By Lady Fenix
Say what you my about Madame, but if there's one thing she is that is fiercely protective of those she considers hers. She and I might not get along but I do admire that lioness trait in her and Lord help the poor fool who thinks otherwise.
From the personal journal of Sakura Hino Holden
"Here you go, Miss Hino. Box number 1267." The clerk said and stepped back with his ever present service smile.
"Thank you." Rei murmured and looked at him.
The clerk's smile began to faze slightly when she didn't say anything but waited. His brow rose slightly in confusion. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" He inquired with a pained expression.
"You could give me back my passport." Rei suggested and nodded towards the small book in his hand.
"Oh yes, silly me. Here you go." The clerk's laugh sounded forced as he handed her back the passport.
"Thank you." Rei took the passport and stuffed it back into her bag. She thought she managed well to keep the annoyance from showing in her voice. Getting in to the vault where her father kept his safety box had turned into a hassle that had taken nearly half an hour to settle.
"You can leave now." She told him when he just kept standing there. Ok, so maybe she wasn't good at hiding her annoyance.
The man blushed and cleared his throat. "Yes of course. If you need any help don't hesitate to contact us at the desk, Miss Hino. Once again we are sorry for taking your time."
It was by sheer force of will that Rei kept herself from tapping her foot in impatience. While she might understand the procedure it didn't mean she had to like it, especially when she was already pressed for time.
Rei glanced at her watch. Quarter past twelve. She had forty five minutes before she had to be at the Holden building to meet Martin. She sighed. For someone who had the entire morning to finish the errand her father had sent her on, she was certainly running out of time. She really hated bureaucracy.
Taking out the key her father had given her, Rei looked at the box the clerk had indicated. It was not large; in fact it belonged to the smallest group of safety boxes in the vault. Pulling out the plastic containment, which hardly weighted anything, Rei sat down by one of the tables and emptied it out: a white envelope, a folder and a disc. Her eyes lit up as she saw the envelope and brief hope flickered in her violet eyes at the possibility that Marcus might have left her more specific information of just exactly it was that he wanted her to do. The hope vanished quickly when she picked up the envelope and felt its content however. It was something hard, something metallic and heavy. Her heart sank. Not another key!
Her fingers dug inside and her heart lurched when she touched the item. Slowly she pulled out the object and held it up. Her heart was beating rapidly as she looked at the golden band. The smooth surface of the ring caught the cold light from the florescent lamp above and changed it to warm golden color. While the band was plain on the outside, delicate inscriptions were carefully wrought on the inside and a lump formed in Rei's throat when she read the words: Sakura, my heart and my happiness.
It was a twin to the one Rei had in her jewelry box at the shrine back home. The one that said: Marcus, my love and my life.
As Rei stared at the golden light reflected from the ring, a vision came to her. It was inside the very same church where her father's funeral service had been held just a few days ago. Through the muted golden hues created by the thousands of lit candles in the church, she could see the people filling the benches on either side of the aisle from the entrance of the church all the way up to the altar, staring at the couple kneeling in front of the priest. A sense of expectation, an air of joy, a whisper of promise hung in the air, created by the spectators as well as the hymn playing in the background.
As the bride and groom moved to face each other, Rei could see and recognize the faces of the couple that had graced the wedding album Rhonda had given her. The man, handsome as sin in his dark tuxedo and without the harsh lines that later adorned his face, was looking down at his bride with intensity in his violet eyes. He spoke softly with a solemn air as he placed a slim golden band on her finger. The woman, dressed in a traditional white wedding gown, looked so young with her face radiating with happiness as she gazed dreamily at her husband to-be. Wearing her heart on her sleeve she gave her vows and placed the very familiar looking heavy gold ring on his finger.
Their hands met and their fingers intertwining with each other. The two wedding bands were placed so closed it looked like they were melded together, forming the symbol of eternity.
Bang!
Rei jerked. The vision shattered like pieces of glass into million shards and once again she was back in the starkly painted white walls of the vault. Staring over her shoulder Rei saw the very same clerk that had followed her in, escort an elderly couple through the thick special made glass door that led to the vault. The trio disappeared around the corner into the next aisle but the magical moment was already broken.
Blinking owlishly Rei stared at the ring in her hand. The ring felt cold to her touch, cold and dead like the material it was made of but she could have sworn that a while ago it had burned in her hand.
The sound of approaching footsteps and talk stopped any further thoughts of the ring. Without a thought, Rei clasped it and let it drop in to the pocket of her jacket as she looked over her shoulder. The couple that had just been let it, walked around the corner. The woman was telling her husband to walk faster as she supported his arm. When she saw Rei she stopped with her admonishing to flash a smile before resuming her nagging once more. The man walking slowly with a cane and his wife as support listened, rather good-naturedly in Rei's opinion, to the whole nagging before reassuring her in a gentle tone that they would make it to lunch with the children.
A pang of longing hit Rei as she saw their exchange. She thought about her parents and she thought about herself and wondered briefly.
Shaking her head she pulled herself together. The couple's conversation just reminded her that she was running out of time. She lifted her arm and glanced at the silver watch on her wrist.
Twelve forty.
She's been in the vault for twenty five minutes. It didn't leave her much time before she needed to meet Martin at the Holden building.
