Chapter 101 - Waiting For You

Sweet romance stalled, though never faded away.

While Prisana busied herself with her new friends and the upcoming semester, Dane focused on improving his image. Their relationship was beginning to resemble the sad adult life where they mainly saw each other during hours of the night or none at all.

Dane was scarcely home most nights, on to matters involving work and the upcoming elections that would either make or break him for the council. Whenever she asked him about the matter, he'd either fall asleep or seduce her into forgetting. The latter part was due to them rarely ever seeing one another as of late.

She didn't like that he was still evading her but kept reminding herself that a beast was still a beast. In due time, a wife's patience would take heed to good things that would surely come.

His sleeping schedule was that of a night owl too! Prisana never knew her husband was such a workaholic. Sometimes, she forgot that he was the CEO of silver linings. Before, he was being monopolized by Prisana so it made sense that work had piled up beyond his wildest imaginations.

Her workaholic husband would often come home from work and spend some idle time with her and then, work again late into the night.

In the monrings, she could never rouse the beast awake. Even when she did, he only attacked her so she made sure to leave him to his slumber or have Cleo deal with the insatiable beast.

The main thing that she didn't like however, was the devil Leonardo Duval himself. A man who the universe had tossed and created into one dangerous being, had been monopolizing all of her husband's time. By all of it, she meant from morning until night. Some nights he never made it home because he was having meetings at Iron Horse.

With Leo.

Bailey would tell her stories about how Dane and Leo were in each other's company every single night at Iron Horse, for hours on end and sometimes in one of the back private rooms.

Tonight was supposed to be full of sweet romance. Her beastly husband had called,

'Love, I'll be coming home early today.'

'Really? That's great! Hmm...Hehe! Your dearest wife shall make something nice for dinner then.'

'...Are you sure? You don't have to force yourself. And besides, I'm worried you might hurt yourself.'

'You worry about every little thing. Trust me beast.'

'Alright lynx, I can't wait then. Hah...I wish tonight could come sooner.'

'You're doing great dearest. Tonight will be here before the both of us will know it.'

After that call, she took the task seriously as if it was the greatest duty a wife could ever be tasked with. Prisana risked her life to cook and spent a good hour or so making a simple asian stir fry recipe she followed online. Thanks to the mighty cooking skills of Cleo, the house had not dissolved to ashes and flames.

Cleo was like the perfect wife molded into a man's body. Of course, she soon learned that was because he had a younger sister and often took it upon himself to care for her while their parents were away on extravagant vacations.

Her fingers were noticeably covered in scab wounds and bandaids after her and Cleo were done with the mighty task but it was all worth it to please him. Perhaps, her dearest beast would chide her. Yet, he had cooked for her so she wanted to return the gesture to show how much she adored his endless attention and hard work as of late.

She couldn't wait to see him eat her cooking and praise her!

Just as she finish laying out the utensils on the table while humming out aimless tunes, Prisana heard the doorbell rang and her heart lurched thinking it was him. Her heart still soared however when Bailey stood on the other side of that door. They hugged and giggled as their arms found each other.

"...Nana, you're finally here to cure my boredom!"

"That's what I'm good at. Heh! Causing a ruckus. And I didn't just come empty handed you know...I brought this!"

From her back, she pulled out a thick book of some sort. Inspecting it more closely, Prisana realized it was a picture album. They sat on the couch as Bailey began presenting the first page of pictures.

Dane's baby pictures!

The baby version of him was out of this world, irresistible! Baby Dane was in his diapers while he slobbered on a block of toy. She kept flipping over the pages. Prisana inspected every picture with utmost delight. There was one picture as he appeared older, possibly in his teenage years.

From the looks of things, he reached his hand out as if to block his face and Bailey from taking a picture of him.

The teenage dane was so breathtakingly dashing with a much younger and vulnerable outlook that it shook her silly. It was like gazing at a half shrunken size of him, yet to become her fully fledged beast.

