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Addicted To You
Chapter 15
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Family Clash Part 2
Chased by Humiliation
…
Previously:
As Mr. Koizumi grabbed the poor man's collar, the old baggy cloth tore apart. Mr. Koizumi stared at the cloth in his hands. The guest eyes almost went out of their sockets in surprise.
"What the?"
"Just drop the act. You're becoming show-off." Touichi who was sitting in a chair calmly announced.
The old man flashed an annoying smile. And…
The old man was now seen wearing formal attire that outstand all of the men's attire inside the conference. Well, it was shiny and sparkling.
The man removed his eyeglasses and then tried to remove something from his face.
The crowd gasped more. He was tearing his face apart!
A stunning looking man around his 40's with chestnut colored-hair and jaded eyes was revealed behind the mask. He put the eyeglasses back on and smiled widely at the crowd.
"Isn't that Yukihira Izumi?" One of the guests whispered. Then the room was filled with whispers again.
"Oooh, honey! He's really handsome! I told you." Koko's mother said with hearts in her eyes.
"Honey, that's your brother. Stop acting like that." Koko's father replied and snaked his hand around her waist.
"Gross." Koko muttered. What a family.
"Y…Yu…Yu – Yukihira-sama?" Mr. Koizumi asked, stuttering. He was taken aback, his eyes almost bulged out.
"I guess you need some anger management, Koizumi-san. We still have a lot of things to talk about, right?" Izumi pointed out with his normal smooth tone and flashed a meaningful smile to Mr. Koizumi.
"Gomenasai! I didn't mean to! I'll take up some anger management as you suggested!" Mr. Koizumi said in apologetic tone and immediately ran out the conference room due to embarrassment. Everyone wondered if he was going to commit suicide later.
The guests started to laughed and then clapped their hands.
'What's with these guests? They are so evil. When they didn't know yet that he was Yukihira Izumi, they almost cursed him to death.' Mikan thought while watching his father's little show.
'That King of Disguise.'
"There you are. I thought you've run away." Mikan heard a familiar voice behind her. She spun around and met those dazzling crimson eyes.
"E-Excuse me? You're the one who disappeared." Mikan said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I also went to the toilet. It was crowded, I got stuck for a while." Natsume reasoned out. Mikan looked at his father again who was currently encircled with those businessmen. She didn't want to leave Natsume now, but it would be a big problem (for her) if her father spotted her.
"I need to leave now." Mikan excused and about to walk away…but…
"Look who's here? Are you here as a waitress?" Luna, who was wearing a black cocktail dress that almost show her big chest and her creamy white legs, came out from nowhere and blocked Mikan's way. Mikan mentally slapped herself for not leaving earlier.
She was stuck in this conference hall. Completely forgotten her mother and brother in the restaurant.
"Please don't block my way Koizumi-san." Mikan pleaded.
"So, you're pleading to me right now? And what's with that coat?" Luna pulled Mikan's coat. Mikan tried to stop her but Luna was determined to remove it from her. The coat was removed and…
Natsume's eyes widen.
Mikan blushed. She regretted wearing this pink designer's gown that her mother sent to her. The gown was elegant with its unique design. With its design, anyone could tell that the one who designed the clothes was the famous one from France.
The gown fitted her perfectly. She looked like a Princess in every man's dream.
Even Luna was shocked seeing Mikan wearing that gown. She always wanted that gown! But her father always refused to buy one for her!
"How did you have that gown? ! Y-You stole it, right?" Luna accused.
Before Mikan could retort…
"Oh! Son! There you are. This conference hall is too big! I needed to wander around just to find you!" A woman's voice said excitedly behind Mikan.
"Hi, mommy!" Luna greeted which made the woman to glare at her.
"Girl, don't call me mommy! You make me look old." And disgusted. Kaoru reminded which made Luna's mood to change from happy one to gloomy one.
'Shoot. I'm saved! Thanks to this beautiful woman.' Mikan thought.
"Okaa-san. Is it your hobby to appear out of nowhere?" Natsume mumbled. Kaoru just smiled at her son. She set her gaze to the beautiful teenager in front of her.
"Gosh! You're so beautiful, dear! You looked like Yuka when she was young." Kaoru happily announced. Mikan knitted her eyebrow. How come that Natsume's mother knew her mother?
"Excuse me ma'am, but how did you know my mother?" She asked.
"Oh, she was my best friend back in high school and college! We only got separated when we both got married." Kaoru explained to the confused teen.
Kaoru walked behind Natsume and moved her face closer to his son's ears.
"Looks like you've found the same girl from that night. I'm so proud of you son!" Kaoru mumbled and chuckled.
"Oh, Shut up."
