The Royal Contract

Chapter 1356: A beautiful butterfly

She could not be happier as she danced and sang on her way to the small living room of her penthouse suite.

She felt like her feet floated in the air, barely touching the ground. And it sounded like she heard the angels playing their harps and flutes as music resounded around her.

She was on cloud nine as her eyes stared at the glittering rock on her finger. Truthfully, it might not be the most expensive diamond she had worn before. But for her, it was the most valuable.

It might not have cost as much as her previous engagement ring, but for her, it was priceless because the person who gave it to her was one in a million.

"Something is different about you..." Claire declared as she walked into the room, carrying two large paper bags loaded with groceries.

One thing Nora had made sure of since she had managed her career. She had plenty of healthy food and no junk foods she loved so much. Her manager did not want her to eat anything that could make her sick or ruin her figure.

"Do I?" Serena asked her assistant, still sporting a beaming smile on her red lips. "I have not noticed anything different about me." She stated.

She went straight to the couch and grabbed one of the scripts on the table. Then, she started reading them, memorizing some of the lines.

"No, don't take my baby." She spoke and acted in the first line. "I don't know how I will survive without my baby." She continued.

However, there was something wrong with how she delivered the lines. She was smiling when she should be grieving.

"Well, you are certainly extra chirpy today," Claire commented as she pulled out the contents, emptying the bags and lining the items up on the counter. "And I think I know why."

She was indeed ecstatic. It was like nothing could weigh her down. For the first, she felt like everything was falling into place.

"I am not paying to speculate about my life." She dropped the script back on the table, believing she could not concentrate on them.

She guessed she was not doing the story any justice by reviewing them while she was in this mood. Then, she walked over to her assistant side and checked if she had bought all the items on her list.

"I hope you have not forgotten the gummy bears." She remembered Ken also loved eating them.

They were some of her favorites, especially when she was nervous. She liked chewing on those sugary, gummy treats. And she discovered that Ken also shared the same sweet tooth.

"Here." Claire pulled out a pack of the delicious candy. Then, she took out the last piece in the bag. "Don't you know how embarrassing it is for a single girl like me to buy such things?"

Serena liked that Claire had started to warm up to her. She was not the silent, shy girl when she began working for her anymore.

Now, she could freely speak her mind, like they were friends and not just an employee. And she liked that. She was glad to have friends she could talk to without fear of judgment.

However, returning to the item in the spotlight, her assistant pushed the box toward her. Now that she was in a relationship again, she did not want to get caught unprepared for any eventuality.

"And you also deserved to find the love of your life." She told her as she moved closer to her, standing before her. "Do you mind?" She pointed at her glasses.

When she gave her approval, she took it off. "You see..." She stared into her beautiful eyes. "You are a stunning woman, but sometimes men can't see it because you hide your beautiful features with your cloak of insecurities."

"You use these glasses to protect yourself from people's expectations. You cover your body with these oversized clothes to safeguard yourself from their judgments." She told her.

But truthfully, that was how she saw herself before she met the man who saved her from herself. She had been living behind her insecurities, protecting herself from rejection.

"Honestly, we are no different. I was you before I realized I could be someone else. Someone better." She admitted to her, telling her that she was no better.

Not until.

She finally realized all she had been doing was hurting herself. She was her first critic and the first person who judged her as weak and useless.

And she ultimately discovered no one could hurt but herself.

"But I can never be like you," Claire said. "You are Serena, a famous star. I am just a nerd."

She could see the defeated look on her face. The one she saw in the mirror every day before she realized she was more than that.

"But you can." She tried to convince her assistant that it was not about the looks alone that was important. It was how one saw herself.

"Frankly, one thing I realized when I met Adam. I have to love myself before I can let him love me." She did not know if that made any sense. But to her, that was the only way.

"I have to believe that I deserve to love myself before I can accept that other people can love me too." She explained further, hoping that would get through to her.

In her other relationships, she always felt that she had to

be someone else for the men in her life to love her. She lost who she was, leaving her with no identity and self-respect.

"But..." Claire was about to argue with her, but she stopped her, knowing already what she would say.

"I agree. Looks sometimes do matter. But only to show who you are." She interrupted her.

"You can continue wearing those nerdy clothes if that is how you want the world to see you. But if you only hid behind them because you are afraid to show them who you are. Then, that is the problem."

And Serena believed she hit a bullseye. Claire was no different from her. And she wished to help her.

She believed Claire was a beautiful butterfly, afraid to break out of her cocoon. But if she would just spread her wings, she would see the colors that hid behind her wings.