Chapter 1

Kyouya sat by his office desk, finishing up his English assignment from earlier in the day. A pile of budgeting was to be done after he had finished for the Host Club. It was tedious work, yet somehow the Suoh heir managed to make him do it anyway. It was nothing he couldn't handle, but he preferred to have time on his own to read and understand investing strategies. Footsteps were heard outside of his room, and a knock on the door was heard.

"Ootori-sama," a maid called.

Kyouya did not look away from the computer and gave permission for the woman to come in.

"Dinner is ready."

The student did not cease his typing and glared at the maid to leave. He was in no mood to eat, not with the work and an annoying blonde to pester him with.

"Your father requests you at the dinner table, Ootori-sama," the maid quietly explained. "They are waiting." And with that, the meek woman took her leave.

Kyouya sighed, and made his way out of his room and down towards the dinner table. He took his time on the steps, dreading each one as he moved closer and closer towards his family. His face was expressionless, his back was straight. Exactly how an Ootori would walk, proud and dignified with no sense of weakness. The raven-haired teenager took his seat quietly and bowed his head at his father to show his respect.

The meal had started.

And in silence, they all ate.

Her feet soaked in the cold water. It was a daily ritual. She worked by her desk, frantically trying to finish her homework. The history paper was due the next day, as was the analysis of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Violin practice also needed to be squeezed in, or else she would fall from the First Violin position in the orchestra. Victoria could only hope that her feet would stop swelling and her blisters would cease. Each day was gruesome training.

She was a ballet dancer. One of the best in the school, her talent was impeccable to the point where she received a full scholarship to the Academy.

A soft knock was heard.

"Come in," Victoria called.

"Dinner is ready," the maid announced. Victoria nodded and turned to take her feet out of the tub of cold water under her desk. She dried her feet and limped over to the doorway to go downstairs to the dinner table.

"Masaru-sama specifically asked for you to stay in your room," the maid blocked the doorway and handed her a tray of food. "Enjoy your dinner, Miss."

Victoria stared blankly at her tray of food. A bowl of rice, a few side dishes and a glass of water. It was not the first time that it had happened. She was not allowed to eat with her own mother, or her step-family. She was invisible, to the point where the maids treated her like dust.

Yet she still tried to be seen.

Victoria sat stiffly on the floor and placed the tray down. She too, ate in silence on her own.

Kyouya placed a smile on his face. It was homeroom, and the girls flocked towards him and the Suoh. It was a perfect opportunity to advertise the Host Club as it began picking up more business over the past few months. He spoke to an heiress to a hotel chain, watching as she became smitten by his words. He flashed another smile and handed over a business card.

"It would be a pleasure to have you come by, Akihara-san," Kyouya propped up his glasses. A few squeals and excited murmurs in the corner were heard.

"Ah, I… think I might drop by this afternoon then," she agreed. A blush crept up on her face before the girl rushed over to her friends.

Tamaki was much more flamboyant in his ways, having a whole crowd of girls surround him as he flirted with them all. He was loud and shameless, speaking to them all in bits of French. He certainly attracted more attention than Kyouya, not that it mattered. Kyouya had his own ways.

Class began and crowds dispersed.

"Allongé," the instructor demanded. "Your forms are terrible."

The girls tried their best to please their teacher. The woman looked at each girl in the eye, waiting for them to loose their balance. The Dance Program at Ouran was not called the best for nothing. Victoria looked straight into her instructor's eyes, she had no fear. She knew that her form was acceptable at the very least. Her criticism was of no concern to her.

"You," the woman pointed. "Come." The girl obediently followed the woman around the dance studio. Victoria stood straight, her feet flat on the floor as she waited for her instructions. "Do the choreography from yesterday."

Victoria took a moment to put herself together before she began. All eyes were on her, and the pressure was hard to ignore.

No one could deny that the girl was graceful in every way. Her thin legs and all the way towards each hair in the bun behind her head were perfect. Her form was beautiful, the way she moved her feet with absolute skill and fluidity was hard to miss. Her jumps and her pirouettes were perfected to the very tee. The expression on her face was blank, but her eyes were filled with concentration. Her lips moved slightly as she whispered instructions to herself. She finished off the routine with her head faced down to the floor, her chest rising up and down. It was not an easy routine, yet she executed it with such elegance that each person in the room stared in awe.