"By the way dear, where is Yuka? I missed her for years!" Kaoru dreamingly said. Mikan stared at the happy-go-lucky woman.
'She's like my mother.' Mikan thought and sweatdropped.
"Uh, she's downstairs, in a restaurant with my brother." Mikan answered in polite manner.
"Hey! Chotto! Why did you know the family of this bitch? !" Luna suddenly snapped in. Well they almost forgot her existence.
"Didn't I tell that her mother was my best friend? Oh, I forgot that you're deaf Koizumi-san." Kaoru pointed out and laughed in low tone.
"Excuse me, but I really need to leave now." Mikan said and snatched her coat that Luna was holding. She turned around and ready to leave… again… but…
BUMP.
'How many times do I need to bump at someone? !' Mikan thought as she bumped at certain someone again.
"What's this girl doing here?" No! There were many people to bump into but why? Why Natsume's father? !
"Gomen, sir." Mikan apologized.
"Nevermind, by the way Kaoru, don't talk to our future daughter-in-law like that." Ioran said after seeing the way Kaoru talk to Luna. Luna face lightened up.
"I don't like her to be my daughter-in-law!" Kaoru said honestly which made Luna to be gloomy again. She looked at Mikan and flashed a great smile. "I want this girl to be my daughter-in-law!" Kaoru happily announced and hugged Mikan.
'I can't leave. Why do I need to be stuck here? Is humiliation hunting me?'
"Are you joking me? That girl is just an average girl out there. I don't want someone like that in my family. If she's the Yukihira's daughter, I might find it reasonable." Ioran snapped. Kaoru rolled her eyes. He already hit the bulls-eye! HELLO!
Mikan watched the couple bickering. Then she turned her gaze at her father again who was still encircled with some businessman. She tried to leave silently. But little did she know, her father already caught a glimpse of her. A sly grin formed in Izumi's face and Mikan saw it.
Uh…oh… This is a nightmare.
The spotlight suddenly focused on Mikan which made all the guests attention to turn their gaze to her. Some of her classmate was shocked to see her there. Whispers filled the intriguing conference hall again.
"Oooh. Mikan-chan is here too? She's so KAWAII!" Anna who was in the other side of the room squealed.
"You're right. That gown fits her perfectly. Mikan-chan! Kampaiii!..hic.." Nonoko who was holding a glass of alcoholic wine, cried.
Natsume just smirked.
"Hey! The spotlight missed! It should be focused on me!" Luna wailed.
"No. The spotlight was for that beautiful young lady." Izumi announced and winked at her daughter.
"Hey! I'm much beautiful than her! !" Luna cried.
"That old man was so childish. He didn't change even a little." Hotaru muttered watching the amusing moments in the conference hall.
"You know them, Imai-san?" Ruka, who was still on her side, asked.
"What do you think?" Hotaru glared at him.
"Uh… I think you do." Ruka answered nervously. Geez. "Ano…Imai-san, I think there are no more guys hunting you. You can let go of me now." Ruka added looking at Hotaru's arms that was linked with his.
"Just stay still." Hotaru replied with a deadly glare. Ruka laughed nervously and focused his attention on the stage.
"Everyone! After long years of my work in England, I have a lot of things to announce! There are a lot of my co-business tycoons that are looking for my children. And one of them was actually here. I was also surprise on seeing her alone in here."
'NO! You're not going to tell!' Mikan shouted in her head.
After hearing that it was a girl, some guests prepared their sons.
"One of my successors, my beautiful eldest child." Izumi pointed his hands at Mikan. All of the guest's attention was now on her. Even the press inside the room started to take pictures of her.
'Oh no! Humiliation please stop following me!'
"W – what? !" Ioran yelped while staring with disbelief at the beautiful girl near him.
"Oh? Mikan was the great Yukihira's daughter? Oww!" Some of her classmate cheered, while some others were in the state of shock.
Kazu came out of nowhere and dragged the flabbergasted Mikan on the stage.
"My dear niece, no more pretending." Kazu muttered, leaving Mikan dumbfounded on the stage.
"God, Mikan, you're still beautiful my dear daughter." Izumi complimented. Mikan recovered and threw a deadly glare at her father.
"Why do you need to embarrassed me like that? !" Mikan whispered angrily to his father, completely ignoring the guests around.
"I didn't intend to embarrass you, I did that because I'm proud of you." Izumi whispered back. "…and Mikan, this is the best I could do to protect you." Izumi added which made Mikan stared at his jaded eyes. She nodded as she understood what his father meant.
Suddenly, the guests crowded Izumi's position again, wanting their sons to meet the daughter of Izumi.
Natsume who noticed it, was burning in jealousy.
