The Royal Contract

Marcus had been in a meeting since this afternoon. The discussion was going in circles, but no resolution was in sight. Anyway, he felt that it was useless to continue anymore.

"I think we have nothing else to discuss for now." Marcus closed the files in his hands. They could continue the discussion tomorrow when everyone had time to think about it better.

It had been a long day, and all he wanted to do was unwind. But the problem was, his wingman had been missing since he started dating Dani. Now, he usually flew solo or with Evan. David had been usually absent too.

He was not sure why, but going out on dates was also becoming boring without Alex around. Or was it caused by something else that was missing in his life? 

"Let's just resume tomorrow." He quickly dismissed the idea in his mind, just like the people starting to vacate his office.

Finally, alone again in his office, he started to check on his calendar for possible activities he could do. He needed a distraction from his unwanted thoughts. But his attention was disrupted by a knock on the door.

"Marcus, your secretary, was not around, so I let myself in if you don't mind." A man stood by the door, waiting for him to invite him in.

If he was slightly not in the mood earlier, now, he was irritated. He was the last person he wanted to see today, but he still maintained a smile on his face. 

He was a good man, reminding himself. He did not have anything against him as a person. Besides, he was Alex's cousin and close friend. 

But he could not explain why he was not comfortable dealing with him. Well, he might, but he did not want to consider that. It was childish, and he believed that it was not even possible.

"Yes, Lance, come in. Alex already notified me that you are coming to see me." Marcus said as he gestured for his visitor to take the seat in front of his desk.

He stood and walked to the other side of his room. "Do you want a drink?" He grabbed two glasses, offering one as a friendly gesture. He certainly needed something strong alcoholic drink to relieve some of his stress.

As he mentioned earlier, he did not have any grudge against the guy since he had not done anything wrong against him. But it did not mean that he was comfortable hanging around him.

"Sure." Lance took the drink, not wanting to offend his host. "Well, Alex informed me that I will be working under you for the next week. I was wondering if there won't be any problem with us working together."

Lance was quite aware of Marcus' past involvement with Jacky. He felt that it might have some conflict if they were going to be working together. He was unaware of what kind of relationship the two of them had, but he knew Jacky was devastated by their breakup.

After his visit earlier and his discovery about Jacky's feelings for him, he began to contemplate if he should also pursue his feelings for her. It had been an idea that had him on edge all day.

"Why would there be any problem with us working together?" Now, that piqued Marcus' interest. He poured another glass for him and offered again, but Lance declined this time.

As much as he was not interested in working with Lance, he still maintained a professional stand when he was around. Now, he wondered what was going through Lance's mind.

What made him think that working with him would be a problem? Was he sending that kind of vibe to him, or did Alex mentioned something to him to make him assumed that?

"I only wish to clear the air between us. I don't want any problem between us since you are Alex's best friend and partner in this company." Lance said, hoping that he would not cause any problem for his cousin.

"I'm sure that we have nothing to clear between us," Marcus stated, still puzzled by his statement. Although, he could think of one reason for this unusual circumstance. 

"If this had anything to do with Jacky. You can calm down because what we had is over." Marcus could see what was going through Lance's mind.

He would not be this good in his job if he could not easily read a man's expression. Anyway, it was all over his face that all of this was about her. He had heard that Lance had started seeing her again.

Was that an issue with him? Well, as far as he knew, it was none of his business who Jacky dated. If Lance wanted to see her, then that was not his problem anymore.

"Then, you heard that I am dating her again," Lance stated, wanting to see his reaction.

He admitted that when he first saw Jacky, he felt the connection between them. Then, he started liking her more every time they were together. The more he spent time with her, his feelings for her grew more.

But if he was going to pursue her, he wanted to make sure that he was not stepping on anyone's shoes. As he said, Marcus' was Alex's best friend. He did not want to cause any rift between them.

"Yes, but as I said, her dating had nothing to do with me." Marcus reiterated, wanting the issue between him and Jacky over.

Admittedly, he did realize the mistake and the pain he caused to Jacky's feelings. Until now, he regretted those moments. But he could not take it back. It was over, and he already knew Jacky would never forgive him. He moved on, believing that there was no more room for him in Jacky's heart.

Now, he was not about to stand against Jacky's happiness if Lance was willing to give it to her. Who was he to ruin Jacky's life once again? It was the last thing he wanted.

"Then, I guess I am glad to hear that." Lance did not come here to ask Marcus for permission to date Jacky. But he needed to see if Marcus still had any feelings for her. Now, all he needed to know was what Jacky felt for Marcus. 

Because once he courted Jacky, it would be him against his family and their ways. He had to be sure that Jacky was ready to fight with him for that. He could not go into this relationship blinded by love. 

There were many things at stake. Unlike Alex's relationship with Dani, theirs would not be easy. Was he ready to explore and take a risk with Jacky? 

"Then, don't let me stop you. As I said, what we had is over." Marcus expressed with confidence.

He had no business messing with Jacky's life after what he did to her. He knew he had no right to show his face again in front of her. After weeks of mulling over his actions, he understood that he made the mistake of hurting her.

And now, all he could do was let her go as he realized the error of his ways.