Rei glanced at the two other contents left in the box. She let the floppy disc drop into the same pocket as where she had put ring and picked up the folder. She was about to put it down in her bag but hesitated. She knew she was cutting short on time and yet curiosity ate at her.
She looked at the beige folder. It was thick and slightly heavy telling her that there was bound to be a lot of information there.
Her small teeth worked nervously and unconsciously over a delicately shaped full bottom lip as she silently debated.
In the end curiosity won over and she flipped over the cover.
A frown marred her delicate feature as she flipped through the papers. Most were clippings from newspapers, articles as well as photos but there were also some notes in her father's neat handwriting. Not that she could make out what they meant since he wrote in codes. One name caught her eyes immediately and not just because it had been highlighted. Maxfield. Along with it was the logo that quite resembled the one Nate used for his companies.
The more she briefed the papers the more confused Rei got. It seems her father had been doing some investigation of some kind and she had a large suspicion that this folder was strongly connected to why he left her his shares. Her job it seemed had just gone up several levels in difficulty and it was not something that she would be wrapping up at the end of this week as she had so confidently told Ami and Mako.
Cursing her lack of time, Rei stuffed the folder into her bag and left the bank. Her foul mood turned even worse when she wasn't able to hail down a cab. Trust her father to pick the bank located at the most trafficked street on Manhattan. The smell of pretzels, coffee and pizza coming from the food stands only reminded her ravenous stomach that she had skipped lunch and from the way things were looking she wasn't going to have time to get one now. And as she hurried up the street heading towards the ivory black tower gleaming ahead, her mood didn't improve as she was jostled by the crowd of people on their way from one end to another not caring in the least. She might have been of tiny stature but from the way she was being pushed around she nearly thought herself invisible. She finally lost her temper when a man dressed in a business suit and carrying a briefcase that felt like it weighted a ton rammed into her. Vigorous training helped her from completely loosing her balance and fall on her butt but she still wasn't fast enough to avoid the man's arms.
"Watch where you're going jerk!" Rei snapped and slapped aside his helping hand from her arm.
One glance at her glaring eyes and the man quickly mumbled an apology.
"Take a note, the people walking on the street are not bowling pins for you to knock down." Rei retorted angrily rubbing her hip where his briefcase had hit her but the man had already backed away and gotten swallowed by the crowd. Other passersby cast looks at her, one Asian woman holding her daughter's hand muttered 'crazy half-breed' in Japanese and dragged her daughter closer to her as if fearing contamination.
Rei scowled. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she continued to head towards her destination.
If the street outside has been chaos, the same could certainly not be said about the inside of Holden Tower's. The moment Rei entered the building a hush seemed to fall over the grand reception hall and she could feel a lot of eyes swivel towards her.
For the first time Rei was happy to have been born different enough to have earned a lot of stares and whispers as she grew up, at least it had toughened her enough to let her appear as if she wasn't bothered by it. Her face was cool and composed when she walked towards the reception desk.
"Hello. I'm Rei Hino." Her eyes caught the photo or rather the familiar face on the magazine on the desk and her voice shifted slightly. "I'm here to see Mr. Martin Holden."
"Ah yes Miss Hino." The woman smiled brightly and discreetly reached out and quickly flipped the magazine upside down. "Mr. Holden has given instructions. Would you like someone to show you up?"
"No I can find my way. Thank you." Rei replied with a tight smile.
Mina had warned her about it and even Jay had indicated something like this might happen but coming upon her own face on the glossy pages of a magazine still came as a shock.
Rei didn't know if it was due to her newly acquired knowledge that made her oversensitive but it felt to her like the elevator seemed extremely full this time as she rode up to the top. Having never liked being in a crowd the ride seemed to take an exasperatingly long time and when she finally reached her destination Rei's mood had turned sour enough that she didn't even care as she pushed her way through the group of bodies to the get out on her floor.
"Ah Rei, there you are. I was afraid you wouldn't come." Martin walking down the hallway greeted her the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
Resting his hands on her arms he pulled her closer and gently kissed her on the cheeks.
"Uh hello, Martin." Despite his openness to her, the familiarity still felt weird.
"Have you had lunch yet?" He asked and gave her a concerned look.
Rei brushed her hair behind her ear. "No as a matter of fact. I ran out of time."
Martin gave her a beaming smile which would have looked quite dazzling if it weren't for the darkness in his eyes. "Enjoying the sights, are we? That's good."
Rei smiled briefly but withheld from commenting on anything.
"Since I haven't had time yet to eat either, how about we take a late lunch together? There's a lovely French restaurant right around the corner that I'm sure you would like."
He took her lightly by the elbow and started to lead her towards the elevator but a dark voice called out just then halting them.
Turning Rei watched a tall lean dark haired man approach them. Despite the fact that he was near the other side of the hallway, the man didn't make the appearance of hurrying to reach them. With one hand tucked in the pocket of his black khaki pants, he struck quite an arrogant pose as he walked down the narrow hallway in his black turtleneck and purple jacket. The impression of arrogance only increased as he came close enough for Rei to take a good look at his features: bold aristocratic nose, strong jaw, sensual lips with just a hint of a smile or a sneer promising to break out and dark enigmatic blue eyes that somehow made Rei think of wizards and dragons in fairy tales.
The moment she felt those eyes touch hers, something fizzle inside her, like the touch of electricity.
