The Royal Contract

Chapter 365 - Run Away From A Foster Home

After having a short heart-to-heart talk with Jacky, she decided that going back to sleep was already out of the question. Finally, she opted to run instead to clear her mind.

Moping around her apartment would not do her any good. Jacky might not have a successful relationship yet, but she did give sound advice. Her friend told her to put herself in Alex's shoes.

"What will I do without you, Jacky?" She asked herself in front of the mirror as she readied herself for her run.

She might be the more intelligent one in terms of academics. But when it was about life, she could always depend on Jacky for support and a good pep talk.

As she exited her apartment, she noticed the door of their friendly neighbor was wide open. She wondered if he was on his way out for a run. She could surely use some company.

"Troy, anybody home." She shouted by the door, noticing some sealed boxes scattered in the living room.

Was he moving out? She thought to herself as she inspected the boxes near the doorway. It had his name on it and a storage unit address. She recognized it because she did use it before.

"Troy?" She repeated louder this time when he did not respond. She could not see anybody around but could hear a commotion in the room.

Finally, a burly man came out in one of the rooms, wearing an overall, which seemed to be a uniform for a moving company. Seeing it, she realized that Troy was indeed moving.

"Yes, Miss. Can I help you with something?" The man approached her, looking at her as if her presence was delaying them with their schedule.

"I was only looking for my friend, Troy. But I appear to be too late." She said to the man, with a bit of disappointment. She did not even know he was leaving and was not even able to say goodbye.

"Well, he already left. But if you don't have any other business, I am sorry, but I have to ask you to leave. We have a tight schedule, and we can't afford a delay." The man looked apologetic, understanding her situation. But they were paid in an hour, and every minute counts.

"Thanks. I will be leaving now." She walked away from the door, leaving the man back to his responsibility.

She realized she had been too busy with her job, the wedding, and the other things that preoccupied her mind. She did not even notice that one of her friends had left.

"It has been a while since I last saw you run, Miss Dani." Jack greeted her as he quickly opened the door for her.

"Yes. It is nice to be able to do it again." She responded with a sweet smile. She always enjoyed the friendly smile on his face when he opened doors for the tenants and guests.

"Have a good run, Miss. And stay safe." Jack said, reminding her of the incident she had where she had a sprained ankle. She winked at him before running off.

This time, she would not have someone to help her if that ever happened again. Troy would not be around to rescue her from falling down the pavement or help her back to her apartment.

She was barely away from her apartment, and she was missing him already. She admitted that he had become a big part of her life in the few months she had known the man.

"It had been good while it lasted." She mumbled to herself, continuing to her path. There was nothing she could do but go on.

She eventually made her way to her usual route, suddenly finding it strange to run alone again. She would not be jogging with her running buddy anymore.

She would surely miss him, even if he had been a part of her life for just a short while. It had been entertaining to have someone accompanying her on her runs, especially when he could keep up with her pace.

Alex did swear to jog with her, but it remained a promise until now. The only run she had been doing with him was through a treadmill inside his private gym in his apartment.

Although it did the same trick, physically, she still longed for a different atmosphere. She loved feeling the cool breeze on her face. She enjoyed the chatters and laughter of the people she passed by.

It was never the same, she thought, but instantaneously, she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulders and arms as she slightly swirled to her side. Fortunately, she was able to keep her balance, not falling this time on the solid pavement.

"Ouch" and "Aaahhh." And other grunts reverberated around her. She was sure she was making some of it, but the other party sounded much worse.

She quickly recovered from the pain and turned her attention to the offending party. But when she saw a young boy, probably barely in his teens, down on the ground, twisting in pain.

She knew she had to help him. However, she did not have a phone to call for help. Luckily, she spotted Ben not that far away from her. She quickly asked for help to bring the boy to the nearby hospital.

"Should I inform Sir Alex about this incident?" Ben asked, sensing that his last report caused some form of problem with the couple.

He did blame himself for it, but it was his obligation to keep her safe. But if the same scenario would arise, he would probably do the same thing, despite the consequence.

"If you think this situation is worth reporting, then do so." She was leaving it to him. She did not want to blame the man for doing his job, but sometimes, the one telling them what to do was overdoing it.

"What is your name? We have to bring you to the hospital. Where are your parents?" But judging from the slightly dirty, old clothes he was wearing, he might be wandering in the streets alone.

It would not be the first time she had seen kids like him around this part.. Some of them might have run away from a foster home, just like Jacky did.