Seto and Mokuba Kaiba walked into their usual restaurant for Friday nights. The staff all knew them, knew their order, and what table they preferred. The Kaiba brothers didn't usually eat at the same place twice, but there was something special about this food. It made them feel as if all was okay in the world. The restaurant itself was average, but the food was unlike any other. Seto's steak was cooked and flavored to perfection, and Mokuba's pasta was to die for. As they sat down, the waitress confirmed that they were having what they always ordered and ran off to the kitchen to notify the cooks. She brought them their drinks, lemonade for Mokuba and a glass of red wine for Seto. The blonde waitress brought them their food, along with another glass of wine, and left them to their dinners.

"Say Seto, do you ever get tired of going out to eat every night?" Mokuba asked, "I mean, the kitchen at home hasn't been used since you inherited it."

"Mokuba, you know why we don't use the kitchen."Seto replied icily.

"Well, we have the money; why not hire a personal chef? That way, we don't have to use the kitchen ourselves. It might help us avoid the press, too."

"I hadn't thought about that," the older brother replied. Seto Kabia leaned back, thoughtfully. "Who the hell would we hire? We would be letting them into our home, and they would have to live with us because of how often our schedule changes. We can't just hire somebody off the street, and any good chef in the city is probably already employed."

"Why not ask the chef here? We like his food, and he probably gets crappy pay here compared to what we could pay him." Mokuba suggested.

Seto sipped his wine and thought for a moment. Mokuba did have a point. The chef here prepared food good enough for the brothers to become regulars. He thought that a chef of such skill should be working at a much nicer establishment. "I think you're onto something. I think I'll ask to speak with the chef after we're done with dinner, perhaps we'll discuss it over dessert." He signaled the waitress to come to them.

"Are you gentlemen ready for the check?" The girl asked politely as she cleared their plates.

"No, actually, I would like to speak with your chef. Could you have him come out here after he prepares us a dessert?"

"Is everything okay? Was there a problem with your dinner?" The girl looked scared.

"I would prefer you not ask questions about things that do not pertain to you. Just fetch me the chef after he prepares us a dessert." Kaiba growled.

The waitress hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, but decided to keep her mouth shut, before she hurried off to the kitchen. She returned moments later. "Chef MacArthy shall be with you shortly. Chef is preparing a devil's food cake with a raspberry ganache for you gentlemen."

"Fantastic, I await to taste more of his work." Kaiba replied.

"I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised, Mr. Kaiba." The waitress smiled. Seto thought he could hear the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice as she told them that the chef would bring the dish out personally.

Ten minutes, and another glass of wine later, and a woman in a black chef's coat came to their table with a plate with two generously sized slices of cake on it. Kaiba narrowed his eyes, for this was surely not Chef MacArthy. A woman could never cook to his standards. "I thought Chef MacArthy was bringing us the cake?" he questioned the girl. Kaiba noticed that she was about his age. She was short and had a curvy figure, with alabaster skin, green eyes, and curly red hair poking out of her hat. Her face was covered in freckles. She could have been pretty if she weren't in a messy kitchen uniform.

"And I did. Chef Colette MacArthy at your service, may I ask what you requested me for, Mr. Kaiba?" She set the dish down in between the brothers. "Dig in; my devil's food cake is ironically heavenly." She chuckled and handed the brothers forks.

"You must be mistaken, is there another Chef MacArthy here? Your brother? Father? Husband?" Seto was certain that this girl couldn't be the head chef here.

"Not at all, I am the only MacArthy in Domino. Do you have a problem with me being a woman?" Her green eyes showed no emotion, which Kaiba thought was strange for a woman. Most women he knew were easy reads if you looked into their eyes. This girl, however, was a mystery.

"I suppose that I am merely taken by surprise. Most restaurants have a predominately male kitchen staff. I've never met a head chef that was female." Kaiba surprised even himself with his honesty.

"Do you know why I'm the only female executive chef in Domino?" She asked. There was a harsh tone to her voice.

Kaiba proceeded with caution, "No, please enlighten me as to why you are."