"I've decided," the woman announced. "You, Miss Alistair are the lead for this year's ballet."

"But…" a student in by the barre tried to intervene. "She didn't even audition."

Their instructor glared to the girl who spoke. Her eyes narrowed. "She just did. Or would you like to top that?"

The class hung their head in shame, and went back to the way they were. A few dirty looks were given to Victoria during their five minute break. Victoria only shrugged and stared back, waiting for something to be said.

She was confident on the dance floor. It was her passion, her love. It had been since she was five and she knew what she was doing. It was her dream. Her first dream.

And the dream she would be forced to let go of one day.

Kyouya sat complacently by a table with his laptop, looking over the schedules of the hosts. They were all fully booked. A good sign. He too, had been booked for the entire afternoon. He patiently waited as his clients filed into the Third Music Room when the club was to open in a quarter of an hour.

Yet something sat at the back of his mind as he replayed the conversation he had with his father.

"What is this so-called extracurricular of yours that you started with the Suoh heir?" Yoshio mentioned it one day before dismissing his son from the office.

"Suoh-san created a Host Club. I saw it fitting to turn it into a business opportuni—"

"—Do not be stupid wasting your time with such activities."

His father's voice boomed in his ears. A part of him wanted to defy his father, for the very first time. It was a strange feeling, wanting to rebel. Kyouya still had his eyes set on the goal of becoming the heir, but in his own way. Kyouya felt confused for the very first time, unsure of how to approach his feelings. Should he obey his father's orders? He was, in technicality, obeying them as he was keeping the Suoh heir close. Kyouya reasoned with himself, justifying his actions to stay with the Host Club, as ridiculous of a club it may have seemed.

The sound of high-pitched voices and giggling from the teenage girls snapped him out of the daze. It was back to work. His mask was once again placed over his face, and his smile flashed over to the ladies that stood nearby.

Out in the hallways, the faint sound of music played.

"Let us take it from the 87th measure," the conductor announced.

Members of the orchestra immediately readied themselves with their instruments, immersed in playing the music in front of them. Victoria sat in the front row as first violin, paying attention to the specific measures that were especially difficult. One false note and she would immediately be demoted to the second violin, a position that she was not willing to take again.

The piece finished, leaving the orchestra members a break for a few minutes.

"The Host Club is right next door and we have to sit here in Orchestra," a girl whined.

"What I would give to not be here in rehearsal…" her friend said.

Victoria gave a glare to the girls. If they were not going to play, there was no point in joining the orchestra. The rest of her section was not as diligent as she, but it was no longer surprising. They had money; the conductor could not criticize them without having his job snatched the next day. She had… nothing. She was nobody. Yet, Victoria could not accept the fact. It was not fair.

Her mouth stayed shut. If it was one thing she had learned from the Academy, it was to keep her fiery temper under control. Her expression was blank, almost dead-like. She was emotionless. She was well-known however, in the dance classes. Her extracurricular activities in orchestra were of nothing to anyone.

She too, had her own mask. A mask of indifference to the world.

Their paths never crossed while they were in school.

Victoria was a year above, due to advanced placement classes and the arrangements made for the Dance Program. Kyouya never bothered to see her file. She was of no use, and no one spoke about her. If there was one person to slip under his nose during his years in Ouran, it would have been her.

For Victoria, however, the name Kyouya Ootori was infamous, as were the names of everyone else in the Host Club. For her, the Ootori's name stood out especially. Third in line for the inheritance of the Ootori Company, what were the odds? Rumours of him being perfect, absolutely flawless. He was smart, hardworking, good-looking… everything in one. He was loved by everybody, even if he was known to be cruel and heartless. Dubbed as the "Shadow King", everything was going well for him.

Even if he had no chance of being the heir, Victoria was not wrong when judging his character. She knew his determination was not to be questioned. He was going to be the heir no matter what.

It was not fair.

She hated him.

He was perfect in every way.

And while she tried to be, she couldn't. Nothing went her way.

She was talented. An accomplished ballerina, and held the first violin position in the Ouran Orchestra that was world renowned. She played the piano, and was fluent in three languages. She had the mannerisms of a proper lady, taught to her when she was only a child. She held her tongue, and kept her temper. Her grades were decent, perhaps not perfect, but certainly enough to get her into an Ivy League school.

