Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Here's another chapter and I am happy that everyone likes this story; please continue to leave feedback! As for the potential flashback; it might still happen though I am still undecided though I appreciate your opinions.

Weiss was up before her alarm.

Climbing out of bed immediately after opening her eyes, she went straight to the bathroom to shower.

Given that she had enough time, the young woman lingered under the hot was for a little bit; letting it massage her skin. This was probably the one time during the day she would get to relax since soon she would be face to face with the vipers at the SDC; thus she needed to be on her guard at all times. While her protectors would be able to shield her from physical attacks, she hoped, they would not stand a chance when it came to the dangers in the boardroom; not even being able to grasp it. As she stretched as much as she could in the small stall, looking forward to when she would be able to spend a few days home, Weiss applied her shampoo and finished washing her body. She then shut off the water and reached for the towel, a new one than the one from last night, wrapping it around her body. Unlike the previous night, Weiss was alone when she stepped out into her room; which she figured since the others would probably still be in bed given that it was still early. Ruby had indicated that the team had hightailed it here when they heard about Weiss so it wouldn't come as a surprise if they were a little tired.

With the towel still wrapped around her body, Weiss went to her things in order to pick out an outfit for the day. After putting on some undergarments, she stood there and thought about the impression she wanted to make to the SDC. In the past, Weiss had always dressed professionally in a business suit with a long skirt; which was not her usual attire. It was her attempt to fit in during the board meetings though very few ever recognized her place; not at first anyways with some coming around after she proved her worth. Given the last few days however, she figured it was time to show some strength to her enemies; especially since one of those individuals might be involved in all of this. Weiss still did not believe that Jacques and Whitney were involved, not being logical at this point in time, but there was a good chance that one of the other executives could be in an effort to consolidate his or her own power. She knew very well that there were other factions in the SDC, not all of them loyal to the Schnees, and this could be an attempt to seize control of the company.

Looking over her outfits, Weiss knew that she needed to dress in something that would not only show her professionalism but convey her prowess as a Huntress. Going for a dark blue battle skirt, she chose a matching color military blouse with black heels. During the war, Weiss had been awarded a few medals from the other Kingdoms and she decided to wear the insignia to show them off; especially since Jacques also dressed like he was in the military. After dressing, she went back into the bathroom to do her hair; going with a bun in order to annoy the elder Schnee since it was a style that Winter always did in order to get back at the man. Once her hair was done, she looked at the clock and saw that she still had a few more hours left until they needed to go; heading over to her desk to go over some last minute things. It was about that time that there was a knock at her door and Sara appeared with some coffee for the two; dressed in a black business suit with heels as well.

"Any problems getting in? I thought I would have to get involved in case Winter rejected your clearance," Weiss inquired as she went through her scroll while sipping her drink. The two were seated at the desk and relaxing since it would be a while before they could again.

"No; though I did see one of your bodyguards coming out of the room to get something to eat a few minutes ago. I never thought I would see Blake Belladonna up close in person," stated the secretary as she leaned back in her chair; sipping her own drink.

"You never encountered her in the good old days?" asked the Schnee, looking over at the Faunus with an inquiring face.

"I was in a different branch though she was well known. I am still surprised to see her here as well as the rest of your old team," Sara said in an attempt to fish more information out of her boss. While Sara was absolutely loyal to Weiss in every way, she had always been curious on what had happened in the split with her team.

"They're protecting me until whoever is behind this is found; so we are going to have to get used to them for the time being," informed the Huntress in a neutral tone; which the assistant caught.

"How does that make you feel?" inquired the other woman; trying to keep the inquisitive part out of her voice.

"Quit fishing; just ask what you want to know," Weiss said irritably, clearly seeing what her assistant was doing.

"Fine; how do you feel having your old team around you after all this time given what happened the last time you were all together? Especially in regards to you old partner?" inquired the Faunus directly and was more than curious on the answer.

"It's a little unnerving to be honest; but Ruby and I talked last night and I've agreed to let her be there for me. When this is all over, we are going to talk," answered the Schnee simply and trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Well that is something; it will be nice to have some backup at the SDC since we cannot be sure what to expect at this point," stated Sara as she looked over at the time. They spent the next hour going over the data for the meeting so that they were ready.

