The Royal Contract

Ethan watched as the door of his office closed. He opened the folder and scanned its contents. One by one, he scrutinized each page, examining the detailed report.

"Care to share with me what you have learned." Laura walked back into the room, unable to stay far away. It was their daughter's life that was at stake. 

She could not sit still and not know what was happening. Her packing could wait for later. Her mind would not rest until she heard from her husband that he had found the culprit. 

"Why don't you sit down?" He gestured for the chair near him. He had no plan on hiding anything from her. 

She had every right to know every detail of this situation, same as him. He had no monopoly of their daughter's life, so she should be part of the decision-making.

"That bad." She followed his gesture and settled comfortably in the seat. She could already tell from the sound of his voice that it would be something hard to hear.

He could fool a lot of people but not her. With the years of experience, she could somehow determine what was going through his mind and heart. Though he tried hard to hide it, even to her.

"A bit, I am afraid." He admitted, shaking his head. He usually did not like showing his emotions on his sleeve. But, he believed that he was weakening in his resolve. 

He was growing old and feeling the same way. It was hard to admit, but he was getting tired more and more every day. As much as he did not want to acknowledge it, it showed in his face and actions.

"Are you sure you are still up to do this? Maybe we could let the police handle this situation." She did not doubt her husband's capabilities, but she thought of his health situation.

"You know I can't walk away from this. I can't put the fate of our daughter in the hands of another." He walked towards her and sat down beside her, holding her hand.

He started to relate what he had learned from the investigation. Telling his wife the details of the accident and the evidence they had recovered in the scene.

The driver of the other car tailing his daughter's car finally confessed. Based on the statement, he was paid to do it. But he had no idea who he was working for. He just went on the ride for the money.

But he did give a name, an alias, which Stockholm used in his investigation. Using also the license plate of the car used by the other driver who had escaped the incident. 

He had discovered the name of the unknown man. It had a clear description of the man's identity. Most importantly, where to find him.

"What do you think you should do now?" Laura never questioned her husband's decision before, and she was not about to do it now.

She always stood by him all throughout their married life. But she did sometimes share her thoughts with him, hoping that she could help him somehow come up with the best options.

"I am thinking about it." He had been in many difficult situations before. Making decisions left and right. But when it came to his family, nothing about it would seem easy.

He could either share this information with the police or act on this himself. But experience-wise, the chance that the police would catch this guy was slim.

It would seem that sending his team would do a better job. The last thing he wanted was for the man to get tip-off and get away again. 

If the source was right, the mastermind behind this might be paying an informant inside the police department. "I guess I have no other option but to organize a personal manhunt as soon as can be arranged."

He already had a team of his best men standing by, waiting for his orders. He had asked his head of security to handle this personally.

He did not want to take chances. Although they were only going after the little fish, he would take every precaution not to let him slip through their trap. 

He needed to seize him, unharmed. He wanted to know the information he possessed. He would use him as the bait to catch the larger one.

"Just be careful. I want our daughter to be protected, but I also want you safe." She agreed with his husband with his plan.

She also believed that putting this information in the hands of the authorities was dangerous. In their position, many were coming after them, using money to manipulate the situation.

She could not trust the system in this condition. She believed her husband would have to deal with this aggressively. He had to fight fire with fire because he could not extinguish it with water.

"I assure you that everything would be perfectly ok. Anyway, have you started packing?" He tried to swipe the issue on the side, diverting Laura's attention away from the problem.

He did not want her to worry about it while they were on their way to their daughter's wedding. It was a celebration they should be sharing with Dani and her future husband, Alex.

He stared into her eyes and already saw the answer to his question. As he suspected, she did not go far from his office. She stayed outside, waiting for the detective to leave.

"Barely." She confirmed his already made assumption. "I just could not focus on anything else." She could not explain what she felt about the threat in their daughter's life. "But don't worry. I know you have this under control."

She put her hands together, trying to contain her emotions from pouring out. Now was not the time to be weak. She had to be more supportive of her husband's plans.

She had to be there for her daughter when she needed her the most.. Her family needed her more than ever to be their beacon of light.