"S – she is – Yukihira's daughter?" Natsume's father, who was still in the state of shock, said. He just couldn't get over it.
"That's what you get for not listening to me first." Kaoru replied and looked at the Yuka-look alike in front of the stage. "Oooh, so kawaii!"
Luna didn't mind what happened and wrapped her left arm to Natsume.
Or so she thought.
"Hey lady, you like me?" a guy with weird accent asked. Luna just wrapped her arms to the wrong guy.
"Waah!" Luna immediately removed her arm around the stranger. She scanned the room to look for Natsume and saw him walking his way on the crowded stage.
"Natsume-kuuun!" Luna yelled but it was almost inaudible because of the noise around the room. She tried to follow Natsume but a hand stopped her.
"Hey lady, we're not finished yet." Luna glared at the stranger. Her expression changed from annoyed one to flirting one. He was handsome. Shiny lavender hair and seductive blue eyes.
"Ooh! You're handsome! What's your name?" Luna flirted.
…
While on the stage…
Natsume was making his way to Mikan. He didn't like seeing her being surrounded by many guys.
Once he made his way to the stage, he grabbed Mikan's hand and tried to drag her out.
But Izumi stopped him by holding his shoulder.
"Young man, you shouldn't drag my daughter like that without my permission."
Natsume stared at Mikan's father. He felt a different aura around him. Just like what he felt with the old man in the street.
"Sorry sir, but I need to drag your daughter out of here." Natsume courteously said, asking for the older Yukihira's permission.
"Good young man. Then, Go!" Izumi spoke, imitating the old man's hoarse voice he was using when he was in disguise. He winked at the shocked boy. Natsume looked at Izumi disbelievingly.
'He was that old man? !'
Natsume shook the thought out of his head and bowed his head as sign of respect to Izumi.
He continued to drag the dazed Mikan out of the conference room. Mikan who was resisting threw a deadly glare on his father. Izumi happily bid goodbye to the two teenagers.
"I guess my daughter already find the man for her. Sorry my buddies!" Some of the guests frowned in disappointment. The others congratulated Ioran who was still in his own world of shockness.
"S – she – she is really…?" Mr. Hyuuga still muttering like a crazy person.
…
At the restaurant…
Youichi and Yuka already started eating, they couldn't wait forever for Izumi and Mikan.
Until both of them noticed a stunning Mikan being dragged by a stunning young man.
Yuka saw it. That was indeed Mikan.
Yuka stood up. "Oi! Stunning, handsome, cute, young man! Why are you dragging my beautiful daughter like that? !" Yuka yelled hoping that the two teens would hear her. The people in the restaurant stared at her like she was the craziest person alive. She apologized and turned her gaze back outside the restaurant. But the two teens were already out of the hotel.
"Obaa-san." Youichi said in slow manner to annoy his mother. "You're disgracing my character."
"Why didn't you do something son? Who was dragging your sister?" Yuka asked.
"He was the coincidence I was waiting for." Youichi answered plainly. Yuka saw the satisfied look on Youichi's face. She sighed and calmed down.
"Oh? Is that so?" Yuka cupped her chin and think for a moment. "Then, let them be, let's have some dessert!"
…
Back at the conference hall…
"Honey, can you return to the real world now? Everyone was congratulating you but you just kept on staring on space! Don't sleep with your eyes open!" Kaoru nudged his husband who was still in the state of shock.
But Ioran still couldn't get over it. "S-she is…"
Izumi noticed the Hyuuga couple and walked towards them. The crowd split in two and respect his presence. They couldn't blame him, the strong aura surrounding him was telling everyone that he was to be respected.
"Hey, Kaoru-chan." Izumi raised a hand and greeted to the beautiful lady.
"Oh, Izumi-kun, nice seeing you again. You still have that strong appeal huh?" Kaoru replied with a chuckle. He grinned at her. Then, Izumi's sight was moved to the 'dreaming' Hyuuga.
"What happened to your husband? Is he that shock to know it?" Izumi asked to Kaoru.
"I guess so. I discovered that he made a background check about your daughter and you know, the information was so wrong."
"Gomen, my daughter was using my grandfather's surname and my son faked the identity of my daughter." Izumi explained.
"That's okay, but I can't believe that you allow my son to drag your daughter out after what my husband did."
"I have my sources, a lot of them." Izumi replied and then laughed. He approached Ioran and whispered something serious to him.
"You need to… change. This is your last chance, I give no second chances, you know. Great thing, your son didn't grow up like you." Then Izumi walked out of the conference hall, ignoring the presses that were trying to interview him.
Hyuuga Ioran heard and absorbed it very well; treating it like a bomb threat that if he failed to follow, would blow up everything.
End of Chapter 15