Author's Notes: I never forgot about this fic. Honest. Ü
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 2: Of Deals and Dares
Every choice that a person makes does not solely affect him. Once the consequences start blooming, it would work itself like a web and bruise, or maybe sometimes reward those who are involved— involved purposely or unconsciously.
Syaoran groaned, the sunlight passing through the curtains and gracing itself across his handsome features. This woke him up, unpleasantly as he describes it, and despite him trying to cover his face with the pillow, it just won't work anymore. His mind's awake and as much as his body is still tired, his brain's still the more powerful one.
"Ugh," he let out. The sheets tangled over his legs and as he sat up, it glided off of him revealing his naked torso all the while rubbing his eyes to adjust to the unwanted light.
"I see you've finally woken up," he heard from another part of the room.
Syaoran looked to his left and saw his company from last night enter from the balcony. No wonder sunlight was able to enter so easily, the little honey-haired opened the balcony doors without even having second thoughts.
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he replied.
"Yeah well, I get that a lot." Sakura playfully winked, rubbing her cigarette on the ash tray making it unlit. Syaoran noticed she was wearing his white button-up shirt that reached until her knees, not that he minded—but what intrigued him was it looked like it was the only thing she was wearing. It was a bit transparent with the way the sun hit it off at the right angles.
"Smoking so early in the morning?" Syaoran's brow rose, his gaze following the girl who was now on her way back to the bed and sat comfortably in front of him.
"It's not a regular thing, you know, me smoking in the morning. I do have my reasons." Sakura sighed, running her long polished fingers across her soft, morning (after sex) hair.
"Oh?" Syaoran mused. He leaned back against the bed frame and continued watching her. "Would you be so kind to enlighten me then?" He smirked.
Sakura returned the look. "Well, since you asked so nicely, which I still doubt you are and since you're involved in it too, I have to say I just got the news that we just made public entertainment headlines."
"And the smile on your face says that you're not worried at all? Or even as much?" He asked.
Sakura shrugged. "Trust me, I'm seriously trembling right now." But the look on Syaoran's face showed that he wasn't entirely convinced. She rolled her eyes and groaned, "Alright fine, it has a probably, slightly minimum effect on me. But what can I say or do? Make a public apology about it? Say a load of bullshit and waste so much time?" She grabbed her cigarette pack and took another one out, lighting it as she speaks.
Syaoran shook his head and chuckled. "Who are you again?" He asked rhetorically, clear amusement painted on his face.
"Is this a habit of yours? Sleeping with a great girl without knowing her name and completely embarrassing yourself the next morning by asking her?" She teased then blew a puff of smoke afterwards.
"I only remember the names of the hot ones," he winked, earning him hits on his arm. "Ow. Hey hey!—Jesus, for a small girl you could really hit." He whined, rubbing his arms in an attempt to soothe from the attack.
"It's not my fault you're such a wuss. And you definitely deserve that for being so rude." Sakura stuck her tongue out. Syaoran took this chance and immediately pulled her closer, drawing her tongue inside his mouth, kissing her openly. She kissed him back the second her mind registered what he was doing and blindly rested her cigarette on the tray atop the bedside table.
Syaoran groaned when the kiss deepened, with Sakura wrapping her arms around his neck. Slowly, he pushed her down the bed and got on top of her, his fingers making its way to unbutton his shirt on her.
But just as he was about to continue, his cellphone suddenly rang from god knows where it landed last night, and every second it just got louder and more annoying than ever. Both of them tried to ignore it but since Syaoran programmed it to do its job for receiving calls well, he let out a grunt before pulling himself away from Sakura and finding his phone.
Sakura sighed and sat up again, taking that ring as a wake-up call for her and realize that she needed to go back home too.
"What!" Syaoran growled after picking up the call.
Sakura giggled softly at his reaction, all the while gathering her long hair together and tying it up in a messy bun and walked towards the bathroom.
"Syaoran, where the hell are you?"
"You're seriously asking me that, Eriol? You goddamn know as well as I do where I am." He answered.
