The Royal Contract

She wondered if it had fallen somewhere, recalling her activities that day. Where did she go? But it was not in her locker at the hospital or stuck in her dirty clothes at home.

"Oh! Crap!" She suddenly remembered where she had been the other night.

Could she have left it there by accident? It could have fallen from her pocket when she lay on the couch. Unfortunately, she recalled the unfortunate incident.

Nevertheless, she remembered she did not check her things when she left his apartment. She only grabbed her bag from the table and walked out the door after their awkward conversation.

"You idiot." She mumbled to herself as she returned to the scene of her crime.

She remembered telling herself to lie low from seeing him. She was lucky he still considered her friend. She did not want to push her luck and drive him away.

Good men were hard to find. And Adam was one of the best people she had ever met. Therefore, she decided to stop seeing him, at least, until the uneasiness she felt had gone away.

"Now, suck it up and knock on the door." She internally urged herself as she strode in the narrow hallway toward his apartment door.

She had no choice but to visit him this soon because she needed to find her badge. Of course, she could always secure a new one, but that would take time, paperwork, and many questions.

This way was far faster and easier, but she guessed not as convenient as she thought. She wished it did not happen, but it did.

"He should be home by now." She whispered to herself, knocking gently first at the door.

She doubted he would be already asleep. But she wondered if he would want to see her this soon. After all, it was just more than a day that passed.

Although he said he wished them to remain friends, she could not help but think of the problem she caused. She could only hope she did not cause a rift in his relationship with the woman he loved.

"No, I am not in love with him." At least, she believed she had no strong feelings for Adam.

He was just a friend. What happened the other night should never have happened. But it did because she was lonely and heartbroken.

She was indeed in love but with another man. And it hurt to see that man with the right woman. She wished with all her heart that she was not, but the heart wanted what it wanted.

"No. I will never hurt Rosella." She could never take the man her sister loved, no matter how painful it was to see them together.

She knocked again on the door, trying to shove her thoughts at the back of her mind. She did not want to think about that. She wished to forget and move on.

"Where was he?" She asked herself when nobody answered on her third try. But she knocked louder this time.

Finally, she heard the commotion behind the door. Then, someone opened the door. But to her surprise, she looked nothing like Adam.

She believed she saw an angel as light glowed around her. But she guessed that was just her imagination as she saw the famous actress before her.

"Hi!" She managed to greet her, knowing who she was.

Fortunately, she still uttered a word as she felt her throat constricted. What was Serena, the famous actress, doing here?

More like, what was she doing there? Oh my! She should not be there as the other woman stared at her, who appeared in shock, just like her.

"Hi! Are you looking for someone?" Serena was the first to recover from their few seconds of silence.

The actress quickly smiled and appeared friendly. Suddenly, she wondered if the young actress already heard something.

How else could she explain what she saw earlier on her face? Although she appeared like nothing happened now, she still saw the recognition in her eyes.

"I am sorry. I know it is a bit late, but is Adam around?" She said, finally finding the right words to say.

She still believed Serena might be suspecting something. Nonetheless, she was not letting it show in her face. Like a great performer, she had a lot of practice in acting the part of being clueless.

"But I can come back another time." Suddenly, she felt she had come at a terrible time.

She was ready to leave, intending to come back another time, or she could file that her card had been missing and get a new one.

She felt like she was intruding on a private affair. And the most important thing at this moment was to get out of there.

"No, let me get Adam. I am sure he would love to see you." Serena opened the door wider, allowing her entry inside the room.

She was about to decline, feeling like it was a trap. Alarm bells rang in her head, telling her to get away before it was too late.

"I am sure I can come back..." But she did not finish as she felt a hand on her arm, pulling her inside the room.

That was when she saw Adam rushing to get to their side. She guessed it was too late. He already saw her. And damn, she was with her.

"No. I am dying to meet Adam\'s friends." Serena said as she closed the door behind her in time for Adam to reach them. "Adam, look at who I found by the door."

She could tell that despite her relaxed and friendly demeanor, she saw some underlying emotion in the actress\'s voice. And Adam did not miss it, as he looked guilty as hell.

"Roseann, what are you doing here?" He finally asked as he tried to control his voice and the situation.

She loved to say that she had accidentally found herself in the neighborhood and knocked on his door. But she doubted they would buy her explanation.

However, she could not come up with a lie. But telling the truth did not seem acceptable under the present circumstance.

Why did she put herself in the middle of this situation? It seemed that she could not make anything right.

"I am sure a friend could visit a friend without the need for a reason." Serena saved her, answering his question for her. "Why don\'t we go inside and sit?"

Serena looked at Adam before returning her eyes to her. She could feel her stare drilling into her heart. Maybe it was the fact that she was remorseful.

"That is not necessary. I only drop by to say hi, but I can\'t stay." She finally said, hoping that Serena would buy it and not insist.

She doubted she could spend more time with Adam and Serena without breaking down. She was not an evil person, definitely not a homewrecker.

"I am glad the two of you finally met, but I am sure Roseann could come back another time." Adam seemed to understand her situation as he backed her up.

However, Serena would not have it. "Nonsense. I think a few minutes of getting to know each other would not hurt."

Serena guided her toward the couch, which made her feel more uncomfortable. She could still imagine her lying on that soft cushion with him on top of her.

She suddenly wished she was the drunk one, so she could pretend to be unaware of all her actions. But sadly, she could only regret it.

"I never met Adam\'s friends before. I guess, except for my brother and their group of friends." Serena explained as she sat right next to her.

Serena talked about David and Adam as if they had been friends for a long time. But that was news to her, only knowing David and Adam\'s relationship recently.

Of course, she barely knew anything about David\'s past. Her sister might, but she had lost her memory at the moment.

"Why don\'t you get her a drink?" Serena told Adam, who had been silent, probably thinking of how to fix this situation.

Serena looked at Adam as if waiting for him to get that drink or say something. "What do you prefer?" She turned to her as if trying to get her opinion.

She thought telling a family that her patient was about to die was hard. But it was nothing compared to her current situation.

"I think water is fine." Roseann did not think putting alcohol in the mix would help her condition. "Besides, I can\'t stay long."

Suddenly, she regretted not turning around and running as fast as she could when she still had a chance. Now, she had no other option but to face this head-on.

"Oh, that is unfortunate." Serena sounded a bit different this time as her voice changed. "I was hoping you would stay longer to accompany Adam."

Suddenly, Serena stood from the chair and grabbed her handbag nearby. Then, she turned to face Adam with pain in her eyes.

"It is not what you think, Serena. Please, listen. I want to explain." Adam stood up and stopped Serena before she could walk further across the room.

"I am sure you have a good explanation for all of this," Serena said. "But I don\'t think I am ready to listen to you right now."

Roseann could understand Serena\'s sentiment. She watched Adam and Serena talk while awkwardly staying in the background.

She could barely hear the rest of their conversation. But she could guess what it was. Should she say something?

No, she had no right to meddle in a private affair.

She should not even be listening to them. However, she still ended up in the middle of everything, making her feel like a fly on the wall.