The Royal Contract

1029 Vulnerable side

She would be honest. She was slightly skeptical about spending more time with this man, even if it was just lunch. First, she did not like to go out alone with a stranger, even if he was a client.

Then, she felt uncomfortable around him since she had not been out with a man, even if this was not a date. It felt somewhat intimate. The only time she went out with someone was with Zach. She still could not forget what happened next.

“I could still remember how my girl would destroy everything she touched. The more I told her no, the more she did it.” Jay told her, explaining his experience with his daughter.

But the delicious food and the friendly and humorous companion had her changing her mind about him. He seemed easy to talk to and always had a warm smile that put her at ease.

Besides, he barely asked anything personal about herself but mostly did the talking about his daughter. He seemed to be very proud of her. But she wondered about his wife. He had not mentioned anything about her.

“But I am sure that she had outgrown that phase. I also am starting to experience the same thing with Edison.” Ria shared with him.

It seemed that being a parent was no piece of cake as she discovered new things that could drive her crazy, either with worry, horror, or laughter, when it came to her son.

“Unfortunately, four years old might be the worse. At least for me. My daughter is beginning to get more and more curious about things. I am afraid she may become an evil genius someday.” He jokingly said, referring to his daughter, who had created mayhem from time to time.

“I am sure she is not that bad.” She could not believe that he was serious about how he would describe his daughter. She could still see in his eyes how they sparked every time he talked about her.

.....

“Yeah, she is not. She is also quite adorable most of the time. Intelligent, just like me, I guess. But she is sweet and affectionate.” He proudly said.

She could see that despite what his daughter did. With all her mischievousness, he would love her wholeheartedly, without any doubt. It was like every parent would turn a blind eye to their child’s mistakes a few times. Because to a parent’s eyes, their child could do nothing wrong.

Of course, eventually, parents would have to teach their kids some discipline. So their children might learn that they would need to follow the rules of society.

“I believe our kids would eventually find their interest and mellow down.” That was what she observed growing up and what she had learned from the child psychology books she read. “We just have to be there to support and guide them to the right path.”

She was no expert in parenting or child psychology, but her mother’s instinct told her she should follow what she believed would be best for her son. No parent would guide their child to a disastrous future. At least, not her.

She tried to share a few things she learned about her experience and the things she learned about child development. She hoped she could impart a few tips to help him raise his child.

“I better follow your advice.” He told her as he raised his glass to her. “To the great future of our kids.” Tossing with her.

She lifted her glass, filled with lemon juice, in the air since she refused to drink wine. Her terrible experience had taught her a valuable lesson she should never forget. She was being more cautious now.

“To our kids.” She agreed as she clinked her glass to his. She could not help but be more talkative when discussing her son.

But if the man had probably asked her more about herself, she might have refused to answer him and ended the meal quickly. However, he had been a gracious host, entertaining with his light sense of humor and friendly attitude.

“Your husband must be one lucky man to have such an intelligent wife and loving mother to his adorable son.” The man complimented her as he leaned on his chair and stared at her face.

Suddenly, her apprehension returned. She had no issue talking about their children. But as she said earlier, her life was not something she would like to discuss with a stranger.

“Unfortunately, I would not know since I am solo parenting my son.” There was no use lying about it. As much as she did not want to reveal things about her, if this man liked to know this basic information about her, he could have easily discovered it on his own.

“Oh! I was not expecting that.” He seemed genuinely surprised as far as her interpretation of his reaction was concerned.

It was not like she had something written on her forehead telling everyone that she was a single mom because her boyfriend left her when he learned she was pregnant. So, how would this man know?

“What about you? I am sure your wife is doing a great job caring for your daughter.” As much as she did not want to pry into his affair, she had no choice. She needed something to break the awkwardness of her situation.

But how his face changed told her that she should not have asked that question. He took the bottle of red on its chiller and refilled his glass before taking a large gulp of his drink.

Then, he finally looked at her, slightly shaking his head. “You will think that it would be easier to talk about her after a year had passed, but it is not.”

He took another sip of his drink, looking away from her and into the beautiful view outside his window. His eyes seemed to look at the ocean, but she knew his mind was elsewhere.

“I am sorry for my nosiness. You don’t have to answer me.” Ria quickly told him, assuming that something horrible had happened to his wife based on how he had reacted.

She wanted to snap at herself for her wrong timing and her insensitivity. She knew she should not be meddling with another person’s affairs. Nonetheless, she did not zip her mouth and let her tongue run away with her words.

But in a way, she was glad that she saw a different side of him. Insensitive, it might seem, but she felt a slight relief when she saw a glimpse of his vulnerable side.