"Sorry to cut in like this, but Madame would like to speak with you." The newcomer told Martin.
Martin frowned and glanced at Rei. "Did she tell you what it was about?"
The promised smile broke out. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Martin hesitated.
"I wouldn't suggest letting her wait too long if I were you. Terrence just got out of her office looking like a thundercloud and you know how her mood is after one of those encounters." The younger man spoke again. "If it's any consolation I don't think it would be that long, she has that meeting with the Candelle's at two."
The silence stretched out, becoming awkward. Knowing the source of his delay, Rei decided to speak up. "It's okay, why don't I wait in your office while you go talk to her?"
Martin's features didn't change but she could feel the tension leaving his body. She felt slightly touched and annoyed by it. Touched because he truly was looking out for her and annoyed because she couldn't understand how someone at his age could still be so afraid of his mother. The woman must be a real tyrant to inspire this kind of fear.
"Do you remember the way?" Martin asked.
Before Rei could reply, the stranger spoke up. "I'm on my way back to the den. Why don't I just go with her? By the way, the names Darien, Darien Shields."
He offered a hand.
"Rei, Rei Hino." She reached out and accepted his. His hold was strong and firm. The calluses she felt surprised her however since it didn't really fit with the look of well manicured hands.
"This way, Miss Hino." Darien indicated with his hand for her to precede him.
"I'll see you in a short while." Martin told her right before he left.
Rei nodded her in agreement and turned to walk up down the hallway towards what were now becoming familiar surroundings for her.
"Is this your first visit the city?"
Glancing at her companion, Rei tried to read his face and gauge his intention. There was nothing but sincerity there. Either he was a very good actor or he was just plain ignorant of the situation between her and the rest of the Holden clan. Something told her that the first was more plausible than the latter, he didn't strike her as an ignorant man; dangerous would be more fitting. Instead of slicing him in two with a cutting remark, Rei decided to play along to see where it lead.
"No, but since I was only a kid the last time I was here and I can hardly remember anything."
"And what's your impression of the city so far?"
Rei stopped for a moment to think. "Pulsating with life and impatience. Rude, curious and exciting." They stopped in front of the closed door leading to Marcus' office. Rei looked up at Darien and gave him a fleeting smile. "I like it lot."
A slow answering smile spread from his face making her breath catch in her throat at the devastating effect it made of his already handsome face. "That's New York for you. You either hate it or love it. There's hardly anything in between. I'm glad it was the latter for you." He told her before turning the handle on the door and swinging it open.
"Oh?" One dark brow arched slightly. "And why is that?"
"It means you'll stay longer and I know Martin for once would like that."
"He's probably the only one then." Rei murmured quietly and entered the office.
She was surprised when instead of leaving Darien followed her in and closed the door behind him, though she was careful of not letting it show.
"Look," he said, his eyes suddenly somber, "I know this might come out strangely but take it from someone who has been there before. Whatever happens, don't let them intimidate you, especially Madame. If you let them see how uncomfortable they make you then it'll only encourage more of the same treatment. Trust me the only thing the Holden's respect is spunk."
Rei cooked her head slightly to the side. "Why are you giving me this advice?" She asked after a moment of silence. "We only just met. Compared to the Holdens I'm just a stranger to you." Her eyes studied him curiously.
Darien stared at her and blinked as if the question had caught him off guard. Lifting one hand he rubbed his neck with a chagrined smile on his face. "Honestly?" When she nodded her head slowly, he let out his breath with a sigh. "I don't know. It just felt right. I suppose its coz I've been in your shoes, well not exactly in your shoes as in something akin to it, and I guess I can empathize with you. It's never a nice feeling having to be treated like an unwanted outsider."
There was a slight darkening look in Darien's eyes that told Rei that he was recalling a painful memory and the suspicion she had felt earlier slowly ebbed away to be replaced by sympathy. Her experience with the Holden's might be short but something told her that they were very good in making people suffer when they put their mind to it and no doubt Darien had experienced that first hand too.
"Well your advice is duly noted. And thank you." Rei gave him a fleeting smile to take away the sting from her earlier behavior.
She got a fleeting smile in reply. Just then their eyes met and Rei could almost swear she felt a click at the back of her head, a slight invisible bond that took place between two strangers that shared something in common.
It was also just then that the door suddenly swung open and a very familiar voice said, "Hey Martin, I just got the fax you forwarded to me and you have just got to be kidding. There's no way –"
Jay looked up from the piece of paper and stopped his tirade when his blue gaze caught the sight of the two of them.
A quick look at their faces and gauging the mood in the room, he quickly came to a nagging conclusion that did not sit well with him. Especially since neither of the occupants said a word to break the silence.
"Am I disturbing anything?" He asked with a pleasant smile.
Darien whom had known him for years, wasn't fooled by that smile. "No not that all. Rei and I were just getting to know each other while we waited for Martin to get back."
"Which might take a while considering where he went." Rei murmured.
He and Rei shared a secret smile that had Jay's eyes narrowing.
Blissfully unaware of his mood, Rei kept her attention still focused on Darien. "If you have work to get back to, please don't let me keep you."
Darien waved his hand into the air. "Nothing pressing that can't wait. Where were you heading for lunch?"
"Somewhere down the corner. A French restaurant."
