The Royal Contract

He booked the next flight on his phone. He knew he had to go back because he had obligations to keep. Then he offered Serena a lift back to the orphanage.

The last few days he spent with her were great, spectacular, magical, and so on. He could say more adjectives, but words were never enough to describe what his heart felt.

"So, what would happen now?" He dreaded the question the entire time they were together. However, he knew he had no choice but to ask.

Of course, he did not want to leave her. But he also wanted to hear her say she wished to be with him. However, he could only wait for her decision.

He could never force her to jump into the next flight with him or expect her to drop everything else because of him. That was just not realistic.

"Don't get me wrong, Adam. I enjoyed every minute we were together. And I want to go with you and face the world. But I need to do something first." Serena looked at him with those doe eyes, seemingly pleading with him for understanding.

He believed it did not sound so bad. Right?

She did not outright reject him like before. She was only asking for time to get her things in order. Then, he hoped everything between them would be ok.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" He knew he would drop everything for her, even his job with her brother. All she had to do was ask him.

He parked the rented car on the curve, just outside the orphanage's gates. Then, he turned to look at her, knowing that their time was almost up.

"No. That would not be necessary. I can't keep you away from your job." Serena explained to him. "You probably had a lot of backlogs to catch up with."

She unbuckled her seatbelt, looking outside her window for a second before turning to him. The look on her face seemed promising, but it was still hard to tell what she was thinking.

"And besides, I will not take long. I promise." She hastily added, making his heart almost stop. Did he hear her right? "Can you wait for me till I get back?"

He immediately unbuckled himself from his seat and turned to her. He could see a few passersby looking in their direction. But they only glanced for a second before they went on their way.

But he could not care less about all those people. He could only concentrate on the woman that stared at him with an adorable smile on her lips.

"Of course, I will wait for you." He would wait for her for as long as it takes. He was not giving up now when he finally saw hope for a future with her.

He grabbed his hand as he leaned closer. "I will wait for you until you are ready to be with me."

He must look like a fool at that moment as he could not wipe the smile on his face as he walked through the airport lobby.

As much as he did not want to leave her, he knew he had to go. He needed to give her time. He had to trust her that, in time, she would come to him, ready to take a chance with him.

"Sir, please hurry because we are already about to finish boarding." The man at the ticketing booth told him.

He would not be that late if not for her. But, of course, he would never blame her. If he had to take the next flight, he would not mind as long as he could spend more time with her.

But at some point, she forced him to leave. She did not want him to miss his flight. But she promised he could call her any time he was not busy.

"Thanks." He quickly made his way to the gate, just in time before the door closed.

Soon, he was sitting in his assigned seat and flying across the vast blue ocean on his way home. But all he could think about was going back to be with her.

However, he believed flying back was out of the question. Still, he could do one more thing as he gazed outside his window and thought of a plan.

Thankfully, he booked business class. It was less crowded and noisy. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"Hey!" He quickly greeted her as soon as the line connected. He could not wait to hear her voice.

"Hey! Did you make it to your flight?" She sweetly asked as her voice floated in the air and into the sky to reach him.

"Yes, I was just on time." He told her that the doors were about to close when he managed to arrive at the gates. He was the last passenger to board the plane.

He settled comfortably on his seat, minding his business as he spoke to her on the phone. He did not mind sitting alongside the elderly lady who was right next to him.

As long as he talked to her, he felt he was on cloud nine, and nothing could go wrong. "By the way, when are you thinking of coming home?"

He promised never to pressure her. But he could not help himself. "I miss you already, and I want to see you." He quickly added, hoping that was enough reason for his question. It was the truth.

"I miss you too," Serena heartily responded. "But I still need to settle a few things here before I can leave."

He understood that he could not demand that she abruptly change her plans because of him. Still, he could hope and pray that she would.

He felt like a child who could not wait for Christmas to arrive so he could finally receive his present. But that was not how adult life worked. He needed to be patient and wait.

"Ok. I understand." Could he blame himself if he suddenly felt disappointed? But he kept his negative emotion to himself as they discussed a few other things.

"Adam, can you convince Ken to accept our help?" Serena suddenly injected the boy into their conversation.

He could only assume that Ken had truly impacted her life for her to be worried about his condition. He could not blame her. After meeting the boy, he already knew he was special.

"I will look for him and do my best." He told her, knowing that the child never had a permanent address. But he knew where he usually hung out.

"What sort of help are we talking about?" Adam asked her. He wanted to arrange everything by the time Serena came home.

He could arrange for better housing for Ken and his buddies. A stable job where they could earn a legal and decent living.

Maybe he could add a scholarship grant for the child. He could tell that he was wise beyond his age. He could easily earn a degree if he worked hard enough.

"I want to adopt him, Adam," Serena confidently said. She did not stutter or use complicated words. Therefore, he should have understood what she said.

"What?" But still, he was dumbfounded by her plan. Adopting was a big step. Something he never considered Serena would do. And as her lawyer, he would not advise this without full investigation and consideration.

"You heard me. I have been thinking about this for a long time." She said, but he still thought it was not long enough.

"But adoption?" He was not against it. He believed that if parents could not have kids, he always advised taking a child out of a foster home to love and care for.

But Serena was young. She could still have kids of her own. Their kids, his mind interjected. So, there was no need for her to adopt a teenage boy.

"There are many ways to help Ken. You do not have to rush to adoption." He told her on the line, but the sigh in her voice told him what he could not see.

She was frustrated because she wanted this. Adam could not help but wonder if she was using the boy to salvage her life. To put meaning back to her crumbling world.

Many showbiz people have done that. But they usually find infants from third world countries, impoverished by economic crisis or war.

Not a teenager who might already have a long, outstanding criminal record. Adam still had to investigate this part of the child's life.

But judging from the association, the boy kept. He might not be far behind. He could be as bad or worse than his friends.

"Well, I just want to tell you that I wish to consider adopting Ken," Serena said with conviction, sounding quite determined with her plan.

Of course, he understood what Serena had gone through. But he did not want her to make drastic decisions.

"And that would somehow affect whatever would happen to my future." She added as if she was giving him a notice.

Was it a warning that if he proceeded to be with her, it would be a package deal? Her and the boy? That he had no option.

As he had said, he wanted kids. But did he want Ken to be his son? Because that was what would happen if he pursued a relationship with Serena. That was what she was telling him.

Being with her would mean becoming an instant father of a smart-ass teenage boy. Was he ready for that?