The Art of Deception and Lies
In a world where social status was everything, it was just the right kind of fling they needed.
Chapter 1: Headlines
"Heir to the Li Corporations, Li Syaoran, and one of the daughters from the wealthy Ishigawa family has been spotted dining together in an Italian restaurant in Tokyo City yesterday."
"But wasn't it just last month that he was seen dating Yumi from the well-off Hanahishi family?"
"From what I heard, they never really had an official relationship."
"Even months ago, there were pictures of him holding hands with the famous model, Antoinette—the heiress for the famous US jewellery company."
"From my perspective, I don't know which of them is lucky—Li Syaoran or the girls that he dates?"
"I'd definitely say the girls that he dates."
A low groan was heard as the man turned off the television from where he sat. There, in the middle of his study room, sat a 25-year-old handsome man with hair of dark chocolate and eyes of intense amber whose focus was now the big screen television. He stared at it blankly and with disdain, even if he already turned it off. There he was, slumped on his couch, not minding that his tux was already getting wrinkled, trying to waste his time by channel surfing until it landed on some entertainment gossip channel and apparently, the show decided to focus on one human being.
And he just happened to be the one they got interested in.
He wouldn't blame them though. Who wouldn't want to follow someone like the Syaoran Li? He was perfect (for a lot of women at least). He's good looking, intellectual, very wealthy and most importantly, he's the heir to one of Japan's largest and well-earning company. He wasn't one to be very discreet about his fame though. Call him conceited but his fangirls would just glare you down until you take back your word.
He is, after all, Syaoran Li. He may be a man full of pride and air, but he had every reason to. Before he could officially take over the huge corporation, his mother gave him one great order that at first he refused to do so: continue bringing in investors and willing partners to their company. At first he thought, it was a very ridiculous and lazy thing to do, but after finding the daughter of the wealthy Kitagawa family, this turned out to be a pretty interesting job after all.
Their company gets their investors; he gets to have his fun.
The one common thing about all the girls he's hung out with is that, they're all wife material. It means that they are very loyal, sophisticated, beautiful and caring. Syaoran may be heartless for suddenly jumping from one of them to another but no woman around his age could just reject his offer of even a single date. They knew the risks of hanging out with him, some of them tried to reject his proposals but most of them failed. Besides, it's a good thing to have partnerships with Li Corp. branches too.
For him, after he dumps them, they can cry all they want but they couldn't say anything about him because after all, having connections with their family was still a big merit for both sides. That was the reason why none of those girls ever made a public complaint about their relationship with him, one wrong word and their connection will be cut off.
It was a cruel world of high social statuses, fame and power. One wrong move and you're out of the game. That was the literal golden rule.
Syaoran sighed as he leaned against his chair and closed his eyes. He was about to doze off until the door opened and revealed a not-so-wanted guest.
"Syaoran!"
Another groan.
"Go away, Hiiragizawa."
But the guest didn't succumb. Instead, he just rolled his eyes and walked towards the Li heir by the couch. Eriol Hiiragizawa was just the same age as Syaoran. Unlike him, the Hiiragizawa company has their headquarters in England but is setting up a new branch here in Tokyo. Eriol, as the only heir from their family, was sent to Tokyo to head the new branch which can also be considered as training for him. So far, he's been doing excellent for a new branch extension.
And also, unlike Syaoran, Eriol was already hooked to the none other than Daidouji princess herself, Tomoyo. They accidentally met at the airport 5 years ago when he first arrived in Tokyo to handle the new branch for their company. And fate just decided to play with them because after their first meeting, they somehow found themselves seeing each other more often than they expected. Cliché as it may seem but for the both of them, it was love at first sight. It's only about time until he asks her to marry him, and according to many, it's going to be any time soon.
"What got you so down?" Eriol asked, raising a brow at his friend. Sure, they weren't exactly childhood friends but Syaoran considers him his best friend, or his wingman—whichever purpose he needs at times.