"Ah yes Le Claire. Good choice, one of the best in the city. Do try out their shrimp."
The two of them continued to talk seeming completely oblivious to Jay's presence much to his annoyance. Neither could have been further from the truth however.
While he kept the conversation flowing part of Darien was very much aware of the heat pouring out of his friend behind him and he had a hard time keeping back the grin he felt. So much for claiming disinterest in the girl. While Rei did look different from the usual women that caught Jay's interest, he had to admit there was something about that exotic beauty of hers.
For Rei's part she was being overly attentive to Darien in hopes that Jay would find it boring and leave. If truth was to be told, she really didn't know how to deal with him after the awkward situation that happened during the reading of the will and he had gotten into a fight because of her. With no parents around and a grandfather the way he was, she had always had to fight her own battles and even if there had been a few occasions when someone had to step in and fight for her, those had been women. She never had a man do her fighting before. Mako claimed it was because of the mature and collective appearance she gave, making men think that she was capable of handling anything herself. Whatever the reason Rei really didn't know how to handle it. Was she supposed to thank him? Or maybe just ignore it? The latter sounded more appealing to her since the first might lead to the awkward question like what she was going to do with her inheritance, a question that Mina had already asked.
Unfortunately for her it seems fate has something else in mind for her as just then Darien's cell phone started to buzz. Excusing himself he picked up the phone and Rei was amazed when she saw the polite face change to a beaming schoolboy's when he picked up on the person on the other end.
"Hold on, baby." Shifting his cell phone away he gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry guys, taking a private five. I'll see you around, Rei." Giving his friend a hearty slap on the upper arm on his way out, he closed the door after him with a silly grin on his face, nodding and making agreeing noise to whatever it was that the person on the other end said.
Rei was stupefied, even Nate whom she knew loved Mako to death, didn't wear that silly grin when he spoke with her on the phone. She hadn't thought there even existed a man who could love a woman that way, but clearly she had been wrong.
She felt a strange wistful tug in the region of her heart.
"Well the two of you seemed to get a long very well." Jay observed.
Her mind still wrapped around the strange phenomenon she had just seen, Rei answered absently, "Uh-huh."
Maybe her parent's failed marriage had scarred her far more than she had realized, maybe not all men were like her father, or maybe she just had a too naïve view of what love was. She thought about the wedding band that currently rested in the pocket of her jacket and the meaning behind it.
The sudden shadow falling over her had her startled. Looking up she was surprised to see Jay studying her.
"You know," he began in a pleasant conversational tone, "that he's engaged right?"
"Huh?" Her dark brows furrowed at the strange change of topic.
"That call just now, that's from his fiancée, Serena Kent."
Oh so Darien was engaged to that blonde with the angelic features. Well it would take somebody special to put that kind of a smile on the face of such a man, and from the little she had seen of Serena Kent, something told her that indeed that woman was one of a kind. Still she didn't understand what Jay's point was, a thought which she voiced.
The smile he gave her back was feral and had alarms bell ringing at the back of her mind. "I understand you reaction." He continued as if not having heard her question, "actually it's quite ordinary, from what I can remember Dare always did have that effect on women. But trust me, love. You're only setting yourself up for heartache."
Emotions rolled over her: shock, outrage and amusement, all three washed over her like waves in a stormy sea. In the end it was amusement that won and her lips pulled slightly to the side. "Looking out for me, are we? I thought your grandfather was the one that had been appointed as my guardian."
The look he gave her had her smile faltering and her heart stuttering. It was a very direct look that pierced her straight to the heart. And when he spoke the velvet tone of his voice had her pulse spiking.
"Love, if it's attention you want why don't you just say so and I'll consider obliging."
Shock had her momentarily speechless as she stared at him with her lips slightly parted. His heavy lidded eyes spoke of a sensual promise but there was a slight merriment there as well as he watched her reaction. Seeing the latter had the anger rising and with anger replacing shock, she was also able to regain her ability of speech.
"What do you mean by that?" She demanded though she was still annoyed that it came out more like a squawk rather than the intended affronted tone.
He didn't reply. Instead he stared at her for a very long time. The touch of his gaze fell on her like the feathery stroke of heat, making her more aware than ever before that she was a woman and the fact that they were actually very much alone in a deserted office.
When his eyes lowered to linger on her lips, Rei could feel her pulse picking up in speed. Her breath caught in her throat. Suddenly being very well aware of the dryness of her lips and the fact that she had left them unpainted this morning, she let the tip of her tongue run across the surface all the while feeling his eyes following her movement like a hawk's.
He began to move closer. The space between them slowly disappeared, inch by inch. Her mind told her body to back away. Her body had a different opinion and stayed where it was. She could feel her heart beating more rapidly. What was this feeling she was experiencing? Panic? Anticipation?
The very air seemed to shimmer.
Jay stopped a hairsbreadth before their body touched. He met her eyes, his daring her to move. In defiance she stayed where she was even while the small voice in her head told her it was a big mistake. Right before she closed her eyes, she could see the yearning as well as the mirth touching his eyes. With her vision gone all she could do was feel and feel she did. The edge of his coat touched her, the hard fabric teasing the sensitive skin on the back of her hands. She felt his breath fanning her face. A shiver ran through her and she waited for what she knew was the inevitable even as the voice in her head shouted like a banshee telling her to stop him.
