The Royal Contract

A few days had passed since he had started packing his things, and he still could not decide when he would finally move. He had already rented a place where he would settle for a while.

At least in the meantime, until he had found a more permanent place to settle into if ever he chose to stay. But that was not the reason why he could not leave this place, not just yet anyway. 

"Troy, there are some issues with the permit of the club. The contractor had to stop because of the temporary hiccup in the processing of the papers." The man on the other line spoke to him, reminding him that he was still on the phone.

He had been distracted by the other thought that preoccupied his mind that sometimes he felt like he was floating on air. He had to settle this matter soon because he could not stay like this any longer.

"Try talking to the one in charge. If you can't convince the man to grant you the permit, then call me again." He ordered, not happy with the situation, quickly ending the call.

He knew that he should be there to handle the construction of his new business. His investors expected him to be on top of the situation, but instead, he asked his assistant to do it for him.

He looked outside the window of his apartment and thought of why he was still here in his apartment. He grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

"Tyra, can we talk? I am coming over." He told her without waiting for her to answer. He hung up the phone and walked out the door of his apartment.

He was surprised to receive a call from her a few days ago after their last encounter. He was sure that when they separated, she made it clear that she did not want anything more to do with him.

She had changed her mind about the proposal she made and wished for them to forget all about it. Troy was disappointed because the idea was growing on him. But what could he do? He could only respect her wishes. 

"Come in." She immediately opened the door when she heard the bell, followed by several knocks. She already knew that Troy was behind the door. She was already expecting him after his brief call earlier.

She was also aware of the reason for his presence. She did call him the other day, retracting her decision to end it between them. After her father visited her, she knew that she had no choice but to run away.

If she did not, she would end up marrying whoever her father had chosen for her. Simply moving away would not be enough because John would only track her down and still force her to do his bidding.

"You said that you would call me back, but you never did. Is this just a game to you? Because whether you are coming or not, I am leaving tomorrow." He spoke up in a barely controlled anger.

He did not like that she was hot and cold towards him. He could take it if she wanted out from their arrangement, but for her to call him and then give her again a silent treatment was unacceptable.

"I'm sorry. That was not my intention." She looked at him, apologetic. "I am not playing a game. It was not my intention to cause any problem for you." She tried to explain to him.

She avoided looking in his eyes, ashamed of the way she had treated him. She had no idea of how to tell him how confused she was about her situation.

She did genuinely like Troy as a person. He was kind, gentle, and attractive. But it did not mean that she could marry him just like that. But the idea of marrying someone else was not an option either.

"Then, what is it? I am sure that I deserved the truth." He calmly said this time, avoiding raising his voice.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. After seeing Tyra struggle with her feelings, he suddenly felt guilty for being too hard on her.

There was no reason for him to lose his temper when she was just a victim like him of their circumstances. He reminded himself why the two of them ended up together. They were both hurt by someone else.

"Yes, you do." She sat down on the sofa and indicated for him to follow. "Do you want something to drink?" She offered, trying to be a generous host as usual.

The least she could do was be courteous to her guest after all he had done for her since she met him. In truth, she was embarrassed to face him after all that she had told him in their last meeting.

She knew she had a good time in his company. She felt that he did too. But that was not the problem. She was afraid that their liaison might lead to something else that she could not control. In the end, one of them might end up hurt.

"Sure." He accepted, thinking that it might help him get through this ordeal. He felt like his nerves were already on edge. A few more problems, then he might snap.

It was not only her that had put him on a tight rope. His business was also pressuring him to leave. The earlier incident was only an example of the many things he had to deal with, but not while he was still here.

He had to leave soon, tomorrow at the latest. He could not disappoint his investors just because he was pining on a girl. Then, the thought occurred to him.

"Here." She returned with two glasses of alcoholic drink. One was her favorite, and another one was his. "I am sorry again if I was not able to call you back." She sat down across from him but refrained from looking in his direction.

She was feeling guilty, knowing she had done something wrong against him. She figured it was not enough to apologize to him. She had to explain since it was not just her future at stake but both of theirs.

"Thanks," Troy took the glass, but he did notice her hands shaking. "Why did you not call?" He determined that she might be nervous.. About what? He did not want to jump into any ideas.