Author's Note

Hi guys! Did you miss me? Sorry it took me quite some time to write again I've been busy... really busy... with school.

Uhmmm... I just like to clarify that I have no idea about what is going on in a company... I tried researching but the information I got were not really helpful and as you all know I'm too busy to make more researches so please bear with it... The series where I based this fic actually has a shoe company so I'll just also base it from there…

Oh yeah... thanks for the reviews^^ I really appreciate them

Ryuukou

seriously, how many times have you changed your penname? If by next time I post another update and your penname is different again, I'll just refer to you as horsy, okay? Well, I also changed my penname a couple of times already but you beat me to it.., haha.., you changed yours more often than I did..lol…

I don't really like tragedy… in fact, I prefer comedy…lol

Yennefer

hehe thank you^^... I'll do my best to finish this fic, I promise... but right now.., my schedule is really hectic so it might take a long time for me to do so...

Miyu Nanami

waah... thanks for supporting my fics…hehe

Cyaaz

thanks^^... though I think I prefer wolfy than puppy…, just saying

Stubbornheroine

whoah... I wasn't expecting you... hehe maybe you sensed something about this fic... something concerning a silver-haired guy... lol, but he isn't here yet.., maybe next chapter.., and yeah that's it.., hihi... it's just that I really really love comedy^^…,

NelshAZ

hehe... thanks^^ and sorry for the late update


The President's Lover

Chapter 2

The Rivalry

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/ Seed Destiny


Athrun parked his motorbike in front of a certain building in the capital of Orb where Cagalli lived. The five storey building was painted in white while the gate was painted black. There was a mini garden in front with a fountain at the center. It really looks like a place for the rich people.

"Hey Miss, we're here!", he announced. He noticed that her hold on his jacket tightened. "Miss, I said we're here", he repeated as he bumped her helmet with his.

Cagalli slowly opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. She was indeed in front of her house. She gently got off from the motorcycle and stretched a bit.

"Will you wait for me? I still need to go somewhere and my car is not here?", she asked. She knew that she was already abusing his kindness but she had no other option left. She only had 45 minutes remaining and the Athha manor was around 30 minutes drive from her house. If she was going to wait for a taxi, it might take her more time and she was pretty sure that she wouldn't make it in time.

Athrun seemed to think about it for a while. Realizing that he didn't have anything better to do, he said yes.

"Thanks", Cagalli said as she dashed towards her unit. Athrun watched her as she entered the building. A gentle smile was formed on his lips. He was really amused by her. After around, 15 minutes, she returned wearing a beige trench coat that reached past her knees matched with a pair of black shoes with heels and a purse on her right hand.

"Wow! So you are indeed a girl after all", Athrun said. He couldn't help but tease her. He felt like he wanted to see her reaction if he says that.

"What is that supposed to mean, Mister?", she arrogantly asked while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

He received a death glare from her which he returned with a smile.

"Well... you look good in that outfit", Athrun complemented her instead making her to blush a bit

"Don't talk about nonsense", she yelled at him trying to suppress her blush.

Then Athrun's face became serious which made Cagalli wondering. He placed a hand under his chin as if he was thinking something important.

"What?", she asked in an annoyed manner while narrowing her eyes on him.

"Are you sure you're going to ride my motorbike with that outfit?", he asked.

"What's wrong about it, mister?", she asked back with her arms still crossed in front of her chest.

Athrun scratched the back of his head then answered, "Well, I... I've never seen a woman in a dress riding a motorbike". He was laughing sheepishly.

"Tsk, just because you haven't seen one, it doesn't mean that we can't", she replied as she ride his bike again.

"So where do you want to go now, princess?", he asked.

"To Heliopolis City", she replied then he started driving.


It was roughly five minutes before 7PM when they reached the Athha residence. Athrun parked his motorcycle a few meters away from the gate as Cagalli instructed him.

"CRAP!", she cursed as she hurriedly went off from his motorbike.

"Hey, wait!", Athrun tried to call her back but she just continued running towards the gate where a guard was standing on his post.

"Open the gate", Cagalli ordered while still running. She didn't have time to waste.

The guard stared at her with a surprised look on his face.

"La... lady Athha...", he said while stuttering.

"Just open the damn gate, will yah?", she yelled scaring the poor guard. He hurriedly opened the gate then Cagalli rushed inside. As she reached the mansion, she checked her watch. It was already 7:01. She cursed on her mind and slowly opened the front door.

"You are late", an authoritative voice said.

"I'm sorry father", Cagalli said as she bowed her head a bit.

"And what is that in your head?", he asked as he glared at her daughter.

Cagalli was surprised. She looked up a bit and realized what her father was talking about. She tried to remove it but her head seemed to be stuck on it. She pulled it harder until it finally let go of her head. Then she heard somebody chucked from behind her father.

"It's nice to see you again, dear cousin", A pink haired woman said as she walked towards Cagalli. She had a tender smile on her face.

"Lacus!", Cagalli said as she also approached her cousin and gave her a hug. "It's also nice to see you again", she added as they let go of each other.

