The Royal Contract

Her phone buzzed familiar tone, alerting her of an incoming call. She had barely shut her eyes since she had been working all night on a new story.

This royal romance piece was selling like a hotcake. A blazing story and a hot sensation the entire world was going crazy about. 

Now, she wanted to strike while the iron was hot. She had to set up another interview with the couple and make most of their story. While the masses were craving a modern-day fairy tale.

"Who could be calling you in the break of dawn?" The man at her side mumbled in his sleep, clearly not happy to be disturbed.

He opened his eyes to see the view outside the window of the mild hue created by the sun as it overpowered the darkness. It was always a beautiful site in this location, but he still would like to return to his dreamless sleep.

He slumped back on the table with all the papers scattered around him while his laptop was precariously placed on the side. He had been used to this position since he started working for his boss as one of her researchers.

"Just go back to sleep. I will need you to work your magic later." Eida instructed as she grabbed her phone from the table and walked back to her office, leaving her team in the conference room.

The others just mumbled incoherently, sleeping all over the table, not wanting to ruin their sleep. Not one seemed to stay awake all night, except for her. 

She could not blame them. They had been working hard on her stories since they had started covering the wedding of the century.

"All of you, go back to sleep." She would allow them some time to rest for now. She needed them with fresh ideas later when she finally had a full grasp of her situation.

She had requested her researchers to work overtime with this new story that she was developing. But so far, there were still a lot of issues she had to address.

Maybe this phone call would provide her with the answer that she needed. She still had to run this idea with the network and hoped for their support for her new program segment.

"Harlowe here. Yes, what do you have for me?" She answered her call once she was sitting on her desk, laying her back on her chair, finally feeling the fatigue of working all night without sleep.

She was looking forward to his report, hoping that it would give her something to work on with this new project she had come up with. 

Then, she also had the other story she was working on. Her personal favorite, but she still needed more information about that one.

"I am sorry, boss, but I am afraid I came up empty." The man on the other line told her.

He could feel the tension on the other line as it remained quiet. In a few seconds, he knew that his boss would lose her temper. He was used to her outburst. It was more bark but no bite.

But he deserved it since he came up with nothing to show. He promised his boss results, but his hands were empty.

"What do you mean? Is the estate heavily guarded that you could not even come up with a single picture." She shrieked at the man, unable to believe what she was hearing. 

She had him on her payroll because he was one of the best paparazzi in the industry. He knew where to look for a story and what angle to take. 

He always provided not just pictures but beautiful photos that tell a tale. But he also gave newsworthy stories that would sell to people.

"The place was heavily guarded. Nobody could get in or out of that place." He explained to her. 

He had tried to sneak in using all the tricks he knew, but he could not find a way. The place was tightly packed. The security was on high alert.

It was the first time he had experienced following a story in such a tight situation. It was as if something was seriously wrong. Alarm bells were ringing in his ears. His intuition was telling him that there was more to this story.

"Don't they even go out of the estate?" She continued, questioning his report, sounding a bit skeptical about the information he shared. 

It was a honeymoon, not a prison, she thought. The couple was bound to be seen in public. They could not stay inside their bubble for the entire time they were in there.

  "So far, the only going in and out of that place were the staff. But that is not all. I think they are hiding something." The man stated his findings. "My instinct is telling me that I should keep digging."

Well, it was still speculation but something that had spiked his interest. He had been snooping around the town, trying to get some info about the couple, but the funny thing was nobody could provide him one.

"Well, that is a bit unusual." She agreed, finding the entire situation odd. "I think you should stay on and find out if there is a better story behind this."

Newlyweds usually wanted to be alone, but it could not be this silent. It was as if everyone was working hard to keep it that way. 

She agreed with his colleague. She could feel a larger story brewing in this small fire. If his instinct was correct, then she could expect a blazing story on the horizon.

"Give me a few more days. Maybe then, I will have something juicy for you." He promised. But this time, he would make sure that his word would be worth something.

He had been going around the small town, trying to sniff a story. It had been frustrating at first when he always came up with nothing.

Until he finally had a break. He heard one of the men working inside the estate bragging about seeing the royal couple inside the mansion. 

But, it was still not enough for him to tell his boss. Until he had seen the couple with his two eyes, then he still had no story. He just had to meet up with this guy again to get more information.

"Come back to me as soon as you have something." She was a bit disappointed that she still had come short with a good lead. 

She had set up an appointment for an interview with the couple once they came back from their honeymoon, but it was still yet to be approved.

She placed her phone back on the table and turned to look at her window. The view outside of her office was spectacular. She loved this small city.

She had been offered to work abroad, in bigger cities, but she just could not leave her home. She did not need to be in the big city to find her story. Her hometown already provided more than enough.

Another phone call interrupted her reverie, turning around to answer the buzz. Looking at the screen, she was glad that another one of her associates was calling. Maybe this time, he might have better news.

"Yes, what do you have for me?" She answered without the formalities. She needed a story, not pleasantries.

She had hired a man known to be the best in this job to track down one of her targets. She had strict instructions to follow all leads that might give her a story. 

She had given him a nice leeway to work on, budgeting his research with a good amount of funding. She was not expecting this story to be as sensational as her other project.

But she was hoping it would give her some personal satisfaction. She wanted a piece of the man that humiliated her. Give him a taste of his bitter medicine. 

"I did what you asked me to do. Even hired several people to help me out. And I had some news." He replied to her question with a bit of excitement in his voice. "I am sending it to you now."

He had been tailing his subject for several days now. So far, he found his questionable actions quite intriguing. He did not know the person of interest personally, but he was well known in his community.

He had gathered enough files for her to review and a breaking story.. Whether it was newsworthy or trash, then it would be up to her.