I’d signed the contract. Now, if only I could find some way to inform Ryan.

“Where the hell could he have gone anyway?” I muttered to myself.

My stomach growled, and I only then realized I hadn't eaten anything yet. I sighed, rubbing my stomach, though it wasn’t exactly something new to me. There’d been plenty of times when I’d skipped breakfast. A short stay at Ryan’s was just changing that, little by little. Not only were the meals here three times a day, but they were also quite lavish and intricate. By dessert, I was full, but ate it anyway.

“Maybe I should go look for the kitchen… he might just be giving me time like the gentleman he is.”

It must have been several hours since I woke up already, and only a little less since he left me alone. It was probably lunchtime for my stomach to be complaining…

“Excuse me, miss?”

I startled at the unexpected voice that I assumed was calling for me. I whirled around in the chair to see a maid standing behind me, one I had not yet seen, with a phone in her hand.

“Yes?” I said, flushing a little when my voice cracked and I cleared my throat. I thought, they won’t talk to me, but they can scare me to death?

“There’s a call for you,” she said, holding out the phone.

I blinked at the device she held out to me. It must have been one of the house phones, though I hadn't seen one yet. Hesitantly, I reached for it. She gave that short nod-bow, then turned to leave. I reached for her; mouth opened to stop her, at least to ask where I could find the kitchen later for a meal. But then she was gone, and I was left alone with the phone.

“Hello?”

I startled again. The voice this time was coming from the small speaker on the phone. I winced because I hadn't realized Ryan was on.

“Hello?” I returned tentatively.

“How have you been?” he asked.

I blinked, surprised at the question. It hadn’t been all that long ago that he’d seen me.

“Um, I’m fine?” I winced as my stomach growling again reminded me that wasn’t exactly true. “I mean, I’m a little hungry, but I’m okay. Did you want to know about the contract…?”

“I saw,” he said calmly.

“Excuse me?” I glanced around, wondering exactly how he’d seen. Until it hit me, that he probably had security cameras all over the house. Of course, there would be one aimed at his desk for when he wasn’t there.

He chuckled. “No need to look, or sound, so alarmed. I didn’t just spend the past few hours watching you walk all around the house. The maids told me.”

I winced, wondering if I should tell him that that didn’t particularly make me feel better. But then, I should probably get used to it, right? It wasn’t being spied on when technically, Ryan was looking out for his house and his family’s interests, after all. I was still the outsider here.

“Should I not have been walking around?” I asked tentatively. “I’m sorry, but I just needed to clear my head and think…”

“And you thought things through,” he finished for me. “And came to the right conclusion for yourself?”

Slowly, I nodded. “Yeah. I figured… I have nothing to lose, and this contract helps the both of us. And maybe Edward, too?” I added boldly, completely confident in my assessment that he wasn’t just doing this for himself.

Ryan sighed. “That is true. I didn’t realize you’d be this perceptive, not that I was trying to keep anything secret… I hope you read the contract thoroughly?”

I nodded, picking up the papers. “Yeah. Every clause. There are a few things I’d like to talk about, but they can wait. I’m fine with how it is.”

He hummed. “That’s good.”

There was a short silence. I broke it after a few seconds.

“What happens now?”

“What?”

“What am I supposed to do now?” I rephrased.

“There are a few things I need you to do,” he said. “First, I’m going to have someone get you something to eat. It’ll be light because I’ll have some other people drive you somewhere.”

I bit down on my lip. “Drive me where exactly?”

“I’ve already told you, there’s no need to be so worried. I just need you to go to a doctor and get yourself checked out. If you get the all clear… we can move on from there.”

I wondered what he meant by ‘all clear,’ and exactly what I was going to have checked out. Suddenly, I felt nervous.

“I have a few private doctors that I trust. You’ll be meeting one of the female doctors if that will help you relax a bit. I’ve known her for years, and I can promise you that she will be discreet. You’re not going to be asked to do anything too difficult.”