"Cagalli, you ride a motorcycle, didn't you?", her father interrupted. He wan't seemed to be pleased with what she had done.

Cagalli slowly turned to face her father.

"I... I'm sorry father", she said as she bowed her head and cursed again on her mind.

"You are late and you rode a motorcycle", her father repeated as if what she did were crimes. Well, those were just two the things that he hated her doing. Actually, that was the first time that Cagalli rode a motorbike. She didn't want to disobey his father but the circumstances forced her to do so. But in the end, she was still late by a minute and her father was mad at her.

"Uncle, can you just save it for next time, I want to spend some time with my cousin. We haven't seen each other for ages", Lacus butted in. Uzumi Nara Athha turned to look at her and smile.

"Of course, Lacus. You've been away for so long", he replied then turned back to his own daughter. "I will let you off this time thanks to your cousin", he said then walked towards the dining area where a blonde man was waiting.

"What do you want?", Cagalli asked when her father was no longer in sight.

Lacus smiled sweetly at her. "Nothing, I'm just afraid that I will not be able to stop myself from laughing while your father is scolding you, that's all". Her gentle smile turned into a smirk.

Cagalli just glared at her. She perfectly knew that Lacus didn't stop her father from scolding her to save her.

Lacus' smile grew wider. "You have nothing to retort, Cagalli? Or did my courageous cousin became a weakling while I'm gone?", she mocked at her.

"Tsk", Cagalli hissed as she walked towards the dining area.

"Wait!", Lacus called as she grabbed her arm. "I'm not yet done talking to you", she said as her grip on her arm tightened.

"What?", she snapped at her. She wasn't really in the mood to fight with her.

"I just want to warn you", she said.

"Warn me about what?", Cagalli asked back with sarcasm in her voice.

"Well... I might steal the company from you, so beware", Lacus said while still smiling as she let go of Cagalli's arm and proceeded to the dining area.

Cagalli gritted her teeth and glared even more at her cousin then followed her.

As they entered the dining area, Lacus and Cagalli sat beside their own fathers. The foods were already served by the maids.

"Cagalli", Uzumi spoke. "The reason why I invited you tonight is not only to welcome Lacus but also to tell you that Lacus will be reporting for work in our company starting tomorrow. She will take over her father's position as the Vice President", he added.

The news surprised Cagalli. It means that Lacus was serious about what she said earlier.

"Wow, that's great father", she replied after recovering from the initial shock. It was a good thing that they haven't started eating yet or else she might have choked on her food. She turned to lacus and smiled at her. "Congratulations Lacus. I'm looking forward to having you in our company", she said with a fake enthusiasm in her voice.

"Thank you. I'm so excited to work with you", Lacus replied with another fake smile on her thin lips.

"I'm glad that both of you are getting along well", Uzumi spoke again. "But... May I remind you Cagalli that the sales for this year did not improve?".

"But it didn't go down either, father", Cagalli argued and regretted it instantly when she noticed that her father was glaring AGAIN at her.

"Isn't it in your goal to improve the sales of the company? Are you already satisfied with the company's performance? If you are, then I think that Lacus will make a better president than you", he angrily said making Cagalli dumbfounded.

"Uzumi, aren't you a bit harsh on your daughter? It's just a couple of months since she took over the company", Siegel tried to depend Cagalli.

"She is an Athha, Siegel! She must be dedicated to her work", Uzumi reasoned out. Siegel let out a sigh and faced Cagalli with an apologetic smile. Uzumi was so hard to convince about things concerning the company.

"Don't worry Uncle, I will help Cagalli to improve the company", Lacus said to lighten up the conversation.

"See, you should think like Lacus", Uzumi said while looking at his daughter. "She's really concern with the company".

Cagalli remained silent all throughout the dinner unless they address a question to her. She's afraid that she might say something that will make her father disappointed again.


Athrun stayed where he parked his motorbike waiting for Cagalli. He checked his watch and it was now 10:00 PM.

"That woman! How dare she take the helmet with her", he said to himself as he munched on the sandwich he brought with him. He would have gone home after bringing the blonde in that place but she unfortunately took his helmet. Well, he could've just bought another helmet but that one was a gift from his mother. He treasured everything that his mother gave him.

After a few minutes, he caught a sight of the blonde woman going out of the gate. He smiled as he noticed the helmet on her right hand but it instantly faltered when realized that she was looking down while walking aimlessly. He suddenly felt concerned for her.

"Are you okay?", he asked as she was already near him. Cagalli was surprised upon hearing his voice. She looked up and Athrun was able to see the tears she was holding at the corner of her eyes.

"Here!", she said as she handed him the helmet. "Thank you", she added but it was almost a whisper.

"What happened?", he asked as he took it from her. He knew that he shouldn't meddle in someone else's life much more a stranger but he couldn't help it. In just a very short period of time, he can already conclude that she is a strong woman but the blonde in front of him looks so fragile.

"It's none of your business", she answered a bit coldly. She didn't mean to be rude to him after what he had done for her but she was really down right now and she didn't want to share it with a stranger.

