Dinner with the
Beauforts (1)
Alana stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped snugly around her chest, feeling invigorated after her brisk bath.
With her eyes closed, she savored the sensation of the towel gliding over her damp scalp.
Her tranquility was shattered when she opened her eyes to find Roman sprawled on the couch, seemingly asleep. She immediately relaxed when she noted his steady breathing.
Silently, she fetched her body lotion from the dressing table and slipped into the closet.
Her gaze landed on a container atop the drawer in front of the mirror. She picked it up, scrutinizing it briefly before setting it aside.
Now lying on her stomach across the bed, Alana was engrossed in her book, idly kicking her legs back and forth.
Darkness had settled outside.
Her attention shifted to Roman when he mumbled something in his sleep, the third time that evening.
She had been taken aback to find him asleep on the couch earlier, fully dressed in his suit, shoes still on, and tie constricting his neck—as if he had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
After a moment's hesitation, Alana rose from the bed with a pillow in hand and approached him.
She bent down, gently sliding the pillow under Roman's head. As she reached to loosen his tie, he stirred and mumbled again, causing her to freeze.
But as she thought he was settling back into slumber, he suddenly seized her hand, pulling her onto his chest.
Her eyes went wide, and she tried to stand, but Roman wrapped his other arm around her, his grip on her hand unyielding, anchoring her in place.
His spicy scent enveloped her, casting an intoxicating spell that she found increasingly hard to resist. Alana swallowed hard, attempting to free her hand without waking him, but his hold only tightened.
A knock at the door interrupted the tense moment. Alana remained silent, not wanting to wake Roman.
The knock repeated, followed by the creak of the door as Jane entered.
The woman's eyes widened at the sight before her but quickly averted her gaze.
"Sorry to intrude. Dinner is ready, Miss," she announced.
"I'll be there in a minute," Alana responded, and Jane promptly retreated.
After several minutes of gentle maneuvering, Alana managed to free herself from Roman's embrace.
Noticing the mark she had inadvertently left on his collar that morning, her cheeks flushed with warmth. She carefully removed his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt before exiting the room.
Having finished her meal, Alana returned to find Roman still fast asleep. She readied herself for bed, then lay down, casting a glance at Roman and debating whether he might be cold.
She considered asking Jane for an extra blanket but ultimately decided against it, reminding herself of the contractual boundaries that restrained her from showing too much concern towards him.
She stole one final glance at Roman, a small sigh escaping her lips before finally falling asleep.
It was nearing midnight when Roman's eyes suddenly flew open. He sat up slowly, his gaze settling on the dim source of light by the bedside as he blinked slowly.
Standing up, he began to remove his clothes. His hand paused on the button of his trousers when his gaze fell on Alana in the bed.
After a moment, he proceeded to completely strip off his clothes before entering the shower.
....
The following morning, Alana awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring. Her eyes blinked open, yet she made no move to silence the alarm.
Recalling that Roman had been sleeping on the couch when she had drifted off to sleep the previous night, she promptly sat up, her eyes finding an unoccupied couch.
She turned off her alarm before heading into the bathroom for her morning regimen. Applying minimal makeup, she opted to leave her hair loose, just as she had done the day before.
She wore a red short skirt that ended above her knees, paired with a white long-sleeved top, tucked in. She completed her outfit with black thigh-high boots.
She stared at herself in the mirror, feeling pleased with her outfit before stepping out from the room.
Roman was on a call in the living room, a lit cigarette between his fingers as he spoke to the person on the other end.
His gaze landed on Alana the moment he spotted her, his eyes briefly scanning her. He frowned, something flickering in his eyes before he averted his gaze from her.
Noticing the visible irritation on his face, Alana entered the kitchen, wondering what could be upsetting him this morning.
She poured herself a bowl of cereal and began eating. Her eating paused when she heard a message notification on her phone. She reached for her phone with anticipation in her eyes.
But that spark quickly faded when she saw it was just a calendar reminder. She dropped her phone, disappointed.
She had been expecting Troy's text or call since yesterday, but it never came. She wasn't that desperate to hear from him, or maybe she was, just a bit.
She still harbored some feelings for him, and seeing him yesterday only reignited those emotions.
After finishing her cereal, she washed the bowl and stepped out into the living room.
She glanced at Roman, who was still on his call. When his eyes met hers, she gestured to him, signaling that she was leaving. Roman gave her a sign to wait.
"I'll call you back," he said into the phone before hanging up.
He snuffed out the nearly finished cigarette in the ashtray on the table.
"I'll give you a lift," he offered as he moved toward the elevator.
"Don't bother, because I won't be able to thank you like I did yesterday," Alana said, causing him to halt.
Roman smirked before resuming his stride.
"I won't be asking for anything today."
The ride was quiet. Alana would glance at her phone now and then, which Roman noticed but chose not to comment on.
"We're having dinner with my family tomorrow evening," Roman announced, breaking the silence between them.
Alana looked at him, surprised.
"Tomorrow?" She inquired, to confirm she had heard him correctly.
"Yes," Roman confirmed.
"Does it have to be tomorrow? Can't it be postponed?" She asked.
"Believe me, Alana, I would if I could, but no one says no to my grandfather," Roman replied.
"Did you have something planned for tomorrow evening?" Roman inquired.
"Um, no," Alana replied, leaning back in her seat, suddenly feeling apprehensive.
She wasn't ready to meet his family so soon. She doubted she could convince them that she and Roman were dating.
She didn't even understand Roman, so how could she persuade anyone that they were truly in love?
When the car stopped in front of her college, she checked her bag to ensure her phone was there before hastily exiting the car.
Roman watched her until she was out of sight. His calm expression immediately shifted to a frown as he reached for his phone and dialed Eren's number.
"Find someone on the inside to keep an eye on him, and inform me once he does anything suspicious," Roman instructed.
"I will," Eren responded.
"And Eren... I don't want any complications this time," Roman said, a hint of warning in his voice before hanging up.
He leaned back in his seat with a smirk.
"You moved faster than I anticipated, Dante," he muttered to himself.