Eriol's azure eyes followed the direction of where Syaoran's were focusing and found himself staring at the television too. He instantly knew what it was about and with a sigh, he said, "You're on entertainment headlines again?"
Syaoran shot him a glare but the Londoner was used to it, rolling his eyes. Syaoran's glare already confirmed his question. He too, was wearing a tuxedo like him, both obviously going to something formal.
"You're ruining your suit if you continue sitting like that." Eriol warned.
"Who are you? My mother?" Syaoran asked childishly.
"Yes I am, and mommy wants you to stand up right now so we'll leave."
"Very funny, Eriol."
"But seriously man, you have to stand up. We're already late for that big event and we shouldn't be even later than we already are."
"You're just enthusiastic because Daidouji was the one who invited us." Syaoran rolled his eyes, making a move to already sit up straight and finally stand. He straightened out his clothes and just continued running his hands through his already messy hair. "What is the event about again?"
"It's something about her best friend already coming back from the US. She's from that famous Kinomoto family, I believe." Eriol explained.
This made Syaoran raise a brow. "Kinomoto has a daughter?"
Eriol nodded. "It's been a while since she left. Tomoyo mentioned that her friend was studying Medicine in Stanford University since her father believed that education should always be a top priority. So now they're holding a party in celebration for her comeback."
"And you're bringing me along because?"
"Because Tomoyo invited you too!"
Syaoran grumbled under his breath. "Fine, but I won't be staying for too long."
"Got it."
-x-
The two men finally arrived at the event hall.
It was a very big, spacious place with a dance floor in the middle and a long line of buffet table at the side. Every guest wore beautiful gowns and tuxedos, while the butlers wore formal clothes as well. It was a very breathtaking view. The place was well-lighted with a beautiful chandelier on top and the atmosphere was friendly, but at the same time professional.
"As expected of the Kinomoto family," Eriol commented once they got out of the car.
Syaoran followed suit but his face remained indifferent. Growing up from a wealthy family, events like these don't overwhelm him as much anymore.
"Well, let's go."
They both entered the hall and were immediately offered a glass of wine. It seemed like a lot of people already came considering the amount of chatter that can be heard around the place.
"Hey, do you know what Kinomoto's daughter look like?" Syaoran asked.
Eriol shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Though I do have a vague picture of her in my mind, Tomoyo showed me one before when she invited me to this event."
"I bet the daughter's ugly." Syaoran joked.
"Come on Syaoran, she can't be that bad. She looks like an intelligent girl since she graduated from Stanford."
"Exactly. Maybe she's using that intelligence to balance her ugly face." he continued.
Eriol rolled his eyes at him. Sometimes, he just couldn't understand any of Syaoran's so-called "jokes" especially if it's about women. He was about to retort to his last statement when he was cut off by a feminine voice.
"Now that's not a very nice thing to say about the guest of honor, is it?"
Both men immediately turned. Their expressions showed that they are not familiar with the lady present which was a very weird thing since they usually know who's who and which family they are from. So, who is this lady?
Eriol remained calm and as for Syaoran, he was about to make yet another impolite remark until he found himself captivated by the lady's emerald eyes. He was falling deeper into it than he never realized how red his face has already become.
And that was a problem. Syaoran never, ever blushes because of a woman. So what made this girl an exception?
"I…I…"
"Oh my, I never knew men like you were so inarticulate." The girl smirked. Her hair of auburn slowly cascaded past her shoulders and down to her elbows, the tips curled in perfection. Her lips colored in a simple raspberry red color, and her eyes accentuated by the makeup her assistants personally took care of. She wasn't wearing a very flattering gown too; it was just a simple white long dress.
Syaoran would've stared longer if it weren't for her comment. This made him glare at the beautiful stranger, his manners towards girls slowly decreasing.
"Well, I never knew that women like you are fond of meddling into other people's conversations," was his response.
"At least I know how to speak properly in front of other people, no matter how good they look."
