The Royal Contract

Chapter 1177  A changed man

She stared at the man that they supposedly had buried not so long ago. But there was no denying that the man six feet under the ground was not her brother because he was standing right in front of her at this very moment.

She guessed her suspicion was correct. The man that died was a decoy and used to cover up a big lie. But why? Why would her brother pretend to be dead? But then again, she could think of several possible reasons.

"Aren't you going to welcome me back?" She heard her brother say as he walked further inside the room until he stopped just before them. He seemed to joke about it, but his eyes told her something different.

She stared at him, examining his injury. She only saw the sling on his shoulders, indicating that someone must have shot him. But other than that, he seemed fine. There was no indication that he had any burns on his body.

"Gerald, what happened to you?" Dani finally asked as she stared into his eyes. There was no doubt that her brother was alive. "Who tried to kill you? Whose body did we bury?"

The DNA test told them that the one they buried was not her match. Therefore, she already had a partial confirmation of her suspicion. Now, she saw more concrete proof of his presence, not as a ghost but as a warm body.

"I wish I could tell you everything I know, but then I will have to kill you," Gerald playfully stated as he took one of the vacant seats on the couch. "Sorry, bad joke." He raised his hand in surrender.

"Then, why are you here?" Her husband asked as he stared at the dead man walking.

She could sense that her husband was on alert. Alex had never learned to trust Gerald ever since their abduction. He tolerated his presence because Gerald was her brother and out of respect for Ethan.

But otherwise, he would never want to have anything to do with the head of the criminal world. To him, they were cowards who used violence and illegal activities to prey on the weak. And those kinds of people did not deserve his respect.

"But seriously, I want you to stop digging into my case. You are just putting your lives in danger." Then, his eyes turned to the child that was in her arms.

"Then, tell us who is involved in this so we can better protect ourselves from them," Alex responded, seemingly irritated that he would not divulge what he knew.

"It is better that you don't know anything and if you stay away. Let me handle this." Gerald tried to assure them that he had it under his control.

But how could they trust him when he faked his death? On top of everything he did. It was just impossible to put their lives on his hand. It would be so much easier if they knew who the enemies were.

"Is that my nephew?" He asked, gazing at the sleeping infant, abruptly changing the topic. "Can I see him?" He asked as he stood up and moved closer to her.

She could feel her husband stiffened at her side, ready to defend them if necessary. But she placed her hand on his lap, assuring him everything would be fine.

"Sure, this is Ares." She introduced their child to her half-brother, slightly adjusting her hold so he could glimpse his face.

Gerald smiled at her son, extending his hand in her child's direction. Then, he touched Ares's cheeks, gently caressing him. Somehow, she did not feel that Gerald was a threat. She did not sense that he would harm her child.

She did not know if that was her mother's instinct or if it was blind faith that her brother could still change. She could still hear her father's words, asking her to give him a chance.

"He looks partially like Ethan and you, of course." Gerald pointed to her husband. "He is very handsome. Anyway, congratulations." He cheered for them before moving away and sitting again. "You must be two lucky, proud parents."

She knew she saw something in his eyes. It was a brief second, but she was sure it was regret, a sadness that he tried to hide. She wondered what was going through his mind.

She offered to help him if he wanted to change, but he declined, opting to live his cutthroat life. She did not understand why he would choose such a way of living. Why did he have to keep up with these dangerous games?

"Thanks. Yes, Ares does look like Dad." She acknowledged his observation, agreeing with him. Although she loved talking about her child and late father, that was not the immediate issue on the table.

"Why are you here, Gerald? Why show up now?" She quickly returned to her unanswered questions.

Thousands of questions rushed into her mind as she stared at her brother, demanding answers, but she doubted she would get all of them answered. All they could do for now was wait for his reply and hope he would tell them the truth.

"As I said, I need you to stop looking into my case if you know what is best for you and little Ares." Repeating his statement earlier. "But this is not a threat, but a warning. You have no idea what you are getting into by getting involved in my situation."

All the playfulness was gone from his face as he faced her. She guessed he even had the wound to "What about Haley?" Dani suddenly remembered her friend who was grieving because of his death.

"What about her?" Gerald quickly asked, appearing alarmed by her question.

prove this was not a joke they should take lightly. She then remembered the burned body that was now rotting on the ground.

Who was that man? Was he an innocent bystander or one of his crooks who took the fall for him? Nothing about this was plain and simple. Her brother was correct. It was a life-and-death situation.

"What about Haley?" Dani suddenly remembered her friend who was grieving because of his death.

"What about her?" Gerald quickly asked, appearing alarmed by her question.

"Does she know that you are alive?" Alex asked, following the path of her questioning.

She meticulously watched her brother's face, reading what she could from his expression. She had to know what Haley was to him. Was Haley safe from his circumstances?

"No." He hastily responded. "She had no idea I am alive, and I hope it will remain that way," Gerald instructed. "She is better believing that I died that day."

"Wait! Do you have anything to do with her disappearance?" Alex suddenly asked. Honestly, that did not enter her mind.

Dani thought Haley was only away on vacation. It was just like Marcus had said. But from the sound of her husband's accusation. There seemed to be more to the story that she was unaware of, and they did not share with her.

"What are you saying?" She turned to her husband with inquiring eyes.

"Marcus suspects that someone was keeping Haley. He did not believe that Haley would suddenly vanish and hide." Alex explained what Marcus had been speculating.

"Do you have her?" Dani finally understood and directly asked her brother. "Are you keeping her hostage?" She asked him, suddenly wary and anxious for her friend.

Her eyes searched her brother's face, scanning his expression for answers. But his face remained impassive as he faced her. She could not determine whether he was keeping her or not.

"Yes, I know where she is." Gerald finally answered them. "Someone is keeping her safe for now because the people who wanted me dead are after her." He explained. "Because they learned of her involvement with me."

"Why?" She still could not understand.

Or maybe she had a vague idea why these people wanted him dead. It was his lifestyle. He probably had numerous enemies who would wish to see his head on a spike.

"Is that why you have to pretend to be dead?" That was one of her speculations. "Is Haley's life in danger too?" She worriedly asked, wondering how her friend was doing.

"As I said, I don't want you to get involved in my situation." Gerald insisted. "It is better that you are clueless about what is happening." Then, he stood up from his chair, appearing to prepare to leave.

"Haley will remain safe. Someone is assuring her safety. But that is all you need to know for now." He added.

"Why don't you let us help? Maybe we can fight your enemies together." She offered, hoping she could finally get through to her brother.

She stood up from the sofa and moved closer to her brother. "You are now our family. Let us help you." She persisted as she extended her hand on his cheeks, imitating his gesture earlier with Ares, showing him she cared about him.

"The only way you can help me is if you stay away from this." He uttered, looking genuinely concerned about her. "So, promise me you will let me handle this alone." This time, he looked at Alex as if seeking his help.

"I hope you will take good care of my baby sister and nephew." He directed his statement to her husband, who was watching their interaction.

"You don't have to ask me that because I will die first before I let anyone harm Dani and Ares," Alex said to him.

stay away."

"Now, I know you are a stubborn woman. I guess that runs in our blood. But I need you to promise to It was the first time she saw him look at her that way. Maybe she did get through to him somehow. But she believed it might still be a long, long way before he could completely change before he became a changed man.