"Whoa, no need to be so cranky at me. But may I remind you that today is a work day and your clients have been asking for you since first thing in the morning?"
"Isn't it still first thing in the morning?"
"Better check your watch again 'cause I am not in the mood to cover for you this time."
Syaoran took Eriol's advice and looked for a clock around the room. He saw one at the bedside table and immediately cursed after seeing it was already 9:08 in the morning. He stumbled across the room finding his clothes and put them all in lightning speed while balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder.
"Aww come on, man. Can't you cover for me for at least 30 minutes?" He begged, cursing again once noticing that he had his socks on backwards.
"Can't, not today man sorry. I am under a 24-hour oath that I am not allowed to help you for today." And Eriol didn't even sound sorry for at least one second.
"Ooh, you got on Tomoyo's bad side?"
"No. You got on her bad side. And don't even play dumb just for one second by asking me why and what did you do."
"Aren't you the stingy one now? She's really so worked up that I managed to snatch her best friend in just one night?" He smirked. He managed to get his pants and shoes on right, but suddenly remembered that Sakura was wearing her shirt and since he could hear the shower running, he knew just where to get it.
"On her welcome back night, as Tomoyo yells. I won't really reprimand you for anything 'cause that's her job and I'm your wingman. But I can only tell you to hurry up 'cause I don't have your back for today."
"That's why I don't like getting hooked, too much drama, not for me."
"You're creating drama as we speak. Anyways I got to go, she'll kill me if she finds out I'm giving you tips. See you later man."
"Sure." Syaoran hung up and threw his phone on the bed. He walked towards the bathroom and thanked heavens she left it unlocked. He looked around and saw his shirt hanging on one of the hooks and grabbed it instantly. Just as he was about to leave, he heard the shower turn off and after a few more seconds, Sakura stepped out with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Whoa, with the way you're smiling I'd say you had a very, self-satisfying time in there." He teased, loving her towel-covered look and fresh smell.
"Oh shut up," she laughed. "You're just worried that I might've had a better time in the shower compared to whatever happened to us last night."
"Are you trying to bruise my ego? 'Cause I'm going to tell you now, it's not going to work." He said smugly.
"Really? Well, I just wished that your little friend down there was as big as your ego." She whispered against his ear so seductively it made Syaoran blush. "I may not have bruised your ego as so you might think Li, but you turning red is already a good enough reward." She winked, then left him inside the bathroom and went to go get changed.
Syaoran found himself glued to the floor in surprise and at the same time amusement. He couldn't believe he just got told off by this stranger he just met last night at her own party. He completely admits he's totally entertained right now, and this kind of entertainment shouldn't be dismissed so easily.
By the time he finally got out of his shock, Sakura was back in her dress. She wasn't wearing the poofy one, but the dress that she wore under it—the dress when she first conversed with Syaoran in the presence of his friend. She let her hair down and Syaoran actually approved of her natural beauty unlike those other girls who had makeup as a second face.
"I wouldn't give you the opportunity to leave the girl you just slept with first, so I'm off." Sakura said, grabbing her things and was walking towards the door. She seemed to have sensed Syaoran's silent question so she turned back and added, "And yes, I knew you were already leaving because you wouldn't barge in while I'm taking a shower to look for your shirt, and second, you might as well learn to tone it down while you're talking on the phone, mkay?" She blew him a kiss and held the doorknob.
"Fine, can I at least call you?" Syaoran said before he even thought of it which surely surprised them both.
"Ooh, what is this? The Syaoran Li calling a girl after a supposedly one night stand?" Sakura teased with a smug look on her face. Syaoran speechless was not a very common look so seeing it was indeed priceless, just like now. "Sorry but I don't play that kind of game, especially with guys who don't even remember girls' name after spending a night."
Sakura—the name got stuck in his throat, he wasn't able to say it. And he cursed himself tremendously for it seeing as he just got humiliated twice in succession.
"Nothing? Okay then, goodbye Li."
