The Royal Contract

Although she and Alex had talked about getting a nanny, it was not that simple. They would have to set up interviews and background checks that might take weeks, but she needed someone immediately.

She was glad that her friend offered to cancel her activities that night to take care of her little angel. She could not pick a better person to leave her son with but her.

Dani looked at her best friend, who gladly volunteered to be his nanny upon hearing that she was looking for someone to look after his sweet little boy.

“Thank you.” She uttered with appreciation, glad that her friend had recovered from her traumatic experience of losing her child.

If anyone deserves a child, it was Jacky. She would have been an excellent mother. Anyway, Jacky was still young. Dani believed that her friend could still have their baby eventually.

“It was my pleasure. Ares is such a sweet little boy.” Jacky responded with a smile while patting the forehead of her godson.

Then, the two men joined them with a bottle of beer in their hands. They sat on the sofa and enjoyed their drinks while entertaining themselves with a baseball game on the wide screen.

“Your boy is a sweet little angel when he is asleep. But man, when he is wide awake, I swear he turns into the devil himself.” Marcus complained to his bestfriend, exaggerating his words.

.....

She could only guess her baby showed his wild side to his godparents while they were away. But she understood, knowing Ares knew how to make a scene when he wanted attention.

It was like her son had all those extra energies that could go on and on for hours and never get tired. And his voice could probably break all the glasses if it went a little higher.

“Don’t mind him. He is just overly dramatic.” Jacky countered, tapping her son on the hand. “Ares is an adorable boy who only wants to be loved.” Jacky kissed Ares on his forehead before taking a seat on her husband’s side.

“I am just saying, but I think he would be a great quarterback when he grows up. He could, without a doubt, have a good arm. You should have seen how he threw his bottle.” Marcus narrated what happened earlier during their watch.

“I told you, Dani. Even Marcus seems to notice it.” Alex agreed with his friend as they raised their bottles to his son. “I guess someone is about to follow in my footsteps.”

She and Jacky could only shake their heads at their husbands’ delusions. Ares still could barely raise his hands, much more throw a ball. But she had no objection if their son would like to follow in his father’s footsteps as long as it was his son’s decision and not Alex’s.

“Anyway, how was your meeting?” Marcus finally shifted to his serious face as he waited for Alex to answer.

Of course, he was interested to know what happened. Gerald almost became his brother-in-law if he married Haley. But, of course, that did not happen. Still, he was curious whenever his sister was involved.

She knew that Marcus truly loved Haley and would do anything to protect her, even from the person that she loved. But he was also saddened when he heard Gerald had to perish in such a manner. No one deserved to die that way, not even her criminal brother.

“We met with Mike and told him a few things we know about Gerald’s cases,” Dani told Marcus, explaining what she and Alex had discussed. “But we left out a few more valuable details. We would like to see first if we can truly trust Mike.”

She was still skeptical about him. He claimed that Gerald was his bestfriend and he was his confidant and that they were like brothers.

Then why did her brother fail to share with him about their relationship?

Why did Gerald leave him in the dark about a few things she knew, and he did not, just like their abduction? On the other hand, it was also possible that Mike did not trust them. And he was withholding information from them.

“We are still waiting for the DNA test results. But we did not mention it to him. Not yet.” Alex added as he took a swig of his beer.

She suddenly remembered how she first met her husband, like it was only yesterday. Her eyes were transfixed on his Adam’s apple as it moved along his throat. She remembered that was the first thing she noticed about him.

And then, she remembered how she tiptoed out of his life, hoping never to see him again. But fate seemed to have other plans as their paths crossed again. Now, they had this lovely child created out of their love.

“What will you do if the DNA doesn’t match?” Jacky asked as she joined in the conversation. “Dani?”

“Yes,” Dani suddenly answered, returning to the present, finally remembering they were in the middle of a conversation.

Lack of sleep and stress made her slightly loony, always dozing off, daydreaming, or being distracted. The doctors said that was normal for her condition. She just needed additional rest.

“I will probably hire a good detective to look for him or his real body. After all, he is still my brother. My father made me swear to look after him.” Dani told all of them what was on her mind.

In a way, despite what Gerald did to her and Alex, she believed he had slightly atoned for it. She thought they would have a better relationship if he had lived longer. She might even convince him to change his ways for good.

“What about you, Marcus? Have you heard from Haley?” She asked since she had not talked to her friend lately. And when she tried calling her, her phone was already unreachable.

She was worried since it was not easy to lose a loved one. She could understand her friend’s pain. She would also get it if she wanted to be left alone. But as long as she was safe.

“She only called me once, and my investigator said she called using a burner phone. After that, she had been radio silent.” Marcus shook his head, looking quite worried about his sister.