The Royal Contract

1166 Rest in peace?

She heard the cry. It kept going and going. But still, she could not find where it was coming from as she searched the entire apartment. She ran into the nursery, but her son was not there.

She moved toward the living room, but the sound faded as she came closer. Then, it would start again somewhere around the house, haunting her, calling her.

“Ares...” She called out to him as she sprinted to the next room only to find it empty. “Where are you?” She kept calling as his wails echoed on the walls.

Eventually, she stopped when she reached her bedroom, panting and crying as she failed to find him. “Ares, where are you?” She repeated, barely making a sound as she ran out of breath.

But the crying started again downstairs, but she was already too tired to make another step. She took one long breath as she pushed herself to dash downstairs, using her last remaining energy to find her son.

Then, she stopped when she saw a man by the door, appearing to be holding something in his arms. But he had his back facing her, so she had no clear view of his face. Who was he, and what did he plan to do with her son?

“Give me back, my son.” She shouted as the man posted to open the main door. “Where are you taking him?” She continued as fear gripped every part of her body, immobilizing her, rooting her on her spot.

But the man did not turn or answer her. He just stood there as if waiting. She did not understand why she could not move. Or why the man just remained in his place, still holding her son?

She tried to get a good look at him, but her eyes seemed blurry, maybe because she had been crying. The tears had prevented her from seeing clearly.

.....

But the man slightly turned, showing her the side of his face. He looked familiar. But that was not possible. She quickly wiped her face, rubbing her eyes with her fingers.

But when she opened her eyes again, they were gone. The man holding his son vanished. The unknown man just took his son, and she could do nothing to stop him.

What kind of mother was she when she could not protect her only child? “Ares...” She wailed loudly, but even her voice abandoned her as no sound came from her lips.

“No... no.... no...” She repeatedly mumbled as she tried to move, but something held her in place.

Then, she heard her name. “Dani...”

She blinked her eyes open, trying to see who it could be. Then, her eyes focused on a familiar face. “Hey, sweetheart. It is just a dream.” He assured her as he cradled her in his arms.

“Alex?” She questioned as confusion overshadowed her reasoning. But after a few seconds, she confirmed it was him. “Where is Ares?” She asked, panicking as she remembered her dream.

“A man took him. He kidnapped our son.” She hastily told him as she sought his help. “We need to find him.” She continued as fear clouded her mind, unable to grasp reality from her dream.

“Hey, Ares is in his room. Come on, snap out of it.” He slightly shook her shoulders but remained calm as he talked to her. “It is just a dream.” He repeated until she finally relaxed.

It felt so real that she thought someone had taken her son. But what if this was just another dream? And the other one was the reality. Now, she knew she was being paranoid.

“Come on, let me show you.” He helped her out of bed and guided her to his room. Once Alex opened the other door, she saw Ares peacefully sleeping in his crib.

That was the only time that she felt relieved and breathed evenly. She guessed her continued lack of sleep and the hormonal imbalance were taking a toll on her mental health, making her think of crazy things, especially in her sleep.

“Am I going crazy?” She asked as they finally moved to the living room. She closed her eyes to clear her head as she leaned her body on his chest as her husband held her close to his body.

“No. You are just exhausted. You have to pick a nanny soon so you can rest.” He pulled her closer, caressing her hair to soothe her frail nerves. “And if you want to return to work, I will have no issues with that.” He reminded her. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet

Honestly, working was far less uncomplicated than taking care of a child. But she derived a certain satisfaction from caring for her son. Although she would admit, it was taxing to the mind and body.

“Anyway, what was the dream all about?” Alex asked concernedly. “It sounded intense.” He slightly shifted his body so he could look into her face. Then, his fingers touched her cheeks, probably drying the remaining tears in her skin.

“I was looking for Ares. He was crying, but I could not find him.” She narrated the event in her dream. “Then, the weird thing happened.” She finally recalled the last segment of her nightmare as she recounted it to him.

“What is weird?” He queried, appearing curious and intrigued. He smoothened the strands of her hair that blocked her face from his view, moving it to the back of her ears.

“Well, when I ask the man to stop. He slightly turned. And I swear I think I saw Gerald. But I could be wrong.” She finally voiced out what bothered her about her dream.

Maybe the remnant of her trauma of Gerald as one of the masterminds in their abduction still lingered in her subconsciousness. It suddenly translated into her fear for her son’s life and future.

“I think you are obsessing with the notion that Gerald is still alive.” Alex interpreted her dream. “Now, it is manifesting in your dreams.” He told her his observation.

“Maybe we should take a break. Go on a vacation.” He told her, wanting to give her a chance to recover from her situation. “I can help with Ares while you take a rest. I am sure Marcus could handle the business while we are away.” Alex suggested.

The idea was tempting, but she heard that the country’s economy was having a recession. It was not the time to slack off from work, or they might go under with the rest of the companies having some financial situations.

Although Marcus, Jacky, and the rest of their trusted people were doing a great job. They could still use all hands on deck. Sometimes, she considered returning to work to help, but her guilt of leaving Ares still weighed down on her.

“Let me think about it.” Dani did not want to reject his proposal outright. With her slight imbalance in rational thinking, she preferred to contemplate it more before deciding on anything.

“That is good enough for me.” Alex pulled her into a gentle kiss before letting her go. “Let me prepare something for dinner. You must be starving.”

Suddenly, she remembered barely eating much for lunch as she felt her stomach loudly grumbling. She could only assume that her darling husband had heard that.

“I can help.” She offered, but Alex stopped her. He would not let her leave the couch.

“I want you to watch a movie or rest. I will be quick.” Alex instructed before he disappeared into the kitchen.

She stared at the blank screen but decided she did not feel like watching anything. But her mind replayed her dream before it faded into nothing. It felt so real that she could still feel her heart pounding inside her chest.

But Alex was right. It was impossible since Gerald was dead unless they could prove it otherwise. So far, they had nothing to contradict her gut feeling. A dream did not prove anything except her obsession to find the truth about what happened to her brother.

“I am sorry, Dad.” She silently spoke to her father, remembering his last wish. “I think I failed you.”

Although she knew she was not to blame for what happened to Gerald, she still felt responsible for failing to get close to him and treating him like he was part of her family.

She continued to doubt him, thinking he was always out to get them, even if he did not show any signs that he intended to cause harm to their family. Truthfully, he had been silent until his death.

Then, she heard the bell ring. She wondered who could be behind the door. But she knew no one could get passed their security since Tim had added extra precautions.

“I will get it.” Alex ran from the kitchen toward the door before she could lift her butt out of the cushions.

“Are you expecting someone?” She asked since she knew their parents or their friends were not coming by tonight to join them.

But when he opened the door, she was not surprised. It was Tim who greeted her with a warm smile. She watched the two exchange some pleasantries as Alex invited him to join them inside.

“I hope you are feeling better and adjusting well to motherhood,” Tim said as he occupied the vacant seat at her right while her husband sat beside her. She also noticed the envelope in his hand.

Suddenly, she could not help the apprehension she felt. She could only conclude that their head of security was here to give his report. Did he have the result she had been waiting for that would finally end her speculations? Did Tim possess the answer to her question?

Should she hope Gerald was alive? Or should she finally let her brother rest in peace?