Syaoran smirked. "So you think I'm good-looking?"
"Nope, I think you look like an ass."
"Well that's not a very nice thing to come out of a lady's mouth. You mustn't be from here, are you lost little girl? You must be at the wrong party."
Eriol just stood there and watch. He knew he had to stop them sooner or later, but for now, watching them looked interesting. It's not every day you see Syaoran talk back to a lady, even a beautiful one at that. And that is already enough reason for him to just stand by the sands and observe with his wine.
"These words only come out for deserving ones, I believe. And I—" her words were cut short when two ladies came up to her and said, "Miss, I'm sorry but we have to go."
The girl puffed out her cheeks but then gave out and sighed. She turned back to Syaoran to give him one last glare and with a frown she said, "Hopefully I don't see you around, Syaoran Li." And with that, she retreated with her two companions, leaving a confused yet slightly infuriated Syaoran behind.
"What? How did she know my name?" He asked.
"Man, you should even worry if she doesn't know your name." Eriol teased, sipping his wine.
"Shut up." Syaoran groaned. "But man, is that girl hot! You did see how hot she is, right Eriol?" He added.
Eriol rolled his eyes. "Here we go again."
"Too bad she has that potty mouth with that beautiful face and body. She should learn to be all that prim-and-proper, right?"
"I thought you're not interested in those loyal, very ladylike girls anymore?"
This made Syaoran's eyes widen, then narrow again with his lips turning into a smirk. "You're right Eriol, I just need one last requirement and she'll be coming home with me tonight."
"And what is that?"
But Eriol never got an answer. He just saw Syaoran gulp down his wine followed by a satisfied groan after. It was then when another woman came up to them and greeted them.
"Hey, I'm glad you guys made it."
"Tomoyo!" Eriol beamed, leaning in to peck her on the lips. There was his girlfriend of almost 3 years, dressed in a very elegant midnight blue dress that had shimmer designs all over. Her raven hair pulled up into a classic bun, her face covered with light makeup and she had silver peep-toe heels for shoes.
"Hi hon," Tomoyo greeted back. She then turned to Syaoran and said, "Glad you came."
Syaoran just nodded at her, his face still fixed with a glare that Tomoyo couldn't help but wonder what got on his nerves.
"Did something happen?" She queried.
Eriol just chuckled. "I don't think you would want to know right now, Tomoyo. I'll tell you all about it later." He said. "Which reminds me, where's your friend? The one who just came back from the US?"
"Oh, right! I was looking for her actually but it seems that I lost her again. I was about to introduce you guys to her but now I can't find her." Tomoyo sighed. "But no worries, Mr. Kinomoto will introduce her at the stage very soon so you'll meet her eventually."
Eriol nodded.
"For now, why don't we eat? The food here looks delicious."
The three of them lined up to the buffet tables and took their meals. They found a nice table and sat around it.
"I'm surprised you didn't bring a date for tonight, Syaoran." Tomoyo commented.
Syaoran just grumbled.
"What's wrong? Isn't Ishigawa fun to be with?" She asked.
"She's boring," was his response.
"Really Syaoran, I don't know any woman who could suit your taste for a long time. I just hope that my best friend doesn't fall for your so-called charms. I'll seriously pull her out of your relationship if you even dare make fun of her."
"It's not my fault they're not interesting. And hey, since when did you decide who your best friend should be dating? And did you just mock my charms?" Syaoran glared at Tomoyo but the latter seem to be unaffected and just giggled her famous 'o-ho-ho'.
Eriol chuckled. "But you just found someone who's interesting for you, right Syaoran?" This made Tomoyo's ears perk up.
"Really? Who is she then?" She asked. Eriol just shrugged his shoulders.
"We don't know her name yet, but we just found her around this party." Eriol answered.
The three continued to converse until they finished their meals. Once they were through, it was already part of wealthy families' traditions to walk around and talk with other prestigious families. This gives them an opportunity to be a representative for their family, and hopefully find possible stockholders and business partners who are willing to go through certain projects.
