The Royal Contract

Jacky felt like she was floating on air as she walked hand in hand with the loved of her life. Despite what happened in the past, it seemed like she would make it.

She could feel with every fiber of her being that she could finally get what she wished for all her life. A family was almost within her reach.

She could not stop beaming as she passed by the other guests and staff in the resort. She believed nothing could ruin the happiness that filled her heart.

Nothing.

"Maybe we can name her Quinn or Aria if our baby is a girl." She cradled her tummy under the palm of her hand as they moved on the long hallway.

She and her husband were picking up Haley in her room to survey the island. She heard that there were many captivating sites nearby that they could go to besides the resort.

She would have loved to explore the underground caves she saw on the tour guide if she had not been pregnant. Maybe next time.

"What if it is a boy?" Marcus merrily asked her, appearing as excited as her. "We should also plan his name." He suggested as he held her closed. With his free hand, he covered hers as they felt the baby kick together.

But boy or girl, she knew she would have one super active child on the way. This baby would be a handful. Their child would surely keep them on their toes.

"I guess you are right. Our baby could be a boy." Jacky acknowledged, feeling how hard their baby kicked inside her. He could turn out to be a football player or a martial artist.

"What do you have in mind?" She asked when they finally stood outside Haley's room.

She could think of a few names that popped up, but she would like his opinion, putting his input into consideration. After all, they were partners in this. They should have an equal say in naming their child.

"I have a few names in mind. What about Anton, Mark, Joshua, or Louise." He enumerated some names.

The names were ok, but she did not feel it was right. Maybe they could work something better. Besides, there was still plenty of time.

"I guess I should come up with more," Marcus commented, probably seeing the slight disapproval on her face.

Then, they knocked on the door, both still coming up with more ideas. They exchanged funny names while smiling and giggling when they heard their friend's voice.

"The door is open." Her friend said behind the door. But before they could enter, she also heard Marcus' phone ringing.

She entered the room while Marcus said that he would follow. He just had to answer the call. Therefore, she went ahead without him.

She did not think anything could be wrong. But she was surprised when she entered the room and found her friend slumped on the couch, still wearing her pajamas.

She seemed busy with something when she barely glanced in her direction. But that was not what had concerned her. It was her expression.

Her friend's eyebrows bunched up in her forehead as if in deep thought as she analyzed the scattered papers in front of her.

"Haley, why aren't you dressed?" She could tell she had not showered either, seeing her skin glistening from the sweat from the morning heat.

"And why haven't you showered yet?" She moved closer, thinking that this heat must be causing her some discomfort.

But she seemed out of it, not caring about her hygienic situation as she continued checking on those papers.

Finally, out of curiosity, she moved closer and poked her nose at what she was doing. She knew Haley was a workaholic. But right now, she was seriously out of control.

She invited her to this day trip so she could relax and enjoy the day. But here she was, working her ass off once again.

"I am not going." She finally answered, still keeping her nose buried in those damn papers.

She could not understand why she suddenly changed her mind. They already had everything planned out. But when her eyes glimpsed one of the pages on the table, she already knew what was making her act strange.

"Haley, what are you doing?" She asked as she moved closer, touching the first paper she could get her hands on.

She had tried hard not to talk about him, avoiding the subject that concerned Gerald because Marcus did not want her to think about him.

But it seemed their plan had failed. Haley still found herself digging into Gerald and the current news circulating about him.

"Hey, what is the holdout?" Finally, Marcus came closer as he followed them inside the room, probably wondering what was taking them too long.

Then, his eyes narrowed at the papers in their hands. Jacky still could not figure out how Haley got hold of those papers unless her friend searched them online.

"Did you know about this?" Finally, Haley looked straight at her brother, waving those papers with trembling hands.

The accusation was evident in her friend's voice, sounding like she knew her brother was keeping something from her.

Suddenly, Jacky could not help but feel guilty for going along with her husband. But in her defense, she thought Marcus was right. They thought it was the best for her.

"What are those?" Marcus asked, appearing confused as he narrowed his eyes on them. Then, he strode toward them, grabbing some papers to look at them.

"Gerald!" Haley expressed with a tinge of sadness, anger, and anguish. "It said here that he was..." But the words died down her lips.

She could not even imagine what her friend was going through, finding out the hidden identity of the man she loved this way.

But she knew Haley had the strength to pull through this. She just needed strong support that would be there for her.

"Where did this come from?" Marcus asked, probably thinking they never mentioned anything about Gerald last night. "This is just crap." Her husband tried to downplay the situation.

Of course, he did not want his sister to get worked up with this story. She was pregnant and in a delicate situation. Upsetting news like this could not be advisable for her pregnancy and baby.

She would know since she had tried to avoid stressful situations that could harm her baby. She did not want another reason to have a miscarriage.

"So, are you saying that all of this is just trash? These things written about him were not true." She rummaged through the papers as if searching for something.

Then, when she found it, she placed it before her husband. "This..." She pointed to the document, pointing to a particular word. "It said that Gerald is a criminal."

Then, she pulled another one, doing the same thing. "This one said that Gerald was the mastermind of the drugs that supplied the streets." She emphasized a few more details as she made her point.

"Did you know about this?" Haley asked as her eyes pleaded with him and then hers when she finally turned in her direction.

She finally moved closer, sitting beside her as she put her hands on her knuckles. She knew she needed to comfort her, assure her that everything would be fine.

But how could she guarantee something that she did not know herself? When she also felt the doubt as it clouded her judgment.

"You should not be dealing with this crap." Marcus still avoided talking about the truth. "You should get ready because we are going out."

She looked at her husband, hoping that he would stop and reconsider. She still believed that Haley deserved to know the truth.

Just like her, she was confident that Haley could handle any problem that came her way as long as they stood by her side.

"So, you knew but did not bother to tell me," Haley concluded.

She guessed not answering was the same as an admission of guilt. And avoiding the situation did not resolve anything.

"Yes, we know about it." Finally, she knew there was no use in withholding the truth from her.

In her own opinion, it would be better if she heard the entire story rather than making her conclusion. The lack of facts might only worsen the situation.

"Why did you keep it from me?" Haley looked hurt and disappointed with them.

Of course, she would feel betrayed by the people she loved if she had been in her shoes. After all, they kept a piece of valuable information from her.

"Because you already have a lot on your plate. We felt that it might get too much. We did not want to add to your stressful situation." Jacky felt like she should explain, stopping her husband from saying anything.

She believed she could better get through to Haley since they were friends and somewhat in the same condition, while her husband could only worsen the fast-escalating situation.

"But I still had the right to know." Haley insisted as her eyes looked again at the picture of the man she loved. "I thought I knew him. But was it all a lie?"

She sounded depressed, appearing like her energy suddenly dispersed into thin air. Her eyes looked lifeless as tears slowly crawled down her face.

"I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for all of this." Jacky wished there was a way for her to explain the truth without compromising her safety.

But at that moment, she could not decide if telling her that Gerald was alive would be the best thing to do. But what good would telling her if she could not be with him?

She guessed she would only set her friend in a more painful disappointment. She finally understood Marcus' reason as she kept her mouth shut.