The door slammed shut leaving him alone in the room. He was still holding on to his shirt, eyes focused on the door that just made his former companion disappear.
Sakura Kinomoto.
-x-
A pile of folders slammed against Syaoran's desk with a loud 'wack!' making the owner look up to whoever placed them there.
"Dude, it's freaking 10:15! What happened to 30 minutes after I called? You seriously owe me one this morning because I —the more responsible one between us—was able to do your job before you even got here." Eriol fumed, obviously not happy with his partner's work ethics.
Syaoran sighed, pausing his current work for a while to deal with this. "I had to stop by my penthouse first 'cause I needed to wear a new suit okay!" He stood up and even twirled around like a little dress-up girl. "See? It's Armani, just had it made the other day." He said proudly.
However, this didn't make Eriol feel any better and he was supposed to lecture him more but decided to go against it. He knew Syaoran so well that him acting all this happy only meant one thing—"You enjoyed spending time with her last night, didn't you?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head in disapproval.
"You—You're… Of course not!" Syaoran defended.
"Uh huh, sure. You can talk to me about your banging night later, but first, you have to deal with this pile and check in with your secretary. She has more calls for you today." Eriol sighed.
"I did not have a banging night!" Syaoran frowned.
Eriol stared at him plainly, knowing what he really meant and what he was about to say. "You just had a night of banging her. All right, I get it. You had a great time."
Syaoran frowned deeper, he was about to counter it again but his partner was already walking towards the door.
"All right, fine!" He gave up.
Eriol couldn't help but laugh and turned to his friend again. "So how great was she?" He asked amused.
"Mind-blowing," Syaoran smirked, leaning back against his executive chair.
Eriol just laughed again and exited the room.
-x-
"Master Kinomoto, Miss Sakura is here to see you," the butler announced after entering Fujitaka's office room.
Fujitaka looked up from his work and pushed his glasses back in place. He cleared his throat and said, "Is that so? Send her in then."
The butler bowed and did as he was told. He opened the door and let Sakura in then left the two alone for privacy. Sakura was wearing casual clothes now, with jeans and a plain white top. She walked towards her father's desk and stood there and greeted.
"Good morning father,"
Fujitaka nodded, momentarily pausing to scan the document he was holding and looked back at her. "Good morning to you too," he said with his trademark fatherly smile. The smile that Sakura knew she didn't deserve right now, but it did warm her heart a little.
"Look, about last night—" she started.
"Oh you made such a scandal for leaving so early Sakura," he said. "and with Syaoran Li too."
Sakura bowed low, guilt washing over her. It's been a while since she had a conversation like this with her father. Having gotten used to her liberal university life in the US, no one was there to reprimand her for anything she did since her family back home was too busy and she was too far.
"It was an unthinkable choice and I'm not going to blame him for my actions."
Fujitaka sighed, leaning against his chair and stared at his daughter. He knew, he was well aware of what she has been doing abroad that extended to her not-so-good reputation here, but he also knew that Sakura was a responsible girl and knew how to deal with her actions. Despite rude comments and questions regarding his parental role, he's doing what any parent should do: he trusts her. He trusts her well to know what she's doing and what could happen after.
"I know." He said. This made Sakura look up at him in bewilderment. She wasn't exactly expecting that kind of response but hey, this was her father she was talking about—one of the most gentle, forgiving fathers in Tokyo.
"I'm sorry for what I did, father. It was completely under my discretion for doing it and I could've been with any man so Syaoran Li was just unlucky to be under the spotlight too."
Fujitaka managed a smile. He knew she meant what she said, but the part about Syaoran—he wasn't exactly sure. "Syaoran Li seems like an interesting man. Never left the "spotlight" that you just said. He's all over the entertainment news so I don't think it took a great toll on him negatively. But as for you…"
Sakura bit her lip and continued looking down, feeling disappointed too.
"Well, I trust that you already know what I mean." He ended. "But since you left so early, I wasn't able to give you my congratulatory gift, Sakura."