The kiss never came. Instead she heard him whisper. "Stick around and maybe you'll find."
Opening eyes she saw his lanky form saunter off towards the door, stopping long enough to throw her a cocky grin before he disappeared into the hallway.
Rei growled under her breath and threw her bag against the door. The black rucksack hit the wooden wall giving off a sound that was not the least of bit as satisfying as she would have liked, before it fell in a heap on the carpeted floor.
The nerve of the man! To think she had actually thought him pleasant a few days ago. It was a wonder anybody could be in the same room with him with that arrogance. The fact that she was feeling slightly breathless was blamed on the anger she was working out. As for the disappointment, well she buried it deep, deep within herself.
Men like Jay Arlington only reminded her why she didn't date that often. Like the saying went, two's company and three's a crowd. And men and their arrogance were already two.
Rei was still fuming when Martin found her ten minutes later.
"Is everything okay?" He asked tentatively and eyed his niece with a wary look on his face. Having left his mother in one of her fouler moods it was not a joy for him to find another pair of flashing angry violet eyes waiting in his own office.
The serene presence of Martin had the desired effect to cool her down enough to make her reign in her temper. Smoothing her face she replied. "Everything is just perfect." The lie came easily to her lips. She just hoped it sounded as sincere as well.
"Uh huh." Martin replied warily. Her tone of voice clearly didn't assure him at all. He wondered if the news he had for her would send her over the edge and make her show that famous temper he remembered she had as a child.
Stalling for time, he picked up her bag and absently ran his hand over the straps. Something caught his eyes and he lifted it higher to take a closer look, and stilled.
"Rei, are you aware of the fact that you have a large rent in your bag?"
"What?" Rei's brows furrowed and in three quick strides she was beside him, yanking the object from his hand. She started muttering under her breath. His knowledge of Japanese only spotty at best, Martin was still able to recognize enough words to have his brows rising in surprise.
"It's okay, these things happens." He tried to calm her down.
Her eyes were heated when she looked up at him. "You don't understand. My passport was in here. And my phone, my address book, the key to the apartment and …." Her voice dwindled off.
Assuming that she was too distressed to talk further, Martin patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. "It's okay. We'll settle everything. I have a few contacts that can help us out. Why don't you write down everything that you had in the bag and I'll make a call to Lieutenant Vlachos and see if he can start the ground work for us before we head down to the station later?"
"I don't see why I need to wait til later. I might as well go now, I already know who did it and I remember enough of the asshole's face to give a good description of him." The very thought of that worm that had run into her with the business portfolio at the street had her blood boiling. She couldn't believe that she actually fell for a cheap trick like that.
Martin cleared his throat. "Well I don't think that would be quite possible."
A flash of impatience entered her eyes but she kept her voice even and hid the annoyance from showing in her voice. "What do you mean?"
Martin made a face. "Madame wants to see you."
There was a moment of silence.
"I beg your pardon?"
"She asked me to send you in; she wants to talk to you."
"Can't it wait?" Her tone was polite but the annoyance in her grew. In her mind she kept thinking about all the procedures ahead of them not to mention the mind boggling idea of how she was going to replace her missing passport. Was there even a Japanese embassy in New York? Should she go there after the station or before? What if the police wanted some kind of identification? What did this exactly mean for her? Was she considered an illegal alien? Would she be deported immediately to the border?
"I know how you feel. But trust me, Rei; it'll go much faster if we do things my way. Let me get in touch with my contact and have him smooth things for us. It beats waiting at the station which is what I guarantee we will be doing if we just march down there right now. I'll make the call while you talk to Madame."
Rei folded her arms across her chest.
Martin sighed. "I know how you feel and under the circumstance I can't say I blame you but you are going to accept her authority sooner or later. "
Rei let out a frustrated sound and threw up her hand in the air. "Why does everybody jump the moment she snaps her fingers? You guys are adults and this is not the army."
Martin gave her an indulgent smile at the euphemism. "Because she is the matriarch, she is Holden." He said in a tone that told her that she would understand that, given time.
Rei grunted. Her attitude clearly telling him that day would never happen.
"Rei, just go. Please, for me."
Rei give him a dirty look, telling him clearly what she thought about using a trick like that. He gave her a tiny smile that looked slightly boyish; it startled her as much as him doing it. She wouldn't have figured him the type joke around like that.
"Fine. Where do I see Her Majesty?" She muttered.
As she followed Martin into the lion's den, Rei swore if she didn't leave this place soon, she was going to be driven nuts by her father's family.
~ o ~
"Alright just what was that all about?" Jay demanded of Darien after having finally tracked him down in his own office.
Sitting comfortably behind Jay's desk with his feet resting on top of it, Darien grinned while he swiveled the chair from side to side. "Yanked your chains, didn't it?"
Jay walked over to the desk and casually knocked Darien's feet to the floor. "Since when have I ever needed your help in getting girls? I had everything in control."
"Yeah, but this made things more interesting." He received an annoyed look for reply. "Come on, you gotta admit she is a looker."
"It's not time yet."
His friend read more through that short sentence however. One dark wing arched challengingly. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts about using her."
"I never said that." Annoyance tinged his voice.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Came the impatient demand.
"Just shut up will ya? Damn what's with the nagging? You're turning into a woman."
