Chapter 2 : Wall Street Shuffle

She hadn't slept a bit. If it hadn't been the recent death of her mother wringing out the last tears she had had left, it had been her feeling lousy for treating Joey in such a despicable way. Not only had she left him alone only a few minutes after telling him that his mother had died, no, she had also not told him that she was actually still in Domino. She had resided in a hotel for the night. Her job would have taken her to Domino the day before anyways. If Joey would ever find out what her profession was…he'd be flabbergasted. She had to tell herself over and over again that it was better this way.

She looked at herself in the mirror after having taken a long shower and muttered some random curse. She was looking awful. She couldn't simply look awful. She was supposed to look pretty and spiff, that was her job. She sighed and rolled her eyes at the thought of it. Somehow that was very low. As if she was only looking good. Well, maybe she was and she just hadn't put up with that yet. Her testimonies were speaking another language though.

However, back to the topic. Make-up could work miracles. She applied some and when she was done was a little more satisfied with herself. Now for the clothing: she had picked a simple, yet elegant dark violet dress with a V-neck and a knot at the décolletage which caused the dress to be ruffled at the height of her ribs. At her hips the dress cascaded into a wide skirt which reached to her knees.

She liked the dress; it was very convenient and comfortable. Judged by the weather outside she was going to need tights. It was autumn after all. She took out her silver necklace and put it on. It had three oval shaped pendants diminishing in size attached to it. The according bracelet was made of links shaped in the same form, and the earrings were made of one of these oval shaped pendants.

She took another glance at herself in the mirror and wondered whether she should do something with her hair. She pulled it back loosely. No, a ponytail wouldn't do. She narrowed her eyes and thought about it for a moment.

"Ha! I know!" She picked up a hair clip and pulled back the shorter strands of her hair to clip them at the back of her head.

She mustered the hairdo in the mirror for a moment. "Perfect," she thought and smiled a little. Then she let out a deep sigh. She liked being pretty. But she didn't like being pretty for the men that were booking her. Hopefully the guy was going to adhere to the rules of the agency. No slap and tickle.

However, it was about time she got going. She picked up her purse and left the room.


"It was about time she showed up," he thought grumpily as his escort finally descended from the stairs of the front entrance. He couldn't wait to see her face when she saw who he was. Maybe this day was going to be more amusing than he could have thought. The driver opened the back door of the limo for her and she got in gracefully, revealing a bit of the dark violet dress she was wearing underneath the long black trench coat. As she directed her green eyes at him she gasped.

"Kaiba!" she exclaimed in astonishment. He smirked.

"You don't say, Miss Wheeler," he said drily. Perfect. For a moment she mustered him curiously and with surprise still written in her face. Then her face turned somewhat amused, which again took him by surprise – which, of course, he knew to hide.

"What is so funny?" he sneered at her. She grinned and looked out of the window.

"Oh, nothing. You are just not the customary kind of client," she remarked. He frowned.

"Which would be?"

She glanced at him and then shrugged. "Old, fat men who lack character but make up for that by tons of money."

He smirked. "You will not feel uncomfortable today then," he said. She narrowed her eyes.

"Whatever…"

For the rest of the ride he contended himself with watching her. How long had it been since Battle City? Right, five years. It was amazing what five years could do to a homely little girl. No miracle she was working as an escort. Thinking about that dumb mutt she called her brother it was quite likely that she fit into the pattern perfectly. Pretty and dumb. She didn't look very dumb though. Just pretty. Well, who knew? As long as she didn't spoil his deal, he didn't care. Maybe he could sweeten his day a little by picking on her.

The limo stopped in front of the restaurant. It was one of the most expensive in Domino and surroundings. He could be sure that no one was going to disturb them. Without deigning to look at his escort he made his way into the building. She was surprisingly able to keep up with him in those high-heeled shoes. Without complaining she followed both elegantly and swiftly.

Before they entered the dining hall he grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. She looked up at him fiercely for a moment, but then the anger quickly subsided and she turned indifferent. "All right, listen. One simple rule I bet you are not too dumb to follow, Wheeler: Don't speak unless you are asked to," he told her with a firm, yet low voice. For a second the ferocity came back. "What would a woman like me have to say about the big business?" she asked and then wrung herself free of his grip. Good, now that that was settled, they could proceed safely.

Their coats were taken. He had to admit that even this simple plain dress she was wearing was making her look awesome. Not that he was ever going to say that aloud. A waiter led their way to their private dining nook. The negotiating party wasn't there yet. That was good.

He sat down, and Serenity took her place beside him. "Is there something you have to say now?" he asked monotonously.