I nodded nervously, though I didn’t completely trust his word. When was the last time I even saw a doctor? My family had no insurance, and therefore, no need to be going in for regular checkups. I was rarely sick growing up, except for the occasional cold, and I was a careful child, so I never hurt myself so badly that I needed to see a doctor. The last time… was probably when I was young and going to a dentist for my teeth.

“All right,” I said

“Someone is coming over to you now to take you to eat. I’ll see you later,” he said, then hung up.

“Miss?”

I looked around me and saw another different maid waiting for me. Seriously, how many of them were even in this house!

“I’m guessing you’re here to take me to eat?”

She nodded at me, then reached out a hand. It took me a few seconds to realize she was waiting for me to hand over the phone, so I did. Then she led the way. I expected to be taken to the kitchen, but instead was led to the dining room where I’d eaten with Ryan and Edward before. There was only one spot set, and it felt a little awkward as I settled in at that big table by myself.

But the food in front of me was good, and I was hungry. I dug into the meal.

Half an hour later, I was done. A few maids came in to take the dishes away, and I was a little glad to realize at least a couple of them looked familiar. Another one stood by my side as they left, probably waiting for me to get up. I’d already showered that morning, but I suddenly felt like I needed to have another shower.

I didn’t want to be a bother, though, so I got up and let the maid lead me to the front door where I was handed off to a man and woman in black suits, white shirts, and dark glasses. The standard uniform for bodyguards, maybe?

They led me over to a car waiting in the driveway. One of them opened the back door for me, and I slid inside, feeling a little awkward at how comfortable it was. I’d only ever been in a taxi or squished in one of my friend’s cars. I’d never been inside anything so luxurious.

My life had changed, hadn't it? Just from signing that contract…

The drive to the hospital took at least half an hour. It was enough for the food in my stomach to settle. The female bodyguard led me inside as the other remained with the car, and I was a little thankful for it.

I could feel warmth spread in my chest that Ryan was thinking about my comfort.

We got into an elevator and went up a few floors, then stopped at an office. The bodyguard nodded, waited for a voice to call back, then opened the door, and gestured for me to go inside. I did so, a little reluctantly, taking in a deep breath to calm my nerves.

“Hello there,” a woman called.

She was dressed in a blouse and skirt, with a white lab coat over it and a stethoscope hanging around her neck. She smiled warmly at me as I walked inside, and it put me at ease immediately. She looked like she could be around my mom’s age, but was so much more put together than I’d seen my mom in a long time.

“Hello,” I murmured back.

“Please, sit down,” she said, waving at the chair opposite her desk. She sat down as I did. “Now, I understand you’re here for a full checkup. I promise it’s not going to take too long, and I can send you back home in a couple of hours. I won’t be getting all the results back today, but I can have them sent over, okay?”

I nodded slowly, relaxing further when she smiled again.

I realized, as she carried it out, that there wasn’t much to be afraid of. There were a few moments of embarrassment but they weren’t that bad. I felt a bit squeamish as she took a blood sample, but it was mostly painless. I looked away for a moment, and it was done.

Less than two hours later, I was finished.

“You can let Ryan know I’ll send the results, at the latest, tomorrow,” she said as we shook hands. “But, as far as I’ve seen, you get the all clear.”

“Thank you,” I said. I meant for not making anything awkward for me, though I didn’t elaborate.

She just smiled like she knew what I meant, and I left.

The bodyguard was waiting outside the door, back straight and hands clasped together in front of her, staring straight ahead. She turned to me as I walked out of the office, and I felt awkward again, that she’d had to wait for me, even though she didn’t say anything.

We went back home. When we arrived, I was feeling exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster the whole day had been. More time had passed than I realized, and it was already evening by the time I walked into the house.

Ryan was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if he was waiting for me somewhere or keeping himself busy. Either way, I felt too tired to go off and look for him. I’d eaten once for the day, and I felt like that was more than enough for me.

I went up to my room to sleep, blacking out as soon as my head hit the pillow.