Stolen Money (8)

Being the weekend Bella and Bret cleaned the house from top to bottom and did the weekly shopping.

That night she left early for the hospital to set up for the nights game. She loved her volunteer work dearly.

Zane was in a bad mood all day at Bella's rejection of him. It was bad enough she would not have dinner but he could not even watch her.

As he was sitting there wallowing in self pity someone knocked on his apartment door.

The maid let Heather Thornton in.

"Zane, darling I come to get you for a night out." She said sitting down.

"Go away" He said sipping his drink.

"Zane please, your mother is being a pest. Tell me now, when will we announce our engagement. Your mother wants it at the company party this Wednesday."

He sruched up his face in discussed.

"Zane please talk to me. I hate it when your like this."

"Why do you want to marry an animal like me?" he asked.

"Money and power dear man; Money and power."

He hated women like this. His mother kept pushing him to settle down but every girl he meets is the same. Except Bella, she did not want Money and did not seek power. His Bella was a true woman.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Heather asked.

Was he smiling? "Go away and tell my mother I won't marry you."

Yes he would, she would see to it. She got up and left without another word.

Betty spent her day shopping she spent the whole thousand on a newdress, new shoes, and accessories. She would be the bell of the ball.

The next day Bella was informed that she to was going to the party and asked to go buy a dress and rent her fathers Tuxedo but when she went to pull the money she found it empty.

"Who took it?" Bella asked.

"Took what?"Ben asked.

"The emergency money someone took it."

Betty look guilty but said nothing.

"Does anyone one want to tell me what is going on?" Their father says as he was walking in.

"Father, I'm sorry I can't get you a tuxedo or me a dress. The money I was saving is gone. It took me two years to save it."

"It's ok, I can wear my good suit and you can wear one of your mothers party dresses I'm sure you can fix it up."

Bella could fix a dress to wear but why would her sister do this.

As she was going through her mothers cloths Babs came in.

"Bella please let me go in your place. I have several friends going and one said she would give me a dress. Please." Babs said.

"Ok, You can go in my place. Do you know why Betty stole the money." Bella asked.

"She wanted a new dress not a used one. She has allways been like that."

Bella had expected the answer and sighed. She placed the blue dress back into her mother's closet.

She walked to her room to read. She opened to the bookmark.

◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇

When Beauty was alone, she felt a great deal of compassion for poor Beast.

"Alas, (said she,) 'tis a thousand pities any thing so good- natured should be so ugly."

Beauty spent three months very contentedly in the palace: every evening Beast paid her a visit, and talked to her during supper, very rationally, with plain good common sense, but never with what the world calls wit; and Beauty daily discovered some valuable qualifications in the monster; and seeing him often, had so accustomed her to his deformity, that, far from dreading the time of his visit, she would often look on her watch to see when it would be nine; for the Beast never missed coming at that hour.

There was but one thing that gave Beauty any concern, which was, that every night, before she went to bed, the monster always asked her, if she would be his wife.

One day she said to him, "Beast, you make me very uneasy, I wish I could consent to marry you, but I am too sincere to make you believe that will ever happen: I shall always esteem you as a friend; endeavour to be satisfied with this."

"I must, said the Beast, for, alas! I know too well my own misfortune; but then I love you with the tenderest affection: however, I ought to think myself happy that you will stay here; promise me never to leave me."

Beauty blushed at these words; she had seen in her glass, that her father had pined himself sick for the loss of her, and she longed to see him again.

"I could, (answered she), indeed promise never to leave you entirely, but I have so great a desire to see my father, that I shall fret to death, if you refuse me that satisfaction."

"I had rather die myself, (said the monster,) than give you the least uneasiness: I will send you to your father, you shall remain with him, and poor Beast will die with grief."

"No, (said Beauty, weeping,) I love you too well to be the cause of your death: I give you my promise to return in a week: you have shewn me that my sisters are married, and my brothers gone to the army; only let me stay a week with my father, as he is alone."

"You shall be there tomorrow morning, (said the Beast,) but remember your promise: you need only lay your ring on the table before you go to bed, when you have a mind to come back: farewell, Beauty."

Beast sighed as usual, bidding her good night; and Beauty went to bed very sad at seeing him so afflicted. When she waked the next morning, she found herself at her father's, and having rang a little bell, that was by her bed-side, she saw the maid come; who, the moment she saw her, gave a loud shriek; at which the good man ran up stairs, and thought he should have died with joy to see his dear daughter again.

He held her fast locked in his arms above a quarter of an hour. As soon as the first transports were over, Beauty began to think of rising, and was afraid she had no clothes to put on; but the maid told her, that she had just found, in the next room, a large trunk full of gowns, covered with gold and diamonds. Beauty thanked good Beast for his kind care, and taking one of the plainest of them, she intended to make a present of the others to her sisters. She scarce had said so, when the trunk disappeared. Her father told her, that Beast insisted on her keeping them herself; and immediately both gowns and trunk came back again.