The Royal Contract-Chapter 1322: One last time

He had to lie low for a while. Wait and see what could happen in the next few days before he could decide on his course of action.

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He already had a few options. But still, it would all depend on what the authorities intended to do in his case. Until now, he still had to hear from them.

How?

Mike would know how to reach him.

If things went according to his plan, it would just take him a few months. Then, maybe he could finally be with the woman he loved. He might even make it in time for his child's birth.

"I will find my way back. I promise." He sighed as he logged out from his computer after checking on Haley on his app.

He knew he could not relax until he saw that she was safe. But he had to neutralize his enemies first before he could ever return to her.

But for now, he could breathe easily, knowing she was in safe hands. Marcus had agreed to his plans. He knew that Marcus would not let anything harm his sister.

"Hah!" He sighed again after staring at his empty apartment, feeling suffocated. He guessed he needed some fresh air. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Then, he grabbed his keys and other things and exited his temporary hiding place. He walked on the busy street with his head low, a hat, and shades partially covering his face.

He was confident that no one would recognize him in this place, but still, there was nothing wrong with being careful.

"Good morning!" He greeted a few residents in this tiny neighborhood that he passed by, trying to mingle with the crowd. He did not want to appear too conspicuous by being aloof and suspicious.

After a jog around the park, he dropped by the supermarket, deciding to buy necessities and a few supplies. With Mike and Samson gone, he had no one to do these mundane things.

He did not last long, finding the things he required in the house. Besides, he was alone. He did not need much. And he did not intend to stay long.

"Will this be all?" The woman in the cashier booth asked after entering the last item in his basket.

"Yeah!" He smiled at the middle age woman, who kept looking in his direction.

She was probably curious about who he was. Or she remembered him from somewhere. He hoped it was the former.

"You are new here." She finally asked as she accepted his cash payment, attempting to converse with him.

He knew that small towns like this usually knew most of their residents. Therefore, seeing new faces was fascinating to them. But some also tended to be wary of strangers wandering their streets.

"Yeah, I just bought a house a few blocks from here. I think this place is a terrific location to settle down." Honestly, that was his initial thought when he scouted this place. But, of course, settling down was still far from happening.

Nonetheless, he could imagine Haley living on their little white picket fence with his child playing in the backyard.

"Oh! You are right about that. Did you move in with your family?" She asked with a friendly smile, seemingly genuinely interested in his life.

But when she looked at his empty finger, bare of any ring. Her face suddenly changed. Her smile turned to a frown, probably dubious of his story.

"No, she has not said yes, yet. But I want it to be a surprise once I propose." He told her, giving her enough to make her less suspicious of him.

"Oh, that is nice. Well, I hope your girlfriend likes this place." She said as he thanked him and moved along. As he was exiting the building, something caught his eye. Therefore, he walked closer to get a better look. But he was not mistaken. It was his picture in front of the newspaper.

"Damn!" Silently cursing to himself.

Fortunately, it was a younger picture of him. With his beard, mustache, and face covering, many might not recognize him that easily.

Besides, very few people buy newspapers nowadays. However, he should check the internet for more news about him, knowing they could spread all over the web like wildfire in seconds.

He quickly took the fastest route to his place, locking the door behind him. He had to act fast because, sooner or later, someone might recognize who he was, and that would blow his cover.

"What happened?" He asked the person on the other line. He thought he would have enough time to clean this mess up.

"I am sorry, Gerald, but they are pushing to expedite the closing of this case," Mike said, sounding like he was disappointed too with the situation.

He understood his friend's situation. His hands were tied since he also had to protect himself from being implicated in his situation.

And he could not appear like he was lobbying for his innocence. Then, their enemies would know he was a traitor in their organization.

He guessed that politics trumped justice in this scenario. Mike's boss in the District Attorney's Office and whoever was handling this investigation were using him as their scapegoat.

"I believe Dani's uncle, Judge Roberts, persuaded my boss not to divulge that you are still alive... for now." Mike continued, reporting to him the latest situation on the other side.

"But I don't know how long we can keep that a secret before your secret comes out." He quickly added.

He understood his friend's sentiments. He always believed secrets were only good for a time, but at some point, they would eventually come out.

"I know, and I guess my time is running out." He said as he reviewed his plans. But at least his sister came through. He was thankful that she decided to help him despite their deplorable history.

"What are you thinking?" His friend asked concernedly, noting the uneasiness in his voice.

At the moment, he was still weighing his situation and options. Now that the authorities had named him the mastermind in the public eyes, his innocence would be harder to prove, not that he was truly innocent.

But they would pin all those crimes on him, giving his enemies their get-out-of-jail-free card. But, of course, he would not let them win, not while he was still alive.

"Nothing yet." He said, but he already had an idea. "Just keep me posted if you hear anything else." He told his friend before abruptly ending the call.

He paced around his living room, trying to revise his strategy. He could not sit idly by while his situation worsened. If he had to act now, he had to do it as soon as possible.

Then, something else suddenly bothered him as he entered his bedroom. "Haley!" He uttered her name upon seeing his picture on his nightstand.

"Oh, crap!" He knew she would see the report on the internet. Then, what would be her reaction? How would she take the news?

Damn!

That was something he never anticipated. He guessed that was one of his biggest regrets, not telling the most important person to him about his real identity.

A part of him wanted to fly to her, to reassure her that he was still the same man she loved despite what he had done in his past. But that would only put her life in jeopardy.

"I guess I have no more choice." He thought as he walked to his table and pulled out some papers.

He had to act quickly. There was no other choice. He checked his files, working on his next move. But this time, he was doing it alone.

He could not ask anyone else to sacrifice their lives for him. If he wanted this done right, he had to do it himself.

He spread the floor plans on the table and started plotting some lines, jotting some notes, and devising a way to execute his plans.

"Hi, Dani." He called his sister, wanting to thank her for her effort. It must not have been easy to convince Judge Roberts to help him, but she still did it.

"Gerald. I am glad that you called. How are you?" He could hear the concern in her voice, which was slightly disconcerting. He guessed he was not expecting it coming from her.

"I am ok." He assured her. "Thank you." He quickly added, feeling she deserved to hear it from him. "I appreciate what you have done for me."

He still could not believe he was talking to her like they used to when they were still working together. He remembered that somehow they became close during that time.

But he had burned the bridge that connected them when he helped Nick in his plans. Nothing could excuse his action. Therefore, he could not blame her if she hated him.

"I am sorry, we can't stop them from releasing your name in the press and condemning you as the main leader of the syndicate." Dani sounded like she was genuinely remorseful.

"But I hope we bought you some time." She added.

Still, he was glad that she was giving him a second chance. Maybe she was only doing this because they shared the same blood. Or it could be because of Haley, but whatever it was, he had no intention of disappointing her again.

He would regain his sister's trust and earn her love as his family. He would do anything to clean up his act and take out the target in his back.

"It has." He assured her. "But can I ask another favor?" He knew he had no right. But he was running out of options. He needed help.

"Sure, tell me." Dani sounded as if she was ready to do anything for him, which was more than he deserved. But he would have to make it up to her at another time. For now, he needed her help.

One last time.