The Royal Contract

He patted himself with a clean towel until all the water clinging to his skin had dried up. Then he stared at his reflection, wiping the steam on the mirror until he had a clearer view.

He still looked the same, but his body seemed to be gaining weight. He guessed he had to set some time to put his physique back in shape.

"Sorry, but I need to get rid of you." He muttered to his image, flexing his biceps and noticing the fat growing on his waist.

With everything that happened to them these past few months, he had neglected these tiny details. Nevertheless, he was not a vain person. Still, he believed in living a healthy lifestyle.

"What are you talking about, Alex?" Suddenly, his wife walked on him while he was still half naked, with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

She stepped closer, wrapping her hands around his ribs and resting her fingers across his chest. Then, her eyes scrutinized his exposed skin through their reflections.

"This." He pinched his flesh along his biceps. "I am growing fat." He admitted to his loving wife, showing her the flab along his belly line.

His wife stared at him with a wry smile on her lovely lips before she giggled, appearing amused by what he said. "What is so funny?" He asked, slightly feeling self-conscious.

"You," Dani answered. "This." She waved her hand at his body. "If this is fat, then what do you call this?" She turned to show him her body, untying and removing her robe.

She appeared unoffended by his statement, but she did make her point. He realized her body had changed since she got pregnant and gave birth.

He thought it might take a while before she regained her original figure. Still, he did not mind. To him, she was still the sexiest woman in his eyes.

"I call that alluring, captivating..." He said as he turned to look at her directly in the eyes and pulled her into his body. "... and enchanting."

Then, he buried his lips on the side of her neck while his fingers explored her curves. "Beautiful and sexy." He added, making his point.

"That is what I like to hear." She looked satisfied as she entangled her fingers through his hair and enjoyed their little foreplay. "You always make me feel like a Princess, my Prince Charming."

"Not a Princess, but my Queen." He responded with a crooked smile, promising her more.

But after a while longer, she pulled away from him before they both got carried away. "Hey, we are going to be late." She reminded him of the time.

As much as he liked to prove how he adored his wife, he agreed with her. He had an important meeting that he could not cancel.

"Yep! Sadly, we have to take a rain check." Alex felt disappointed but could not do anything about it. He leaned again, kissing her one last time before he moved away.

"I guess that should suffice until later." Dani reluctantly moved away as she exited the bathroom to prepare for work, promising she looked forward to tonight.

Despite their busy schedule, they swore to always make time for each other and their child. It would be challenging with their demanding jobs, but not impossible.

"Have you heard from your brother?" He asked as soon as he strode out of the walk-in closet while fixing his tie.

He had received a text message from his friend, Marcus, asking if Gerald had contacted them. He was concerned about his sister, who would not divulge her whereabouts.

"No, not since he came to talk to us," Dani responded while she finished tying his hair. "I tried calling Hailey, but she has yet to respond. I kept getting her voice mail."

So far, all they knew was that Hailey was safe somewhere. Other than that, they were clueless. Gerald had gone dark.

Of course, they could not go to the authorities and ask questions about a dead man. They could only rely on their investigators to give them answers. But they had not uncovered anything yet.

Whoever was behind this situation had covered their tracks well and could be dangerous. They had to tread lightly, especially when Gerald warned them from meddling in his business.

"Tim is still pursuing a lead. But I don't think he is anywhere close to finding anything." At least, that was what his head of security reported to him.

His wife stood from her vanity table and stopped before him. She took charge of finishing fixing his tie. Then, her fingers caged his face, compelling him to look at her.

"We have to find them. I know you never liked Gerald, but he is still my brother. And I am worried about Hailey. I know Marcus and Jacky are having difficulty dealing with her missing." Her wife pleaded with him with her eyes.

His wife was right about one thing. He could not care about Gerald and his safety. But he cared about his wife and his friends.

He had no choice but to work on his brother-in-law's case, even if he did not want to. "I am working on it. Tim is not stopping until he has answers."

He also contacted his friend, Detective Stockholm, one of the best operatives he knew. But the detective still had to report back to him.

He knew he had to have all the best working on the case. They were not dealing with amateur first-time offenders but dangerous criminals unafraid to take a life.

"Thanks." Dani hugged him, showing him how much she appreciated what he was doing for her.

"I might meet with Marcus and Stockholm later. I will let you know what I find out." He promised his wife.

He had learned from past experiences that keeping his wife in the dark did not solve their problems. It was better if they never kept any secrets.

And two heads were better than one, always with no exception.