"So the name's Fushimi Saruhiko," said Himada Sadao, the CEO of the Kanto Mining Complex and stockholder of many reputable companies. "I suppose you'll want us there."

"Hey!" replied his son-in-law, "Please don't forget who you're talking to. I don't like you any more than you like me. No, it's Kisa who wants her darling parents beside her. Soppy, right? It's not like she is on her deathbed. Anyways, see ya!"

Himada just shook his head. Can't he ever talk without his voice dripping with sarcasm?

He flicked his PDA off and dialled another number.

After a few rings, it was answered by Yumio Sadao, vice-president of the Golden Travels Agency.

"What do you want? I'm in the midst of a presentation. Do you think all I do here is surf the net, drink coffee and gossip, huh?! I don't need you all bothering me. I have enough trouble at work as it is, with my colleagues and subordinates. I -"

"Kisa has given birth to a boy. You are to go to the hospital. I have a meeting. It won't be long - 20 minutes. I will arrive there shortly."

"But I have just told you. I have to review some presentations. Just bail your meeting. Moreover, they called you instead of me, so you should be the one to go."

"I can't 'just' bail it. I'm meeting potential clients. What about you? You're just reviewing the skills of some newbies, aren't you? You can just postpone it and order them to get the hell out of your office. I can almost imagine their scared little faces."

Yumio sighed. "Okay, okay. I understand," she began slowly, "You're busy, I'm busy. How about I tell Saki to visit her sister until our arrival, hmm? Solves all problems, doesn't it?"

"Fine then." Saying so, he hung up.


Saki was in the cafeteria with her friends when she received a message. From mother? That's rare. I wonder what she wants.

She opened it.

The child is born. It's a boy. Stay with Kisa until we arrive.

Saki immediately burst into tears. Excusing herself, she ran into the bathroom. Poor girl!

She splashed cold water into her eyes, wishing with all her might that what she had just read was not true. But her sister had been pregnant for months. Of course, it was true!

The tears finally stopped. She looked up at her reflection. Her eyes were red and puffy, mascara dripping and her lipstick was out of place. She carefully wiped off her make-up and started redoing it. Never would she let Niki see her like this. Pathetic! She had fallen helplessly for the wrong guy.


When Fushimi Saruhiko was little, he was taken care of by Eugena, a maid in her 20's. She fed him, bathed him, played with him, sang him songs and narrated him stories. She did the best she could to give Saruhiko a childhood as joyful as possible in that big desolate mansion.

Saruhiko called her 'Ji-Ji' while she reciprocated by calling him lovingly 'Saru-kun.'

Unfortunately, she was sacked by the woman with the wavy hair. That mean lady who always wore an expressionless mask and walked around the mansion, clacking in her high heels. That mean lady who always barked orders at the helpless maids. That mean lady who scolded them so severely that the maids had tears in their eyes every time they exited her office. That mean lady who always looked at him with icy coldness.

Saruhiko didn't know that she, whom he and Ji-Ji called 'Mrs. Witch,' was his own mother.

That must be the reason why she fired her. 'Mrs. Witch' was not a nice name. Being young, Ji-Ji frequently quarreled with the other maids. So someone must have told on her. At least, that's what the little genius thought.

Saruhiko didn't know that it was because Eugena had slept with Niki.

Niki had sent a video of them doing it to Kisa with the words 'Jealous, baby?' Although Kisa didn't like to admit it, she was jealous. Living under the same roof with him for just a few months made her realise that her husband was a thing of beauty and it hurts to know that he would never be interested in her. But that reason doesn't justify her behaviour towards her son.

There were lots of things that Fushimi Saruhiko didn't know about. But the most important of them was that Niki was his father. In fact, he had never seen him till he had attained the age of four.

Therefore, Saruhiko would be confused when the mean lady would be on the phone talking to someone she frequently addressed as Niki, begging him to come home. But after Ji-Ji was fired, she stopped calling the person. Saruhiko was very confused.


On his fourth birthday, a man came to the mansion - a man with handsome features. But he was not wearing one of those awful black suits. So Saruhiko concluded that he was not one of the mean lady's friends.

He was alone that day but, then again he had always been left alone. Hence, at the tender age of four, Saruhiko possessed considerable courage when it came to dealing with strangers. So instead of running away to seek an adult, he crept out of his room, his left hand clutching a teddy bear, he softly asked him, "Who are you?"

The stranger was removing his shoes. When he heard him, he slowly lifted up his face and smirked. "Hello, pleasure to meet you, Saruhiko. I'm Niki."

Recognizing the name, Saruhiko quickly said, "The lady is not here. I heard her talking on the phone about going to a conference."

"Hmm," Niki said, "Who are you talking about? Going to a conference? Oh! I get it! You mean Kisa. Didn't she tell you? I'm your father."

Saruhiko's mouth gaped open. He didn't think he had a father ... or a mother, for that matter. Ji-Ji was the only one who ever came close to a mother-figure but she was gone. He had always thought that he had been adopted by a wealthy family who never came home or that his parents had died leaving him in full charge of the entire property.

Seeing the child's expression, Niki chuckled. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that I was your father? I'm sure she has pictures of me somewhere."

"M-My mother?"

He frowned and said, "Yes, your mother. You know, the woman that lives here with you." How was it possible that a dumb-head like this could be his child? He was a frigging genius and as for Kisa, well, she may not be as intelligent as him but her IQ level was way above the average. The world must be playing some horrible practical joke on me.

Saruhiko couldn't believe it. The nasty, mean lady was his mother? The man must be lying. "She is not."

"Of course, she is. Who did you think she was?"

He quietly processed the information. He had a father, whom he had just met and also a mother, the woman which he had despised his entire childhood. Finally, when his voice returned, he asked, "Why did you marry such a mean lady?"

At his question, Niki chuckled again. "Oh, maybe you're not that different from me at all. To be honest, I don't really know."