The Royal Contract

She felt her blood rushing through her veins. She knew she was excited for a reason. But, of course,  she might have an idea why.

It was his presence at the lunch table. It was the way he kept looking in her direction. It was everything he was making her feel.

"Please, Adam, try this one. It is Sister Eloisa's specialty." One of the sisters passed the delightful sweet cream pie in his direction. "Serena helped bake that."

"I hardly did anything," She interjected, slightly shy for the attention.

"Don't be modest, Serena. You practically baked the pie yourself." Sister Eloisa also responded, praising her for her hard work.

"Thanks, I will love to try it." Adam quickly accepted a large piece of the delectable pie. "It is delicious."

He said after taking a good size slice into his mouth.

"Serena has been a great help around here since she stayed with us. And we love having her around, especially the kids." Sister Nenita spoke kindly about her.

She did not know if she deserved the recognition, but she was thankful for the chance to be of service. Living with them made her realize how much she loved to serve. It had given her a new purpose in life.

"I don't doubt that." Adam nodded in agreement with the nuns. "Serena always has a big heart." He continued as if he genuinely meant it.

"Anyway, how did the two of you meet?" Sister Nenita asked as she suddenly changed the topic.

She could see the curiosity in the nun's eyes. She recalled if she had ever mentioned his name to her friend. But she could see that her friend was trying to piece it together.

As one of her healing processes, Sister Nenita suggested that she had shared her secrets and troubles through a confession instead of keeping them bottled and festering inside of her.

But instead of telling a priest, she decided to share them with her friend, knowing they were safe with her. But now, she wondered if she had done the right thing.

"He was one of my lawyers and my brother's friend." She answered before Adam could say anything. But she made sure to give her friend a warning look not to say anything.

Even though she knew that Sister Nenita would never reveal her secret, it might not stop her from doing something unthinkable, like playing matchmaker.

"So, you are the lawyer friend." Sister Nenita said, carrying a tone that had a deeper meaning.

"What do you mean by lawyer friend?" Adam suddenly raised his eyebrow, looking curious and intrigued by the term used to describe him.

"Exactly that." Sister Nenita pretended to be oblivious to the question. "You are a lawyer and a friend." She explained, then followed it with a question. "Should it mean anything else?"

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Suddenly she felt her throat constrict, feeling the air trapped inside her lungs. "Ahem!" She tried to clear her air passage, desperately trying to control her breathing again.

"Are you alright?" Suddenly everyone had to stop talking and look in her direction. They tried to help her as Sister Margaret patted her back.

"Do you want water?" Adam was quickly on her side with a glass of water.

"Yeah, I am ok." But she took the water, hoping it would help her recover faster.

She did not like the attention on her, but at least it stopped Sister Nenita's line of questioning. She did not want Adam to know of her secret.

Eventually, the conversation resumed, but the topic had changed. Adam explained his job, which the nuns appreciated since he had been helping the poor.

"But recently, I decided to make a career advancement. I accepted your brother's offer to join them in his firm." He informed them, more or less, telling her about it.

David did not mention any of this to her. But that was understandable. First, her brother had no idea that she was interested in him. Second, they never talked about business.

"That is good for you." She knew that was a wise career path. It would open many doors of opportunity for him to grow and expand his clientele.

"But what about your pro bono cases?" She asked, knowing how important it was to him to help those who could not afford representation.

She could not see him as the corporate shark like her brother and his team of lawyers. Adam always had a soft spot for the weaker ones. She had no idea if he would ever fit in there.

"Your brother allowed me to take a few pro bono cases each month to represent in exchange for my work in his company." He explained to her and the rest who cared to listen.

"And I am thinking of including the orphanage in one of my cases if you like me to represent the welfare of the foundation and the kids." He turned to the nuns, who looked shocked and, at the same time, excited.

"You can do that," Serena asked him, seemingly thrilled with the idea.

"I can if they would have me." He offered. "But you don't have to answer right away. Why don't you think it over and tell me if you need help?"

She could see that the nuns were looking at each other. She could tell that the foundation had many problems. And maybe Adam was the answer to their prayers.

"That seems to be a nice offer, Adam." Sister Eloisa said. Let us discuss it among ourselves, and we will let you know."

Serena guessed they had a process to consider before accepting just any help. After all, it was not just the foundation they had to worry about but all the kids living on it.

After lunch, just as promised, Adam helped clean up in the kitchen. "Sister Margaret was not kidding about the plates." Adam seemed shocked by the numerous dirty dishes he had to wash manually.

The orphanage did not own a dishwasher. With the volume of kids and staff that eat in the place, it was only natural to have a ton of plates piled on the sink.

"It is usually like this or more, but if you are not up for the challenge, I will let you sit this out," Serena told him as she took the two aprons from the rack.

She was about to return the apron when he snatched it from her hands and wore it around his body. "And leave you with all the fun. I don't think so." He said as he moved toward the sink and checked out the plates.

"Are you sure?" She asked again, slightly chuckling behind him as she tied the apron behind her back.

"This is a piece of cake." Adam proudly said, but she noticed his difficulty tying his apron behind his back.

"Do you need help with that?" She eventually asked as she moved closer to him.

"Can you?" He finally conceded, giving up.

She stepped closer until she had the strings in her hand. Soon, she had secured the apron and given the signal to proceed.

"Maybe I can lather the dishes. Then, you rinse and dry." He suggested since the sister had both given them the task of cleaning the plates.

"That seems to be a plan." She responded affirmatively. It would be easier for them to have their specific tasks.

Then, she and her partner began the mechanical process of lathering and rinsing. She compiled the clean plates first on a dish rack.

After finishing, she would dry them, and Adam could place them back inside the cabinets. Besides, Adam was taller than her. He could easily reach the top shelves.

"You seem to be doing well here." Adam suddenly said as he placed a few batches of dried plates in their place. "You look different. I mean, you look happy and less stressed."

"I think you know what I mean." He hastily added. It appeared he was having difficulty expressing what he wished to tell her.

"I think so." She responded, assessing her emotions and thoughts. "Honestly, I feel different." She was happy and contented at the moment.

But still, she could not tell if she would still feel this way once she returned to the real world, her life. Was this only temporary? Or would the reality of her situation knock her back down on her knees?

"You also looked different." She finally looked in his direction and checked him from head to toe. "Are you sure working for my brother is what you want?"

"It is not exactly what I want, but it would help me with my goals. In the meantime, it is the right path for me." He disclosed to her.

"Then, why do it?" She asked, slightly confused. She had been doing that her entire life, doing the things she never wanted to reach her goal.

Look at where she was now, far from where she wanted to be. She found herself lost in the lies and the deception of the world she lived in.