Page 111 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“The records say I graduate, but I did not,” I explained. “A well-placed donation afforded me a diploma. I tore it up, much to Wilhelm’s ire.”

“Wooow, that is fucked up,” Ulysses muttered.

I hummed in agreement. “Just one of many moments. This is what they do… throw money at the problem, not caring about morals.”

Ulysses took another sip before spinning the swivel chair to face me. “Did you really mean it when you told Jonas you want to cut ties?”

I’d thought about doing just that for years, but fear had kept me tied to a family I wanted nothing to do with. Now, there was nothing to be scared of. My pack would support whatever choice I made, and Bailey-Rose would never judge me for turning my back on my lineage. All that mattered to her was that I was happy.

“Yes, I believe it is time to make that happen,” I decided. “I am their son in name only. They don’t need me, and I don’t need them. What is there to hold on to?”

Ulysses nodded, tapping his finger against his glass. “What if you started your own business? Your designs are the ones that sell, so you’ve already proven you’ll have customers. I know with all of our knowledge, we could help get things up and running in no time if that’s what you want.”

My heart swelled hearing Ulysses’ suggestion, and it only confirmed that I was making the right choice. A true family is one who has your back, offers selfless support, and wants to see you achieve greatness. I only hope I could offer the same to each of my pack brothers when the time comes.

“Possibly, I think I’d like to explore the idea,” I answered. “Who knows, maybe Bailey-Rose and I team up to build her studio. She does the art, I deal with the people who want to buy.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t see Rosie doing well at pricing her work for what it’s worth. She’d probably give it away if someone really loved it.”

“Or ban the person for life if they don’t,” I added, knowing how feisty our Omega can get when she’s feeling protective.

Snorting as he tried to cover his laughter, Ulysses grinned. “True, but I have a feeling those would be fun interactions to watch.”

I glanced at my watch, seeing we still had another three hours to go, so I leaned my chair back and settled in to get some sleep.

Since I refused to stay any longer than necessary in my parents’ home, we got the penthouse suite at the Royal Crest Hotel. It was fifteen minutes away from my childhood home but central to everything else in the city. When we landed, it was the middle of the afternoon, and my plan was to see my mother right away. Then the matter would be done and settled so I could enjoy showing my pack around the city I loved.

Looking in the mirror, I adjusted my gold-rimmed glasses I’d designed. My hair shone with a strong red hue after being out in the sun so much. I purposefully didn’t shave, leaving the dark blond facial hair that was filling in nicely. Not having a plan for what I was going to do with it, I just liked it was a silent fuck you to the values my parents held to so strongly.

However, I did dress nicely in a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt I’d ordered to be sent to the hotel. In fact, all of us were wearing new outfits since I planned to take them to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner. There weren’t many places I went to that had a dress code, but the food was so amazing I didn’t mind the rule for business attire. Thankfully, they didn’t enforce men having to wear a tie anymore since it wasn’t mandatory for most companies anymore.

Bailey-Rose wore an adorable lavender button-down dress that hit just below the knee. She paired it with mint-green accents, and the skirt was extra swishy, as she described it. Her hair was curled and full of bounce, making it look like cotton candy. My kitten was the prettiest Omega who ever lived, and I couldn’t help but pull her into my arms and kiss her. I tried not to mess up her makeup, but she was going to need more lipstick after I was through with her.

“Vili,” she scolded as she wiped the pink lipstick off my mouth. “We can’t show up at your parents’ house looking like we’ve been making out.”

I nuzzled my face into her hair. “Why is that, kitten?”

“Because,” she answered, not really sounding sure of her answer, then rallied, “This is a somber moment, and it seems like your parents are rather serious people.”

Sighing, I hugged her tightly, loving how she melted into my arms. The only reason I had the courage to do this now was because of Bailey-Rose. She deserved nothing but rainbows and sunshine in her life, not in-laws who were storm clouds who rained on our parade. Knowing that standing up for myself and my happiness would also bring peace to our lives as a pack was all the motivation I needed.

Taking her hand, I threaded our fingers together and raised it to my lips, brushing over my mark. “Fine, we will behave, but after… I make no promises.”

The shiver that ran through her body, followed by the flood of desire and excitement through our bond, I knew we’d have her out of her dress the moment we got home. Grinning, I kissed her forehead for good measure then whistled to get the guys’ attention.

“If we want to make dinner, we should leave,” I announced.

Gareth looked rather uncomfortable in his new clothes, not one for wearing something so buttoned up. He kept fidgeting with his sleeve or tugging at his shirt collar, frustrated at the fit. Bailey-Rose took pity on him and left my side to undo the top two buttons and roll up his sleeves to just below the elbow.

“There, this is a little more you,” she decided, fidgeting with the collar to get it to lay right.

“Oh, thank fuck. I seriously thought I was going to suffocate in this damn shirt,” Gareth admitted, running a hand through his curly hair, messing it up into a more natural look.

With a quick kiss on Gareth’s cheek and a command to the dogs, my kitten returned to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Ready?”

“With you beside me, I’m always ready,” I whispered, giving her a teasing wink.

“Stop taking lessons from Warrick. You’re cute enough as it is without using pickup lines,” she said with a laugh.