"I'm sorry", Athrun replied. "You need a ride back home?", he asked while also trying to change the topic of their conversation.

"I... I don't feel like going home yet. Can you just bring me somewhere where I can drink some alcohol? I really need it right now", she asked.

"But you know that it won't help you solve your problem, right?", he said.

"I know, I just want to forget about it even for a night", she replied.

"Alright then", he said. "Here", he continued while handing her back the helmet.


Athrun brought her to the bar where he always hanged out. It was located in the Capital of Orb. They went straight to the counter where a brown haired bartender with a pair of amethyst eyes was assigned.

"Oi, Athrun... Who do we have here?", he greeted as the two of them sat on the chairs. Then Cagalli took off the trench coat revealing a simple black dress.

Athrun took a glance at her before answering. "Just give us some delicious alcohol, Kira".

"Alright, alright. No need to be so grumpy", Kira replied as he get two glasses of the usual drink that Athrun orders then placed it in front of Athrun. Athrun took one of them and handed it to Cagalli.

"Thanks", she said as she took it from him and drank it in just one gulp then placed the glass on the table.

"You should drink moderately", Athrun reminded her. He was really surprised by her action.

"The faster I get drunk, the better", Cagalli just replied as she ordered another drink.

"Maybe if you talk it out, you'll feel better", Athrun suggested then drank his own alcohol.

"To a stranger like you?... tsk", she replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Sometimes, telling your problem to a complete stranger is more relieving than telling it to a close friend. I personally feel a sense of assurance when ranting about my problem to someone I really don't know", he said.

"And why is that?", she asked.

"Well, I don't expect that person to blab about it to some other person", he answered plainly.

"I guess you're right", she said then emptied her third glass.

"So?", he said as if telling her to start her story.

"I still don't want to", she stubbornly replied.

"But you have trust in me, don't you?", Athrun said.

"Don't be so full of yourself, stranger", she answered.

"C'mon, do you always allow a stranger to know where you live?", he said which got her to be silent for a while.

After some time, she started laughing.

"What's so funny?", he asked.

"Well, I just realized that I'm such an idiot!", she said while still laughing a bit. "Maybe that's why my father hates me so much", she added. Her tears were threatening to fall.

"So it was about your father, huh?", Athrun said as he downed his second glass. He didn't like the idea of the woman beside him drinking more alcohol than he does but he needed to keep himself sober or else, both of them will not be able to go home.

"I tried my best to make him proud of me, but it seems like my efforts were all in vain. I feel like I'm not his daughter at all. He threats my cousin like she is his real daughter and not me", she continued.

"You know what? My father always scolds whenever he sees me", he said.

"Then, I guess we're the same", Cagalli replied while laughing bitterly but Athrun shook his head.

"I don't think so, Missy. It was my fault afterall. I've been such a rebellious son unlike you who tried to impress your father", he said. "He is scolding me but I think it's because he wants the best for me. If you were his daughter, then you'll be the perfect daughter ever".

"I wish I could also say that for my father but my situation isn't like that".


It was already 12 midnight when they decided to leave the bar. Cagalli was extremely drunk as well as Athrun.

"Hey, Miss... get a hold of yourself", Athrun said as he tried to keep their balance. Cagalli was too drunk to walk on her own so Athrun was supporting her. After a few minutes, they reached the loading/unloading area of the street. They stayed there to wait for a taxi since Athrun was drunk so he couldn't use his motorcycle. While waiting, Cagalli sat on the pathway for pedestrians, which was elevated by a few inches while Athrun remained standing.

Then it started to rain. Cagalli looked up and watched the rain fall down from the dark sky. Then she noticed that Athrun was already walking away. She smiled bitterly. In the end she was still alone. The tears she was holding for such a long time started to flow out of her amber eyes. She looked down trying to hide her tears with her bangs even though there is nobody who will see her since the street was completely empty.

After a while, she no longer felt the rain falling on her even though she could still hear it. She lifted her face and revealed her tear-stained eyes.

"Do you really think that I will leave you alone while the rain is pouring?", Athrun asked while holding an umbrella.

"What are you going to do with such a good heart?", she said while laughing faintly.

"But I'm not as good hearted as you think", he said then helped her to stand up. "There's no taxi coming here, and I can't use my motorbike since I am drunk. Where are you planning to stay for the night?",he asked.

"I...", then she passed out.

"Hey miss!, wake up, wake up!", Athrun said while tapping her lightly on her cheeks but she showed no sign of waking up.

-to be continued...


AN: So, what do you think? Please leave a review^^

... if you're gonna ask where did Athrun kept the helmet before he invited Cagalli for a ride... then I am telling you... I also don't know...lol

... and just so you know, I'm not familiar with alcoholic drinks so...again, just bear with me^^

... by the way... I've been thinking of a nice name for the teddy bear company but I can't seem to arrive at something nice... so if you guys can give me any suggestion, I will really appreciate it... oh and I also haven't made a decision about athrun's position in the company... ^^