Eriol and Tomoyo walked around making Syaoran go all by himself. The difference with Syaoran's case was, he doesn't approach other people. Other people approach him. His family name was already enough to attract different kinds of people, all wealthy and young and old alike. Most of the time though, he's picky about who he talks to and if you want to be answered by Syaoran, your family's representative must be a very beautiful lady.
It was childish and a bit selfish, but that's how Syaoran likes to do his business. Get his attention by having a bachelorette approach your family for you. Do that and you're lucky to even get ten words from him. He might be a person very hard to please, but the Li family makes the reward worthwhile.
"Ah, Mr. Li! It's been a while since I've seen you. I was hoping for—"
"Mr. Li, would you care to talk over some important matters later? I would gladly—"
"Mr. Li, I've been meaning to talk to you about a new business venture—"
"Mr. Li, Mr. Li!"
Syaoran sighed as he walked past those desperate representatives.
Boring. He thought. He placed his hands inside his pockets and decided to stand still for a while. He also thought of looking for Eriol but then that would mean he would waste his precious energy for it so, no. Suddenly, he heard a group of ladies chatter about him not to far from his position.
"Hey hey, isn't that Syaoran Li?"
"Oh really? Wow! He really does look handsome!"
"He looks lonely. That would mean he didn't bring a date tonight. Maybe I should go accompany him!"
"What? No way would he listen to you. I should be the one to approach him."
"No, me!"
"Me!"
Syaoran smirked after hearing their little squabbles. Arrogant as it may seem, but he always find those petty fights amusing. Though at times he also found it boring as well, girls fighting over him. What's new?
That's when he remembered the girl who stood her ground awhile ago. Syaoran's brows narrowed at that scene. Who is she?
Just as when he was going around finding someone he knew, the voice of Fujitaka Kinomoto, current head of the Kinomoto Corp. spoke up from the stage with a microphone in hand. Syaoran look up with his indifferent look and decided to listen instead.
"Everyone, I would like to thank you all for coming to this meaningful day for my family. We hope that you enjoyed your meals and you feel comfortable during your time here. Now I would like all of you to help me welcome back my daughter, Sakura, who has just returned after finishing her studies in the US." Fujitaka said.
Claps and cheers echoed the room as lights focused on the stage, ready to welcome the guest of honor. From the side, a beautiful lady with long auburn hair and emerald eyes entered, very much to Syaoran's surprise.
That girl!
Instead of wearing her simple dress awhile ago, she was now covered with a very elegant white gown that puffed from her waist down to the floor. Her skirt shimmering against the lights, her arms covered with gloves reaching up to her elbows, and on her face was a smile that could easily capture any man's heart.
Comments from different men followed suit, all of them ranging from complimenting her beauty and how her body had curves to die for. Meanwhile, Syaoran stood there still shocked.
So that girl was Kinomoto's daughter, huh?
"Sakura…" he let her name pass his lips.
He was about to leave his spot to find Eriol but then stopped when he heard the same group of girls talk about the Kinomoto girl.
"Hey, I heard from sources that Kinomoto's daughter is not exactly a very kind lady? I heard that she went out with different types of men in the US during her stay there." One of the girls whispered.
"What? No way! So they were just using her 'studies' as an excuse as to why she's there?" Another girl asked.
"I am not quite sure. But I did hear that the reason why Mr. Kinomoto immediately sent her daughter back here was because the news reached him that she was actually becoming wild in the States. Who knew such pretty girl would turn out to be a slut, right?"
Other girls nodded. "I'm kind of jealous of her flings though. I heard she actually dated some famous Hollywood stars there! Too bad her slutty nature got in the way so she was brought back here again."
Syaoran frowned. Without thinking, he was already beside the group of girls and commented, "Now that's not a very nice thing to say about the guest of honor, is it?" He said, repeating what Sakura told him awhile ago.