Victoria could not cover up the flaw of being the child of her mother's previous marriage. She was shunned, ignored… she did not exist.

She hated hearing the name. She hated hearing how perfect he was.

She envied and despised him all at the same time.

It was then Victoria had learned that the world would never be fair unless she made it so.

His summer was spent travelling overseas with his father, with a bit of time with his irritating so-called friends who dragged him to places when he wasn't busy. His much needed sleep was always cut short by the Host Club, particularly the annoying blonde who insisted on going everywhere.

Most of his days however, were spent cooped up in a room. Stock market highs and lows, finances spewed everywhere on his monitors, piles of paper above his desk. He worked like a dog. Kyouya always had his eyes on his goal to become the heir to the Ootori Company.

His father still had not approved of his interaction with the Host Club. Yet Kyouya could not part from his… friends, a reluctant title he had given to them.

Kyouya had decided that it was not about obedience that would win his father over. It was himself.

Her summer was spent back in America, with her father and half-brother. She attended the summer programs for the School of American Ballet, one of the most prestigious programs in the world. For five weeks, she trained and trained. It felt like there was no end.

But it was the one summer before her sixteenth birthday that she had realized that her life could no longer be controlled by her mother. Victoria had realized that her life in Japan was nothing compared to what she could strive for when she was on her own, with the freedom she had.

She did not need Ouran or their prestigious program for the Arts. She did not need a mere name on her transcript to say Ouran to get into the Tisch School of Arts. And most of all, she did not need her mother to tell her what to do.

Victoria realized that nothing could win her mother over. No amount of talent, no amount of obedience and no amount of love could let her mother see that her child was a prodigy.

She had decided to give up.

Their University years were much different.

He went to Harvard, for the mere reason that it was the best. He was proud to be an alumnus of the school, and proud to have graduated top of his class. His ego had certainly grown larger, if that were at all possible. Everywhere he went, people recognized him. He was the Ootori, the one that had all the top grades, but rarely showed up to class. It was said that he was busy working for the company.

He was young, successful and everyone envied him.

While Victoria… she went to Yale. She was the social butterfly, the one that got invited to all the parties, the one that everyone wanted to meet, the girl that all the boys wanted and the one that ultimately triumphed in the end, as Valedictorian for her graduating class. She too, was proud to be an alumnus of her school.

She was young, successful and everyone envied her as well.

One would have never thought of her to be a social butterfly if they had seen her before. She was meek, and obedient, always the quiet girl that stood in the corner. How could someone change so dramatically… it was an art that the two people knew all too well.

They had masks, they were manipulative, and they knew how to read people like the back of their hand. The two were liars, cold-hearted and many would have considered them to be emotionless.

But who could tell?

Only themselves.

The two had not met each other until after their University years. They were young, and hungry for power. They were ambitious and greedy. They grew up differently, yet all the same. Their goals were reached for different reasons, while using all the same methods.

The two stood in the shadows of their mentors when they both met. Kyouya stood behind his father, his head held high and back straight as his father met with an old friend of his. Not quite a business associate, but someone of great importance that Kyouya could not pinpoint at all. The girl, he noticed, was dressed formally, her hair let down and her head held up high. She too, stood behind her mentor, careful not to make eye contact with the infamous Ootori heir. She was not afraid, but cautious. Her lips were in a thin line, not a smile nor a frown, but perfectly emotionless.

It was almost like looking through a mirror. The resemblance was uncanny.

"This is my son, Kyouya," Yoshio introduced, stepping aside for his son to come forward.

"Ah, and likewise, this is my protégé, Victoria," her mentor said. Yoshio raised an eyebrow at the girl. It was not hard to tell that he certainly questioned his friend's choice in mentoring a girl. Nonetheless, Yoshio kept to himself, or at least he had thought so. Both Victoria and her mentor had caught onto the slight change of expression on the older Ootori's face. The two were keen on details.

Their mentors stepped into a private room, leaving their young apprentices outside. Silence overcame the two, and the two quickly busied themselves with work.

She had case files to read, being one of the interns in a Law Firm, led by her mentor. She was still in Law School. While he typed away on his laptop, putting together a proposal and occasionally checking on the stock markets.