Her eyes widened. She never expected such a thing to happen! Now she felt guiltier than ever because her father would still give her something she was sure she shouldn't have. She watched as he opened a drawer and took out a neatly wrapped box and placed it on top of his table. It was kind of a big box, enough to put a shirt in it, and he let Sakura have it.
"Oh dad…" she whispered with a grateful smile on her face.
"Go ahead." He urged.
Sakura nodded and took the box, tearing the wrapper and ribbon and opened it. To her surprise, it was a pink stethoscope that greatly suited her taste. Her face lit and walked towards Fujitaka to embrace him tightly.
"Thank you dad! I love it! It's perfect for my internship." She cheered.
"I figured you would want something of your type." Fujitaka said, hugging her back. "Congratulations on finishing your Medicine course. I knew it had been rough."
Sakura beamed. "You have no idea."
"But," he added, catching her surprise again. "Because of what happened last night, I am revoking your rights to drive your car for a month."
This made her blink. "But dad, my car is still back at my apartment in the US. I wouldn't really be able to use it since I don't have it here—" she stopped when her eyes caught of a key dangling under her father's fingers. She also noticed the familiar circles that were engraved on the keychain, making her realize it was an Audi.
"I do remember you looking through this online car catalogue and you had a certain Audi page bookmarked." He mused.
"The car's grounded. Got it." Sakura nodded, but the grin remained.
"I could ground you too, but seeing you have internship at the Tokyo Medical Hospital and I'm aware that your shifts rotate, I decided to ground your car only. Consider yourself lucky like Syaoran Li then," he said.
She winced at the mention of her companion from last night. "Thank you for the parallelism, I guess."
Fujitaka chuckled. "Off you go then," he said.
Sakura nodded and left.
Once the door closed, Fujitaka read a very important document in front of him again. His company's not in a very great condition right now, and the board is requiring him to add more capable manpower. He was able to pass them a list of qualified men, but it seemed that they were not just good enough. At this rate, they would be dominated by other companies which is something that he did not want.
"Kinomoto please, we've seen the capabilities of your children, surely you could tell them that you need them right now."
Fujitaka frowned. He wouldn't do anything just to step on her children's dreams; Sakura was a proud general practitioner right now while Touya's already doing his job at the Australian branch.
He was so busy focusing on this that he never thought Sakura has already helped in a way she never expected it even would be of help.
-x-
Two days later, everything seemed normal.
Sakura was currently working her morning shift, Fujitaka and Syaoran (and Eriol) were in their respective buildings doing their job, and Tomoyo was busy being Tomoyo.
Until one client came in to Syaoran's office and as they were busy talking about their work, the client suddenly mentioned something, "You dated Fujitaka's daughter, am I correct?"
Syaoran's eyes widened, not expecting her to be mentioned in this meeting. "That I couldn't deny, Mr. Han." He said.
"Yes yes, she's a lovely girl, isn't she?" The 50-year-old man commented to which the other just nodded. "Smart too, I heard she's a graduate of Stanford Medical University?" And Syaoran didn't deny it again. "Well, if I found out about your close relationship with her family, then I think it would be a better decision if both of you would be involved in my project, don't you think?" He smiled.
And Syaoran was shocked for the second time. This magic of bonding companies after a one-night stand with a daughter or heiress—he never expected that it would work on him and Sakura too. This suddenly made him think of an idea that would require Sakura to speak to him again, no matter what she says.
"I mean, it's not just me." Mr. Han continued. "A lot of my friends and colleagues think that's it a perfect… marriage, even for a short while, for the Li and Kinomoto Corps. Rumors are even going around that the Kinomoto Corp. is needing additional manpower while your company, pardon me, needs some sort of leverage to keep you on top. 'Cause you know what they say, once you're on top, it's going to be a great fall afterwards." He ended.
This made Syaoran think harder. What Mr. Han just said is true, their status in the economy is being threatened because there are other rival companies that are already itching their way there. Now the Kinomoto Corp. wasn't a real rival since they had different products so partnering with them isn't really a bad idea.
