The Royal Contract

1140 One dinner, not a date

She stared at the man that sat on her couch like he owned the place. Technically, she used his money to buy this apartment, but it still did not give him the right to come and invade her home.

She had kept her part of the bargain and stayed out of his life. She believed he should do the same. So, he had no legal claim to be the father of her child.

“What are you doing here, Ryan?” Ria finally asked when the kids were safely out of the room and out of earshot. “I already told you I never want to see your face again.”

She made sure to lower her voice, not wanting the kids to hear their conversation and alarm them. The last thing she wanted was for Edison to hear that this man was his father because he was just the sperm donor.

“Visiting my son,” Ryan proudly said, as if he did not care if the children in the other room heard them. “And that is not how you should welcome your future husband.”

“But don’t worry. I did not tell my son that I am his father.” Ryan appeared proud of himself. “Not yet. I want you to introduce me to him.” He suggested.

Suddenly, she regretted letting the kids stay. She should have asked Sasha to take Edison to their apartment. At least they would be far from the toxicity of this man.

She hoped she could speak with Ryan civilly, but she should have known better. There was no sense in talking to him, believing he was delusional. He had not changed. He was still the immature man that left her when she was pregnant with his son.

“I have no intention of introducing you to my son.” She quickly reacted to his statement. “I think you should leave before I call the cops.” She resorted to threatening him, knowing that politely asking would never work.

.....

However, he only made himself more comfortable in his seat, putting on that charming smile that had made her fall for him before, but fortunately, she had learned her lesson not to commit the same mistake again.

“Go on. Let us involve the cops in this.” He took out his phone. “Maybe we should also call the press. I bet the media would have a field day when they learned that I have a son.”

She had no idea if he was bluffing. But the last thing she wanted for his son was the attention of the press. She did not wish their peaceful existence bombarded by the nosy people who thought they had the right to another person’s privacy.

“Should I call them now?” Ryan started dialing on his phone, but when she did not respond. “I thought so.” He added, putting his phone back in his pocket. Then, he stood up and strode toward her.

She knew she should walk away, but she was also afraid of the consequence of what he was capable of doing. She knew he could, without a doubt, destroy her life and her son.

“I don’t want any trouble. My son and I are already doing well without you. We don’t need you anymore in our lives.” She begged him, hoping he would stop this foolishness of wanting to marry and build a family with her.

She believed he was the last thing her son needed, a father that was not good enough. Besides, she also did not want him anymore. She was naive, foolish, and young when she thought she loved him.

But most recently, she learned the true meaning of love. Yes, she failed to say it to Zach last night, but she felt it in every fiber of her being. She loved Zach, and Ryan’s presence now only confirmed it.

“But I need you. I need my son.” He said as his fingers caressed her cheeks.

But she had to look away, flinching against his touch, knowing that he disgusted her. But she kept her position, not wanting to let him see how his presence brought fear into her heart.

“No, that is not true. You only think that now, but eventually, you will remember that Edison and I were the mistake you made in the past. That you are better off without us.” Ria tried to convince him, using all her efforts to talk some sense to him.

“That is not true.” He countered as he forced her face to look at him. “My mistake was listening to my father.” He added as he stared into her eyes. “For letting him dictate my life and signing those damn papers.”

She was not expecting to hear that from him. She always thought he alone had decided to leave her and their child. Nevertheless, she could do nothing about it anymore. It was already too late for them, anyway.

In her opinion, he could only blame himself for his decisions. He should have fought for her and her son back then. But now, he lost them because of his cowardness.

“I have regretted losing you, blaming myself for my stupidity.” He continued. “Please, find it in your heart to forgive me. I still want to be part of your life and our son.”

She wished it was that simple to forgive and forget what he did, but it was not. Maybe, leaving her was forgivable. But for him to turn his back on their child, who was fighting for his life. That was a different story. In her book, that was inexcusable.

And she would never forget that she almost lost Edison because of him. Fortunately, people like Miss Dani and Sir Alex helped desperate people like her. They provided the assistance she needed to save her son and turn her life around.

“I am sorry.” She responded. “But it will take more than a lifetime for me to accept your apology.” She finally pulled away from his touch, putting a distance between them.

Still, she feared she might anger him again, just like the last time she had turned him down. She prepared herself for his possible outburst, knowing he had a short temper.

But surprisingly, he stepped back. “I understand.” He seemed to accept her decision with grace, which was odd. “But I am not giving up. If you need time, I will give it to you. I will beg for your forgiveness, even if it takes me a lifetime.”

Still, she could not help but be skeptical as she looked into his eyes. It was not easy to believe that a man like him could change. But was it impossible?

“You don’t have to do that. I suggest that you go on with your life. Find another woman to love and build a family with her. I think it will be the best for all of us.” She still insisted, knowing she did not want anything to do with him.

“I can understand why you would feel that way. I only have myself to blame. But if you give me another chance, I will be a better man for you and my son.” Ryan calmly promised, looking genuinely remorseful.

“Ryan, I think you are just wasting your time on me. I am not going to change my mind. Your chance has passed. It is time that we go on our separate ways.” She did not want to give him more reason to continue with his fantasy that they could still become a family.

“No. I will not give up until you give me one more chance.” He demanded this time. “Have dinner with me tonight in a public restaurant. Let me prove to you that I can still be the man of your dreams.”

But she already had the man of her dreams. And they were having dinner tonight. She did not see the point of going out with Ryan because she already knew what she wanted in a man, and that was not him.

She could already discern that Ryan would never measure up to Zach, who was everything she ever wanted in a man. And the fact that she already loved Zach with her whole heart.

“I think it would be a mistake if...” But Ryan cut her off before she could reject his proposal.

“Think about it.” He pulled something from his pocket, a piece of paper. Then, he handed it to her. “As I said, I only ask for one chance. If after tonight, you still feel the same. Then, I will disappear from your lives forever.”

He left the card in her hands as he turned to leave. But when he reached the door, he turned to look at her one last time. “Call me. I will wait for you tonight.” Then, he was out the door.

She did not expect that he would leave without scandalizing the house. But should she believe a word he said? Should she consider going out with him tonight? No. Her mind insisted, warning her that it was a terrible idea.

She decided that was the end of it. She had already answered her question as she walked to the kitchen and joined the two kids, who seemed unfazed by what happened in the other room as they laughed at whatever Sasha was showing Edison on her phone.

“Did you leave something for me?” She asked, remembering that she was unable to finish her cone. It was still a mess that she had to clean later.

“Sorry, Mama,” Edison said as Sasha showed her the empty container.

“That is ok.” She tapped Edison on the shoulder, assuring him that everything was fine.

But was she telling the truth? Did she have the situation under control? Or was she merely buying them time until the next bomb exploded in her face? Or should she finally stop this nonsense by giving in to his proposal?

It was just one dinner, not a date, right? What could be the worse that could happen in a public place? Still, her gut said it was a bad idea, deciding to reject it again.