The Royal Contract

Tyra was going to the charity ball together with her father. Despite her protest, he insisted that she should escort him to this occasion. It was an important event that they should not miss.

"Dad, I think it will be better if you attend on your own." Tyra pleaded with her father to reconsider as they sat in the car on their way to their destination.

After her last encounter with Alex, she had avoided being in the same place as him or Dani. She had decided to let go and move on despite its difficulty.

But no matter what she did and how far she went away. Her heart remained with the man she made the mistake of letting go of, all because of what. She was childish and stupid.

"No. Alex invited us to be here, so the least we can do is to show up and give our support. Remember that our company needs his business. We can't afford to offend him." John said to his daughter, stopping any further discussion of the matter.

He believed that maybe Alex had a change of heart. He would not have sent a special invitation for them to come if he did not think of his daughter. He could always hope that Alex still loved Tyra.

"Dad, I think you are misinterpreting his kind gesture for something else. Remember that he is doing this party for his fiancé. He is still getting married to Dani," Tyra said, reasoning out to her father.

However, voicing it out loud was like having a knife stabbed in her heart. She was sure that seeing the happy couple together would be pushing the knife deeper and twisting it all at once.

She believed that her father was still under the notion that Alex would realize that he still loved her, and he would ask her to marry him instead of marrying Dani. But she knew better than to hope for such.

She had accepted her fate and only wished to move on, hopefully, somewhere far away from all of this. She had given up her chance with Alex. She only wished she could start over again.

"I understand the situation perfectly fine. We are not here to make trouble." John assured her daughter. "We are here to pay our respect. Alex had been kind to you, and I do wish that you will remain friends."

If Alex would not take his daughter back, and then he would find someone else more suitable for her. She was beautiful and intelligent. Someone was bound to notice her.

But one thing, he needed help with his company. He had been in financial restraint for a couple of years now. If he did not find fresh capital, he would surely lose everything.

"I also heard that Edward is here. It would be nice to say hi to him." John told his daughter. 

Well, he was involved once with her daughter. Maybe they could rekindle the old flame. He could also look into that possibility. After all, Edward was still a prince and soon to be king.

"Dad, Edward, and I are over. I will never dream of getting back with him ever again." She could not reiterate that to her father hard enough. It was a mistake that she would not find herself trapped again.

She loved her father very much, but sometimes she wondered if he loved her just as much. She had stayed in constant communication with him because he had no one else.

She promised that this night was the last time she would indulge her father. But now, she was starting to regret ever agreeing to come with him to this event. She should have stayed away.

"Don't close your heart to the possibility of love. I know you were hurt partially because of me. And I will forever blame myself for it." John hugged her daughter, knowing that he had to get her sympathy and cooperation.

But in his mind, he did blame himself not because Tyra was hurt. But because he played the game wrong, and it caused him the future of his company.

Now, he had to rectify the matter. He had to find a solution. It might not be Alex or Edward, but someone else in that building would be the answer to his problems.

"Please, Dad. As I said before, I never blame you for what happened to me. And I am not closing my heart to love. I only need some time to heal." She suddenly felt guilty again for putting her father in the middle of her problems.

She knew that her father was a good man who only looked after her interest and her future. But sometimes, she did not agree with the way he wanted things done.

"But I am sure someone out there is a man right for you. Just saying." He patted his daughter's shoulder, assuring her that everything would be alright.

It should better be for his sake. He thought as the car finally stopped at the front of the building. It was showtime, and her daughter must do her part for all his plans to work.

"I know, Dad. But I am not in a hurry to find him anymore. I know the right one would come at the right time." She stated with confidence in her voice.

For now, she was devoting herself to her career. She had a promising career when Alex came into her life. But when her life spiraled down because of her mistakes, her career also temporarily went down with it.

But she was now on her way back to the top. She would not allow anything else to distract her again from achieving it. She believed it was the only way she would be able to forget Alex.

"Good." He agreed with her, but in his mind, he needed the right time to be tonight. "Come on. It is time." He helped her daughter out of the car and proceeded to walk on the red carpet, showing off his daughter to the world.

He was glad that the cameras indeed loved her as the reporters bombarded them with questions about her booming career in the fashion world. 

"Why don't we just enjoy this night?" He encouraged her daughter as they both smiled at the crowd.

"Tyra, can you do some poses for us?" One photographer requested, which the others seconded. 

"Sure." Tyra smiled in front of the lenses and started moving her body. Flashes lighted the red carpet as the cameras enjoyed watching Tyra struck her poses. 

She did enjoy her time in front of the cameras. She loved seeing her pictures scattered all over the world. She had one thing she was good at, and she loved doing it.

"Thanks." The photographer said when Tyra excused herself.

"You did great." John encouraged his daughter, showing her that he was proud of her career.

He could certainly use that as bait to her next prospective husband. He still believed that Tyra was a good daughter. She would listen to him to what was best for her.

Now, what was best for them was for him to find her a husband. He would gamble tonight and risk it all. But with his daughter as his golden chip, he would surely win.