as she examined every detail in her mind, even the smallest one, as she tried to make sense of the truth.

"You know that I am telling you the truth. You must have suspected it when you were together." Her father insisted as they sat on his plane, cruising over the middle of the ocean.

His father did not convince her to go with him. Instead, he threatened her. Something horrible would happen if she did not cooperate.

Her father was not forthcoming about the details, but he painted a vague picture that sent chills down her spine. And sadly, she believed her father was capable of such gruesome things.

"You are only saying that so you can manipulate me again." She countered, believing that her father would say anything to control her again.

But truthfully, she could not deny her doubts about what she thought was real. She remembered things about her past that challenged what she believed was true.

"Stop pretending, my child. If I am a monster, Gerald is no saint." Alfred, her father, stated as he signaled for the flight stewardess to get him a drink.

Suddenly, she remembered years of flying with her father and visiting different spots around the globe. Those were her fondest memories.

But now, she hated every second she spent in his company. She could not stand being in the same room as he was. And she had nothing else to say to him as she zipped her lips shut.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter now," Alfred said as he took the glass from the stewardess and raised it in her direction. "You will remain my good daughter and do as told." He emphasized the last part of his sentence.

She tried to ignore him, knowing he was mumbling nonsense. Nobody could force her to do things she did not want.

Except for this time, she told herself. Still, she would find a way to fight her father. She just needed time. And, of course, a better plan where she could also protect her child.

"You can't ignore me forever, my Princess." Her father gently tapped her hand like he used to do when he wanted to comfort her. Then, eventually, he would pull her into his cuddly arms.

But not today as she snatched her hands away from him, protesting against her father's abduction. She would not make this easy for him. She would never give up that easily.

"Suit yourself, but know this. I always get what I want in the end." Her father's words reverberated in her brain, reminding her how determined her father was.

She understood he did not reach his position at the top of the food chain by being weak and indecisive. Therefore, she knew what her father could do to her and her child if she disagreed with him.

"Why can't you just leave me alone, Dad?" She hated acknowledging him as her father, but old habits were hard to forget. "You don't need me."

However, she wished her father would disown her and forget all about her existence. Besides, he already had everything he needed. Her father did not need her anymore.

"That is where you are wrong." Alfred laughed, not loudly, but it certainly had an impact, as if he was happy.

"You are just what I need." He said as if pleased about something. "Or should I say..." His eyes traveled from her face and down her stomach. "You are carrying what I need."

Her heart automatically pounded on her chest as she realized what he meant by his statement.

"No!" She shook her head while her hand moved to protect her unborn child from the monster she called her father. "You will never be a part of my child's life."

Not when she was still alive, over her dead body. She would never let her father touch her child.

"Whether you like it or not, I am the grandfather. And I will be very involved in that child's life." Alfred said, looking smug and proud as he stared again at her belly.

He signaled again for the waitress for another glass of whatever he was drinking. Then, he relaxed, leaning comfortably in his seat. It was like he knew what he was doing and was confident of getting what he wanted.

"That is not happening." She tried to defy him again. But she tried to control her temper, not wanting the stress to affect her child.

"Besides, what will you want with a child that is the son of the person you wanted dead." It did not make sense to her.

She honestly believed her father would want her child dead after learning who the father was. Therefore, she could not understand what her father had planned.

Alfred laughed.

In her mind, it sounded like the devil laughing about something she said. It was pure evil. It only sent a fear she had never felt before in her entire life.

She thought she already experienced the worst fear upon learning that her father was the monster who had the person she loved killed.

"Everything, my child." Her father finally responded as he drank the drink in his hand. Then, he let the liquid roll in his mouth before swallowing them in one gulp.

She watched her father's Adam's apple roll up and down before seeing the satisfaction in his eyes. And she did not like what she saw.

"What do you mean by that?" She wanted to know.

She had to know what her father was planning and thinking. She had to be two steps ahead of him and if she would get herself out of his clutch and her baby safely away from him.

"You and your son are a big part of my new plan," Alfred said, putting his glass on the small table before facing her.

She watched the moisture from the glass dripping down to the surface, but her mind was busy processing something else.

She needed an escape plan. Soon.

She did not like what her father was saying. She was not okay with her joining her father's crusade. And she would never allow her child to become another of his pawns.

"I don't understand." She honestly had no idea what was going on.

She felt like she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. She could not tell whether she was awake or still dreaming.

"Okay." He nodded. "That is understandable. I have hidden the truth from you because I tried to protect you from my other life."

"I thought you could live an ordinary life like your mother. I worked hard to separate you from my other world." Her father continued.

There was something in his eyes that made her think. Could she believe his words? Or was that just another of his tactics to gain her trust?

He had fooled her before. He was capable of doing it again. She could not let him into her life again for the sake of her child.

"And you expect me to believe that." She said, not wanting him to think he was tricking her again.

"No. I am just telling you the truth. But despite my efforts. It seemed fate had another idea.

Somehow, you ended up with Gerald. The man that you thought was a saint. In your eyes, he was the man who would save the world from criminals like me.

But alas.

That was a lie, my child. Gerald is no different from me. His father raised him to be a monster. Sadly, he was a worse monster than me.

He is the true mastermind of all the criminality in this city. He is a pure evil orchestrating the illegal activities that ruined many lives.

Gerald is not a saint, Haley. He is the devil." His father finished his litany about the man he believed was the devil himself.

But, of course, she did not want to believe him. However, she also knew that not all people who had done good deeds were good.

Many only used their Good Samaritan, Robin Hood cloaks to hide their twisted ways. And her father might be telling her the truth. Besides, they had evidence to show that Gerald might be the man they said he was.

"It is very convenient for you to pin this all on him. Killing him, then telling everyone that he was the devil." She answered her father.

"Of course, it was easy to blame the dead. Right?" She questioned the man sitting beside her. "He could not dispute your evidence. He could not defend himself and deny all your accusations."

The dead could not do anything, but the living could always come up with something.

But she also noticed another thing. The way her father kept referring to Gerald. It was not in the past tense.

It was like he was talking about a guy that was not yet dead. But Gerald was killed. Somebody shot him, and his body burned.

He was dead, but her father acted like he was still alive. At least, her gut told her as much as she watched her father under the periphery of her eyes.

She believed there was a missing piece in the puzzle, and his father knew where she would find it.

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