"Ivy!" the harsh crow-like voice of my grandmother startled me from my thoughts.
I flinched and looked up at her, clicking my neck in the process. "Yes?"
"You're seventeen today, you need to start thinking of where you will go in life. You need goals."
I rolled my eyes. This talk again. "I told you my plan, I will study technology, mainly that used in gaming and I will eventually become a gaming technology designer." And with that I prepared for what I knew she'd say next.
"I meant something useful in life. You need something steady with a decent pay." She of course knew what she wanted me to do. And she meant for any pay I earned to go towards the family.
"My family can get their own money. They aren't that helpless." I smirked.
It was true. I was partly speaking of the Kaiba family on my father's side. Father was head of a duelling technology corporation. He was harsh and ruthless, cold and heartless. Ever the businessman. The public knows him as Seto Kaiba. I know him as the father I never knew.
He hated it when he fell in love, because he didn't want to show his weaker sides to anyone, in case they then ruined him and used who he loved against him. So he left my mother, unbeknownst to him that she was pregnant with his daughter: me.
I grew up knowing who my father was, because we looked very alike, from hair and eyes to skin-colour. Thankfully no one had picked up on that. He had no idea I even existed, and for that I didn't hate him at all. I understood why he did what he did. And I wanted to meet him eventually, but when I was successful. When I was someone he could be proud of.
My mother, Helen Flint was from a long line of business secretaries and that kind of dull thing, they earned decent pay but that was the only good point about their jobs. Needless to say, I had annoyed several by admitting that I didn't want to become a mere secretary. I had the ambition to rule a corporation, much like the person I wasn't allowed to mention: my father.
"I don't see why you don't want to be a secretary." Grandmother sighed.
Making myself stay calm, I decided on what to say back. "I am smart, more-so than most. I have a gift with technology and a bucket-load of ambition. I don't want to be the slave or secretary; I want to be the master. I want to be something my father can be proud of." I felt like goading her today, I couldn't resist saying the 'f' word.
She tensed and went pale, her already thin lips nearly disappearing into a hard line. I knew I already reminded my family of Seto Kaiba with my looks inherited from him, but I couldn't resist reminding them more.
"Sorry, grandmother; can't help being a daddy's girl." I smirked and picked up the news-tablet. They were what we read the daily news on, electronically of course. The only newspapers in the world nowadays were in museums apparently.
I scanned the "pages" and my eyes widened as I spotted a headline. 'Kaiba Corporation Announces New Tournament'.
Basically in the article it said that my father's corporation were going to bring duelling back with an all new tournament. He had been a well-known duellist in his younger years, so it wasn't surprising he'd be able to set a tournament up. And apparently there was a secret which I wanted to know.
I wanted to enter, though I didn't have an entry card and to get an entry card I would need a duelling disk and a deck… But then there was a knock on the door.
I switched the news-tablet off and checked who was at the door via the camera system. When I saw who it was I grinned and ran to the door to answer it immediately.
"Uncle Mokuba!" I cheered as I was embraced by my short uncle. He was my father's brother and knew of my existence, but understood to keep it quiet from my father than I existed.
"Happy birthday, Ivy! You're growing up so fast." He grinned, our identical blue eyes, which my father also had, meeting. The main difference between his older brother, my father, and him were that he was short, had long, black hair while father's was brown, and was more open and friendly. But he and his brother adored each other despite their differences.
"I'm only seventeen." I shook my head. "But why are you here today?" He shook his head, meaning 'not here'. I nodded. "Come see my room, uncle."
I led him through the house to my room, where the camera recognized me and opened the door, closing it behind us.
He sighed, seeming more at-ease. "I don't want to be banned from seeing you, so this has to be our little secret. I got you a present since when I heard about it I knew you'd want it but your mother and her family wouldn't buy it for you."
He opened an inner-pocket in his jacket and pulled out a little box. I opened it to see a necklace with a card on it. "I-is this?"
He nodded with a grin. I hugged him tightly. "I recommend you keep it hidden, I'll meet up with you soon and take you through the preparations."
"Can't you teach me now?" I begged.
He shook his head sadly. "Sorry, I have to help with the tournament preparations. I'll be in contact soon."
I smiled and hugged him again, slipping the 'necklace' around my neck and hiding it beneath my shirt before letting him out. The rest of my birthday was pretty quiet, just being made to act somewhat nice to relatives I disliked.
Family gatherings were always dull. So I spiced them up. The only one I could really put up with, apart from uncle Mokuba, was my mother. While she did forgive my father for what he did, she would never forget her broken heart. But sadly, these days, she wasn't the most assertive person. So she didn't really do anything to stop her controlling relatives from severing ties between her and my father.
While we were very different people, she loved me in her own way. And she was my mother so I could never hate her. Her love for me was kind of bittersweet because of how like my father I was, yet she loved me despite the pain of memory.
AN: Hello dear reader, this is the beginning of my new fanfic. I will do my best to update it regularly, but with a hectic life I make no promises. I hope you enjoy reading this, and feedback is always welcome! :)