The Royal Contract

He had watched her force herself to consume all that food, hopefully, to please him. But that would be wishful thinking. It was more likely due to her desperation to see if her husband was still alive.

Presently, he was accompanying her outside the house, walking down the few steps to the massive lawn before them. He did promise to show her where he was keeping him.

"How do you like your new home, my princess?" He asked, filling in the silence, extending his hand to the view before them. 

He knew how much she loved being one with nature. Something that they never agreed on when they were still together. She would always arrange for trips, but he would cancel them, pretending to have an emergency he had to attend to.

When she kept her mouth shut, he decided to continue talking about the history of the place. But if he had his way, he would rather be back in the city.

"I remember telling you that I hated this place. But who knew it would eventually come in handy." As he continued to recall a time that they were still together.

He moved closer to her then placed his hand on her elbow to stabilize her on the rocky surface, but she flinched away. He could sense that she was fighting him at every opportunity.

"I do remember. I also thought that you were a decent human being then, but I was proven wrong." She answered him, full of distaste for the man not far from her.

She would have loved to spend more time in a location like this. With the sky covered with a million sprinkles of stars with partial clouds covering some areas, she could stare at them all night.

She could even see herself living in a place like this, but not with her present company. She could picture herself with a picnic blanket on those trees, with Alex on her lap as they see their kids running around them with smiles on their faces.

"We can try again. This time, I will be a better man. I will prove to you that we can be good together." Nick stopped her by grabbing her arm. He pulled her towards him until they were face to face.

He could see where he had made a mistake before, but he could try to amend that if only she would give him a chance. Then, they could be good together. She would be the perfect wife for him.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, snapping out of her trance, realizing the reality of her situation. She quickly snatched her arm away from him and turned to move on.

She was not here for vacation. She was here to look for her husband, but she could hardly see any more structure in the close vicinity except the tall trees not far ahead.

She hoped he was keeping his word and taking her to see Alex. But, she could not disregard that this might be another of his tricks to make her cooperate, but instead, he had another thing planning against them.

"As promised, I am taking you to your loving husband." His voice was thicked with irritation. Then, he saw her clenching her fist on her side as they continued walking. 

He realized his mistake by losing his cool with her. He had been trying to be patient, but it took all his effort to put himself under control. He was not known for such traits.

"I am a man of my word." He softened his words, reminding himself that he was trying to win her over and not worsen their situation.

He would allow her to have her way this time. Soon enough, he would have her submitting to his will. Then, she would eventually learn that the only way she would survive this was by losing to him.

"If only that was true." She mumbled to herself, but loud enough to guarantee that he would hear her words. 

Then, both fell into silence as he led her through the massive trees until they reached a clearing again. In the middle was an old building that looked like a barn. 

It probably housed several horses and other farm animals in its old-good days. But at the moment, it was mostly some dilapidated roofs and walls that covered what remained of the structure.

"As I said. I am keeping to my word to let you see your husband." He proudly stated as they stood outside the wide sliding door. "Here we are."

He stopped in front of the building, where two men with high-powered guns stood guarding the door. But many of his men still roam around the perimeter, keeping watch of the place.

He had made sure that nobody could get in and out of this place alive without his permission. That included his hostages. Their lives were now at his mercy.

"Let me see, Alex." She demanded with fierceness, not wanting to show him any weakness. 

However, she was fighting her every instinct to break down and cry. She already had a guess of what she might witness inside. She was not naive to believe that Nick would simply lock Alex up.

She had to show Alex that she was fighting for them, and she had a plan. She had been studying all the layouts of the area. She would figure out their way out of this.

"Not until you swear to do what I want." He said slyly, watching her face drop then turn into anger.

He could see her spirit still trying to revel against him, but he could see that she knew she was running out of choices. One way or the other, she would give in to his demands.

"You know I will never do that." She kept her poker face, not wanting him to see her fear. She would not willingly do anything he wanted, not ever and not in this lifetime.

Despite her desperation, she was not insane enough to succumb to his threats. She would find a way to fight him and escape this hell he had put her through.

"But you will." He arrogantly answered her back with a wicked smile on his lips. 

He finally gave the signal for his men to open the door, nodding for them to open it wide. If it was dark outside, it was way too dark inside the enclosed space. 

"Where is he? Are you sure Alex is in there?" She questioned him, not trusting his word even for one little bit.

She could barely see anything inside the large room. Only a few strips of moonlight passing through the wooden slits illuminated the spacious room.

She had to strain her eyes to see the layout of the inside. But she still had to spot Alex on the spacious floor. She was not sure if he was even in there, and this was another trap designed by Nick for her.

"You simply had no options left." He spoke up as he spotted the shadow lurking behind the beam, hardly moving at its position. He finally gestured for one of his men to turn on the lights. 

He knew that no matter how she tried to defy him, he would still get his way.. He would still win because he held the royal flush in this game.