There was silence when they left them on their table with paid, untouched dinner. Vincencio might like how territorial Skylar would be, but the dangerous look on her face was something he didn't anticipate until they were alone in their room. Skylar quickly changed her clothes and grabbed her keys before Vincencio could even protest or ask; he was dragged toward their car.
"Wifey?" Vincencio was confused when Skylar harshly opened the car door for him.
"Get in. We're eating outside." She coldly replied and went to the driver's seat.
"Mad?" Inside the car, Vincencio worriedly asked.
"Who wouldn't? You're being a catch, and I don't like it. You're mine, and remember that." Skylar started the engine before slamming the steering wheel and glaring demandingly at him.
"I like it when you're being true to your feelings for me, but let me—!" Amused, Vincencio's worry suddenly flew away when Skylar deeply and demandingly kissed his lips, making him lose himself.
"You are mine, Vincencio Saison-Monsour. You're my husband, and nobody is going to replace that," With conviction, Skylar hoarsely whispered, making Vincencio shiver. She pecked his lips before driving to a restaurant for a relaxing dinner.
***
The couple's first meeting was unsuccessful due to an untrustworthy woman with Mr. Lington. However, Skylar planned to continue the meeting tomorrow morning. In the meantime, before the day came, they visited the area, tried local delicacies, and enjoyed their resort accommodation. For the first time, Vincencio felt tired and sleepy after two nights away from his wife.
"Hubby, I'm amazed that you could drink." Amusement twinkled in Skylar's eyes as she sweetly commented on Vincencio's tolerance to alcoholic drinks.
"Well, I was a bartender when I left home." Vincencio grinned with pride as they stumbled into their room, tired. "There were some customers who dared me to drink, which became hip, but since some customers thought I was flirting, fights always ignited in the bar, and I had to be a bouncer to protect the other customers from it."
"Then, what happened next?" Curiosity flickered in Skylar since Vincencio had never shared anything about his past.
"Well, I decided to resign since it won't be a good image for the bar like 'a flirty bartender caused a riot in their bar' It's not good. Then my last job was in the acoustic bar where I'm a musician, where sometimes I was hired to perform for some events until my aunt told me about my ex's behavior." Vincencio shared the story with a smile, but it quickly died down upon mentioning his ex, catching Skylar's attention.
"He never mentioned that person before." With careful thought, Skylar wondered. "Your ex?"
"Yeah, my ex left a scar that I kept drowning in whenever she's mentioned. I did resign from my job again, trying to escape from her haunting presence. I don't want to get entangled with her again, but something still lingers, and I hate it whenever it bothers me until I bump into you." Vincenico kept sharing a glimpse from his past that Skylar attentively listened to.
"And I'm glad that you did, but…" Skylar caressed his face dearly before carefully wondering. "…Are you still bothered by your ex even though you're married to me?"
"There are times that I still do since I'm worried about what she could do against you, and I don't want to think of any worst-case scenario. I want you safe and always beside me." With honesty in his tone, Vincencio didn't hide anything from his wife and gave his truth about what scares him.
"And I will, but hearing that, it makes me want to know your ex." With a warning tone, Skylar began cracking her knuckles as if another person had been listed on her death list.
"In time, wifey. But tonight, let me sleep ahead of you. You tired me." For the first time, Vincencio yawned before his wife, which made Skylar throw him a new pair of clothes to change into before heading to bed.
"Hey, I didn't know you weren't good with table tennis." Skylar defended playfully, making her husband sleepily chuckle.
"Now you know." Vincencio pulled his wife for a kiss before yawning again and collapsing on the bed. "Good night, wifey. See you tomorrow."
"I love you, Vince." With a genuine smile, Skylar kissed her husband's head, making him mumble, and she giggled. But there was something softened in Skylar as she caressed his face dearly. "I'll do everything to keep that smile in you, as I hope you'll accept the monster in me once you learn them."
In the calmness of the night, Skylar, in their hotel room, receives a location notification, making her save her work and finish her tea. She rapidly suited up in her newly prepared gear and toys for the night's hunt. But she checked on Vincencio before leaving in the darkness, ready to begin the hunt.
***
"Hm, the smell of the wind tonight is perfect." Skylar, as the well-known killer, Rose Slayer, inhaled the freshness of the breeze as she drove her midnight black Ducati in a certain parking area.
Excitement rushed through her veins until she hopped off her motorbike. She might be in her usual dark clothing and a face mask covering her mouth but letting her cat's eyes shine in front of everyone; nobody would ever tell that she was there for prey. She mingled with the noise of the partying people on the street like she was celebrating, not until her target finally came out, stumbling out from a certain pub, drunk.
"You're banned from here. Get lost, drunkard."
"Fuck you! This is not even a hip pub around here."
"Get lost before I beat you up."
"Oh yeah, try me."
"Okay, hold it." Rose Slayer quickly got in between before her prey could receive more punches from the bouncer. She might hate it, but she has to play it cool and apologize like a sincere friend. "Sorry for what my friend caused. I'll take him with me. C'mon, Ike."
"Who are you, bitch?" being away from the pub, the drunken prey known as Ike Malcove, known as I.M. asked as they walked unevenly on the sidewalk.
"Whoever called me a bitch died before dawn." With venom, Rose Slayer honestly responded, making her prey chuckle in disbelief.
