The Royal Contract

Yes! She missed her boss, but her friend was still away from her office. Dani was confined at her home to rest for the duration of her pregnancy. Honestly, she still felt pain and a pang of jealousy when she thought of her friend.

She could not help but want what she had. She also wished to achieve the epitome of a woman’s desire, to have a child to call her own. But, of course, that is not that simple anymore, at least not in her case.

“Ms. Jacky, your next appointment is here.” Her secretary showed her face at her door with a friendly smile.

She could feel that most of her co-workers were handling her with kid gloves as if she would easily break. She was not saying that it was not a possibility, but she wanted to feel a bit of normalcy in her life.

She hoped that someday soon, she would be her old self again. She missed her, the one that never stopped fighting and believing that good things could happen to someone like her.

“Send her in.” She already had an idea of who was her next visitor. She also suspected that her husband had something to do with this.

.....

Anyway, she did not mind since she also missed her company. It would be nice to spend a few hours with her to catch up. It had been a while since they had a long talk.

“Jacky, I am sorry to barge in like this. I know you are quite busy, but I need your help.” Her sister-in-law walked into her room with a radiant smile on her lips.

She looked like she had swallowed a lamp as she brightened up her room. Or she was just too gloomy that anything else seemed magnified a thousandfold.

“You are too chirpy for someone who has a problem,” Jacky expressed skeptically to her sister-in-law, who did not seem to carry any burden on her shoulders.

“I do, but it is not as bad as you were probably thinking.” Her visitor continued as she leaned over to hug her and give her a peck on the cheeks.

Then, she was striding to the next available seat and facing her with a pout on her lips. She studied her, wondering whether she should take her seriously, but then again, went against it.

“Drop the act, Haley.” She could tell from how she was acting that it was all scripted. “I know your brother sent you here to check on me.”

She had an eye for these things. But she still appreciated what she was doing for her brother and her. She was happy that Marcus was finally building a relationship with her sister. Although it still bumped into some rough roads.

“What are you saying? Of course not.” Haley completely denied her accusation. “Can’t I visit my sister?” She insisted, portraying herself as the aggrieved party. “I am hurt.” She held on to her chest to make her point. “I just miss you so much.”

“I do miss you, but you can report to my husband that I am fine, but I am happy that you are working together even at my expense.” Jacky still pressed on her assumption.

She was rarely wrong when her instincts kicked ins, but it worked today like a charm. Suddenly, she realized she had missed this. She could not help but smile at the thought.

“Fine.” Haley finally surrendered, throwing her hands in the air. “I don’t know how you do that. I know I did great with my performance.” She looked perplexed

“Well, I am just a natural.” She teased her friend, but honestly, she just knew her husband too well. “Anyway, I am great, but if you are not too busy, maybe we can grab an early lunch together.”

She had already cleared her schedule, anticipating her visit. She would still like to chat with her even if this entire charade was just a setup made by her husband. “I already book as a restaurant if you are up to it.”

“I will love that,” Haley said, smiling genuinely at her. “But first, I have something else to show you before we head out.”

Then, she pointed at the large bag she had noticed earlier when she entered her room. Well, she knew that was her work, but what did it have to do with her? She had no eye for home designs or buildings.

“What is it?” Jacky could not help but get curious as she watched her sister-in-law open her architect bag, pulling out a set of blueprints from the inside.

She could only stare at the lines, numbers, and letters on it as Haley spread it on her table, but she would not understand those measurements or the figures around it.

“I just need you to give me some new perspectives.” She continued as she flattened the blue paper on her table. “I have worked on these for years but never really finished it. Let us say this is special to me.”

Jacky tried hard to understand the structure. She could see it was a house, but how could she help? She could see some divisions. It probably meant the rooms but other than that. She was clueless again.

“So, what help do you need?” She asked since she could stare at it all day but would not know what to do with it.

“I want you to tell me what I need to do, so you and my brother would love it.” Haley looked at her with that pleading look. But this time, she knew she was not faking it.

“I bought this lot and fell in love with it, but I don’t know what to do with it.” Haley continued when Jacky remained silent. She did not even know if Jacky heard her. “Then, last night, I dreamt that you and my brother should be living in it.”

Still, Jacky kept staring at the house, not saying a word. She had no tears in her eyes, but she could not read it either. Haley had no clue what she was thinking.

“I want to build a home in it and give it to you and my brother as a wedding gift. I hope you will accept it and help me plan it.” Haley finally finished. Now, all she could do was wait for her reaction.

She anticipated that she might react violently to the idea, the same way she did the last time Marcus and Rosella showed her an open house. But she also hoped that she would warm up to the idea of owning their first house.

After staring at it a few more, Jacky looked up at her new sister, not by blood but by marriage. Then, her arms automatically wrapped around her. “I love it.” She hugged her tighter. “Thank you, Haley.”

Somehow, looking at the skeleton of the house symbolized a fresh start.

It was not fixing what was already broken but building a new one.

It was a new home, a new start.