It was about an hour till when there was a knock at the door; which Ruby and Yang then entered the room.

"What are you wearing you dolt?" Weiss asked Ruby once she got a good view of the younger woman's attire.

"I thought it would help me blend in," Ruby defended while Yang just gave Weiss a bemused look. The Huntress was wearing black suit that made her look more like a secret agent than a businesswoman.

"And you couldn't dress a little better?" the Schnee inquired to the blonde who was dressed in a pair of very tight jeans with a plain white t-shirt. While the t-shirt wasn't as tight as the jeans, it still left little to the imagination.

"This was the nicest thing I packed; your welcome," stated Yang with a somewhat sarcastic as well as mocking tone of voice. Weiss just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose; feeling a headache coming on.

"Where's Blake; I at least hope she dressed appropriately," stated the silver-haired Huntress with hope; knowing that the Faunus was the more mature of the group.

"She's not coming; she went to go talk to the investigators on yesterday's attack so she'll meet us back here when we are done," informed Yang and Weiss nodded; thankful that it was one less person she had to deal with. While Blake was the more mature on of the group like herself, Weiss did not feel comfortable bringing the woman to the SDC given her history; which was well known to all.

It was another hour before Weiss and Sara were ready to head out; gathering their things while Ruby and Yang waited. Once everything was set, the four left the room and headed outside where there was a car all ready for them; courtesy of Winter. Unlike the vehicle yesterday, this was an armored Humvee which was designed to take a beating. Much to Weiss's chagrin, Yang was driving so the Schnee got in the back seat so that she wouldn't have to see the blonde's crazy driving; instead focusing on her preparations for the meeting. Sara sat next to her and the two went over things while Ruby was in the front passenger's seat; listening in on what was being said. At first, she had been jealous of the Faunus since Weiss seemed to focus more on her than even acknowledging Ruby; though it sounded like there were some major business discussions going on. The younger Huntress knew that she would have to start a crash course in learning about Weiss's work in order to try and support her; especially since they might be in Atlas for a while.

They arrived at the SDC without incident, parking the car where Weiss's parking space was; which was towards the front of the building. In various other spaces were limos of all sizes with chauffeurs hanging around and talking to one another; though a few of them seem to stare at the group once they exited their vehicle. Once Weiss was out, the door opened by Ruby, she was escorted to the main entrance with Ruby in the back while Yang was in the front; Sara was at her boss's side. Entering the building, they were greeted to a large crowd of suits all scurrying about and doing their jobs; though they did glance at the four as they moved through the main hall. The room was lined with white marble that was free of dirt with matching colored walls; every part illuminated by the lights in the ceiling. There were portraits of the Schnees everywhere though most of them were of Jacques and Whitney; there were very few of Nicholas Schnee, the founder of the company. There were also statues of white knights, similar to Weiss's summon, in the corners as if they were standing guard; though they were simply empty suits of armor. As they headed to the elevator, there were whispers and stares coming from the staff though they just ignored it and entered the small space; Weiss pushing the button for the top floor.

"I have to admit, I was expecting more out of the SDC Headquarters; like a giant castle or something more grandiose than an office building," Yang said as they stood in the elevator while opera music could be heard overhead. The outside of the SDC matched the other tall building of Atlas and was almost indistinguishable from the rest; except for the Military and Government ones.

"It's on purpose; my Grandfather was a more humble man who didn't want to make the company more important than Atlas. When Jacques took over, he kept the tradition as well as to make sure that it couldn't be picked out for an attack in case Atlas was ever invaded," informed the Schnee as she looked over some things that Sara had handed her. Both were carrying light brown travel cases used for business dealings.

"Well the inside is about what I expected; your father sure knows how to show himself off along with your brother," said the blonde casually which caused the silver-haired Huntress to give her a sharp glare.

"That man is not my father; he's just the man who helped birth me," Weiss said in a tone that was so full of rage that even Yang put her hands up while taking a step back. Ruby also shot her sister a glare which told the blonde that she needed to stop talking now.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened to a long hall with a pair of black-suited men standing guard on a second set of doors.

