The Royal Contract

Chapter 403 - Running For The Hills

He stood by the stove, frying some eggs for breakfast and preparing a pot of coffee on the side. He would like to surprise his wife before she woke up with a delicious breakfast.

He sensed a commotion on the other side of the apartment. He could hear someone moving around in the living room. He quickly set aside the pan, not trusting to leave it on the fire. He did not want the eggs to end up burnt by the time he returned.

When he reached the other room, he saw two large suitcases on the side of the sofa. He wondered what they were for, but he could already guess.

"Tyra, what is going on? Where are you going?" He looked at her, confused with the scene in front of him. He finally asked when Tyra moved towards the room, carrying another large bag.

He was not aware that she had any plans to travel, still puzzled with what was going on with her. He always thought that she planned to stay with him for the duration of their arrangement.

Somewhat he suddenly felt a bit disappointed that she was leaving. But he still denied any feelings for her. He just felt a connection with her because they had something in common.

They both ran away from their past, using their union as a way to move forward to the future. It was an arrangement for a common goal, nothing more. Finding friendship amid their contract was just a bonus.

"I am sorry, Troy. I did not want to do this to you on short notice, but I have a job offer." She quickly related to him the call she had received that morning.

When he did not respond right away, she continued to explain to him her situation. "I have to leave on the next flight to Paris." She finished before he could say another word.

She had been on leave for some time from her career as she tried to reassess her decisions in life. But receiving a call this morning gave her an excuse to move out of the house.

She was unsure why she suddenly felt the need to create a space between her and her fake husband. The apartment was more than big enough for the both of them, but she still felt suffocated.

Then, she kept telling herself she only wanted to get back to her job. If she wanted to be on top again, she would have to work doubly hard to reach her former supermodel status.

"Oh! That sounds great." He was surprised about her news, but he knew he could not stop her. "But, do you have to leave so soon?" He stopped behind the sofa and rested his hands on its backrest, continuing to watch her reaction.

It was for the betterment of her career. It would be good for her to get back on her feet and start working again. Troy was glad that she received another offer.

He believed, like him, getting busy would help them achieve their goals. Then, it would also, at the same time, heal their broken hearts.

"Yes, it is a good opportunity for my come back to the modeling industry. The offer was too good to pass up." She stated as she moved to sit down on the lone chair.

She was at least not lying about that. She did believe it would be good for her to return to the job that she loved. It was the only time that she could feel free to be herself.

"Well, if you think that would be best for you. Then, go for it. Don't let me stop you from pursuing your passion." He recommended to her, knowing the feeling of doing what he loved because it made him happy.

"Thanks for trying to understand." She tilted her head so that she could look at his face.

She could not read whatever was going through his mind as his eyes danced in the bright light. However, she could feel her heart was in pain.

It was as if something was squeezing it from inside of her. She did not understand why her body was reacting in such a manner.

It was as if she was experiencing another heartbreak. She declined her conclusion and questioned how she acted, But circumstances told her that it was no different. But it could not be since she was not in love with him, not even one bit.

She did respect and trust him even if they had recently just met. In her book, time and long relationship was not the only basis for friendship.

She found him as a genuine person and a good friend. She believed that it would be hard for her to find another man like him. She was lucky to bump into him.

"Well, it is the least I can do." He said, accepting that there was nothing else he could do. She was not a prisoner in this marriage, and she was free to come and go as she pleased.

But it did not mean that he would be happy to see her go. But he could hope that she would decide to keep their marriage during the period they agreed upon and return home after her job contract.

"Do you want me to drive you to the airport?" He asked since pretending to be her doting husband was part of his obligation. They did not sign a binding contract. It was more of a verbal agreement.

But they both knew that they would honor it even without papers involved. Their words, especially Troy was as good as if they had an ironclad contract. He would never break it.

Although he sometimes questioned his ability to think and if that was a wise decision, he still did not see anything wrong with it. On the contrary, he believed it was the right thing to do.

He would not lose anything if this marriage failed. While on Tyra's side, he did not find anything wrong since he only wanted to help. But overall, his reasons for doing it remained a mystery to him.

"By the way, I cooked breakfast. Maybe you would want to eat first before leaving." He offered, remembering the eggs he was cooking.

He did not see any point in wasting the food he had already prepared. It was as if it would take that long to have breakfast with him. Besides, he did not want Tyra to travel on an empty stomach.

"I still have an hour before I have to leave, so breakfast seems to be a good idea." She did feel her stomach rumbling. "And I accept your offer for a ride."

She did not see any point in hurrying up or anything wrong about eating breakfast with the man she called now as her husband. Besides, she was bound to return to this house to fulfill her part of the bargain.

She would only be gone for a month.. She understood that it would be more than enough time to sort out her life without having any distractions. What was one more time spent in his company before she started running for the hills?