Chapter 71 - Surprise Visitor

No sooner than Dane had left her, did the chaos arrived. It happened the morning after. A visitor came barging in in the early hours of the morning when it hadn't yet turned to dawn. The morning which Prisana eagerly awoke to practice her tie skills.

She faced the long brown coat hanger with utmost flare.

Yesterday, no matter how many times she tried to perfect making a tie, all her hard work would turn into a knotted mess. If she were to first make a tie on Dane without any practice, then she was sure she'd choke him on the spot.

Nearly a few hours ago, she finally managed to make it look presentable and therefore fell into deep slumber from some satisfaction of creating something decent.

Now, Prisana stared at the coat hanger as if it were Dane himself. Of course, Dane were much larger and full of vibrant life. She draped the tie around 'his' neck, imagining him being surprised as she would lightly tug him forward like so.

"Dearest," she said out loud to no one but her imaginary coat rack of a husband. "Allow me."

Prisana comically answered for her husband in that deep husky voice she so loved, "Lynx, what do you think you're doing?"

"Why beast, I've been tasked with an important job by Cleo himself. I'm going to make the most stylish tie you've ever had the pleasure of receiving."

"Try me," she answered again in what she perceived as his chuckled reply.

Then at last, Dane would simply stand there patiently and watch her make a tie to her so called stylish standards. And so, she carefully began to mimic Cleo's instructions from the day before. It took her some time to recall his instructions, her fingers pausing every now and then to make the correct judgements.

'Drape one end over the other.'

'Loop it around in a circle.'

'Bring the end up into the circle at the neck and into the knot.'

'Lastly, secure the tie into a knot as you pull along the other end. And...There you have it. Simple, isn't it?'

Making a tie was far from simple. Even though Prisana had gotten the hang of it, making a tie look flawless like Cleo's was nearly impossible. Cleo's ties made hers look like child's play. She frowned as she made the tie and found it to be entirely crooked.

At most, the tie was presentable.

Surely, her dearest beast would still commend her for her troubles but even so, Prisana couldn't help but want to perfect the tie making. She frustratedly undid the tie all over again until she grew right back where she was in the beginning.

"...I know that cruel man must be here. At least let me confirm this for myself!"

"Wait! Don't go...in there."

The door to Dane's bedroom swung open without warning. Both Cleo and a familiar face caught Prisana holding the coat rack lovingly. There was a long and awful silence as she looked to Cleo and the familiar woman, then to the coat rack. Explanation to this strange scene would probably be of no use.

She had to step away and clear her throat before finally taking in the situation before her.

The familiar woman in question, as she noticed, was the elderly woman she met three months ago. She recognized that grayish dark hair and eyes that quite possibly, discerned the whole world.

Dane's...grandmother!

What was she doing here, of all places?

His grandmother seized her with the same eyes she had—full of questions.

Dane's grandmother spoke first and all Prisana could do was to blink away what was no doubt reality, "Y-You're that girl."

"And you're..." she looked to Cleo and coughed. "Elias's grandmother."

"...Yes, I am. I didn't mean to intrude on you but..." she began to look around the room. "Where's that cruel man? He should say hello to his own grandmother."

"You mean Elias? He went away on a business trip. I'm afraid he won't be returning until next week. Perhaps you can come...Wah!"

Dane's grandmother's eyes bulged out in surprise as she laid eyes on Prisana's ring finger. Namely, at the diamond heart shaped ring on her ring finger. She inspected the ring at Prisana's finger and then her gaze flew to Prisana herself in utter astonishment.

"Dear, why do you have on my daughter's ring?"

Her daughter.

That meant, this ring belonged to Dane's mother.

Prisana pulled away and shook her head in mutual surprise, "...I didn't know it was his mother's ring."

Cleo cleared his throat, stepping in between the two of them.

"Now that things have come to this, we might as well tell you the full truth. Bailey. Elias got married."

Bailey made no move to speak. It was only when Cleo tapped her shoulder, did she regain her strength to speak. She threw her hands into the air to rub along her temples as if to crease the wrinkles that kept forming along each truth shed.

"...To who, might I ask from you instead of my own bloody grandson?" she incredulously asked in fits of annoyance and surprise.

Prisana almost felt bad as the surprises just kept streaming along without pause.

She then meekly raised her hand and smiled while being slightly afraid of becoming lectured, "I'm that wife he married to."

"Dear, you said something similar last time. I won't be fooled again."

"It's all so sudden to accept but we're unthinkably...and truly, in love. Elias was the one that gave me this ring, you can take a look to confirm that it's indeed your daughter's."

When Bailey was done inspecting the ring, she slowly nodded.

"I'm getting too old for surprises. One day I tell you, I might just drop dead! Won't you youngin's warn me before you go off and do something like marriage? Hah forgive this old woman, I guess I'm a little hurt even my own grandson refuses to tell me these things."

Her eyes then sparkled, "Oh never mind that...You said you were in love with him?"

Prisana shyly nodded.

She completely took in Prisana's appearance and for a moment, she wondered if this was the part where his grandmother was going to disprove of their marriage and offer her a huge sum of money. Of course she was prepared because she's seen it in the movies all the time.

But instead, Bailey gifted her with a strange yet wonderful surprise.

To her complete surprise among all the surprises today, Bailey pulled her in for a hug.

It felt a little strange that some woman she barely knew had her arms wrapped around her but there was something endearing about the way that Bailey came off as. Sort of like a nice and warm motherly figure that embraced anyone and everyone in her way.

"...Oh!" she was unsure of how to respond.

"Call me Nana. I'm your grandmother now...Goodness! You don't know how joyous I am to know there's an unfortunate soul out there that loves this dark and brooding grandson of mine."

She pulled back to search Prisana's eyes, "I know you're confused that some old woman is just squeezing you out of your right mind but that's just how I am. Hah. Thank you my dear, for loving him. It's what he needs the most."

Prisana could only stiffly return the hugging gesture because no one other than Dane really showed her this kind of gesture. Not even her own father. They pulled away from one another as she shook her head to deny the thanks.

"I didn't really do anything that deserved to be thanked for."

"Don't shrug away my thanks," she sternly chided, then smiled. "Accept my thanks because this man you love is a difficult one. He will test you to your limits and render you so far away all because he is afraid of opening his heart where scars never healed."

That sounded exactly like the Dane that Prisana knew.

"Hell, he tries to push me, his own grandmother away! Yet I know he has secretly funded the Iron Horse to it's fame and popularity as it stands today. It's a lot to ask of but please don't give up on him. He needs time and patience and with you by his side, all will surely come to place. Every suffering you go through to love this man will be worth it. "

"Know this my dear. When...Elias loves, he loves hard with all of his heart."