She glanced at him. "Indeed. I was wondering what this meeting is about," she answered promptly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "It seems pretty important." He nodded.

"I want to sell my technology to Africa," he said.

She frowned. "What would Africa want with it?" Was she questioning him?

Before he had time to react to her impudence he perceived a voice calling "Ah, Mr. Kaiba!" The three men were entering the area and he got up, and even before he could shoot an angry glance at Serenity she was on her feet as well, smiling at the men. He shook their hands. "And who is the beautiful lady?" Mr. Coleman, one of those men Serenity had described earlier, asked while mustering her greedily. She just stood and kept on smiling. Why wasn't she…? Oh, right.

"This is Miss Wheeler," he announced, and the men nodded at her in acknowledgement and then took their seats.

"I hope you had a good journey, gentlemen," he said.

"Oh yes. And we already enjoyed some of the points of interest in Domino," Mr. Brown said.

"And we had the chance to see your formidable Duel Disk system in action once. It is even more impressive if experienced first-hand," Mr. Bennett added.

He nodded. "I am very pleased to hear that."

After an exhausting deal of negotiations and planning they were almost settled. His escort had behaved comme il faut. But he knew not to count his chickens before they were hatched.

"Your company looks slightly bored, Mr. Kaiba," Mr. Coleman mentioned and Serenity directed her eyes at him with a sweet smile on her face. He got up and held out his hand to Serenity. "May I have this dance?" he asked and she put her hand into his elegantly and let him lead her onto the dance floor. A cha-cha-cha was beginning to play. The three of them watched the spectacle since there wasn't much more to be said.

"I must say, Mr. Kaiba, not only do you have a good nose for business, but for women as well. Such a charming, beautiful young lady," Mr. Bennett said.

He smirked. "In fact, Mr. Bennett, she is more an acquaintance than a close relation," he told him smugly. The man nodded and continued watching.

Mr. Coleman seemed to have a lot of fun. Wait, was he laughing? Had she just said something to him? Oh boy, she was going to spoil it after all! He had to find out what she was saying and...The song was over. Good.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," he said, getting up. They nodded at him. He made his way onto the dance floor, straight towards Mr. Coleman and Serenity. Mr. Coleman smiled at him gleefully.

"Mr. Kaiba, do you want the next dance?" he asked.

"If you wouldn't mind." The elderly man handed Serenity to him and she followed back onto the dance floor. It was a tango. He took her delicate hand into his and put his right hand onto her petite back and she herself put her left hand onto his shoulder. And so they started to move to the music.

"What did you say to him?" he asked with subtle anger hidden in his voice. She glanced at him shortly and then looked away again, as is right and proper while dancing the tango.

"I said nothing he wouldn't have liked. In fact, I was quite flattering and, just to make sure he is completely convinced to buy your technology I even let him grab my butt without complaining. That is against the rules as you have surely read in the contract," she said drily. What a disgusting thought.

He narrowed his eyes. "You shouldn't have," he said.

"Whatever. I'm sure even if I had protested he still would be very inclined to squeeze money out of Africa's poorest." The anger was clearly in her voice, but her face was still somewhat…beautiful. He gave her a questioning look. "Seriously, Kaiba. I know it is not my place to speak my mind here, but I can't help but…" She stopped here for whatever reason.

"But what?" he asked challengingly. It was sure tempting what a little mind like her could have to say about the big business.

"You are selling your technology to these guys who, and I am quite convinced as to that, have probably never seen the tiniest piece of Africa themselves, and then it is done for you, isn't it?" She sounded most accusing.

"So?" he inquired, not knowing what the big deal was. She glanced at him fiercely once more, and then looked to the side again.

"I…felt free to ask what they were planning to do with your technology," she said. He narrowed his eyes. "No worries. I so buttered him up."

"So what are their plans?" She slightly tripped at the question, but caught herself so easily that he almost hadn't noticed. She was a remarkably good dancer.

"They will sell the duel disks to the poor black population for a price they think fair. And then they will stage tournaments in which they can win money…probably as much as one duel disk costs." He thought about that for a moment. That wasn't exactly what he had designed the duel disk for.

She sighed inaudibly. "I know this may not sound…as bad as I make it sound. But it is just not what these people need." He mustered her for a moment.

"What do they need, then?" She considered her answer shortly.

"Work. They need work. They need someone to give them something to work. What use is it to them if they have duel disks to play Duel Monsters with? Being determines consciousness, Seto Kaiba, and I think you of all people know that best." She said those words with much emphasis. He looked at her in surprise. "Or could you have become who you are now if you had been adopted by somebody as poor as a black African? Hardly. Besides, I wonder how a man like you can fall over backwards to achieve something so…" She sighed again. "Just saying…you could surely do better than that." The dance was over and she looked at him inquiringly. Slowly he let go of her. "If you would please excuse me, I need to wash off the disgusting sweat your partner has left on my hand."

