The Royal Contract

In another part of the same restaurant, two people also had an intimate dinner date. They were slightly hidden from view from the other diners.

He had planned this dinner ever since he had canceled on her. He wanted to make up to her for the last dinner he had promised her. This time, he had arranged it himself. Even picked and bought the flowers personally before delivering them to her doorstep when he picked her up earlier.

"I am glad that you hid this from me," Jacky said as she just placed a small chunk of meat in her mouth. She was hungry, but the news she received slightly affected her appetite.

She could not believe that something so big was going on under her nose. She thought that the power couple was just busy consuming their honeymoon, not realizing that something horrific had already happened to them.

She could not blame Marcus for not telling her. Although, she did feel hurt that she was the last to know about the entire kidnapping issue. 

Well, not exactly the last, but still, she should have known about it. Then again, maybe not knowing was a good thing since she might not have handled it well.

"I honestly wished I was able to share it with you, but the entire situation was sensitive. Any wrong move might jeopardize Alex and Dani's safety." Marcus explained to her, feeling slightly at ease, hearing that she was not mad at him.

He looked at her from across the table, watching her face for any sign that she might be slightly irritated with him, but there was none. She might have looked a bit shocked. But nothing indicated she harbored any ill feelings.

He was dreading the time that she would hear about what happened. He felt that she might be furious with him for keeping such a big secret from her. But he was surprised to hear that she was taking the whole situation lightly. 

"I understand your situation fully well. You have no choice. Maybe if I was in your situation, I might have done the same thing." Jacky told the man whose face appeared to be pleading with her.

She extended her hand until she held his hand and squeezed it firmly. She wanted to assure him that he had nothing to worry about hurting her feelings.

She would admit that she did feel ignored or not valued. But she also realized under the circumstance, she had nothing to contribute if she had learned about it earlier.

On the other hand, she might have caused more problems for them if she suddenly became aware of the abduction. She would be one more distraction that could have affected the rescue of her friends.

"Thanks for taking this entire situation well." He pulled her fingers into his lips and peppered them with gentle pecks. 

He suddenly wished that he had ordered take-out and just ate in the privacy of her apartment. In that way, he could do what he was thinking at the moment.

However, she deserved so much more than just this dinner gesture to make up for all the horrible things he did to her. He was not only thinking about the canceled dinner.

"I think we should learn to trust each other if we would make this relationship work," Jacky spoke softly, afraid that she might be saying too much. 

"I know it would be difficult for us to share everything with each other. But we just had to learn to accept that we are doing this because it was necessary and not to hurt the other." She added before he could respond to her previous sentence.

She was still not sure of the status of their relationship. She might know what she wanted from it, but she was still guessing what Marcus was expecting from this.

She did want to scare him away if he was not ready to take this to the next level. However, she also did not want to waste her time with him if he only thought that this was just another of his casual fling.

"I agree, but it does not mean that I plan to keep a lot of secrets from you." He said as he moved his chair closer to her, not liking the space separating them.

He tilted her face, using the tip of his fingers until she gazed into his eyes. He liked seeing her eyes when it was dancing with uncertainty and vulnerability.

It was a rare occasion because Jacky had always been one of the few women he knew that was always confident about herself. She had never allowed anyone else to dictate how she wanted to live her life.

Leaving and growing up on her own had made her a strong and independent woman who believed that she could survive the world without depending on any man. 

But her heart was just as soft as cotton, able to forgive and love even the most despicable person in the world. More than that, she trusted him enough to show that he was the only one she needed when she felt weak.

"You are everything to me, Jacky." He finally confided in her, deciding to let his emotions show. 

He finally had broken down the barriers that he had set up against any kind of commitment. He was willing to admit that he was ready to take the next step.

"I am?" She was confused by his words. Her heart wanted to believe what she was reading in his eyes, but her mind was still warning her to take caution.

She wanted to believe him with all of her heart, but the past still lingered in her mind. Despite her resolution to give him a chance, she still wanted to hear the words come out of his lips.

It was the only confirmation she needed that he had changed. 

Gestures and body language might be a good sign of his intentions, but there was a chance that she might misinterpret his true feelings.

She had to carefully read between the lines.