The Royal Contract

"How are you feeling?" Alex asked as they sat down inside his parlor. 

He observed the man, who would soon become his father-in-law, checking his state of health. Based on his physician, he was recovering according to their timeframe. 

It was a good sign, indicating his fast and complete recovery. As much as he wanted control of the company, he did not mind having Ethan as a partner. He would not mind having Ethan around to show him the ropes.

"Don't worry about me. I am as strong as an ox. I am not dying that easily." Ethan said, seeing the questioning look in his eyes. He rested his back on his favorite chair as he drank his freshly prepared fruit juice. 

"Why don't you help yourself with a drink?" He said bitterly, putting down the glass with distaste.

Laura and his doctors had warned him against drinking caffeinated or alcoholic drinks. Even his meals were regulated and calculated. For him, it was no way to live.

Then, he felt like a prisoner in his home, with Laura monitoring his movements. He knew that his wife only thought of what was best for him, but he could not help but feel so incompetent, unable to do what he wanted.

"I am glad to hear that," Alex replied, happy that Ethan was fighting his condition. He declined the drink, not wanting to be rude to his host. 

If Ethan could not drink any alcohol, so would he. He accepted the offered juice by the server, placing another glass in front of him. As the saying went, one for all, all for one.

"So, tell me what is happening with my company." "I want to know everything." "Don't even try to lie to me." He warned him.

He could not wait a minute longer to hear his report. He did not ask Alex in private only to talk about some idle chitchat. He demanded what was happening in his company.

"Are you sure that you can handle the pressure? I don't want to stress you out, or else Laura and Dani will skin me alive." Alex had guaranteed that Ethan was up to the situation. 

Any wrong word and his life could be in danger once again. Alex did not want to be the cause of worsening his condition, definitely not his demise.

"Of course, I can handle the pressure." Ethan raised his voice at him, not tolerating how he was treating him as if he was a glass that could easily break. "I will die sooner if I keep sitting here, wondering about my company."

He was bored out of his mind. The only thing keeping him sane was Laura, but even she was getting frustrated with his attitude. He tried to obey her every request. However, it was taking too long for him to get back his life.

He was used to working almost twenty-four-seven since he started building his company. Now, it was the other way around. He was either lying, sitting, or moving around the house with nothing to do but stare at the different corners of this place.

"I understand." Alex could only imagine what Ethan was going through. He believed it might be hard to transition from being the tycoon to retirement.

"Do you?" He raised one of his brows, doubting his words. "Anyway, what is the latest news?" He placed his glass back on the table, entwining his fingers in front of him and crossing his legs as he waited for him to tell his story.

"So far, the board members had responded positively to my take over. But I know they are still waiting for me to fail." Alex narrated his first board meeting.

He also told him the new projects he introduced and the latest problems the company was facing. He spared no details in updating Ethan with what was happening to his company.

Although, he still withheld some of the questions in his mind. He was still debating if he should discuss the secret that Alex discovered through Cassie.

He wondered if Ethan was well enough to handle if he brought up the past and examined its implication in the present and towards the future. For him, no secrets remained hidden forever.

"It would not be easy to eliminate their doubt. After all, it took me my entire life to build my reputation and to earn their trust." Ethan gave him a reassuring smile. 

Building a character could take months, years, and even a lifetime. It required developing many facets of an individual. Some were born with it, while others did not have it at all.

He was confident that Alex was just like him, a born leader. The reason why he had easily chosen him to take his place. He had seen himself in him, the ambition and the drive to succeed to the top. 

"Don't worry, Sir. I am doing my best to convince them that you did not make the wrong choice." He looked up and stared directly into Ethan's eyes. "I will never fail you and Dani."

He was not doing this solely for his gain, although he had wanted this for a long time. His main reason remained the same. He needed to protect Ethan's legacy for Dani's sake.

"I heard that Cassie was at your office. What did she want?" Ethan still had a few eyes inside who still secretly whispered in his ears. However, those were not enough to satisfy his curiosity. 

He needed the comprehensive information and not just bits and pieces of crap. As far as he knew, Cassie visited him. What transpired inside the office was still a mystery to him.

"How did you know that?" He did not wait for the answer. Someone loyal to him could have passed up the message to him. "Yes, Cassie had come by the office." He affirmed his statement. "She wanted to discuss something."

He did not elaborate more, assessing first the situation. He wondered what else his informant had told him about the meeting, but he could tell that it was not much.

Whoever was providing Ethan with the information was not included in most of the private meetings. Since Ethan hardly knew of what was happening in the company.

"What did she tell you?" Ethan could only guess the information that Cassie shared with him. 

"She said she needed to get away from Nick. If I helped her, she would give me the evidence she had against you." Alex finally disclosed to him what was nagging at him.

He waited for Ethan to respond to his statement. He could not read what Ethan was thinking through his expression, but Alex could tell that he was in deep thought.

"And, did she give you the file?" Ethan waited for his answer as his mind swirled around what he had learned.

Ethan always suspected that when Cassie left his company. She might have taken some private files from his office. His men could not find proof of his claims. Cassie got away without anyone catching her.

Then, when he learned that Cassie joined forces with Nick, he thought that she would give those files to Nick, but it would seem she did not.

Because if she did, Nick would not have a second thought to use that information against him. He would have ammunition against him. Fortunately, for whatever reason, Cassie did have some form of change of heart.

He finally confirmed his initial suspicion that Cassie had something to do with leaking the secrets he had kept from Dani that had caused the rift between them.