The Royal Contract

Chapter 1318: Witness protection

"So, how is your pregnancy?" Haley placed her hand on the belly of her sister-in-law, happy that they would finally have a child.

She witnessed the tragedy that had befallen them when they lost their first child. She saw the devastation of the accident that almost caused their marriage.

Therefore, she could only be thankful they were happy together, building the family they always wanted and deserved.

"I can't complain." Jacky looked down at her swollen abdomen, which appeared like she had swallowed a melon. "But I had some good days and some bad." She confessed.

"Thankfully, the bad ones are lessening," Marcus interjected, sounding relieved.

She could only imagine what Jacky had asked his brother to do during her first trimester. And she knew Jacky had her temperamental moods.

"I was not that bad." Jacky protested, slightly slapping her husband on the arms.

Haley could only laugh at their interactions, but at the same time, she could not help but feel envious. She guessed she also wanted what they had. Unfortunately, she lost that chance.

"No, you were not." Marcus conceded, probably not wanting to upset his wife as he lavished her with love and affection.

She could not remember an instant when they were growing up when her brother showed care, tenderness, and adoration to another woman except for her.

He only dated countless women to sleep with them, but never to have a committed relationship. But she understood his reasons.

His brother did not have parents to show him what love was. Their same father, Alfred, and his mother were not what she would call exemplary parents that made a role model to a young child.

Unlike her childhood, Alfred and her mother had showered her with love. She lived in a home where everything seemed perfect.

"Hey, we still do not have dessert, and you are already giving me a toothache with your sweetness." She jokingly expressed with a forced laugh.

She was genuinely delighted for them, but deep inside, she still felt like her perfect life just turned upside down.

Since her mother died, she noticed the changes in her father. But she ignored it, thinking it was the grief of losing his wife.

But she never expected, even in his wildest dream, that his father could be this evil. Suddenly, she wondered if he had only transformed into this new man after he lost his great love.

Or was he already a criminal even before then? Perhaps, he was good at hiding who he was, fooling her and her mother about his true character.

"Your brother could sometimes be overbearing," Jacky complained, but with a beaming smile as her hands gently tapped her husband on his jaw while looking at him lovingly.

She agreed, remembering how her brother would sometimes be overprotective of her. He would even go to great lengths to investigate the background of the boys who dared to court her.

"I know the feeling." She laughed with her friend, exchanging more stories they could share about her brother. "I think he is just afraid of karma." Making her and Jacky laugh hysterically.

But was he the same man now? That was her moral dilemma. The man that raised her was loving and law-abiding. But this man, pretending to be her father, was the complete opposite.

He might not pull the trigger that killed Gerald, but he ordered it. He killed him. He was still responsible for the death of the man she loved.

So, how could she forget that? How could she forgive him? The man that killed the father of her child deserved to rot behind bars.

"I don't want you to get involved in this." She stated, afraid that harm would come to her brother and his family.

It was enough that she was already suffering. She could not let the same fate happen to them. Not to her brother or friends.

"But we want to." Jacky insisted. "We are family. We can't leave you to handle this by yourself." She looked at her, pleading with her eyes to listen to reason.

"Alex, Mike, and I have a plan. And we need you to get on board with this." Her brother tightened his grip on her hand as if urging her to listen.

"This is not just for you. Do this for your baby too." Marcus implored her to agree to whatever they had decided for her.

She had never felt so helpless in her life, more than she felt at that moment. She had valued her independence, but now, it all slipped away.

Now, all she had been doing was asking for favors and allowing others to dictate what she should do. But, of course, she understood her situation. Under her present circumstances, she did not have a choice.

"Ok. I will listen." She conceded, letting her brother explain what they had come up with.

But, truthfully, she wondered what she would do when she finally finished her job on this little island. What was next for her?

She could not expect that she would live here forever. But where would she go where her father would not find her?

"That is all I ask." Marcus sounded satisfied that he had his way. But his brother always knew how to handle her and her stubborn ways.

She could never really be mad at him for showing how much he loved her in his unconventional ways. Still, she appreciated him for always sticking at her side, despite being only half-related.

Somehow, she also knew he was trying to make up for those times he tried to stay away from her because of their father. But now, she promised nothing would separate them again, at least in her heart.

"Let me do this for you. Let me protect you and the child you are carrying." He offered after informing her of their plan.

Her heart almost burst from the overwhelming love and support she felt from her brother and her friends. She did not realize they would go to all these lengths to help her.

"So Alex had bought this entire place just to protect me." She said, astounded by the news.

"Yes, we want to control this place so you will have protection." Marcus suddenly pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

She took it when her brother handed it to her, unfolding it so she could read the content. It took her a minute to understand what it meant.

"Witness protection?