The Royal Contract

She watched the clock on the wall, wondering why it took so long to turn. Suddenly, she realized how much she was wasting time by being afraid of the future.

Now, she could not wait for Zach to return to them. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him. And she wished to shout to the world that she would marry him on the spot. That was if he would have her.

"Hey, Ria..." Her boss snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Anybody there?" She continued to mock her. Then, she realized that she had zoned out.

She blinked her eyes several times and shook her head from side to side to wake herself up from her daydreaming. It was not the time to slack on her new job.

"I am sorry." She quickly apologized as she fixed herself and straightened on her chair. "How long have you been standing over there?" She asked, slightly embarrassed to be caught with her mind floating elsewhere while on her job.

She quickly cleared her mind, shoving all thoughts unrelated to her job into the back of her mind. The last thing she wanted was to get fired before she had proven herself in her new responsibilities.

"Long enough to know that something is bothering you." Her boss, Josey, moved closer to her cubicle. "So, what is it? Maybe I can help." She offered.

It was an upgrade to her former desk, but she still had to earn her right to an office with four solid walls.

Luckily, Josey was not strict as long as she performed her task on time, hopefully without many blunders. She had learned so much from working under her management. She wished to continue to do so.

"I am sorry, but..." How could she tell her boss it had nothing to do about work? However, it was about a boy she could not wait to see when she got home. She guessed a boy and a man, correcting herself.

She would not be in this predicament if Brenda, her supervisor, did not have to leave for a meeting. Then, her boss would not be sitting on the other side of her desk, waiting for her answer.

"I am not a monster. Tell me. Is this about Zach?" Josey looked more curious than angry as she tapped her fingers on the metallic edge of the armchair.

"It is better if we resolve this now so you can finish the work I ask you to do. So, what is it?" She impatiently asked.

Ria knew she had no choice but to tell her, hoping that saying it verbally would make it easier. "I guess the trauma of my past relationship had messed me up."

Josey looked at her as if thinking about her revelation. "You know life is not perfect. I doubt a person in the past or the present could say they had everything they wanted.

And I don't think everything in their lives worked out how they planned it. Still, it should not stop us from pursuing our happiness, whether through our jobs, careers, love life, and families.

We should not stop doing our best and taking risks." Her boss said. "So, if you think Zachary is the right man for you, don't let your fear stop you from taking a chance with him."

She could not believe that her boss would give her a piece of personal advice. But her boss was right. She should stop fretting about the what-ifs. Instead, she should concentrate on the present.

"Thanks. I suppose I need to hear that." Ria felt her worries gradually disappear, sensing the weight on her shoulders lightened. "I am sorry if I am distracted. I promised I would not let my personal issues affect my work."

"That is ok. We are just human. But now that it is out of the way, can we return to work?" Josey said, going back to her serious face.

It was as if they did not just have a moment. But that was the boss. She could be a friend outside of work, but when inside the office, she was a dragon.

"I will have the papers on your desk in thirty minutes." She promised her boss, knowing that it was her only second chance.

"Then, I expect it will be." She moved outside her cubicle without looking back, sighing in relief.

"That was close." She mumbled to herself. Luckily, her boss was in a good mood today. Better focused on her work before she found herself diverting her thoughts to something else.

But she was glad she was confident about her plan this time around. In the meantime, she had to finish her task since the minutes were ticking, and it was not stopping for anyone.

Nevertheless, it worked in her favor. The faster the hands of the clock moved, the faster she could see Zach again.

"Excuse me." Someone she knew suddenly walked toward her after she had left her boss's office.

She was about to return to her cubicle when the woman blocked her way. She looked determined to see her, but why? There was only one way to find out.

"Mrs. Andrews, what are you doing here?" Ria quickly greeted Zach's mother, wondering about the purpose of her visit.

"Is there somewhere we can talk?" Zach's mother asked while her eyes roamed the hallway.

Of course, she hastily ushered the older lady to her modest office, offering her a chair next to her table. "Please, sit. Would you like something to drink?" But then again, she remembered she had nothing she could offer her. What was she thinking?

Luckily. "No, thanks, Ria. I have no intention to stay long." The woman told her, making her suddenly feel uncomfortable.

Her face did not indicate any clue of what was on her mind. But she sensed that she might not like what she had to say.

"Ok. Let me just put this away." She said, slightly clearing her table of the file of paper works before returning to her seat so they could talk. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Andrews?"

She never expected that Zach's mother would ever come by to see her in her office. But she guessed there were still many things she did not know about Zach's family.

She watched the aristocratic woman look around her tiny office, assessing what she did as a living. At least she had a decent job, she thought.

"I came here to talk about my son." Zach's mother said as she straightened on her chair, appearing uncomfortable. But still, she remained poised and collected as her eyes studied her.

But was her accomplishment enough for someone like her? Would she be good enough for her only son, the sole heir of their political empire? Would her job be adequate in their society?

Millions of questions rushed into her mind like a tidal wave, crashing into her brain. It made her realize again why she had doubts regarding her relationship with her son.

"I can see that you love my son. I saw it when the two of you were together. I know my son also loved you and your son." Mrs. Andrews paused for a few seconds, appearing to be thinking about what she had to say next.

She picked an invisible lint or dust in her skirt. But she knew it was just a distraction. She could not wait for the other shoe to drop.

"But..." She interrupted the silence. "I can hear a but in there." She bravely stated, challenging the other woman to continue.

Somehow, she felt a surge of courage had gone through her body. She guessed she was tired of being afraid of facing what fate had planned for her. This time, she was ready to fight for her happiness.

"Ok. I will be straight with you. You and your son are ruining my son's future." Mrs. Andrews expressed distastefully, showing her true sentiment about her relationship with her son.

"He had a promising political career, following his father's legacy. But because of you, he had gone mad and turned his back on his bright future." The woman who would become her mother-in-law said with slight contempt.

But she could tell the other woman was controlling herself, not wanting the others to hear their conversation.

"But I am not the reason for Zach's career change. If you will only listen to your son, he never wanted to enter politics. He was only doing it for his father and you." Ria still tried to explain why Zach declined to run for office.

It was never about her but more about his dream. And she would support Zach with whatever he wanted to do with his life. Besides, she believed it was for the best.

"But now, he wanted to do something else for himself. And that does not include having a position in the government." She added, knowing that was not what Zach dreamed of doing.

"Don't tell me that you know my son better than me. I raised him. I am the one who brought him to the world." Zach's mother hissed angrily at her.

"I am not saying that." Ria did not want to cause a rift between mother and son. But she had to try to make her understand. "Maybe you knew him before, but he had changed. He was not the kid you raised to follow your bidding."

She suddenly stood up from her chair and moved to the vacant chair beside her visitor. "You have raised a fine young man who learned to think for himself. Now, he is fighting to achieve his dream."

"But..." Her future mother-in-law was about to say something, but she beat her.

"As you said, I love your son. And as long as he loves me, I will stand by his side and support him." She continued, putting her hands on top of the older woman's.

"I will do my best to help him until he succeeds in whatever he wishes to do with his life, even if that includes not following his father's footsteps."