He grabbed her hand before she could slip away. "Get your coat, we are leaving." She nodded at him and didn't seem too surprised. He went back to the table. "Gentlemen," he said, and had their attention.

"A nice to look at dance, Mr. Kaiba," Mr. Brown said in a congratulating manner. He nodded at him in acknowledgement.

"Unfortunately I have to leave you now. Your flight is going this evening I figure?"

"That is correct. But say, what makes you leave so soon?" Mr. Coleman asked.

"I have unexpected business matters to attend to. I wish you a pleasant rest of the day. Enjoy Domino a little longer, it is really worth it." The men nodded at him. "You will hear from me soon."

They were sitting in the limo silently. The meeting had turned out much to his advantage. He was not satisfied at all though. And it was her fault. The redhead sitting in front of him had spoiled it all, but not through stupidity. She hadn't even spoiled the deal itself. She had…what had she? He didn't know. What he did know was that he had to reconsider his opinion about dumb women now. He wished he had had a dumb woman with him. But that girl wasn't dumb it seemed.

Wait; was that a tear rolling down her cheek? He narrowed his eyes and mustered her closely.

She gasped when she realized that he was watching her intensively. "Are you crying?" he asked inquisitively, as if it was a crime. Quickly she wiped away the tear.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. He raised an eyebrow.

"What, did it startle you so much to have your butt grabbed?" he jeered. She sneered at him.

"No," she said challengingly, "I think I'm used to that by now, but thank you for the empathy," she spat, and then let out a deep, long drawn sigh which made her lips quiver.

"So what is it?" he inquired impatiently. If there was one thing on earth he couldn't stand apart from losing a duel against Mutou it was a crying girl. She glared at him for a moment.

"My mother died in a car accident yesterday, that's what!" In that moment, the limo stopped and she got out, flinging the door shut and leaving him behind in a very startled state of mind.


He was on his way to the café where he had promised to meet Merissa in the afternoon. He was early, as usual. He didn't like being late. However, the moment he spotted the well-known black limo of KaibaCorp pulling around the bend and stopping in front of the hotel which was across the street from the café he knew he was going to be late today. Especially after realizing that it was Serenity Wheeler getting out of the limo in quite a hurry. He frowned. That couldn't mean anything good. What had Kaiba made up to get at Joey this time?

The limo went off and Serenity was sitting down on the next best bench she could find. She didn't seem to feel too good. Well, who would, one day after losing their mother? Joey was pretty through, so much was sure.

"Hey, Serenity," he said concernedly as he approached. She shot up her head and gasped.

"Oh bugger! What…?" She stopped. "Not that I could ask you that question," she muttered. He raised an eyebrow and sat down beside her.

"What happened? Why did you…Did Kaiba do something to you?" She mustered him for a moment.

"Uhm, no, not quite," she said calmly. She let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the bench.

Raising her hands to the back of her head, she pulled something out of her hair, making the strands that had been clipped together back there come back to the front. Then, with her left hand, she stroke through her hair to get it out of her face. At all times her movements were accompanied by jingling. She was probably wearing a bracelet beneath that trench coat.

She turned to him with a worried look on her face. "You must be asking yourself what I'm still doing here," she said with a sigh. He nodded slowly. Now that she mentioned it: it was strange indeed. "Can you keep a secret for me?" she asked. "It is really important to me that Joey doesn't know." He considered her question for a moment. He didn't like keeping secrets from his best friend. But he could also see that Serenity was very desperate. Maybe he could arrange some kind of deal.

He nodded with a smile. She took in a deep breath. "Good. When I said I had to work…I was telling the truth," she said, "Only I…had to work here today, for Seto Kaiba," she said. He gave her a puzzled look. Quickly she raised her hands calmingly. "Not what you might think now! I am working for an escort service. I am paid to escort whoever wants to be escorted to business meetings and stuff. All I have to do is look pretty and be nice." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Looks like you manage to do that," he said.

She smiled. "If that was a compliment…then thanks. If not…well, I could understand that as well." He mustered her for a moment.

"You don't seem too happy with that kind of job," he stated. She pulled up her shoulders, as if she was feeling cold, and then let out a deep sigh, looking up at the grey sky.

"What should I answer to that?" she wondered aloud. She looked back at him and smiled a little. "Most of the time I don't enjoy it, that's right. But it pays and I…" Her lips stared quivering and she tried to contain herself.

"Serenity you…don't have to tell me if…" She shook her head.