"Suit yourself." The leather creaked lightly as Darien leaned back against the chair and lit a cigarette. He managed to take one quick drag before it was pulled from his fingers.
"Christ, Dare. Are you trying to get us both kicked out of here? You know how sensitive the new smoke detector is." Jay crushed the cigarette against the marble foot of the Venus statue Mina bought him on one of her whimsical trips to the Mediterranean. His movement was jerky. Despite himself he couldn't help but to inhale deeply at the smoke that Darien blew out. Damn he missed the smell of a good cigarette.
Muttering something about how a man can't get a decent smoke anywhere around the city, Darien turned back to the subject they had been discussing. "So what's the next move, oh great strategist?"
"Get me Pratt and Leon's schedule. See if you can arrange a meeting for us without it looking too obvious. Aside from the Holdens they are the two major stockholders of the company. I'm going to need their help too if I'm hoping to pull off my plans at the extra Stockholder meeting in August."
"You still want to me to dig into Marcus' accident? What about Jones?"
"Pratt and Leon are the priorities at the moment. They're both stubborn and ornery and I'm afraid I'm going to need all the time I have from now til August to convince those two to agree to my plans. If you got time to spare keep up with Marcus' things too. Let me deal with Jones. And Rei."
Darien spread his arms. "Whatever you say, boss."
Jay threw the stump at him.
"Hey watch it. It's an Armani." Darien brushed at his jacket.
Jay snorted. "So send me the cleaning bill."
"No but I'll tell the caterer to send you the bill for the wedding reception." Darien retorted. "You know, Serena just hired Mona Delacroix to do the catering?"
The woman was known to throw elaborate and tasteful parties to suit her limited but special clientele. The cream de la cream of Eastern coast always fought to have her arrange their parties. Jay had never had the use of her expertise but he's had several friends who had and they always did get startled by her bills when they came later and these were people for whom money was no option.
"Sorry, but as fond as I am of you and Serena, we're not really that close. You'll just have to settle for me being the best man and the bachelor party I'm throwing you. Now do you mind getting off my chair so I can get back to work? I have two more sketches I need to fine tune before I show it to the clients." Once Darien had vacated his seat, Jay added. "And do remind me to talk to Martin about your workload. We obviously don't seem to be giving you enough since you have so much spare time to chat with people."
Darien chuckled. "You know Jay, you're going to have to work on that jealous nature of yours if you plan on making a move on Rei; a looker like her is bound to get a lot of male attention." He told him from the door.
"Yeah right." They both knew he wasn't reputing Darien's description of Rei as much as his claim of Jay's jealous nature. They both knew when it came to Jay's relationships; the women were the ones who got jealous. He was much too controlled and self confident for that.
And his confidence was telling him it was time to make the first move on what he knew was bound to be an interesting battle between him and the spirited Miss Hino.
Pressing a button on the intercom he said, "Janice. Do you know if Miss Hino has left the building yet?"
"No sir. I mean, she hasn't. I saw her heading down the corridor towards Madame Holden's office about ten minutes ago."
Jay's brow rose in surprise at the news. Now this was something he had not anticipated. Not the fact that Madame called Rei, he knew she would sooner or later, he just hadn't realized that she would manage to work through her pride that quickly.
Well, well, well. It seems he wasn't the only one eager to get hold of Rei's share of the stocks.
~ o ~
They said that an office can reveal a lot about its owner but if that was the case, what Rei managed to get only left her befuddled.
She was sitting in one of the two chairs facing Madame while she waited for the woman to finish her conversation with the darkly handsome man on the TV-screen. Her hands, itching to move as a result of her restlessness, were clasped firmly in front of her. The only thing that showed her impatience was her wandering eyes which moved over the room in a slow languid gesture as they took in everything while French flowed rapidly in the background.
The room was large and quite spartanly decorated for someone who insisted on everyone calling her Madame. The choice of furniture seemed to lean towards antique, dark and masculine, although the decorations tended to be elegant and classic with a slight feminine touch. The mixture should have looked odd but somehow the combination worked. Even the thin TV-monitor sticking out of the dark wooden wall looked as if it fit there just as well as the two classic paintings hanging beside it. The spacey looking computer should have clashed against the antique rococo desk it rested on, but it didn't - quite the opposite actually, it seemed to suit perfectly with the rest of the room.
The strangest thing Rei found however, was the lack of photos. For someone who claimed that family mattered the most and who was the head of the family, the office certainly didn't hold one single photo frame to show for it. And it made Rei wonder just what kind of a woman her paternal grandmother was.
"I gather, you're wondering why you're here."
The abrupt question fired into the air gave her a start. Pulling herself back from her thoughts, Rei turned her attention towards the matriarch sitting by the large leather chair, looking every inch like a queen holding court.
Refusing to be intimidated, Rei met her eyes steadily and replied calmly. "You want to speak to me about the stocks my father gave me." No need to hedge around the topic like a cat around a warm bowl of cream.
Madame inclined her head regally. "Good then we don't need to waste time. Here." She pulled out a black document file and tossed it lightly. The shining surface made the object skid smoothly to the other end towards Rei.
A cold feeling of uneasiness was sliding up and down her spine as she picked up the file. One glance at the official look of the folder and she could already guess the content but she pretended otherwise.
"And what's this?"