"That is a great point of view, Mr. Han. I'll make sure to bring it up the next time we have a board meeting." Syaoran said.
"Let me know what happens by then," Mr. Han nodded.
"I'll give you my word. We'll let you know in three days."
"Three days? Impressive Mr. Li."
"Thank you sir."
They conversed for a while that led to signing documents and proposal papers that would in time come in handy for the supposed merger that Mr. Han suggested.
But it didn't really seem like Syaoran needed three days. Because after 24 hours, he was able to hold a private meeting with a representative from the Kinomoto Corp.
-x-
"Mr. Tsukishiro, it's nice to meet you, my name's Syaoran Li."
"Pleasure to personally meet the head of the Tokyo branch of Li Corp."
Both men shook hands and got themselves comfortable. They were currently in Syaoran's office, sitting in the mini living room with tea and cookies served on the small coffee table in between the two.
"I'm very pleased to have gotten such immediate response from your company." Syaoran said.
"Thank you for the invite then," the main with shiny silver hair said. Yukito was his name, and he's a close friend of Sakura's brother, Touya. A lot expected that he would come with Touya to handle the Australian branch together, but due to personal reasons, Yukito decided to stay in Tokyo. His loyalty to the Kinomoto family earned him a high position at their company, thus the situation right now.
"You can help yourself with—" Syaoran gestured over the snacks and almost sweatdropped when he found Yukito munching the cookies happily. For a grumpy old man, this would count as an annoying, unprofessional image but for Syaoran, it was amusing to the point of being funny so he ignored it. "So anyway, one of our clients have suggested a short-term merger between our companies."
He took the folder that had the documents inside and passed it to Yukito who accepted it. He carefully scanned the document, finding any possible loopholes and probable disadvantages for their company.
"Mr. Han is our client. He promised a whole group of clients who will back him up if ever this merger happens. It's on page three." Syaoran said. Yukito turned to the said page and indeed, the note was there. However, it was too soon to agree on something because Yukito needed to show this to the head first.
"It's an interesting proposal, I have to hand it to Mr. Han. Thank you for considering this suggestion too." Yukito commented.
Syaoran nodded. "It's an opportunity."
And Yukito swore there was something hidden in that smile of Syaoran Li.
That night, the document reached Fujitaka's hands and surprise was evident on his face as he was scanning it. Yukito already briefed him about it but he never got the details of it until now. It will be soon before both company heads would meet Mr. Han and discuss more about the merger proposal. From the first look, it would definitely seem that it would benefit both companies, but more on the Kinomotos' side.
It was a great opportunity that came knocking in their door just when they needed it the most. But Fujitaka couldn't help but wonder what caused this sudden short-term company merger. He wasn't a very boastful man, and so it was hard for him to list down reasons as to why a client such as Mr. Han would pick Kinomoto first and foremost to be partners with the Li's. He takes pride in their achievements but he never figured that the cause was only rooms away from his office room.
Deciding to take a break, Fujitaka rested the folder on top of his mahogany table and went to take a warm shower. Minutes later, Sakura entered through the main door, exhaustion taking over from her shift at the hospital. Her medical coat rested over her shoulder, her eyes tired and her hair already in its messy state.
Sakura was about to retreat to her room when she suddenly remembered that she needed to pick something up from her father's office. He called her hours ago to say that some of the stuff she needed to sign regarding her profession was already delivered in his office. Taking a quick detour to the office, she opened the door and welcomed herself inside. She tried calling out for her father but found out no one was inside.
Shrugging, she walked towards Fujitaka's table and looked for the folders addressed to her. It was a bit difficult a task since it seemed that the folders were of more or less the same colors. She sighed at the challenge but continued on anyways, the sooner she signed them, the sooner she gets to bed.
Due to her lack of focus, she accidentally tipped off a folder. She mumbled a quick "whoops!" before bending down and reached for it, along with the documents that fell from inside. She was about to stand back up and put it on the table, but something written in bold caught her attention.