"Yang will stay outside and stand guard with them; I am heading inside with you guys," Ruby said to Weiss and Sara that made no room for argument. Weiss had been expecting that however and simply nodded; also glad that it was just the younger woman and not the blonde sister.

"Alright; but you are not to say a word and stay close to Sara at all times. I cannot have you as a distraction in that room; so keep your temper in check," ordered the Schnee to Ruby who became somewhat confused by the words.

"I am not Yang," said the red-haired huntress defensively; which earned an annoyed look from her sister.

"No but you do have a temper; especially when it comes to people insulting those you care about so you need to keep quiet. There is more than one person in that room who hates me and will say some nasty things to make that point; do not let it bait you," Weiss told her protector and the younger huntress nodded in understanding; though she still disagreed.

With that said, the three entered the room; the doors being opened by the bodyguards while Yang just stayed back. Inside was a rather large space with a large group of suited men scattered about; some sitting while others conversed. The room matched the layout of the rest of the building; except for the large brown rectangular table that sat in the center. There were seven seats on each side of the table with one at each end; totaling sixteen in all. Above was a large golden chandelier with what appeared to be authentic candles to illuminate the room; no windows at all to view the outside. On the opposite end of the room was a smaller set of doors where there was a large painting of Jacques Schnee overlooking the room; dressed in his usual attire. Ruby had seen such images of the man before and he always looked cold to her; which she now understood given what she now knew of him. They had never met in person but she did have a passing a chance meeting with Whitney; who had the gall to try and woo her. While a few of the other people gave the Schnee a polite nod in greeting as she seated herself at the end of the table closest to the official entrance, others just glared at her.

"Does Weiss always bring you into these meetings? I don't see any of the other board members with assistants," Ruby asked Sara as they stood in the back of the room once she handed her boss everything she needed. Weiss was currently looking at her scroll with a small stack of papers in front of her on the table.

"Yes; it's a way to rub the fact that I am a Faunus and assisting one of the owners of the Schnee Dust Company in Jacques's face," answered Sara with a smirk as more than a few executives looked like they resented that the Faunus and Huntress were in the room.

"That's horrible; I can't believe Weiss uses you like that," Ruby said; clearly angry about that and giving Weiss a disappointed look.

"Don't be mad; it was my idea. As far as I am concerned, Weiss Schnee is the future this company needs and any way I can help her is what's important," stated the Bear Faunus sincerely in defense of her boss.

"So you two are pretty close then?" inquired the younger woman who once again felt a pang of jealously in her heart; trying to keep that hidden.

"I'm married and have three kids with my husband who is back in Vacuo; she is all yours," stated Sara with a grin to the Huntress; catching Ruby by surprise. The Faunus could see the small blush form on the back of the younger woman's neck.

Before Ruby could say anything; Jacques Schnee had arrived with Whitney.

While the other people in the room rose in honor for the current CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss remained seated while still looking at her scroll. If Jacques and Whitney were bothered by this fact, they didn't show it while they greeted the other executives; who then took their seats at the table with Whitney on the right of his father. Looking at the man, Ruby saw that he looked a lot more haggard than before; wondering if the rumors about his health were true. It was said that the elder Schnee was sick though nothing of that was mentioned by Weiss; who either didn't know for sure or just didn't care. Whitney on the other hand looked about the same as she last saw him; also looking more arrogant than ever. When their eyes met, he smirked at her and Ruby just glared; her hand going to her holstered Crescent Rose at her hip. The young man just looked away and at his sister; giving the older woman an innocent but highly fake smile even though she was not paying attention to him in the slightest. It was everything Ruby had not to go over and wipe that smile off his face; happy that Yang stayed outside since she probably would have.

"This meeting is now called to order," Whitney said to the group; which caused Weiss to look up at the group and put away her scroll. Her face was stone as she sat there as was matched by Jacques; the two locked in some sort of mental battle.

It was then that Ruby realized this wasn't a business meeting; it was a warzone.

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