The Royal Contract

He knew he had many reasons why she should stay. But would that be enough for her? He could not say. However, he had to try.

Losing her would never be an option for him. He would give up everything he owned. He would fight for her with his last breath if that would be the only way to make her stay.

"Because..." Adam paused as he gently forced her to turn to face him.

He wanted to see her face. He needed to see her reaction to what he had to say. It was the only way he could gauge his situation.

"Because what?" She asked, slightly sounding indifferent, failing to return his hug while standing before him, immobile.

Honestly, this was not what he expected her reaction would be once they saw each other again. He guessed he thought she would be thrilled and excited like him.

On the other hand, she should be furious with him if David mentioned his transgression. However, she was too calm if she knew anything about it.

"Before I answer that, there is something I would like to tell you." He pulled her toward the sofa and ushered her to sit with him.

He knew he could keep telling her that she meant the world to him. But it would not make things better. It would not be the solution to his problem.

But if he hid his secret from her, it would needle inside him. Eventually, it would destroy him and his relationship with her.

"What is it?" Serena insisted as if she was compelling him to confess without being forceful.

At least, that was how he would do it in a courtroom. He would not directly ask the question. But he would find a way to extract the truth.

"It is more of a confession, but I need you to keep an open mind before making any judgment." He knew he was asking too much as he held her hand in his.

Nonetheless, he would need all the help he could get before he lost her forever because of his stupidity. He turned to face her, hoping she would see his sincerity.

"Have you done something wrong?" Of course, she would ask him that. Why would he confess if he had been a good boy?

Damn! He hated being in this situation. He had never in his life cheated before. He always believed in honesty, respect, and hard work.

He had many tight spots when he was young and still studying, but the temptation of going on the easy path never crossed his mind.

He never used his position or a piece of evidence to cheat his way into a win. He played and fought fair. That was the only way he survived in this chaotic world, by keeping his integrity intact.

"Yes." He answered quickly and truthfully. He was not about to deny that. As they said, the truth would set him free. And he firmly believed that without a doubt.

He could see the disappointment on her face. It was like she had already expected his answer. Now, he could not help but dread what she heard about him.

"But I hope you will listen to the whole story." Adam believed it was the only way she would see his innocence.

Frankly, he was guilty of doing the act, but as far as his conscience was concerned, he was innocent. Although, he blamed himself for putting himself in such a position and no one else.

He felt her move, pulling her hand from his grip. He watched her, worried that she would leave. But she only inserted her hand inside her pocket and pulled something out.

"Does this have to do something with your guilt?" Serena said in her barely controlled emotion. "She is beautiful, and she must be smart."

"A gorgeous doctor." She quickly added as her voice slightly cracked.

This time, he saw how her lips trembled while her hand shook as she pushed a laminated card toward him.

He wondered what it was all about, frowning as he looked at the card in his hand. But it did not take a few seconds for his mind to get enlightened.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, confused and worried.

He could not understand why she had Roseann's identification card. But he was more afraid of what she concluded in that pretty head of hers.

He would not blame her if she assumed that he was another asshole. Her experience had already done a number on her.

"Does it matter?" She asked, not furious but sounding like she had enough. "So, it is about her." She voiced her presumption.

Unfortunately, she was not wrong since it was about her. This entire situation was about a girl in his apartment making out with him the other night.

"Yes, but there is a good explanation for all of this." He said, hoping she would have the patience to listen to him. But he doubted if it was a good one.

Was there an easy way to tell his girlfriend he was kissing another girl in this spot? He guessed not as he found it hard to find the right words to say to her.

"Ok. I am listening." She casually said as if she was disinterested. Or was it the calm before the storm? He could not tell.

Was she going to explode any minute now? Or after he had told her the story. He could not tell. But one thing was for sure. It would not be easy for both of them.

"I hope you don't mind if I tell you everything from the start." It would be a long story.

Nevertheless, he believed it would make his reasoning more understandable instead of jumping straight into his sin.

"I went out with your brother the other night. I wished to talk to him about us. I wanted to make it official." That had always been his intention.

He told her about what had transpired that night. How he and her brother talked and bonded. He also told her how her brother gave his blessing to their relationship.

"It was great, but I got carried away. I had too much to drink. I was so happy and excited to tell you that I lost count of how many shots I already had." He knew it was not an excuse, but it was what had happened.

He looked up to stare into her eyes. He wanted to read what was going through her mind. Did she believe him? He wanted to know.

But all he saw was the despair that registered in the depth of her eyes. She had no tears, but he could see how his words reminded her of the past and her pain.

"Was she some random girl you picked up from the bar?" Suddenly, she was asking questions.

He could only imagine what was playing in her mind. This experience must be nothing new to her.

He could already assume that her past boyfriend had done this countless times. He had seen the news and read the tabloids to know as much.

Of course, he remembered her last boyfriend, Elliot. He was the classic douchebag. Now, he could only think he was no better for putting her again in this situation.

"No." Technically she was not, although he met her in a bar. "She is a friend." She was not some stranger he took home.

But did it make it better? He doubted. It might be quite the opposite. He might have made it worse. It meant that he had a history with this girl.

"Oh!" She sounded very disappointed. "You hung out a lot with her." It was not a question but a statement that sounded like an accusation.

Or it only sounded like that because somehow he felt guilty. "It is not like that." He wished he could explain himself.

Unfortunately, he could not find the right words. It felt like every time he opened his mouth. He only made his situation worse.

"Then, what is your relationship with her?" She questioned, but he could already see that she had something made up in her mind.

He quickly grabbed her hand when she turned away from him. He could finally see her tears welling up in her eyes. But she tried to fight them, not wanting him to see her break down.

"She..." Before he could answer her, a phone ringing broke his sentence, and a shrilling sound filled the air.

He quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket, checking the caller. He debated for a second to answer or let it go to voicemail.

.net

However, it was David. He could not ignore him. First, he was his boss. And most of all, he was Serena's brother. Still, Serena was more important to him.

"I am sorry about that." He said, turning the call off and returning it to his pocket. However, the phone persistently rang, creating a distraction.

"I think you better answer that first. It seems urgent." Serena pointed to his pocket, where he put his phone.

"It is David." He pointed out, not wanting her to draw another wrong conclusion. "Let me take this outside for a few minutes." He told her. "But please don't go. We still have a lot to talk about."

He hastily moved toward the small balcony of his apartment. Well, more like a fire escape. Then, he answered the call.

"David." He answered, slightly out of breath. Not because he was tired but because he was exasperated. "I am glad you called."

He wondered if he should tell his friend her sister was in his apartment. But that could mean trouble. Maybe he should inform him when he cleared up the misunderstanding.

"We have a lot to talk about. I want to clarify what happened the other night. It is not what you think. But this is not a good time." Adam knew that was not the best way to start the conversation, but he had no choice.

"Really?" His friend sounded furious. "You asked me to call. Then you have no time for me."

He knew he could hear him saying more but barely heard them as he looked at the glass door leading inside his apartment.

He knew he heard someone knocking. But he thought it might be on his neighbor's door, not his. However, he was stunned to see Roseann by the door, talking to Serena.

"I got to go." he hung up the phone, not caring if his friend would swear him off this earth. He had to deal with him later.

At that moment, he had to do something to fix his situation. He had to do some damage control before making it worse as he walked straight to the two women in his life.