Merger Proposal between the Kinomoto Main Corporation and the Li Tokyo Corporation
"What?"
-x-
The next day, Syaoran had an unexpected guest.
"Mr. Li, a Ms. Sakura Kinomoto is here to see you. I'm sorry to bother and inform you sir that she does not have an appointment but she's convincing me that you know her. Should I—"
"Let her in." He immediately responded, mentally thanking the heavens that he did not have a meeting at this moment or else he would've missed this chance. Well, it's not like he didn't know that she would come sooner or later.
His door opened, revealing Sakura in an outfit that made Syaoran double check if he wasn't seeing things.
"Well, that's a side of you I never expected, Doctor Sakura." He greeted, waving his hand and invited her to sit on the chair in front of his table. Sakura did walk towards him, but she didn't accept the sitting invitation.
"Standing is fine with me, Li. And I'm surprised you finally know my name. Did you get your secretary do that for you?" Sakura said.
"All right Kinomoto, what is it? Obviously you're not here to let me tear your precious uniform off of you, so I assume that what you need is important for you?" Syaoran snapped, closing his folder in the process and glared at the confident woman in front of her.
Sakura snickered. "Is this an extension of some kind of game you're playing?" She lifted her own piece of folder and placed it on top of his desk, urging him to see it.
Syaoran took a look at what she was mad about and honestly, he wasn't surprised to see a copy of the merger inside. "I don't see what's the problem here Kinomoto, all I see is an opportunity for your company to be back in its full glory if you accept this proposal."
"Tell me, what goddamn tricks are you playing? 'Cause to me, all I see is deviousness all over it." Seeing as Syaoran wasn't retaliating, Sakura was already sure of something. "There's a catch, and it's in your favour, isn't it?" Her eyes narrowed at him.
This made Syaoran stand up from his seat and walk around his desk and in front of her, leaning against his table. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down considering he was a head taller than her. "So what if there was?" He murmured.
Sakura smirked. "I knew it. Why don't you tell me then? Considering that we, and I mean my family's company, are part of that merger too?"
"Firstly," he said, raising a finger. "I am not playing any tricks. This document is real, as proven by Mr. Han's signature right here. The question is not what the catch is, it's who the catch is."
He looked straight in her eyes, as if relaying the message. And he knew she got it when he heard her gasp and see her eyes widen after a few seconds.
"You—"
"Nice try, but no. It's you actually, doctor." Syaoran said. "And here's a fun trivia: Mr. Han thinks you and me hooking up is actually a great opportunity for something even greater to be made. For him, that something wouldn't be made if no one would be there to push us off to a start."
"So he proposed this idea because he believes it would create a better… whatever." She finished.
"Give the doctor a medal, she's finally catching up in the business department." Syaoran's tease just earned him a hard glare from the other.
"It doesn't matter Li, I'm not giving myself to you just for this merger to happen." She scoffed.
"Oh but you have to. I see you've never read the entire document, have you? Mr. Han isn't the only client interested in this little partnership, there are others too and those others would bring even more others and what do you think that would do to your company?" Syaoran explained. "Now I am fully aware that your company is in kind of a manpower jeopardy right now which we, the Li Corp., has kind of a surplus of. And the look on your face tells me you didn't even know that, did you?"
Sakura suddenly turned pale. What he just accused her of was true, seeing as she was busy finishing off her Medicine course, she was guilty of not even checking out what's happening in their family business. She thanked the heavens that it wasn't something as big as leading to bankruptcy, but manpower is what they really need. But then, she thought, she couldn't just let Syaoran get away with talking so smugly to her like that.
"I can play news updated too, your company is already on the verge of falling down if not for the many proper leverages, am I right? Last I heard, one of your supposed partner companies just betrayed you by going over to the enemy which in this case, is getting stronger by the second. So recently, you've been looking for willing companies that could help you remain on top and since the Kinomoto Corp. isn't your competition, you think this merger is a good idea." She said, hands in her coat pockets.
"Isn't this cute? We're finishing each other's sentences and telling each other's problems."
