The Royal Contract

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.

"Well, I let you have some if you need it." She jokingly told her assistant.

The last thing she wanted was an unwanted pregnancy because she did not protect herself. Although she dreamt more than anything to have a child, she still wanted to be sure that she and Adam were on the same page.

She wanted marriage. She wanted a happy home where their child would grow up in a loving family. She wanted the white picket fence but not the fairy tale.

But then she stopped daydreaming after seeing her assistant, whose face turned into a ripe tomato. Her nose and cheeks were burning. She believed she could egg on them.

"Don't tell me you are still a virgin?" She asked her, finding her reaction unusual for someone about her age.

"Damn!" She cursed herself, realizing her beautiful assistant had never been in a relationship or at least never reached that point in a relationship.

"It is not like I am as beautiful as you. And the boys would be lining up to have me." Her assistant answered, clearly looking mortified as she turned away from her.

"The only boys interested in speaking to me are those who wish to ask about you," Claire confessed, telling her she never had a boy interested in a nerd like her.

She never actually thought that Claire had an issue with her looks. She always believed that her assistant could handle herself well and that she was comfortable with her appearance.

She never once thought she was insecure, although she was slightly shy. So, she never mentioned anything to her, not wanting to offend her by saying anything about her style.

"But you are beautiful, Claire. If only the boys would see that." But Serena could only sadly admit that most boys look at physical appearance first before getting to know a girl.

Boys tended to think with their testosterone first before their brains. So, sometimes, they miss the chance to meet an incredible woman by wrongly judging them by their looks.

Nevertheless, she only saw a slight problem in their situation. And she knew exactly how to remedy it. But, of course, it would be up to Claire if she was willing to accept her solution.

"That is ok. I know someday I will find my prince charming when I least expected it. And he will like me for me." Claire declared, but still Serena heard the despair in her tone. There was sadness in them that she could not ignore.

"I do not doubt that." She also agreed, nodding as she stared into her assistant's face. "I believe we have someone that is right for us."

Her mind suddenly conjured up Adam's face. She could not help but cite herself as an example. After having tragic relationships, she thought she was ready to give up on love.

However, fate had something else planned for her. Now, she was deliriously in love with this man, who she believed also felt the same way.

"I am happy that you finally found him, Ms. Serena. You deserve to be happy." Claire said, genuinely smiling as she glanced her way.

She was ecstatic about that, too. However, would it be better if Claire could find the man for her, as an idea crossed her mind?

And why should she wait for him when she could increase the chance of finding the man for her much earlier, she thought.

"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.