The Royal Contract

Waking up in his arms this early morning was not an extraordinary event in their morning routine. It never got old or tiring. The only difference from the previous times, she was now his fiancé.

She had assumed that if her relationship with him continued to work out, she would eventually marry him. But she always thought that it would take time before that would happen and not just in a matter of months.

"What are you thinking?" He partially opened one eye while struggling with the other as he stared at her face. 

The sun had not fully set, so it was not that bright in the room yet. But he could see her beautiful eyes studying him. He would have done the same thing if he wakened up before her.

From his limited observation, he could see that she was deep in thought about something. Two topics led the charts. One, their engagement. Two, her father's operation.

"Many." She answered him, running her fingertip on the bridge of his nose and down to its tip. 

She loved the structure of his face, from the way all its parts were proportioned, forming his handsome feature. It was the very first thing that attracted her to him.

Yes, she admitted it. She first looked at Alex's physique before liking his character. But she knew that she would not fall for him if he had a rotten personality, just like Nick. She was not that shallow. She also learned from experience.

"Want to talk about it?" He shifted in his position until they were both comfortably sitting and leaning on the headboard of the bed.

He always felt that communication was the key to the success of a relationship. It was the recipe that their parents kept bragging about, but he was also a firm believer in it.

"Maybe later." She kissed him in the nose before sliding out of bed and out of his grip. "I'm hungry. I'll make us some toast and fried eggs."

She smiled at him reassuringly, indicating that she appreciated his understanding. Then, she wore her robe and proceeded outside their room toward the kitchen.

"Fine." He answered, not stopping her. He knew when he should push her and the time to give her some space. "I'll make the coffee."

He followed her outside the room and found her in the kitchen preparing their breakfast. He quickly set up the coffeemaker and sat down on the stool.

"Why did you accept my father's offer to run his company?" She asked, sitting down beside him at the counter.

She stared at her plate, letting her mind in tune with his answer. It was one of the questions that still lingered in her mind since she heard about them last night.

"Because your father needed help, and I know I am the only one he could trust right now." He told her the truth in the way he saw it.

But in reality, Ethan was not that convinced to give him the company at first. The only way he had agreed to this arrangement was through several conditions and compromise.

Many people might see it differently. But in his conscience, he knew why he offered his help. He was only doing all this for Dani. He might want a company like Ethan's, but he desired something he built himself.

"What about you? Do you know the pressure you are putting on yourself for taking his position?" She could not help but worry that he might not be aware of the enormous responsibility he was putting on his shoulder.

She loved her father, and she was glad that he had finally relinquished his control on his company. But she was not expecting the price of the fulfillment of her wish.

At the other end of the bargain, another important person in her life was replacing him. She should remember to be careful of what one wished for because it just might get granted.

"Please, stop worrying about me. I can handle every obstacle that will come my way as long as you promise to stay by my side." He told her, slightly alleviating her worries.

He knew it would take time before things would settle into a comfortable pace for the two of them. There will be tons of changes and adjustments to be done with their current condition.

However, he firmly affirmed that by supporting each other. They could both make it work without too much of a hitch. It might not run as smoothly as he would wish, but it worked out just fine.

"Ok. Just don't forget to ask for help if it becomes too much." She finally yielded to his wishes but trusting that he would not leave her out of the problems. "Please do not shut me out."

She had seen some of the times that her father tried to keep the problems from her mom. It only ended up blowing on their faces, leaving her mother clueless about what to do. 

She did not want to find herself in the same kind of situation. For the success of their marriage, she felt the need to be clear about this rule between them.

"Yes, of course," Alex pulled her hands, checking the ring on her finger. "I will always consider what is best for us, Mrs. Daniella Princeton." He kissed her knuckles to seal the deal.

He knew it would take more than that to convince her, but for now, it should be enough. He would have to find a way not to reach the point that he would need her help.

"Who said that I will be changing my name into yours?" Although she did not mind which name she carried, she felt the need to rattle him a bit and check his reaction.

"Oh. I assume that you will want my name. If you want to keep your name, I also don't mind. I'm sorry for preempting your decision." He quickly retracted his earlier statement, looking worried that he might have upset her.

He learned that there were still a million little things about each other that they still had to discover. He barely scratched the surface and vice versa.

"Don't worry. I was messing with you. It will be my honor to have your name. But if you want to change yours to mine, I have no qualms with that too." She jokingly said to him, giving him an adorable smile.

"I think I'll pass." He returned a boyish grin as he respectfully declined her offer. "Now, can we think of what should occupy our time today and stop thinking of the problems of tomorrow?"

These last few weeks loaded up with stress almost tore them into pieces. And the following months would be no different. But for the few times that they had each other, he could only devise a way to maximize it to their advantage.

He would like to guarantee that they would devote it to the enhancement of their relationship. No work and problems should stand in the way, just pure fun.

"Ok, any suggestion on how we should do that? But please, nothing involving going out. I am still too tired to venture outside this apartment." Dani pleaded, still feeling the fatigue in her muscles.

If all those people, thinking that attending parties was all glory and glamour, they should rethink their perspective. They had no idea of the sacrifice that women especially had to go through to appear elegant all night.

Just remembering the torture that her feet had to endure, standing, dancing, and moving all around with the heels she had on was already a good amount of pain.

"Well, I can think of one already, and we did not need to leave our room." He pulled her into his lap and turned her until she faced him. "Would that do?"

"Tempting, but I think I need some variety. I'm sure you can come up with more entertaining things." She pulled her hair to the side of her ears as she looked at him. "But your first suggestion is definitely on the top of the list.

Her personality had become dull during her adult life. But when he came, he suddenly turned her perspective into something fun. She liked it when he started being playful. It changed the atmosphere around them. 

"Well, we can start with the first one if you want." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, tempting her. "Then, I'm sure I can think of something more once inspired."

He loved it when they kept teasing each other, building up the intensity in their desire. It was like foreplay but not by touching but with words. It was amazing.

"But before that, I cook, you wash." She pulled herself away from him, leaving him on his seat. "I'll be on the balcony when you are through."

She gave him a seductive smile before sashaying her way out of the kitchen. It implied that he better hurry up with the dishes before she changed her mind. But they both know that she would not.

"Fair enough." He ran after her before she could get too far. "But I need some incentive first." He grabbed her head and tilted it until he had claimed her lips. 

He ravaged her lips until it was swollen enough for her to remember to anticipate what else was to come. It was a promise of something more.

"Now, run before I change my mind." He never allowed her to speak as he slightly spanked her, making her moved in the direction of the other room.

He suddenly wondered why he would want more when this moment seemed to be the life he ever wanted. Then his mind reminded him that nothing stayed the same.. If he stopped fighting, he would end up at the bottom of the food chain.