"Tell me one thing Li," Syaoran urged her to continue. "Why still need me as your catch when you could just get my father's signature?"
Syaoran shook his head. "Well, you're not as brilliant as I thought you would be—" she glared, "—but think about it, it's a year-long contract. This proposal got inside Mr. Han's head because he thought that you and I are dating, exclusively meeting… whatever you want to call it! Now—"
"If we continued dating, it would increase the clients for the merger until the year passes and we're both free to do what we want again." She finished.
He nodded.
"I know you Li, you've done this with other girls, sleeping with them to get their companies be partners with you. But why am I so lucky to be stuck with you as the partnership continues? Isn't it unfair for those other girls who only got to spent a night with you and get their shares?" She frowned. "I think I'm entitled to my freedom too, which I would definitely enjoy, thank you."
"You may not have noticed since you've been gone for long, but a lot of others are eying for your dad's company. They would want to be partners with him even if it's just for a month, yet he always refused until this day came when you're lacking competent managers because a lot have also shifted to your rival companies. Threats and bribes are going around, Kinomoto. We got those men, you got your reputation.
"You'll only be with me for a year, Kinomoto. For the eyes of those clients, a marriage between our companies is a great deal. We ourselves don't have to get married, but if you're willing—"
"Save it!" Sakura butted in making Syaoran chuckle.
"Think about those other companies. Ishigawa, Hanahishi, Kamakuya—I've been, and I'm actually proud to say, with their daughters but nothing coming close to this has happened. We bought and sold shares, lifted each other up for support in the stock market, but this is the first time we ever thought of considering this merger proposal from a client."
Sakura sighed low, biting her lip after. She felt trapped, and she felt responsible for this problem too since she chose her own dream fulfilment over her father's. And now she has this price to pay. Allowing herself to calm down, she looked at him straightly.
"What are your terms?" She asked.
"What?" Syaoran said.
"Your… terms. If we're going to date for a year, there must be at least contractual terms, right?"
"Ah yes, of course. Well, the usual I guess: no cheating or third parties." He shrugged.
Sakura looked at him incredulously and even managed a laugh. "You? Not cheating? Better watch your words Li, you'll never know when it'll bite you back in the ass."
"Okay, everybody wants to laugh at the playboy, I get it." Syaoran rolled his eyes. "Don't act too innocent yourself, I bet you got laid as much as I did for the past years you were in the US."
"Pft," she snorted. "Unlike you, I have a real future I care about. And trust me, I think you should seek for my medical attention just in case you already have any STDs."
"As if." He said.
"Do you have proof you're clean?" She challenged.
"Of course I do! We have a family doctor, Kinomoto. Now: no cheating or third parties. If this rule is broken, the guilty party needs to pay a fine of Y 1,000,000 and the contract plus merger is broken."
"You can't break the merger, Li. The only time it could break is if it has already exceeded its 1 year life and I don't think this little contract between us is part of that document." She said.
"Oh fine, then we're to never contact each other again."
"Hey, that's actually great! Why don't I cheat on you on our first day so I could get away from you immediately?"
"Like you would cheat on all of this," Syaoran said smugly, referring to himself and his, ahem, assets.
"Oh brother," Sakura rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. Hey, here's a good one: I dare you to not cheat." She said.
He raised a brow. "That's a dare? Last time I checked, dares are supposed to be ridiculous, nearing impossible or even life-risking."
"Exactly." Sakura smiled. "I dare you to not cheat despite the real unfaithful, lying, cheater you are."
"That's a foul!" He frowned.
"Yeah, so's your existence."
"Real funny. So what do I get if I make the dare?"
Sakura pondered for a moment and said, "Pride and bragging rights. You won't be in entertainment headlines anymore for being the playboy!"
"Hmm… Fair enough." He shrugged. "Actually no, I'll think of something that I would want once I accomplish the dare."
"Okay, then that's the prize then. Bragging rights and whatever you want as long as I can give it."
"Deal."
end of chapter