"Because this is a male dominated field, it is hard for a woman to even get into a kitchen, let alone make her way to the top. I made it to the top not only because I am the best at what I do, but because I am not afraid to take out anybody who gets in between me and my goals. You can't get to the top without squishing a few of your competitors. You, Mr. Kaiba, of all people, should understand that."

Kaiba took a bite of the cake, analyzing the flavor. Ironically heavenly was right. The cake was moist and light. The balance between the chocolate and the raspberry was just right. The filling between the layers was smooth and sweet. "Impressive." Kaiba mused.

"My speech, or my cake, Mr. Kaiba? Please elaborate." Colette MacArthy put her hands on her hips.

"Both, actually, which brings me to why I requested you come out here. I have a proposal for you." Kaiba took another bite of his cake, savoring it in case she declined his offer.

"I'm listening." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I have been eating dinner here with my brother for quite some time. The only thing that keeps us coming back is the food." Kaiba avoided saying 'your food,' for he was still uncertain that this girl was the chef. I would like to interview you to come and be our personal chef. You would have to leave your job here if you accepted the job. You would move into our home and cook only for us and any guests we choose to entertain. If we plan an event, you will be in charge of any and all catering. On top of us covering your living expenses, you would receive twice your salary here."

The redhead considered it for a while. The brothers finished their cake before she finally looked at Seto and asked, "How much freedom would I have with what I serve?"

"We're both allergic to mushrooms, so no mushrooms. You would submit a menu for me to review by 7 pm every Sunday night. We would still be able to request you add certain things to the menu. Do you have any other questions?"

"None at all, Mr. Kaiba."

Both of them were aware that Mokuba was following every word of their conversation intently. They both looked at him.

"Well?"Mokuba asked. "Does the Kaiba household have a chef?"

"Not yet. I still have to officially interview her." Kaiba told his brother.

"Hold on, I haven't accepted your offer yet." The young chef reminded him. May I contact you at a later time with my answer?'

"Very well." Kaiba grumbled, "You have 48 hours." He handed her a business card with his number on it.

"Thank you, I appreciate the offer." She shook his hand, and returned to the kitchen.

Kaiba snorted, paid the waitress, and left the restaurant with Mokuba. As their limo pulled up, Mokuba turned to him. "Big Brother, what did you think of her? " It had been years since Mokuba had called him that, so Kaiba knew there was something other than food on his mind.

"Mokuba, I know she's a woman, but she may be working for us. That's unprofessional. And she was far too argumentive."

"You mean she didn't bend over backwards for you? Come on, I saw how you looked at her when she first came out. You gotta admit, she's pretty."

"Hmmph. I suppose, if she wasn't covered in food."

"I hope she accepts the interview. It'll be nice to eat at home for once."Mokuba smiled at his brother as the limo pulled up to their mansion. "Plus, she can make us as much of that cake as we want!"

"That was good cake." Seto mused. "Now get to bed, we have that press conference for the new Duel Disk launch tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Mokuba pouted as he climbed the staircase. Seto followed close behind him, ready for bed. Both of the brothers fell asleep as soon as they hit their beds.

Colette unlocked the apartment door quickly, and quietly. She turned the lights on to see Dale, her little wolf sable Pomeranian in his basket. She took him out to do his business and pulled out the business card that Kaiba had given her. It was white, with the Kaiba Corporation logo embossed in silver along with a phone number. She sighed; Colette liked the restaurant she worked at. She would miss her coworkers that she had gotten to know over the past 2 years she had been there. It was time for a change though, and she hoped that if she got the job as the brothers' personal chef, she would find the freedom to do as she wished with her skills as a chef, rather than having to put out the same crappy, out of season dishes day in and day out. There was a tugging at her pant leg. Dale had his front paws on her shin, and was wagging his curly tail. He was always so happy when she came home. Having a companion to come home to made her boring job a little more tolerable. She took Dale back inside, and locked the door. After a shower, and watching a recording of the evening's news, Colette cuddled up with Dale and went to sleep.