The Royal Contract

She could smell the sweet fragrance of the flowers and the scented candles on their table. It looked fresh and lively, observing its vibrant colors. It was exquisite and romantic.

Of course, the wine looked invigorating, but she could only stare at the glass on the other table. Even her husband had abstained from drinking when he was with her.

But she knew if she was not pregnant, only the best bottle would be chilling on their side. But for now, she had to settle for a cold fruit drink.

"Have you decided on what you want for dinner?" Her husband looked at her from behind his menu, looking as dashing as ever.

She stared at the list, wondering if she should order her favorite or try something new. Bottomline. She was hungry, more than usual.

She loved being pregnant, but it did have its ups and downs. She could not eat or drink some of the things she loved, but she had a free pass to eat as many as she liked without worrying about her weight.

"I want to try their special." Jacky always loved to eat. Although she never resorted to dieting, she still watched what she ate.

But now that she was pregnant. She wanted to explore these new powers she had. As they said, pregnant ladies always got what they wanted and could get away with many things.

Of course, as long as it would not harm their baby growing in her tummy. And no matter what, her baby was her priority.

"Ok," Marcus ordered for them while she watched the people around them. "I hope you like my surprise." Gesturing to the place and the setting.

She liked this place, not because they had the best food on the planet or because they charged their dishes extravagantly. She liked it because of the guests.

People always fascinated her. Living in the streets, foster home from one to another, and dealing with authority figures had taught her how to read them.

Most importantly, she learned how to handle, negotiate and barter with different individuals. It had been her tool in surviving her horrendous childhood.

"How was your day?" Marcus asked, opening up their daily conversation. They liked talking about work and other stuff.

It was their way to stay connected after their busy day away from each other, besides their active and vibrant physical intimacy.

"Wait!" She told her husband as she pulled her phone from inside her bag. Then, she dialed one of her recent numbers.

"Who are you calling?" Her husband asked, seemingly curious more than anything else. "We are in a middle of a romantic date." He reminded her.

They had a rule that no phones or unnecessary interruptions when they were on a date unless it was a matter of life and death.

"Ssshhh!" She silenced him while waiting for the other party to answer her call. It did not take her long. "Alona..." She sweetly uttered to her friend.

Hearing her name, she watched Marcus sigh in understanding. She knew she had caught him red-handed.

"You always know the way to my heart. Thanks. I love it." She spoke on the line, but her eyes focused on her husband, who looked apologetic.

She put down the phone without saying goodbye since she never contacted her friend. She just wanted to see if her husband had gone to the extreme to surprise her.

"Ok. Fine. You got me." Marcus conceded even though she had not said anything yet. "But I want everything to be perfect." He desperately reasoned.

Marcus quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips, appearing apologetic about his action. He always knew how to break her defenses with his charming smile and sweet words.

But that was not all as he quickly pulled something from his breast pocket. It appeared to be a long black box.

"Would this be enough to say I am sorry?" He presented her with a gift, placing the object on the palm of her hand.

Husbands usually gave gifts to their wives if they were guilty of doing something wrong, but not Marcus.

Most often, she knew he only wanted to make her happy. But a few times, he used it also to soften the impact of what he had to say.

"It depends." She looked at him suspiciously, thinking Alona also picked the gift.

"I promise." He raised his right hand and rested it on his chest, just right on the top of his heart. "This one I picked myself."

Of course, she believed him as she took the box and excitedly opened it. She could not wait to see what he had bought for her.

Since they married, Marcus tried his best to stay sweet and romantic. But, of course, it had not been easy with their busy schedules and the tragedy that befallen their family.

Therefore, she took whatever he could come up with to keep their relationship going. It was rough, but they managed to survive the ordeal.

"Uuuhhhmmm!" She uttered in surprise as she tried to figure out the small object in her hand. Admittedly, she was expecting expensive jewelry, a necklace, a bracelet, or something. But nothing like this.

She was not disappointed. She had enough trinkets that she would need in her entire lifetime. But she was curious about the gift she had just received.

"Do you like it?" Her husband looked at her expectantly. It appeared he was waiting for her to say she loved it. But how could she when she had no clue what it was for?

"Wait. I know you wanted to show me how much you love me. But maybe we should leave the buying of gifts to Alona." She jokingly said as she continued to stare at whatever she held in her hand.

"What is this for anyway?" She asked again since she could not, for the life of her, figure out where she would use it. "Why do I need a mallet?" Raising her brows at him.

It was a tiny metallic mallet, around five inches long in her estimation, and coated in gold. Was she doing some carpentry? Or was this the one they used in the kitchen?

She had no idea since she never struck a nail or a wall before or was a fan of cooking. She could cook, but commonly some ordinary dishes only.

"Mallet?" Marcus suddenly mildly laughed as he moved closer to her. Then, he stared into her eyes. "That is a gavel. The one that judges used in courtrooms." He explained to her.

Of course, it was.

Why did she not think of that? She suddenly felt stupid, remembering that she had seen those in a courtroom as the judge banged it on the table.

Still, what for?

"What am I going to do with this?" She asked him, still confused by the purpose of the gift. "Am I to use this on your head when you messed up." She kiddingly said as she held the tiny handle in her fingers, pretending to strike him.

"No, of course not." He quickly ducked away from the metal object. But he continued his grip on her hand. It is my first gift to our child. "Let me show you."

He took the gavel from her and flicked a switch hidden in the handle. Then, the other end opened, revealing a secret compartment.

"Woah!" She was surprised at the same time, excited and curious. "That is cool." She watched him open it, revealing a small storage space.

Then, he poured something inside to show her. It was a small chain. She would guess, a necklace. But from the size, she already supposed it was not for her.

The necklace's design was unisex. Therefore, it would fit a girl or a boy. She surmised that the gift was for their child.

"I could not wait to put this on our son or daughter." He let the chain dangle in his fingers, displaying it in her eyes. Indeed, it was beautiful. It must be expensive since Marcus only bought the best.

"I think our child is still too young to own expensive jewelry. But I will keep it safe until they are older enough to wear them." Jacky was no expert in child care, but she did not want to spoil her kids.

Maybe with love, but never with material things.

"Well, I just could not help myself. Once I saw it in the shop, I knew I had to buy it." Marcus shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess it somehow represents our struggles. And basically, I want our child to become a lawyer and then a judge." Marcus added.

She believed she liked the first part of the argument. "That is a nice gesture. But remember, as a parent, we should let our kids find their calling. We can't force what we want on them." She reminded her husband about their parenting strategy.

"I only wish to give them an idea." Marcus asserted his point of view.

But she knew what he was doing. He was unconsciously planting the idea in their child's head, already convincing their unborn child that becoming a lawyer was inevitable.

"Nice try, buddy. But our children will become what they choose to be." She reiterated. They will have the freedom to choose their future.

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