The Royal Contract

He moved towards her side of the table and stood beside her. He sat on the chair next to her and leaned forward on the table. He examined the papers that she held in her hands before nodding his head.

"This is good work." Gerald praised her upon reviewing the find she made.

He could not believe that she was that good. Most rookies would have skipped those fine details, but she was able to catch them just in time. 

Her discovery could be good evidence that they could use with their case. A few more of those, and maybe they could tie up a few more loose ends.

"Thanks. I am sure that anybody could have seen it easily." She could not take all the credit. She could vouch that Gerald had done more than his fair share to win this case. 

She pointed a few more irregularities in the last days she went over through those papers. She was sure that they could use those to their advantage.

She could not wait for the McKinley and Coopers Enterprise to pay for their crimes. The big insurance company robbed their clients of their savings, promising them a tremendous gain, only to end up with nothing.

The aggrieved party deserved justice. They also needed to be compensated for their losses and an additional payment for their sufferings. 

"Maybe." But he was doubtful. He believed that Dani was quite different from the rest of them. "I am glad that I decided to take you on in this case."

He could smell her perfume as he sat near beside her. He never felt this kind of attraction with anyone else. Maybe it had something to do with her overall package. To him, she was perfection.

However, he was careful not to be too forthcoming with his feelings. He knew that Dani had already committed herself with someone else. He did not want to drive her away.

"I am thankful that you gave me this chance to help." She realized that she had not expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to work with him.

In the few weeks, she had already learned a handful by being under his wings. The experience and wisdom he imparted with her were invaluable.

"Then, let this be a start of a good partnership. I think you are doing a great job. Sooner or later, you might even exceed my expectations." He complimented her hard work. 

He shifted in his position to have a better look at her. He could only see one side of her face from his angle. He wanted to know more about her as his curiosity kept nagging at him.

She was indeed a beautiful woman. From all the things he heard about her, he wondered how much of those were true. Based on their interaction, he could honestly conclude that she was a great person.

"Thank you." She turned to him, only to find him staring at her. "I will take that as a compliment." She smiled at him, glad that he noticed her work.

She was not seeking his approval or anyone else's, but she wanted to improve her skills. The only way she could do that was by learning from the best in the business.

His validation of her work indicated that she was on the right track. 

It would mean that in time, she would be able to help more people. She could finally win more cases.

"I better get back to my work. If you find any more of those hidden gems, just let me know." He reluctantly stood up from the chair and moved back to his work.

He had his share of a female company. He was not a player, but he was no saint either. Currently, he was not involved in any form of relationship. He had been busy with his profession to commit to anything serious. 

"Sure, boss. I will." She suddenly sensed a change in him, but her mind was too busy to process the situation. She returned her attention to her files, determined to finish soon.

She did not notice the way he kept glancing in her direction. She was unaware of the desire in his eyes. All she could think about was that he was a great mentor, and she would like to keep working with him.

They worked for another hour before he finally called it a day. It was getting very late, and they were presenting their first argument in the morning. 

"I think we have enough for now." He stretched his neck and shoulders to relieve the tension in his muscles. 

He was satisfied with the progress they were making. Dani had been a tremendous help in this case. He believed that he had sufficient enough evidence for tomorrow.

"Do you think we can win this case?" She hoped so, but a case like this could always turn sideways, especially when they were up against another reputable law firm.

It was not enough to have a good lead, pieces of evidence to support their claims. It also required a reliable team to defend their case. 

Sometimes, a good team of lawyers could still win a case even if the odds were against them. So, they could never be too complacent even if they thought that their chances were high.

"We don't assume, but we prepare." He answered her, giving her what he thought would be a bit of good advice.

He had been in this arena for a while. More than a handful of his cases, he won in the courtroom. While most, he preferred to settle in an agreement. 

Going to court could be exciting and thrilling for a beginner, but it could be tedious, expensive, and the possibilities of winning through a jury were a fifty-fifty chance.

"I guess that is true." She acknowledged his words. In any case, anything could happen. "Well, it has been a good day." She started clearing up their files, giving the needed documents to him.

Then, she gathered her things, which she had already brought with her, so she did not need to go to her office. She still remembered the scary experience she had the last time she went home late.

Although she was not usually easily scared, she still could imagine the stare and see that shadow that lurked that night. It felt so real that it was hard to believe it was just a fabrication of her mind.

"Let me walk you to your car." He offered as they both left the room.

He walked alongside her towards the elevator.

He wished that this night was not about to end. He still felt the need to be with her. He could only hope that the case would take longer so that he could spend more time with her.

He still had to earn her trust before he could make her move. He could not simply blurt out his feelings because that would mean instant rejection.

"Thanks, but you don't have to." She did not want to impose on him. 

"I insist. It is already late, and I don't want anything to happen to you while you are working late with me." He reasoned, continuing to follow her.

It was the least he could do by making her work this late. Besides, he was enjoying her company. He welcomed spending a few more minutes with her.

"Ok." She did not want to argue with her boss, thinking it was better to have company, seeing the empty hallways and offices around her.

As she continued to walk, almost reaching the elevator, she failed to notice the wire stretched on the floor. The janitor was still working on the other side of the building, leaving the machine cord he was using lying on the cold surface.

Her heels caught on the line and forced her to lean forward. It happened fast, and she had no chance to recover from the fall. She felt the cold tiles on her hands as she broke her fall, but her knees still felt the sting of the hard floor when it made an impact.

"Are you ok?" Gerald was down on the floor, checking up on her. 

He wanted to grab her when he realized what was happening, but he was too late. His hands missed her arms by an inch, and he could not stop her from falling.

He knelt in front of her as she recovered from the shock of her accident. He held her shoulders as he assessed her for any injuries. She appeared to be physically ok, but he was sure that her knees would have bruises by morning.

"Yeah, I think I am." She accepted the help he offered, grabbing his hands to assist her up, back on her feet.

Exactly, at that point, she noticed that the door of the elevator suddenly opened. Inside stood Alex, looking at her and then in her hands entwined with her boss.

His eyes locked on them as he strode out of the box in her direction. She quickly pulled her hands away from her boss. "Thanks, but I am ok." She could only imagine the scene that he witnessed a few seconds ago.

She wondered what he might be thinking when he saw her with him.

She looked into his eyes, but his expression remained blank. She could not fathom his reaction, but she would soon find out.

She remembered his attitude to Troy before. Would he react the same way to this incident? She wondered if the green-eyed monster would show its ugly head?