"No, it's all right. I just…had to work because my mother couldn't have paid the house anymore. We tried selling it several times, but it didn't work. So I thought this was the best alternative to walking the streets."

He leaned back against the lean as well and put his hands into his pockets, letting out a deep sigh. "Joey never told me you were in such trouble," he said. She chuckled ironically.

"Because I never told him."

He turned to her in sheer surprise. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "Because I…I owe you too much already," she said. He raised an eyebrow. What exactly did she owe them? "My eyesight, for example," she reminded him.

He smiled. "Yes, I remember. Duelist Kingdom." She nodded.

"Besides…I wanted to make it on my own. I can't always depend on Joey. I guess I just…wanted to prove that I'm not the little baby sister anymore." She bit her lip. "Worked out pretty well it seems." There was clear sarcasm in her voice.

He chuckled. "To Joey you will always be his baby sister." She nodded with a chuckle.

"That's why he may never find out what my work is. And…really, he'd explode if he'd ever find out that it was Seto Kaiba I worked for today."

He grinned. "Indeed. It surprises me though." Why would Seto Kaiba need to hire an escort? He doubted that there was any woman in the world who wouldn't want to go with him. Except for Serenity, that is. Maybe that was the thrill.

"He didn't exactly say why he had hired me in the first place," she said. "Very strange…" Then she got up. "Thank you," she said, "for listening."

He got up as well. "I think you should tell Joey about your job. He deserves to know."

She sighed. "Yeah, I thought you would say so. You're his best friend, after all." He smiled at her.

"I'll keep my mouth shut though. I promise." She tried to smile, but it was sadder than anything she could have done at that moment.

"I need to get going." For a moment they just looked at each other. It seemed like she still had something on her mind. "I guess I'll…see you at the funeral, if you want to." He gave her a surprised look. She rolled her eyes. "Like anyone would like to go to a funeral," she muttered, reprimanding herself. He shook his head.

"No, that's okay. I think we'll all join, if you would like us to."

She nodded. "I would." With that she turned around and made her way into the hotel. He let out a deep sigh. Who would have thought that she could get into such trouble? He couldn't quite tell if they could have helped her with that at all. Duel Monsters wasn't the solution to everything it seemed.

He crossed the street and noticed that Merissa was already waiting inside, looking out of the window. He gave her a smile and went in, joining her at her table.

"Hey," he said, gently kissing her hand. She smiled. "I'm sorry for being late," he said. She mustered him curiously.

"Who was that girl delaying you?" she asked. He gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, uh…that was Serenity Wheeler. Joey's little sister."

She frowned. "She was not so little." He chuckled.

"No, she's grown a little older since the last time we met it seems."

"How much older?" Why was she so interested in that? Did this questioning fall under the topic of things men don't have to understand about women?

"Five years or so." She smiled.

"She's pretty." He nodded.

"Yes, certainly. But let's not talk about her. What was your day like?"


"Hey Seto!" He marched into his mansion, ignoring his younger brother, making a beeline for his office. "Seto?!" He stopped and looked at Mokuba. "What was it like?" he asked curiously. He grunted and went on into his office. It had been the most out of control day since long! Outrageous, that's what it had been like! He smashed the door shut and sat down at his table, brooding over what to do. Her words didn't want to leave his mind. Geez, she had quoted Marx! She was probably the only escort in the whole wide world who could do something like that. He groaned and rolled his eyes.

He picked up the phone and dialed the number of his secretary. "Mr. Kaiba?" she asked indifferently.

"Please draft a letter to Mr. Bennett telling him that the deal is off," he muttered.

"Immediately, Mr. Kaiba." He chucked the handset onto the retainer and leaned back in his chair, narrowing his eyes pensively. That girl definitely owed him some now. And he already had an idea how she could make up for this farce. The door of his office was opened carefully.

"Mokuba," he said, "come in, I wanted to talk to you anyways." Almost timidly the teenager stepped in. "You know, I was wondering whether you knew who my escort was today." A glimmer of amusement lit up in his brother's eyes.

"What if I did?" he inquired. He shrugged. "I was just being curious. To answer your question: It was…interesting." Mokuba grinned and, being satisfied, left the office.

With a chuckle he picked up the handset once more and dialed a number. "BKB Models, Catherine at your service," a high-pitched voice said. He rolled his eyes. That was the category dumb and blonde he supposed. "This is Seto Kaiba speaking."

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba! How pleasant to hear from you. Were you satisfied with Ms. Wheeler?" He raised an eyebrow, wondering if she knew how equivocating she was. "Yes yes. About her: I have an offer to make…" he said with a smirk.