Her eyes were sparkling beyond the delight she felt. Each and every picture flooded her with the need for more and more.

"Nana, these are everything! Do let me have one please?"

Bailey chuckled as she nudged the album toward Prisana. "You can have the whole album. After all...I even have the digital version and a second album as backup too!"

Prisana chuckled at how much she adored Dane. "Oh nana, I can never beat you."

"Oh? But you already have. I couldn't reach him but you found a way inside of that brooding heart and brought him back to feel again. My whole life, I don't think I've seen my dear grandson so happy. Prisana, you're truly like a ray of sunshine. Heh, in this old woman's life too."

"...Bailey, without you I would forget how to properly love a beast. Truly, I'm really glad he has such a sweet grandmother like you."

Prisana's fingers froze as it came across what looked like a family photo. She traced over Bailey and Dane, who's features were brighter than the sun itself. The Dane in the photo seemed so distant yet close to his appearance now. Then her fingers trailed to what looked like...his father and mother.

He much resembled his father's ruggedly handsome features who very much looked like the future Dane with noticeably greyish black hair. There it was, he must have inherited his mother's eyes. His mother was beautiful and embodied the epitome of graceful as she folded her arms over Dane's waist.

They all looked so serene that it further twisted Prisana's heart to helpless anger. Anger that someone could break apart a lovely family which in turn, bred a vulnerable beast.

"...Is this," Prisana sucked in her breath as she grew captivated.

Bailey nodded and sadly smiled. "That's my daughter and son in law. This was four years ago, a year before they had left this world too soon."

"I-I'm really sorry for your loss."

"Don't be. Things were meant to be. Prisana, do you believe that everything happens for a reason?"

She nodded to which Bailey continued, "I think the world is beautiful yet cruel. Cruel, because those I loved were taken away by force. Beautiful, because this universe had to take before it could give. It must have happened for a reason. Whether for better or for worse, now that you're here..."

Bailey gathered Prisana's hands into hers, "Now that you're here, please rid Dane of his hatred! Unfortunately you're stuck with this frustrating beast and you're his family now. He's consumed by revenge and never mourned properly. I know he's still hurt but I'm sure that stubborn side of his will shed off all eventually to face forward to the future."

The future Dane spoke of a vow so beautiful. If only Bailey could hear his words from that night in the car where they shared a simple moment.

Prisana leaned in to grasp Bailey's pleading hands even tighter and offered her a reassuring smile. "Of course. That frustrating beast is all mine to deal with."

"...I'm scared, Prisana. Dane loves you but I don't know what his end goals are."

Suddenly, it occured to Prisana that Bailey wasn't the only one afraid. Prisana was afraid too. What if he were to abandon everything, their vows, and even her just to obtain his goals? She shook her head and patted her face with her hands.

No! She would believe in him. Even when he didn't believe in himself, she had to be the sole person who did. Every vow they built couldn't come crashing down that easily. Dane would never forsake it. She believed he wouldn't.

Bailey and Prisana spent long on the albums and chatting, though Bailey's words kept haunting her over and over again.

As time went by without sign of him, her insides grew uneasy. Even more so as it had been way past time for the beast's arrival. Where was he? She checked her phone and hadn't even recieved a single notification. It must have gotten that busy. Prisana didn't want to bother him like some aggravating wife. Still, it wouldn't hurt him to send one message to tell her he'd be this late.

She wasn't upset. Only a little.

"Why don't I have dinner with you tonight?" Bailey asked knowingly, already cirlcing around to tak a seat at the dinner table. "It's already been two hours past the time he was supposed to get back. I'm sure something important came up."

Prisana wanted to wait forever for him but she reluctantly nodded and forced a smile, "You're right! Let's dig in. I'll just save some for Dane whenever he returns. Oh Bailey, you'll be floored at how good my cooking has become. Do go easy on the ratings though, hmm? Since I am still a beginner."

"Looking forward to it, dear."