The Royal Contract

Chapter 349 – Hell On Earth

Ever since her father told her about his involvement in the underground criminal syndicate, her view of what she thought she knew about him had drastically changed. Was it good, or did it get worse? 

She could not sit quietly on her chair or go back to her work as she stared outside her office window when her mind kept getting distracted, contemplating how to deal with this new situation.

"Jacky, cancel all my appointments this morning," Dani shouted just outside her room. "I have to deal with something first." Finally giving up on her work to deal with the actual issue in her mind.

She immediately cleared the papers that she barely touched and placed them back on the rack. Then, she grabbed her phone, inserted it inside her bag, and walked out of her office in a hurry to be somewhere.

"Where are you going, Dani?" Jacky stood from her seat, surprised when she saw her friend strode out of her door, carrying her bag.

She could see that Dani was in a rush to leave, but she could not remember any appointment she had scheduled for today. She would know if she had a meeting outside the office. Therefore, it might be something personal. 

She wondered if Dani received a private message on her phone since she did not hear her receive any calls. It was not like her friend to keep something from her. But she seemed to be agitated about something. 

"I have to go to Alex's office. It is an emergency." She did not wait for Jacky's response, knowing that she had no time to explain what was happening. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Continuing to walk away.

She did not like to keep secrets from Jacky, but the circumstances were different. She had to be careful with the information she just had discovered.

Although she could trust Jacky with the information, she still was not sure of what to make of it until she had the entire story sorted out in her mind.

"What sort of emergency?" Jacky suddenly panicked when she heard the dreadful word, making Dani stop in her tracks as she twisted her face to her friend.

Her face was etched with worry lines, especially when she could see the anxiousness in Dani's expression. Terrible thoughts instantly filled her mind.

"It is not what you think." Dani realized that she must have sounded disturbing, which caused her friend to worry. "It is nothing like that." She quickly retorted, hoping to correct the misunderstanding.

However, she still did not give her any details. She faced her friend with a pleading look, thinking of what she could tell her about what she was going through.

But her mind remained blank, unable to come up with the truth nor a lie. She was just confused with the entire situation that she could not determine what to believe, not just yet anyway.

"Then, what is it?" Jacky walked towards her position, studying her. "I can see that you have something bothering you."

Lately, she might not be spending much time with her friend, but it did not change anything between them. She was still her best friend. She could still read her friend like a book.

From her standpoint, she could see the dilemma in her expression. Dani was not lying to her, but she was going through something weighing heavily on her.

"It is complicated as of now. But I promise." She swore to her friend, even putting her hands to her heart. "I will tell you everything once I know what it is."

She knew her friend would understand her situation. As of now, her friend did not need to get involved in this particular situation. It was a sensitive matter that she had to handle on her own.

"As long as you are not putting yourself at risk, I don't mind. But if you need my help, don't hesitate to come to me." Jacky told her, giving her a reassuring smile before going back to her table reluctantly.

She had learned to trust her friend to tell her whatever it was that was bothering her. But she just had to be patient when Dani was ready to share that with her.

She did not want to add more pressure and stress to what she was already dealing with at the moment. When Dani was ready, she would tell her everything, and she would be there for her.

"Thanks. But I need to go." Dani continued to walk away, determined to discover the truth behind the secrets of her family's past.

She was a lawyer. Facts were relevant in her line of work. She could never judge a situation by hearing only one side of the argument and not seeing the pieces of evidence of the case.

Her father, which she loved so much, might have recounted his involvement in the criminal underworld. But she still had to hear and study what others might have against him. 

She gathered that there was more to the story than what her father had told her. She did trust her father. She believed that he was telling her the truth. 

But she also had to see and talk to her former friend. She might find something else that could connect the dots that were still missing. As of now, she still could not see the entire picture.

"Dani, are you on your way out?" Somebody in the lobby shouted at her, making her glance at her back.

"Yes," She replied upon seeing who it was. "I'm sorry, Gerald. Something urgent came up that I need to deal with, but I already finished my draft earlier. Jacky probably had sent it to your office by now."

She knew that it was not enough, but it had to do for now. She promised that she would make it up later when she returned. She would work hard on the case, even if she had to do overtime.

"Ok then, I'll just see you later." Gerald looked at her with curiosity, seeing that she was preoccupied with something else. 

He wondered if it was another case she was working on or something personal. But whatever it was, it had her full attention.

She left Gerald in the lobby, making her way to the car already parked outside. This time, she did not drive herself but asked Ben to take her where she was going.

"Please, don't tell Alex about this." She spoke to the man sitting in the driver's seat. 

She knew that he sometimes reported to Alex her activities. She explained to him what she had planned. Hopefully, he would see it in her way and cooperate with her.

"Are you sure about this?" Ben asked her, still hesitant about what she was asking him to do.

"Please, just this once." She tried to convince him as he drove her to their destination. Finally, he nodded, making her sigh in relief.

She marched into his office building without anyone stopping her, except when she finally reached outside his private office. She had been in this place several times in the past. 

But it was the first time she had returned to set foot in what she thought was hell on earth because she had believed that the devil was the one running this place.