"That is the official contract saying that Holden Inc. will buy back your share of the stock at the market value. The deal has been briefed and approved by the board. The moment you sign it, money will be transferred to your account in Japan or any where else you want in the world."
"I see." Her tone of voice was light, never revealing the anger that was currently coiling around her stomach like a snake. Somehow hearing that cool and professional tone of voice hurt where the insults and snubbing she had received ever since she had gotten there had not. Pride however prevented her from showing it.
"That's a very generous offer you have here but unfortunately I will have to decline." Rei closed the file with a finality.
The woman was as still as a statue and revealed as much in the sense of emotion. "I don't think you quite understand what I'm offering you, girl." The words were spoken coolly, but the emphasize she put on the word girl revealed a show of temper. "You are about to say no to an opportunity to make you a very wealthy young woman."
Rei tilted her head slightly to the side. "I thought that was already established a few days ago. At least if you go by what the press is saying." She recalled the magazine and the headline she glimpsed at the reception.
At the mentioning of the press, Madame's lips thinned. Well at least they had that much in common. "Well they are wrong. You might own ten percent of one of the largest constructing companies in the world but it'll still take a while before you will see any earnings on that. Dividends on those shares are only paid out once a year and its still half a year left in the meantime you still have the cost of living, things that you're going to need to work to keep up. What I am offering you is a deal of a lifetime one that will make sure that you never have to work again for the rest of your life."
It was tempting, the offer was really tempting. Not for herself, she couldn't care less about the money but at the same time, she knew that with it she would be able to give her grandfather a better life. Spirits know, they had been having problems making ends meet lately, which was one of the reasons why she took on the part time job at the store. But he loved that temple and despite that old crone's many bad habits she did love the geezer a lot. With this money she would be able to make sure he lived comfortably for the rest of his life. She could hire people that would be able to help out with the temple so that he didn't have to take care of the daily routines anymore. That way he would be able to do what he enjoyed best, flirting with pretty women. Plus she could even restore the old place and give it a polish that they haven't been able to do in the past decade or so.
Knowing all of that, Rei's heart was heavy and there was a twinge of sadness in her when she shook her head and said, "Be as it may. I still can't accept your offer."
For the first time since their conversation started, Madame let her control slip as annoyance flashed in her eyes and impatient tinged her voice. "Why are you being so obstinate about it? Is it because of revenge? You want to get back at me because you feel I have neglected you all these years? Or do you hold me responsible for the end of your parent's marriage?"
Her tone easily implied that it was nonsense to feel that way, since she certainly didn't have cause for it. Irritation flared inside Rei at being spoken to as a silly child.
Lifting her chin, Rei met her eyes haughtily. "No, because that would imply that you mean more to me than a stranger." She knew she was being rude but she didn't give a damn about that. The woman's high handed ways irked her. "I have better things to do with my life than to spend it dreaming about being part of this family." She put a special emphasize on the word this that clearly stated what she felt and Madame's lips thinned in response.
"Are you saying you're too good to be a Holden?"
She quirked her brow slightly. "I thought it was already obvious how I felt when I took on the name Hino."
There was a heavy silence weighting in the air. Rei knew she had gone too far even as she let the words slip from her tongue but it was too late to take them back. Even if that was the way she felt she had not intended to ever say those words out loud, ever. Being angry with one's father for neglecting her was one thing but being outright rude and obstinate towards his mother was something else. This was not how she was brought up and behaving this way was a serious insult to her grandfather and his work. But the fact was the woman irritated her like no others had before. She disliked the cool look in that woman's eyes and the way she spoke as if this was just a normal if sticky business deal. She certainly didn't like to be spoken to like a little girl who ought to be grateful for what she was offered. It made her feel like her less than wealthy background was something she ought to be ashamed of when in fact she was proud of it. Well others might have to take it, but Rei didn't understand why she should.
"Then tell me what you want?"
Something about the way the woman spoke, had Rei guessing that Madame was expecting the worse and that this was not something she was unused to. For the first time, Rei could feel a part of her pitying the woman – a very small part. Being in the position Madame was in, Rei supposed, the woman was bound to come upon people who wanted what her money and power could give them.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" It was clear the woman didn't believe her.
Rei's lips curved though she really didn't feel any humor in the whole situation. The woman truly was paranoid.
"You might not believe me and frankly I don't really care but I am going to tell you this so that I have had it said and you can pass it on to the rest of your family members so I don't need to repeat myself. I don't care about the stocks nor do I want them. I would be more than happy to get them off my hands as soon as possible. However, "she added in a louder voice when Madame seemed about to speak up. "I can't, not at the moment."
It took the other woman a moment before she was able to speak. It seemed Madame wasn't used to people interrupting her. Well tough luck.
"You speak one thing but your actions say another. Why is that?"
Rei hesitated for a while. Common sense told her the less people involved who knew the better, but her instincts told her something else and in the end she decided to listen to the latter. "Father wanted me to do something for him."
Madame held herself so still Rei thought for a moment her body had turned to stone but then she spoke up, "What?"
"I'm not sure yet, I'm still finding clues." She let some of the frustration she felt show.
The matriarch nodded her head sagely. "He would do that if he had a reason." For a moment there her eyes softened changing her face completely. Suddenly sitting there wasn't the cold harsh business woman that worked herself to the top and built an empire, but a proud mother thinking of her beloved son. But that moment was gone quickly and soon the business woman was resurfacing, her eyes boring in to Rei's.
