The Royal Contract

Chapter 259 – Between Two Options

Dani told him what was bothering her, but only in a whisper, not wanting to wake him up if it turned out that he was already sleeping. Saying it out loud and hearing it coming from her voice suddenly made the impact much intense than she felt before.

She felt a tear drop down her cheeks without any warning. The brave front she had been wearing the entire ride home had finally crumbled to pieces. She could not stop the flood gates from bursting anymore as she buried her face back on his chest.

"I'm afraid of what is going to happen to him." She said between her sobs as she remembered her mother's defeated expression.

She comforted her mom, showing her that they could be strong amid their fear. But she was not sure if she believed what she said to her mom. In truth, she was not that confident.

She suddenly regretted their fights.. The time that she had spent away from her family. She wanted the lost time that she wasted being mad at her father.

"I know," Alex answered with no sign of surprise in his tone. He enveloped her firmly around his body and kept his lips on her hair, wanting to give her solace.

He had known about it because that was what Ethan had discussed with him in his study. Like any human being, Ethan was also afraid to take the surgery. To go under meant a fifty-fifty chance of survival.

He was not ready to leave his family, in case it was not successful. Well, not until he had some guarantee that his wife and especially his only daughter was in good hands.

"How did you know?" His words made her looked up to him again. Focusing her eyes on him was not easy when tears clouded her vision, but she wanted to see his face. When she finally saw him, he did not seem fazed by the news.

Dani was surprised that he knew about it when she only learned of it when her mom told her in the garden. She wondered how long ago he had known and why he had not told her about it.

She wanted to confront his father about it, but her mother made her promise to give her father a few days to think about it. After all, he should be resting and not taking on another stressful situation.

Although taking the operation should be his priority, she and her mother knew that they could never force him to do it. He was stubborn like her. As much as it was a negative quality, it made them who they were, strong and independent.

"Your father mentioned it to me while we were in his study." He finally told her. He did promise that he would never lie to her. 

But at the moment, he needed to be careful of what he might say.

He did promise Ethan to keep some of their conversations private between only the two of them.

He wondered which had more weight, keeping Ethan's secret or telling Dani everything. But he would cross that bridge when it was necessary. Presently, he would only say what he felt was needed.

He knew that it would not have been easy for Ethan to talk to him, let alone trust him. After Nick's stunt, the trust must be hard to come by to Ethan. He did not want to break his trust.

"Oh! He was more comfortable talking to you about it than me." She suddenly remembered the barrier that she set between her and her father. 

She used to be his confidant. Now, he could not even tell her that he was seriously ill. She blamed herself for their current situation, wondering if there was a chance for her to remedy their relationship.

She could recall how they were inseparable when she was young. How her father taught her how to ride her first bike, then eventually drive her first car. They loved to share ice cream while they watched some horror movies. He was her world back then.

"No. That is not it." He quickly retorted, not wanting her to feel left out. He could already see her struggle as she wrapped her mind to the entire situation. "Hey, you should not feel like that." He made her tilt her face to him and stare at her eyes.

He was not fully aware of the story behind the conflict between Dani and her father. All he knew was the rumor he had heard. Something happened in the past that brought a rift in their relationship.

But despite that, they still managed to maintain a father and daughter relationship but not probably the same way as before. He could sense that something was holding Dani back from bonding with her father once again.

"Then, how should I feel? I knew I ruined my relationship with my father. Now, I may lose him for good, and I don't know how to fix what I have broken." She felt so disappointed with herself.

For the first time, she felt like she made a huge mistake when she judged her father without giving him a chance to explain himself. She did not even try to see it from his point of view.

What if she only saw it in the negative light, with her mind tinted with Nick's betrayal? She began to doubt her earlier assumption that her father might have done something unforgivable.

"Hey, stop thinking like that. Ethan is strong, and he will survive this." He wanted to reassure her, but they both knew that he could not predict the future. Anything could happen, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"But you don't know that. Dad could die if he doesn't get the operation, but he could also die on the table." She felt so conflicted with the circumstance but could do nothing to help her father. She hated feeling hopeless.

His father was one of the richest men in this city, if not the world. He had many resources at his disposal, but the sad truth was. None of those could guarantee to prolong his life.

"This is what I know. Ethan would be fighting for his life because of you and your mom. He planned to have the operation scheduled as soon as he was ready." Alex said to her.

That was not exactly what they had talked about during their private meeting, but that was what would happen. Alex would ensure that because he did not like seeing Dani suffering because Ethan refused to be rational. 

She had been through a lot in her life. Now was not the time for her to go through another heartache because of someone she loved. If he had to do something about it, he would.

"Did he say that? He agreed to have the operation." His words brought back hope in her heart that maybe her father might have a chance.

"Yes." He knew that he was lying, but he had no option. There were some exceptions to him keeping secrets from her, and this was one of them.

He would do what he could, anything to bring back the smile on Dani's lips. He would agree with whatever Ethan wanted if it meant Dani's happiness. 

If left with choosing between two options, he would pick Dani all the time.