The Royal Contract

"What do you think of my friends?" Alex asked, ushering Dani to another group of people who tried to catch their attention for a while now.

"You have an interesting set of friends," Dani admitted, enjoying their company. 

She would surely enjoy talking to them all night, but duty called them to mingle around. It was, after all, Alex's party, and as host, he needed to make sure that everyone would have fun.

Whoever said that hosting a party was easy should recheck her vocabulary because that was not how they would describe it. The party had barely begun, and Dani was already feeling the stress of it all. 

"I want you to meet Mr. Dean Morgan and his lovely wife, Evelyn." Alex began his introductions of several more names. 

Some of them were familiar since she had seen and met them in the other parties she had attended before.. As she mentioned earlier, these parties usually had the same guests, except for some occasional unexpected attendees.

They discussed a few topics about the business and the purpose of the fundraising event. Dani had to explain to them why it was relevant to help the poor in achieving justice.

"It is a noble act, what you are trying to do, dear." An elderly, gorgeous woman standing right next to her pulled her hand and patted it gently.

"Thank you, but I am just trying to get back something to our community." She answered her with a genuine smile. She could feel the woman's passion for helping, and she hoped that she would be one of the contributors tonight.

They quickly moved to the next group to welcome them into the occasion, hoping that they would pledge to their cause. So far, things would seem to be doing great.

Until a slight commotion caught her eye, the crowd parted, and the devil himself showed his face. Luckily, Jacky already warned her of his presence, so it had not been a shock anymore.

"You have a very nice turnout at your party. I guess congratulations are in order." Nick dispensed with the introductions and pleasantries, knowing that it would not be welcome.

"No need for that. The night is still young, and so far, we still only collected a few pledges yet. Maybe you would like to give one." Alex knew that the game had begun. 

He had prepared for any tricks he had on his sleeves. But he was still watching out for the unexpected bombs that he might throw at him. Edward as his ally would be tricky. He did not know how to play fair.

"Dani, you look as lovely as ever." Nick turned his attention to her.

He started to regret making so many mistakes during the time that they were together. He could have acted more like a doting fiancé then, just like the act that this prince was doing.

Then, his biggest fumble was to be caught with his pants down, doing Cassie. Until now, he was still looking for the person who dared sent those photos to Ethan.

"I can't say the same thing with you." Dani was not playing nice with a despicable man like him. "I think your bimbo is looking for you." She pointed to Cassie, who wore the most provocative dress of the night.

"Don't be jealous. I still think you are far better." Nick stated, not caring if Alex was throwing daggers at him. 

He wished that he would dare to touch him. He could not wait for him to strike first and make a scene at his party. That would make this party less boring and probably earned a spot on the headline.

"Don't flatter yourself. I hate to burst your bubbles, but my fiancé is far better than you." Dani felt Alex's hands went tighter around her waist as if he was expressing his support.

But she could handle her fight with Nick. He did not need to worry about her when it came to the dickhead in front of her. But his silence made her believe that he did trust her with this one.

He showed he had so much respect for her by allowing her to fight her battle. He knew that he did not need to be the knight who would save her from the villain.

"Ok. Mr. Perfect Prince--- ton," Nick uttered with an insulting tone. "I know you had been buying to my stocks. If you think I would never find out, then you are wrong. I already put a stop to your plans."

He was a man that was not afraid to fight his battle. He would not allow anyone to make a fool of him and robbed him under his nose. He was not frightened of Alex and his small army of wannabes. 

Alex only smiled after his statement. He was not expecting that he would confront him about it in front of many spectators. There were probably more than one who was now curious about their interaction.

"Unlike you, I wanted you to find out that I am buying your stocks. I was surprised that it took you several days to figure out that it was me. Imagine buying ten percent shares of your company." Alex said without breaking a sweat.

He knew that if he was steaming earlier, Nick was now boiling inside. He wondered how long before hot steam came out of his nose and ears. From the reaction on his face and the daggers in his eyes, it was not far behind.

Luckily, Cassie finally stood beside him, trying to calm him down. But Alex was looking forward to his meltdown, but he knew it would take much more than that to bring him down. But it was a start.

"While my team learned of your tricks even before you got hold of my stocks," Alex stepped closer and whispered this time, not allowing the small crowd around them to hear what he said.

After his stunt, he pulled Dani away from him, making their way to the other guests. He knew his plans to poke the bear were working. Now, he was fuming and about to explode.

Usually, a mad man was a distracted man. He could easily make mistakes when his head was not on the game. That was precisely Alex's plan all along, to cripple one opponent.

Now, he had to deal with one more. Hopefully, it would work until the end of their game. But if not, he still had several lined up as his game plan.

"What was that?" Dani asked, surprised at what she witnessed.

She was not aware that the two had been having some corporate fight. If she did not hear it with her two ears, she might not believe it. Because as far as she knew, Alex should not be keeping secrets that big from her.

"It is nothing." Alex dismissed the issue, not wanting to involve Dani in the problem.

"It doesn't look like it is nothing." Dani insisted, wanting to get to the bottom of the matter. "But fine, we can talk about it later." 

She did not want to drag the issue anymore since it was not the time to talk about it. She would wait until they got back in private, but she would not simply let it pass.

"Don't worry about it. I am handling it." Alex assured her once again. 

He believed she already had enough on her plate for her to involve herself in a corporate war. Usually, in this kind of fight, the last man standing always win.