The Royal Contract

"Are you sure that you are ok to go back to work?" Alex asked, still trying to convince her that she should still rest. He buttoned up his shirt as he watched her slightly struggle to get dress.

Although she seemed to be doing better and the swelling on her foot had toned down to almost normal, he still felt she should take it easy and lay low from work.

"Another day of confinement inside this house, and I will hang myself," Dani warned him with a sharp look if he insisted on stopping her.

She had been staring at the walls of her apartment for far too long. She could not take another minute of watching another movie or laying down wide awake. She needed to get back to her job before she lost her mind.

"Fine, Dani. I'll drive you to work and pick you up later. Or else, I will lock you up inside this room." It was his turn to give an ultimatum. "And I will ask Jacky to lessen your workload today. You need to take it easy."

"You can't do that. Besides, you are not my boss. I already have several backlogs on my cases. I can't afford to slack off anymore." She reasoned to him as she started to apply light makeup on her face.

"I told you that David and Evan understand your situation. They already asked for some assistance from the other associates to take your immediate cases." He again pointed out that there was no hurry for her to go back to work.

It was not as if she went on a vacation and abandoned her obligations. She was in an accident and needed a required rest. Any businesses allowed their employees some sick leave to recover, and that included their company.

"You can't always use your influence with my boss to excuse my absences." She said, a bit frustrated and irritated with him as she sat in front of the vanity mirror.

It was not the first time that he meddled with her career. She knew that it would not be the last if she did not put a stop to it. Although she knew that he meant well, it was still not his right to interfere in her life.

"But I only did it because you had an accident, and you need your rest." He was not yet finished with his statement when she interrupted her by holding out her hand.

"It is beside the point. I know I am given special treatment because of my association with you. It is the same reason why I did not work for my father because I want it to make it on my own." Showing him how upset she was through her reflection in the mirror.

"I..." Alex was supposed to react to her claim, but she stopped him once again. He decided to shut up, just stood behind her, and listened to what else she had to say.

"Let me finish." She dropped everything she was doing and turned to look at him. "You can't keep coming to my rescue." She breathed heavily at her situation. "I even think that the only reason they hired me in the first place is that you had something to do with it."

She finally voiced what had bothered her since she found out his connection to the company. To her mind, he had something to do with why she immediately got the position despite her lack of experience.

"I'm sorry if you felt that way. I was not aware, and it was not my intention." He knelt in front of her and looked directly at her face. 

"And regards to your employment with the firm, I had nothing to do with it. I only learned about your association with them when I accidentally heard your name mentioned as a new hire." He continued as he forced her to look at him.

"Fine." Finally, staring straight into his eyes as Dani saw the sincerity of his statement. "So, you have nothing to do with me getting the job with the firm."

"But I still want to become a good lawyer. Not just a name on the door that says I am working there. People already thought that I was only in this position because of who my father is. That is not what I want." She entwined her fingers through her hair and ran it through the strands, and then she worked on putting it into a bun.

"I like them to realize that I deserve to be there because I work my ass out with every case I handle. I also work this hard because I want to help those people who need me."  She suddenly felt that she had to explain herself for him to understand her reasons. 

She did not want to blame him because she knew he was only looking after her. But there were things that she considered to be too much, and this was one of them. He was overdoing the protective and saving part.

"Ok. I understand. I will try to limit interfering with your job." But when he saw the frown on her face, he immediately rephrased his words. "I will stop interfering with your job. Better?"

Alex learned that he had to back off from Dani. He could not control someone like her because he was one independent and intelligent woman. It was one of the things that attracted him to her in the first place.

"Deal." She agreed, quite satisfied that she won this argument.

She appreciated the concern that Alex was showing her, but he could not run her life. It was not how she wanted their relationship to work. 

Moreover, she would do anything to get back to work. She could not stop thinking of the cases she needed to finish evaluating and needed filing in court.

"Ok. If that is what will make you happy. Then, that is what we will do." Alex said, admitting his defeat. He stood up and placed a solid kiss on the top of her head, and moved away to let her finish. 

"Thanks. Now, shall we finish up here and go to work because I don't want to be late." She stood up from her seat, putting some weight on the table in front of her for support. 

Then she took the clutch at the side and used it to walk. A minor accident would not stop her from accomplishing her tasks. She never used excuses before, and she was not about to start now.

She was an independent and strong woman who had work hard to get where she was now. She could not give that up now, just for him, no matter how much she like him.

"Then, we shall." He offered his hand for support while she used the crutch on the affected foot. 

He could see how she fought through the pain these past few days to prove to him that she was capable of doing things on her own. He admonished her for her stubbornness but admired her resilience too.

And she was right, Alex realized. She was capable of taking care of herself. She had been doing that even before he came into the picture. So, he had to stop playing her knight and start to be the supportive boyfriend.