"James feels that I have been very harsh on you and that I should cut you some slack. And to a certain extent Martin feels the same way too."
She knew she shouldn't be surprised but finding out she suddenly had knights coming to her rescue was unnerving.
"In respect to their request I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you are not here to wreak havoc on our lives."
Rei stiffened in outrage at that analogy but this time it was the older woman's turn to cut her off from speaking.
"As of that I am going require that you inform me the moment you know more about whatever it is that Marcus has set you out to do. Do you keen, girl?"
She wanted to say no, but the will in those violet eyes as they bore into hers had her throat clogging up and her tongue swelling. Fortunately the experience of being ordered around like a soldier, had the effect of bringing out the anger in her and with it came enough strength to at least stare her eye for eye without saying the inevitable yes either. Not that it really mattered because Madame seemed to take her silence for affirmative all the same.
Giving a satisfied nod, she said. "Very well then run along and continue with whatever it is that you and Martin were about to do. I have a business to take care of."
Seething inside, Rei angrily rose to her feet and headed for the exit. She was just about to reach for the handle to the door when Madame stopped her.
"By the way, as a note, I watch over what's mine. If I so much as get a hint that you were lying to me today…. "
There was no need for her to finish the rest of the threat. Rei's hand was practically shaking when she took hold of the handle. In her mind she kept telling herself the woman was not worth getting worked up over and just to move her legs and get out of there so she wouldn't have to deal with her ever again, but once again pride wouldn't allow her to just leave without saying anything.
Whirling around, her long hair flowing like a cape down her back, Rei said. "You know what? I really feel sorry for you; you must be a really unhappy woman if all you can do is look at everyone with suspicion. I do hope I never have the misfortune to end up like you, because it must be a really hellish and lonely life up there in your tower of righteousness while you look down on the rest of us mortals with those judgmental eyes of yours."
She had the delight of slamming the door behind her with the vision of the matriarch staring at her with wide eyed surprise.
"Is everything alright, Rei?" Marcus asked and tucked the cell phone back into his jacket. Rising from the settee he had been occupying, he walked over to her from the waiting hall. His eyes drifted to the closed door and back to Rei.
Giving him a tight smile, Rei said. "Everything is just fine."
The look he gave her clearly said he didn't believe but he was too much of a gentleman to pursue. "Then let's be on our way. George is waiting for us."
Grateful that he let the matter drop, Rei nodded her head and allowed him to steer her down the majestic long hallway. She felt Madame's secretary looking at her with disapproval but was too tired to care. All she could think about what to get everything sorted and just head back to the condo. She wanted to take a hot bath and just sink her worries under the surface.
They reached the reception hall by the elevators when they were halted by a call.
"Miss Hino." The woman at the reception desk spoke up. When Rei turned to face her, she lifted a white envelope. "Mr. Arlington told met to give this to you the moment you came back."
There was a speculative look in the woman's eyes but she didn't say anything more and without having to look back, Rei knew Martin was wearing the same kind of look as the redheaded woman.
Without a word Rei pulled out the card from the envelope and read the message written there:
Have dinner with me tonight.
It was signed with a simple J.
Plastering a false smile on her face, Rei turned to the woman and said. "Do you have a pen I could borrow?"
"Yes of course. " The woman quickly handed her a slim pencil with the Holden logo on it.
Using the woman's desk as a support and making sure that open envelope hid the message from the woman's hawk eyes; Rei quickly scrawled a short note before putting the card back into the envelope and handed it the girl.
"Please make sure Mr. Arlington gets this. Thank you."
She hoped the scathing remark she wrote would cut him in half, but she doubted someone with an ego like his would bruise that easily. It did give her immense pleasure saying no to him and without having to come up with an excuse.
For the first time since she let Mina talk her into her plans, Rei felt herself looking forward to clubbing. After everything that had happened a long hot bath wouldn't do, she was going to need a strong drink.
Turning back to her uncle she gave him her first genuine smile for the day and said, "Now why don't you take me down to the station so we can take care of some serious business?"
AN: I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a disappointment to you guys. I know it took me a long time to update it and for which I apologize for. Things have been insane at work and I've had to do a lot of OT lately. I'm hoping the next chapter won't take as long but it's very hard to say. I have the chapter outlined but writing the scenes takes longer than I anticipated however. Oh and for those of you who were disappointed by the outcome between Jay and Rei, don't worry first kiss is coming up in next chapter. ;)
My warmest thanks to all of you readers and especially you the reviewers. You have no idea how much your thoughts and opinions means to me. Not only are you helping me to improve this story but also you're helping me improving my writing skills.
Joanna, thanks for always being outright honest. Your reviews are always a joy to read. And thanks for the tips on the Dior bag. It's definitely going to show up soon. =)
Step-chan, thank you for your long reviews. I really loved them and appreciate the pointers you gave.
Eve, I'm glad you're loving the story. By the way, I'm still waiting for that letter you promised. ;)
chickay, MaLee, Princess Ren, Miyaka, Kayla. Gizelle, Jabba1 and Firenze for following this story from the start and always giving me reviews.
As always a special thanks to charliechaplin2, my beta. After all the help you've given me, I'm really going to have to dedicate this story to you. =)