The Royal Contract

Chapter 1286: Uphill battle

After last night's confrontation, he found himself having a hard time sleeping. He ended up waking up before the sun was up. Then, returning to sleep became a struggle.

He debated whether to call his sister and tell her what he witnessed. As a concerned brother, he believed it was the sensible thing to do.

"Damn it!" He hated to be in the middle of this situation.

Of course, he should prioritize what was best for his sister. But he hated that his friend could do this to his sister. And that his friend would be the cause of his sister's pain.

Truthfully, he liked Adam for Serena. He believed his friend would be best for his sister. But not after last night's incident, not after he discovered that his friend was another douchebag.

"Damn you, Adam!" Cursing his friend for putting him in this situation.

However, he also wondered if he should keep his mouth shut. It was not like him to meddle with his sister's affairs.

He remembered she never appreciated when he interfered in her life. That was why he had stayed away even though he wanted to help her.

He recalled a time when he tried to intervene on her behalf. He had one of her boyfriends investigated and discovered some shady things about the man.

"I am telling you, Serena. He is bad news." He told her about the result of his investigation, warning his sister about the man she had fallen in love with.

But his sister did not take it well. She did not like that he initiated an investigation without her knowledge or that he was snooping around her life.

"Who gave you the right to interfere with my life?" She exploded in his face when she heard about it. "I never tell you what to do or pry on your affairs. So, stop acting like you care."

He guessed he only had himself to blame for her reaction. Since she decided to follow her dreams, nobody in their family supported her, not even him.

Therefore, Serena avoided anything to do with their family. She stopped talking to him and decided to live on her own.

"But I do care about you." He tried to reason with his sister, but Serena would not hear him. She would not listen to his caution until she ended up hurt.

Still, the more he pushed himself to help her, the more she moved away until she completely cut off their communication.

He was glad when she finally came back and reached out to him. He had his sister back. He would do his best to keep her at his side this time. Hence, he promised to avoid the mistakes he had made before.

"What should I do now?" He asked himself as he thought of his situation.

Should he tell her sister about Adam's indiscretion and risk ruining his relationship with her? But could he trust Adam to come clean to his sister and fix his mistake?

Suddenly, he missed the only person who could make sense of this condition. She always had a level head that came up with very sound advice.

"Hey!" He heard her greet him when she opened the door. However, she was not the same person she used to be. Still, he wanted to see her, thinking she was the only one who could help him.

Honestly, he was not expecting to end up on her doorstep. He only intended to drive to clear his mind, but somehow, his subconsciousness brought him outside her building, knocking on her door.

"Hi, Rosella. I hope I am not interrupting anything." He knew it was odd that he should show up this early in the morning in her apartment.

But he guessed he was not surprised. His mind seemed to know what he needed and guided him to where he had to be.

"David, what are you doing here?" Rosella, on the other hand, appeared stunned to see him. But he could not blame her.

She slowly opened the door, allowing him a preview of the room inside. Then, she quickly smiled, covering up her earlier reaction.

"I have some free time and thought to invite you on a day out." He had no better excuse for his early visit, so he came up with one.

He only hoped that it did not sound bizarre since it was totally out of the blue and unexpected. However, he believed it was the best idea he had made yet.

He could not think of a better way to consume his day but to spend it with her. Maybe he could also use the time to remind her of their time together.

He knew it was a long stretch she would remember, but he had to try. He could not give up on her. In case she still would not recall her memories, maybe they could make new ones.

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"Don't you have a job?" She looked at him with a frown on her forehead, puzzled by his motives. "Or something else to do besides wasting it on me."

If he was honest, he did have plenty of things to do. However, he did not feel like going to work. He could already tell that he would find it hard to concentrate on his cases with the current state of his mind.

"I do, but those can wait. And besides, helping you out is not a waste of my time." He answered her. "Anyway, aren't you going to invite me inside?"

Suddenly, he wondered if Rosella was alone, remembering she was living with her sister. Was he ready to see her? Or better yet. How would Roseann react if she saw him?

He guessed he had not thought this through. But truthfully, he was not thinking when he came here. All he wanted was to see Rosella.

"Oh! I am sorry." She probably realized they were still standing by the doorway as she opened the wooden frame wider for him to enter. "Come in." She offered out of courtesy, he guessed.

He stepped inside when she moved slightly, giving him space before she closed the door behind them. Then, his eyes scanned the room, noticing silence on the other side.

He concluded Roseann must be in the hospital, on her duty, or in her room, passed out. So far, he did not see a sign of her in the open area.

"Is Roseann home?" He eventually asked, assuring him what to expect while he was there. At least he would not be surprised if she suddenly showed up.

He walked further into the room, following closely behind her. It was not a big apartment. It did not take long for them to stop in the kitchen.

"Yes, she just came home from the hospital. But she is sleeping at the moment." She informed him as she moved toward the stove. "I am cooking breakfast." She pointed to the pan.

"Would you like some?" She offered. "There is coffee in the pot. You can help yourself." She directed him to his left. "I am sure you know where the mugs are."

Then, she turned away from him to attend to whatever she was cooking on the stove. But he already guessed what it was from the aroma that wafted in the air.

"Sure. I have not eaten anything yet." He could feel the need for a strong coffee. However, he could skip breakfast altogether.

Nevertheless, he would not turn down her cooking and the chance to sit with her at the breakfast table. He would eat anything she put on his plate if he could stay longer with her.

Slowly, he worked his way to the cabinet and took out two cups. He noticed that she still did not have her cup of coffee yet.

"Do you still like your coffee sweet and creamy?" He asked, remembering that was how she used to like it. However, he was unsure if that was still the case.

He poured the boiling coffee into the mugs while waiting for her to answer his inquiry. He noticed that she was contemplating his question.

"I never thought of that." She finally glanced his way. "I only drink what Roseann made but never considered what I want."

She finally turned the fire off after pulling the last bacon off the pan. Then, she brought the cooked eggs and pieces of cured fried pork to the kitchen counter.

"How did I like my coffee before? Can you show me?" She asked, looking curious as she watched him take the creamer and sugar off the shelves.

"Better yet, I can make you one." He prepared her coffee the way he remembered it. Although, he still believed that Rosella made the most delicious coffee ever.

He could see that she was watching him with fascination. She was like a child, discovering new things about the world and herself. Maybe that was what she felt at that moment.

"Now, try this." David handed the coffee he had prepared. "Careful. It is still hot." He warned her, not wanting her to get burnt.

She took it from his hands, cautiously holding onto the cup as she sipped the brownish liquid. He watched her with interest, wondering what was going through her mind.

He could not help but hope it would trigger a memory and somewhat remind her of the old times. But, of course, that was like wishing on a falling star. The likelihood of it coming true was nil.

"What do you think? Do you like it?" He finally asked as he also drank his concoction. He liked his coffee black most of the time. Although, he also enjoyed the coffee she made for him on occasion.

"I am not sure." She responded as she mildly licked her lips before taking another sip. "But it is good."

He could only assume that she had also forgotten about her favorites. He guessed it would not be as easy as he had thought.

It would be an uphill battle, but as he had said. He would never give up on her.