Victoria almost found herself smirking when she saw the Ootori in front of her. Of course she would have recognized the boy who was the talk of her high school years. He had not changed, not one bit even though she had only caught glimpses of him during her years in Ouran. Victoria knew it he wouldn't have recognized her. Not when she didn't even graduate from Ouran. She had dropped out two years before graduation to attend school in the US.

But it was the same feeling of hatred and envy that washed over her. He was still perfect, while she was not. She still had a long way to go, and becoming a lawyer certainly was not as easy as it seemed. It always felt like he was on a pedestal, with everyone worshipping him.

Even after all these years, she still felt as though it was not fair.

Not when he had the approval of his father.

And she couldn't even get a smile out of her own mother.

His name floated around social gatherings. It always had. The name Ootori was everywhere. The powerful name of Ootori gave him influence and it gave him everything he could have possibly wanted. Yet her name, her name was nothing.

Victoria Alistair.

It was unheard of. It was beautiful, or at least that was what she was told when she introduced herself.

"What a lovely name, and your line of business…?" was always asked.

"I'm a lawyer," she would sweetly reply. "My card." Her smooth fingers always had one ready to give out.

"My, my… Richard Parsons and Associates. Top firm of the country, is it not?"

Only a sly smile was given as a response.

"Your clientele… you certainly have quite a few large names."

"Always room for more," Victoria smoothly replied.

Slowly, but surely, Victoria Alistair became known. She became the life of the party, the name that everyone dropped when speaking of their lawyers and the one that everyone was always curious to meet. She created the name for herself, on her own with her own ability. The woman was known to be humble and polite, yet interesting and humorous at the perfect times. She was gorgeous and stunning, her deep auburn hair always made it easy to spot her.

She was the one stealing his spotlight.

And that was what caught his attention for the first time in years.

Kyouya Ootori walked into the ballroom, looking pristine and proud. His presence was always known the moment he walked into the door, but today, it was different. It was an eerie feeling, like attention was shifted. Of course, he still gained the attention of many as he of course, was hard to miss. Women were smitten by the sight of him; even men turned their heads to see what the fuss was about. Yet his instinct told him that something was off.

He made his rounds of networking, with many business associates, drinking and laughing. Kyouya slipped his card to a few important people, and pretended to enjoy himself as he made small talk with one of the largest drug companies in the world. It was then, her name was mentioned.

"Ah, there she is," the elder man pointed out. "The lovely Victoria Alistair."

Kyouya Ootori raised an eyebrow at the man, and looked towards the direction the man pointed to. She was dressed in a gown, a deep emerald one that flowed beautifully to the ground. Her shoulders were bare, and her long hair covered a good portion of her back. She held a glass of champagne in her hand while she spoke with an heir to a hotel chain. She looked strangely familiar.

"Quite stunning isn't she?" the man asked.

"Ah, well. As are many women here, no?" Kyouya replied.

The older man shrugged. "She's young and ambitious… quite like you. But a lawyer instead."

"A lawyer? Hm." Kyouya was unimpressed. It wasn't the first time he had seen a lawyer.

"Top firm of the country, and already a senior associate."

Kyouya wanted to scoff. He was the CEO of the Ootori Corporation, a successful man in his twenties and she was a mere associate in a high-end law firm. She was nothing compared to him. He couldn't fathom the reason why she could possibly steal his thunder. Kyouya took his leave from the CEO and decided to see for himself what made the woman so special.

From afar, he had to admit she was gorgeous. The way she moved was so eye catching, it was so fluid and smooth. She was graceful and elegant. The woman walked over from group to group, easily fitting into each conversation, even the ones with the brattiest heiresses. She certainly had a way with words.

And eventually, Kyouya approached her. She was standing by a pillar, looking like she was occupied by a phone call. When Victoria hung up, Kyouya stood in front of her, emotionless, like he was waiting to see her reaction, to catch each piece of detail. Instead, the woman only smiled.

Victoria had seen him coming. At first she was most definitely surprised, seeing the Ootori come near her. Even having him watch her was a strange thing. It was not uncomfortable, almost flattering to a certain extent.

"Mr Ootori, what a pleasure to have you stand before me," Victoria lied through her teeth. Rule number one: always feed their ego. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I was not aware that we had met before, Miss…?" he feigned ignorance.

Victoria laughed. It was much too easy to tell that he was lying as well. They had certainly met before. Either the infamous Ootori had forgotten, or he was approaching her with a motive that she had yet to unveil. The latter was much more likely. "Ah, my apologies for not introducing myself. My name is Victoria. Victoria Alistair," she clarified and offered him her card. Rule number two: always offer your card.

