Page 26 of The Royal Contract

“What?” her sister barked. “Hisapartment? Really, not yours? Anyway, you are in my city and didn’t call?”

Sanjana could only roll her eyes. If only her sister knew about the contract. Nothing was hers, not even the husband. “I had no idea what the plan was, and I was told we might stay back in the city if we get delayed.”

“We should catch up before you head back.” Her sister was insistent, and she wanted to meet her sister too, but she wasn’t sure how it would fare with the man she was married to.

What did the contract say about impromptu plans to meet her family?

“Yes, we should…” she said and added, “… how about I call you back and confirm?”

“Okay, call me back fast. We have so much to talk about, but it has to be in person.” Her sister’s excitement was amplified.

“Yes, yes,” Sanjana said with a smile forming on her face at the idea of seeing her. She ended the call and pulled on a robe over the sleep shirt she had on.

It was pretty late by the time they ended up at his multi-level penthouse after the long night at his friend’s new restaurant. After the initial daze of seeing all the celebrities, she only realized the man in tow was a celebrity for those prominent folks.

As he had stated, the massive apartment had everything she needed in the closet, including the specific hair ties that she used to keep her thick locks under control at night. She made a quick run to the bathroom to brush and fix her hair before stepping out into the bright loft area at the top level of the penthouse.

She paused outside the room to get a feel for her surroundings before heading down the spiral stairs. There were hushed voices on the lower level, but her husband was nowhere in sight.

She walked through the empty house, admiring the simplicity of the style in the entire space. It had some unique pieces that tied the space back to the palace, but there was a warm yet eclectic style to the décor.

A few minutes into her exploration, she still did not come across anyone. She looked at her phone, wondering if the best way to reach him was to call him. Just as she was about to type a message, she heard the low rumble from his deep voice. She looked in the direction and found him talking on the phone on the patio, a grim expression on his face.

What was bothering him?

She turned away not to disturb him and saw her sister was calling again. She let out a sigh and told herself she had to ask him if she could meet her sister. Ask or tell him?

Pushing her thoughts aside, she walked to the closed sliding doors and slowly inched it open.

“Sid, why are you so worked up about this? Focus on the match for today.” She heard his calm voice as he spoke on the phone, his back to her. As if he sensed her presence, he turned, and a smile flashed in his eyes when they met hers. “Dude, I got to go. Have fun at the game today.”

She stepped into the warm outdoor air and smiled sheepishly as he ended the call. “Sorry to interrupt your call.”

“That’s okay.” He nodded. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I slept for too long.” She had no idea why she was so nervous around him.

“It’s all good. We have no plans for today. We can head back home whenever you are ready.” He gestured for her to take one of the sofas set up for outdoor seating.

No Plans. Good, maybe she can sneak away and meet her sister.

“I… I’m hoping to meet my sister before we go back.” Why she felt so unsure of herself when she was around him, she was yet to figure out.

“Sure. We should invite them over to spend some time with us before we go. Let me call her husband and invite them for a meal.” He was already scrolling through his phone while Sanjana sat shell-shocked.

One, she didn’t even think of inviting her sister over, and second, she didn’t expect her contract husband to want to spend time with her sisterandher husband. “Okay.”

“Hey, Surya, how are you?” There was a pause before he spoke. “Did I catch you at a bad time?” Even as Jai spoke calmly, she could hear the squeals from her sister in the background. “Good. Sanjana and I had an unplanned stay in the city, and we are hoping to meet you for a meal before we head back. Hope you have some time for us today?”

She almost chuckled, imagining her sister’s expression hearing the grand invite from her new brother-in-law.

“That sounds good. I’ll have a car pick you guys up in an hour. See you soon.” Jai ended the call and looked at her. “It’s nice of them to be flexible to come meet us. They should be here in the next hour and a half,” he said as he typed a message on his phone, and she wondered if he was making meal arrangements.

Like he read her mind, he looked up at her and said, “I’ve asked the staff to have lunch ready for us, and they want to know if you’d like your breakfast and coffee to be sent here along with mine?”

Taken aback by how quickly things fell into place, she nodded. “Yes, here is good.” She didn’t realize how hungry she was until the mention of food.

“Cool.” With that, a silence fell between them, and she was torn between breaking it or letting it be as he seemed to be enjoying the weather while browsing through the numerous newspapers spread in front of him.

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