"Ah! Li-kun!" And the girls were already forgetting what they were talking about. Their eyes seeing hearts all over just because Syaoran approached them.
"But then, is what you're saying true? About Kinomoto's daughter being a not-so-good girl, I mean?" He asked.
Some of the girls nodded. "She's not suited for you, Li-kun."
Syaoran smirked and left, much to the girls' dismay.
I'll be the judge of that.
-x-
As part of another family tradition, the guest of honor was to now dance with different bachelors from wealthy families and try to make a connection—mostly business connections, at that. Sakura was in the middle of the dance floor with a random guy, along with random couples dancing along the song. It was already her third or fourth dance, she wasn't sure, but she was getting boring as time passed though.
She was even half-listening to what her current partner was saying.
It's something about tuna, isn't it? Sakura sighed. These guys are boring. They all look the same to me even. Despite all that, she kept a beautiful smile on her face that men just can't seem to get enough of.
The song changed and it was already time for the next dance.
What? Another one? Can't they see that I'm tired already? Sakura whined in her head. If only her father didn't force her into this, she would've been resting in their house right now. Where's Touya when you need him?
Touya Kinomoto was the family heir and Sakura's older brother. He wasn't present at the party as of the moment, for he's in Australia, assigned to set up the new Kinomoto branch there. If he saw Sakura's state right now, he would've yanked all the boys from her. Though they were already both old enough, Touya just can't seem to get out of his overprotective brother nature which Sakura secretly respected and adored.
Sakura was about to escape from the dance floor until someone yanked her back in and pulled her in his arms. "Hey, there's no reason to be forceful, you know." She commented.
"Still a whiny mouth I see," she heard. She gasped. She recognizes this voice! And this masculine scent! With her eyes wide, Sakura turned around to see herself slowly melting in a pool of amber eyes.
"Li…" she whispered.
Syaoran smirked as she glared.
"What are you doing?" Sakura asked.
"I believe it's my turn to dance." He said arrogantly, wrapping Sakura's arms around his neck, and his around her waist. Slowly, they started to dance along with the music much to her dismay. "You never told me you were Kinomoto's daughter awhile ago. I would never have guessed you were though due to your, not-so-ladylike natures."
Sakura frowned. "My ladylike nature depends on the gentlemanlike natures of the man I'm speaking with."
"And I'm not qualified enough?" He asked.
Sakura let out a threatening sigh. "You're Syaoran Li, heir of the Li family. Your family's wealthy and successful, but you're a spoiled, cocky guy who doesn't know anything except playing with girls and being the ultimate playboy." She said.
Syaoran snickered. "I'm very touched by the amount of knowledge you have of me. I assume you find me interesting to stalk me out?" This only earned him a glare from the lady, which in Syaoran's perspective, was kind endearing and rather…refreshing. "Then you're Sakura Kinomoto. I would like to believe you're a very lovely lady from a respectable family, charmed with good looks and a hot body, but I would also like to confirm about your, ehem, intentions when it comes to relationships."
"What are you talking about?" Sakura's eyes widened. He couldn't possibly be talking about…?
Syaoran's smirk grew as he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "You're Sakura Kinomoto. And as far as I know, we're not as different as it seems…when it comes to relationships, that is. You like to play around too, am I correct?"
He let her silence for awhile and waited for a huge denial. They continued dancing for a while until he heard a response which was far from what he had expected.
"And I assume you have a hotel room ready nearby?"
Syaoran was a very proud man that night.
All qualifications passed. Sakura Kinomoto, beautiful and hot, daughter from a well-renowned family. Exceptionally unique personality.
Syaoran Li's next target.
"Syaoran Li, heir to the Li Corporations, was spotted entering a hotel with Sakura Kinomoto, daughter of the successful Fujitaka Kinomoto. Sources say that Sakura Kinomoto left her own welcome back party, after last being seen dancing with the said heir."
end of chapter one