"Richard Parsons," Kyouya read off the business card. "A senior associate? Not even a junior partner?"

Victoria heard the mocking of his voice. "Sorry to disappoint, Mr Ootori," she shrugged. "It seems as though not everyone can be as successful as you." Rule number three: stay classy.

He too, heard the slight bitterness beneath her voice. "Jealous?"

"No." Victoria was quick to deny. "Envious," she corrected. And that was certainly not a lie. She saw the slight glint in his eye, it was obvious that he was easy to please, or at least easy to please with words. A smirk grew on his face, the one he always seemed to wear even while in high school. The one she hated to see, because it looked like he smiled out of triumph.

One would think someone like Victoria would not be so petty, but that was how she was. She did not like seeing the smirk on his face, but she had no choice but to let it go. Only for the moment, or at least until she was on his level. The world functioned on a social hierarchy, and Victoria knew it better than anyone else. She had spent years trying to climb up to the very top.

Why? No one knew but her. Victoria made every effort to make it seem natural, like she was still down-to-earth and nothing more than just an ambitious young woman. She was seemingly lucky; to reach each goal she had set. From entering Yale, to becoming Valedictorian, and scoring high enough on her LSATs to be admitted into the Law School of Yale. She moved onto interning at one of the best firms in the country, studying under the man everyone strived for.

No one would have ever thought that she had orchestrated each step.

Except for an Ootori, because he too, had done the same.

But at that moment, looking to each other's eyes, wishing to read each other's thoughts… a spark of curiosity had been lit. Kyouya stared down to the auburn haired woman, as beautiful as she was; she was shielded in every way. No weakness could be spot, not in her eyes, not in any way she moved, and certainly not in the way she spoke. She was flawless.

No one was flawless. Only he could be.

Kyouya had refused to say that he had met his match. No one would be able to match him.

Victoria noted his emotionless eyes, his stiff posture and the way his lips were shaped in a thin line. Emotionless, just like how they had described him in high school. He was handsome, with his raven black hair and the way he stood. The way he carried himself with such pride, it was certainly something not to be overlooked. Victoria wasted no more time trying to analyze him, knowing that he was doing the same to her. She did not want to be read like an open book, and neither did he.

"Can't take your eyes off me?" Victoria flirtatiously asked. Her lips grew to a smirk. She was not afraid to play the cards she knew, but with this one in particular, Victoria had no high hopes for the Ootori respond. It was purely in hopes of having the Ootori leave her alone. Kyouya did not seem the type to flirt with women, assuming that he had grown out of his high school habits.

His eyes flickered for a moment, like a switch to turn on his mask. "How could I not, Miss Alistair? Your beauty is not easy to ignore."

"How sweet of you to say," her voice was dripping with the slightest hint of resentment towards him.

They spoke between the lines, in ways that were difficult to decipher. Each sentence was to be interpreted of the many meanings of each phrase, each word and their tones.

They were two peas in a pod, and never had they found someone to be so similar to them to be so difficult.

Kyouya had then reluctantly accepted Victoria as someone to keep an eye on, someone who appeared dangerous yet interesting at the same time. She was toxic, but irresistible. There was no proof, nothing to back up his instinct. Although it would have been safe to say that his instinct had never been wrong. Something about this woman was alluring.

Victoria was ahead of him, in ways he would never know. Staying out of his radar was a privilege, and now that she had been seen, it was time to step up her game. She was exposed to the most dangerous man of all, Kyouya Ootori. Victoria Alistair had escaped once, but never again. This man was able to make or break all she had worked for: her career, her life, her everything. She treaded through dangerous waters, walking on egg shells when it came to the high-class society.

She was nothing more than a pique of interest.

And he was nothing more than a threat.

A/N: Uh so, I can't say I know where I'm going with this story either (assuming that you have read Littlest Things haha). Heads up on the fact that I will no longer be updating as frequently as I did last year. School has been taking a toll on me, but I will hopefully strive for regular bi-weekly updates. It would be a pleasure to know what you all thought of the chapter. I understand it is a little fast paced, but there are plenty of holes to fill in still. Questions, comments, etc. are welcome. As are reviews (both good and bad)!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!