Page 110 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

My cheeks started to hurt with how wide I was smiling as I settled cross-legged at the table. Yun-Sun sat to my right as Warrick claimed the seat on my left. However, the table was round, allowing me to easily see and talk to all my Alphas. Each of them seemed to have this glow about them as if the joy we all felt was bursting out, creating a physical difference.

Yun took his plate and started to fill it with a little bit of everything on the table, setting it before me. “Just tell me if you want more of anything, omae.”

Everything smelled amazing, but I was a little confused when there was only a spoon to use for the soup. Then I watched Vili using the flatbread to scoop things up along with his spoon. Not one to shy away from using my hands while eating, I dug in, humming and doing a little happy dance at the taste of the food. The guys followed suit, groaning as they ate. Each dish looked so simple, but the flavor and seasonings were out of this world.

“One thing we need to do when we get back home is find where we can get food like this,” I decided, shoving another spoonful of rice in my mouth.

“Or we could find a chef who knows how to make these dishes,” Yun reasoned. “While I’m sure there are restaurants out there, I doubt they will compare to it being home-cooked.”

“I like the way you think, Mr. Lee,” I agreed, wagging my spoon at him. He chuckled, sipping at the fruit juice they served with the meal.

As the meal started to wind down, I decided it was time to address the gorilla looming in the background. “Vili,” I started, setting down my spoon and meeting his gaze. “Please know that I love you, and I want the best for you, so keep that in mind as I share my thoughts on a matter I don’t know much about.”

Vili smiled and nodded for me to go on, enveloping me in his reassurance.

“I think you need to see your mother,” I stated. “No matter how you feel about her, she is still the woman who gave you life. I realize my family is incredibly close, and I don’t know what it feels like to have parents who don’t love and support me or my choices. However, I do know what it feels like to lose a parent suddenly. I can’t remember the last thing I said to my papa or when I last told him I loved him. You might not have love for your mother, but having closure, good or bad, is a gift you shouldn’t take lightly.”

Reaching across the table, Vili held his hand open, waiting for me to place my hand in his. Once he curled his fingers around mine, he brushed his thumb just under my new mark. “You speak with wisdom, kitten. There is no love in my heart for the pack who raised me. Yet, as you say, to close door for good is a gift.”

“It’s not like you’d be doing it alone,” Gareth pointed out. “As your family and pack, we will always have your back.”

Vili’s smile was as bright as the sun hearing Gareth’s words. I remember Ulysses once telling me just how important having a pack was to Vili, and now it made all the sense in the world. When the family you were born into fails you, there’s always your pack to take their place. Or that’s the hope.

“Thank you. I will need my family with me,” Vili said, releasing my hand to clap Gareth on the back. “I have someone I can speak to who will be honest about Bianca’s health. Once I know how sick, we can choose when to go.”

Shortly after our conversation, temple attendants came and cleared away the meal as well as the table. A female attendant returned with a tray full of steaming mugs of a rich drink made from dark chocolate and spices. She also left a bowl of cookies covered in tiny little red petals that melted right on your tongue and paired with the drink perfectly. Arranging the pillows, we all cuddled up and enjoyed watching the stars in the cloudless sky until Mitch came to collect us.

As far as memories go, this was one night I would never forget.

After talking with Pernilla, my parents’ housekeeper and the woman who acted as my nanny growing up, I believed my mother was terminally ill. It seems Bianca was diagnosed shortly after I moved to Preidon but kept it quiet until a year ago when she couldn’t hide the fact she was sick any longer. When I explained what I knew to the others, we agreed to finish out the week in Prio Gria, and after those two days, we’d fly to Numoland.

Thankfully, it was still summer in my home country, or else we would need to go shopping for clothes the second we landed. While the tropical wardrobe we all packed wasn’t what I would have suggested, it would make do for the short time we will be there. Besides, there was plenty of shopping available since my parents lived in the metropolitan city of Tumie. The flight was long, but the benefit of having a private jet was plenty of space to stretch out.

I gazed at my kitten curled up on the plush sofa, her head in Yun’s lap, as he absently combed his fingers through her hair as he read. Every so often, she would start to purr in her sleep just like her namesake would. It had terrified me when we first bonded that she would see the ugly side of myself I kept buried deep. There was no way for me to escape having a bit of my parents’ poison in my personality, having been raised around it. Thankfully, we are all our own person and can choose to be different, better versions of what we grew up seeing.

My phone buzzed, and I smiled at seeing the message. If I was going to be forced back to Tumie to deal with my parents, then I was going to do whatever it took to turn this moment into something beautiful. The ballet I’d wanted to take Bailey-Rose to was hosting its last four performances this month. One of those shows happened to be tomorrow night, and as one of Tumie Ballet Company’s top patrons, I got tickets and a private box for Bailey-Rose and me.

Ulysses sank into the seat beside me, taking out his phone to snap a picture of Bailey-Rose to send to her parents. We hadn’t been able to send many while we were in Prio Gria since most photos we took weren’t presentable to share with parents. Last night, we’d made sure to update them on our change in plans, keeping up our end of the deal. My phone buzzed again as Ulysses sent the photo to our family group chat as well. Quickly, I downloaded it and added the picture to my collection.

“Hey,” Ulysses said, leaning closer to keep his voice low. “You doing all right?”

“I suppose,” I answered, not really sure how I felt.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t been back to Numoland numerous times since moving and meeting the guys. Only those had been business meetings hosted at a corporate location or one of the stores for a quality check on my designs. It had been ten years since I’d stepped foot in my parents’ home. As soon as I could, I moved out and got my own place, needing to be free of their toxic nature.

“I don’t know how to feel,” I admitted. “Should I be sad? My mother is dying, but I feel nothing.”

“No one can tell you how to feel, Vili… that’s for you and only you to decide,” Ulysses stated. “Like Rosie, I have a good relationship with my parents, so I can’t begin to know how you feel, but I’m happy to listen if you need to talk.”

Brushing a hand over my jaw, feeling the stubble that was growing in since I decided not to shave during our island vacation, I could hear my mother’s voice telling me it was a sloppy look to have facial hair and I should shave every day. The amount of time and effort my parents invested into maintaining their appearances was exhausting. Although I agreed with the sentiment to dress for the success you want to have, there were limits to how far that would take you. If you suck at running a business, nothing you wear could change that fact, but educating yourself could change everything.

“Did I tell you I never finished university?” I asked offhandedly.

“No, I don't think I knew that…” Ulysses frowned, taking a sip of his brandy before his eyes went wide. “Wait, are you telling me you got into one of the most prestigious business schools and didn’t graduate?”

“Indeed,” I confirmed. “I only needed one more year, but Wilhelm made a call, and I was magically handed a diploma.”

“I’m confused, so you did graduate?” he questioned.