"As if you could, but I love your eyes." He drunkenly complimented her, which made her want to throw up.
"Everyone says that." With a fake chuckle, Rose Slayer dragged the drunken prey to a more secluded area. "C'mon, let's take you someplace less crowded."
The drunken fool let a stranger take him elsewhere, where he didn't realize the noise started to fade. Rose Slayer took him deeper into a secluded area where only crickets became music, tall palm trees acted like people in the street, and bushes hid a grave.
"Welcome to your deathbed, Ike." Rose Slayer smirked sinisterly beneath her mask. Without care, Rose Slayer pushed the man against a tree, making him groan but drunkenly laugh. "Foolish drunkard."
"Deathbed? Sounds kinky. I love it," he drunkenly admitted as he began removing his top, which disgusted her, but she ignored him.
"Stay there." With a cold tone, she looked behind her, where she saw a man leaving something.
"Where are you going?" Ike wondered as he tried to fight his closing eyes.
"I'll just get a rope," she honestly replied as she grabbed what the man just left—her toys.
"Rope? You're into BDSM?" He chuckled, definitely not seeing anything dangerous around Rose Slayer.
"I could play both ways." With sinister sparks over her eyes, she began tying the man to the tree before asking. "So, shall we?"
"Anytime, baby." He smirked drunkenly as he obliviously welcomed the killer to end his life.
"Then, let me ask one thing: have you ever beaten a woman with a nail whip?" With a grim tone, Rose Slayer whispered to the man's ears before studying his drunken expression.
"Oh, I think I did when I was in military training. My superior said that there's one soldier who needed punishment, and I volunteered to watch it, but instead, they put me there and gave punishment instead." His eyes flickered in nostalgia as he recalled the moment he used a punishing nail whip on someone and corrupted his mind greatly. "Honestly, that woman was a babe. Sadly, I had to do what my superiors said and beat her up well. Damn, I could remember how badly I wanted to taste her."
"That got you horny? " With disgust, Rose Slayer pulled away as she took his things from his pocket. He's an addict, an alcoholic bastard, and a BDSM pervert who kept his beaten-up whores' pictures on his phone.
"Yeah, that's why, baby, I don't mind playing kinky games with you." He chuckled, not even caring what the mysterious woman had been doing around him.
"Don't worry, this is your grave." Seeing enough confirmation, without hesitation, Rose Slayer was killed again as she reflected on the dirty deeds they kept hidden from the past.
As the drunken fool, Ike Malcove died from excessive bleeding from the same nail whip he used on his games. Rose Slayer left a blood message about his dirty deeds with evidence before leaving a single tainted white rose over his corpse.
"There are some more." With a dangerous laugh, Rose Slayer left the crime scene without leaving tracks and slipped into the darkness of the night.
***
Rose Slayer vanished at the right call time, and Skylar returned to their resort's suite. Gratefully, Vincencio was still sound asleep in their bed, making her smile in relief as soon as she removed her mask before heading to the bathroom. She removed everything she was wearing or using and tucked them back into the silver metal briefcase before freshening herself up. But when she emerged from the bathroom, she almost jumped when she saw a figure sitting on their bed.
"SHIT!" Skylar exclaimed, thinking it was a ghost popping out of nowhere. Gladly, her eyes could see through the night before, sighing and whining. "HUBBY! Don't you dare do that again."
"Sorry, I saw the light from the bathroom open; that's why." He yawned before lying down again on the bed. He was still sleepy.
"Be thankful you're being too cute now," Skylar thought as she shook her head before kissing Vincencio's temple. "Sorry if that wakes you; I'm finishing some touches for our meeting tomorrow; that's why I'm still up."
"Okay, join me afterward. I miss your scent around me." With understanding, he groggily said before yawning again.
"That again? Does he have a sensitive nose?" Skylar thoughtfully wondered before responding to her sleepy husband. "I will."
Vincencio immediately went back to sleep, making Skylar sigh in relief that she hadn't been caught, and like what she excused, she finished the night routine smoothly before retiring to bed. She scooted closer into her husband's arms, who immediately possessively secured her.
"Possessive hubby." With a grin, Skylar quickly fell asleep as Vincencio's arms secured her.
***
Like what Skylar thought, in their morning breakfast, she had a meeting with Mr. Lington, and this time, he came alone. It was much more convenient for both of them, and they settled. Mr. Lington was pleased with the help he received from Skylar and even appointed Vincencio directly to assist him on the project itself. They had a smooth breakfast with the man, and afterward, the couple was alone by the beach, taking a swim before strolling a bit more.
"Wifey, I love you." Out of the blue, Vincencio suddenly confessed, making Skylar blush.
"And I love you too." Skylar reciprocated them equally.
But there was something different about Vincencio that didn't slip from Skylar's careful observation. She grabbed Vincencio's wrist, making him face her again, and stared deeply into his orbs.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he curiously wondered.
"What's gotten into you?" she noticed, making him look away, but Skylar cupped his face gently.
"Nothing, I just want to tell you that…" He sighed, trying to hide what bothered him that didn't escape from his wife. Skylar arched her left eyebrow, making him gulp before sharing his trouble. "Fine, if you ever bump into my ex, please let me know."
"Then tell me about it." She insisted; however, Vincencio shakes his head.
"Sorry, I can't, Wifey." He sadly apologized. "I'm not ready yet."