The Royal Contract

She was not in the mood to go to work, but staying home was not an option either. She could not return to sleep after watching her sister and her fiance leave.

Her mind would not stop turning, repeating everything she did. But she was thankful that David did not mention her indiscretion to her sister. Rosella did not need to know how she had fucked up her life.

"Doctor Sheldon." Someone in the lobby greeted her as soon as she entered the double doors by the front of the hospital.

She turned and scanned the room, looking for the source of the voice. Then, she realized it was one of her patients.

"Mr. Dwight." She stopped and waited for the older gentleman to catch up with her. It seemed he was in a hurry to see her.

He was a friend of her father. She had known their family since she could remember. Therefore, he and his family had a special place in her heart.

She was treating his granddaughter, who had just had a successful surgery. She believed she had a high chance of recovery and would be out of the hospital soon.

"I have been waiting to see you." The older man stood before her, slightly looking flushed. He must have been running since he was a bit out of breath.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Quickly, she wondered if there was a reason for concern as she let the man catch his breath. "Is Leslie...?"

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Her mind immediately went to his granddaughter, thinking if something might have happened to her while she was away.

However, she remembered the girl was stable when she left. Nobody had called or notified her if her condition had taken a turn for the worse.

"No." He quickly responded when he looked into her worried face. "No. No. Nothing is wrong." He clarified. "I am sorry. I did not mean to make you worry." He said.

He must have noticed the change in her expression. But in a place like this, expecting the worse was not uncommon.

She had many patients who seemed to be completely healthy. Then they suddenly dropped dead due to unknown complications.

"Oh! That is a relief." Roseann automatically placed her hand on her chest, calming her heart. "I thought something happened to Leslie."

She felt her heart slow down, returning to normal as she stared at the man before her. Still, she was clueless to his reason for seeking her out.

"She is perfect. She is fine." Mr. Dwight declared with a smile. "That is not the reason why I am looking for you."

She saw him look around, stretching his short neck as if trying to find someone from the crowd. She followed his gaze but could not specify what they were searching for.

"So, what is it?" She finally asked as she looked at the clock. She believed someone might need her elsewhere if it was not an emergency.

But instead of answering her, her father's friend looked in the distance, seemingly turning ecstatic. She followed his line of sight, catching a glimpse of a man walking toward them. She eyed him carefully, checking her databank, whether she had seen him before.

But alas, she had no idea who he was. Maybe he was Mr. Dwight's friend or something. But what did he have to do with her?

"There you are." Mr. Dwight greeted the man, still not answering her question. "I thought you would never show up."

The man, who was tall and handsome but slightly skinny, made his apologies, citing the heavy traffic outside.

"I am sorry for keeping you waiting, Dr. Sheldon, but I want you to meet my good friend, Sonny." Mr. Dwight introduced the young man.

"It is nice to meet you, Dr. Sheldon." Sonny extended his hand to her with a wide smile.

Suddenly, she realized what was happening. This sweet gentleman was playing matchmaker. Unfortunately, she was his subject of interest.

Moreover, she might know who was behind this arrangement. Her parents had a growing concern about her single life. They believed that having a husband was the answer.

"I hope you don't mind if I call you Rose," Sonny added, holding her hand longer than she liked.

"It is nice to meet you too, Sonny." Roseann hated to be rude, but it did not mean that she would stay to encourage this foolishness. "But I have to go."

She pretended that another patient was waiting for her, making her excuses. She did not even look back to check if they followed her. She just needed to get away.

The last thing she needed today was to go on a blind date. She already had a terrible week. She was not going to add another headache.

"Hey, what is the rush?" Bernadeth bumped into her when she turned around the corner.

She stopped and inhaled deeply around her, smelling the antiseptic in the air. Then, she turned to face her friend, who had raised her eyebrow at her in question.

"I am trying to get away from another impending disaster." She mumbled, leaning on the white wall while looking up at the bright light on the ceiling.

"What are you talking about?" Her friend appeared confused as she touched her forehead, checking if she was sick, running a fever, and hallucinating.

Of course, she was not, but she wished she was. It would do her good to pretend to be sick. So she did not have to face what she had done. At least, not right away.

She thought it would be like a vacation where she did not have to face her responsibilities. But, of course, that was not that simple. She could not run away from her problems.

"Nothing." She answered, frustrated with her situation.

She stood straight and walked toward the elevator, determined to work herself to death. Hopefully, that would divert her attention from all the things that were happening around her.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Bernadeth asked her again, a bit worried about her.

She doubted her friend could help her with her situation, but she had always been a good listener and a reliable shoulder to cry on.

"Maybe later." Roseann felt she could use a friend at a moment like this.

She walked over to the nurse station, waving goodbye to her friend. She took a few charts with her, ready to deal with her patients rather than her feelings.

She was not a coward. But she knew when to choose her battles. And at that moment, she knew she was not going to win.

"Ok. Back to work." She told herself, psyching herself to focus on her job.

Still, she could not help but feel guilty for causing a rift between David and Adam. She just hoped she could find a way to mend their friendship.

Then, she wondered what David's sister would think about this unfortunate incident. She also hoped she would not be the cause of breaking up Adam and Serena's relationship.

"Isn't she beautiful, Mom? I wish I could meet her in person." Roseann heard her teenage patient squeal in delight as she entered her room.

The young teenager had her phone in her hand as she watched something on the tiny monitor. Then, she looked at her mother before noticing her.

"Who are we talking about?" Roseann asked, walking over to the side of the bed to check her patient's vitals.

She usually interacted with her patients, building a slight bond with them. It was her way to earn their trust. She thought it helped in the healing process if the patient believed they would get better.

With this young girl's case, Roseann was glad another one of her patients was doing well. In a day or two, this girl could finally go home if she continued to improve and did not present any more complications.

"Her one and only hero." The young girl's mother answered her while bustling around her daughter. "She would not stop talking about her since she saw her on the news just a while ago."

She knew the feeling. She was young once, remembering how she idolized a few celebrities during her younger self.

"Come, look." The young girl turned the screen in her direction, showing her the picture of a young, beautiful actress. "Serena Anderson is the most beautiful actress. And the best actress there is."

Of course, she knew her. Maybe not that well, but she heard about her. Unfortunately, more than she would like.

"Have you seen any of her movies?" The girl asked her again when she did not comment on her statement.

Usually, she loved to have a conversation with her patient. But not now, when the topic was the same person she did not wish to discuss.

However, how could she tell that to her patient? She would not want to ruin her blissful day. Her problem was not her problem.

"Some." She would not lie. She believed Serena was a great actress. "You are right. She is one of the best."

She believed that, although she was not a fan. Still, she could not find fault in her acting ability. Besides, she also found her very attractive. Serena had one of the most beautiful faces in showbiz today.

However, she could not say the same about Serena's private life. She only knew her from the things she heard on the news. She did not even know that Serena was David's sister until now.

"I don't see any more problems in your test results." Roseann decided to change the topic, not wanting to discuss Serena anymore. "I think you can finally go home."

She finally excused herself, leaving the room before she heard more stories about the girl she could not measure up.

"What is wrong with me?" She asked herself, locking herself in an empty stockroom.

Why did she always find the perfect man, but sadly, he already belonged to someone else? Was her fate to end up alone? Was she unlucky at love?