My nerves were finally setting in. Class had just finished and I was freaking out about meeting Kaiba. I was still trying to figure out what he wanted to talk to me about. Maybe it was to offer me my first shift.
"Do you want me to stay with you?" Duke asked as he pulled his shoes out of his locker.
We were the only students left in the locker area. Everyone else had high-tailed it out so they didn't get caught in the next wave of rain. The gang wanted to go to the arcade, which I thought was stupid because they were going to get stuck. A huge storm was supposed to set in that afternoon.
"Nah, you guys head to the arcade. I'm sure Google will tell me where to go," I smiled, slamming my locker door.
"Okay..." Duke said uncertainly. "Take my umbrella then."
"An umbrella ain't gonna save me, Devlin. Especially if this storm hits before I make cover," I quipped as I walked over to the umbrella stand where the gang were waiting. I pulled out Duke's black umbrella. I hadn't bought one at that point so Duke had to share his with me.
Rain began pelting down as soon as I opened the door. I sighed angrily. I doubted Kaiba was going to meet me in that weather so I decided I was going to go with the others. I braced myself before stepping out into the downpour. My shoes became wet almost instantly. Duke took hold of the umbrella and began walking towards the main gate while holding the brolly out in front of us. I vaguely heard Joey say something over the roar of the rain, but I kept walking.
As we approached the road, I could see what looked like a black limo pull up just outside the gate. A guy with grey hair, and wearing a black suit jumped out quickly while he opened a black umbrella. I shooed Duke away and watched as the the guy in the suit jogged towards me. Duke held the umbrella out towards me and gave me a stern look. I sighed and took it before he rushed over to share Joey's umbrella.
"Miss Andersen?" the suit called over the rain as he stopped near me. "Can you come with me please. Mister Kaiba wishes for you to accompany him to KaibaCorp." He extended his arm towards the limo.
And leave everyone in the rain? Not likely. I couldn't jump in a nice warm car without the others. And I very much doubted Kaiba would give them a lift, going by their attitudes. And why did Kaiba want me to go to KaibaCorp with him? I thought he just wanted my schedule. But we were in the same class so it wouldn't have been hard to figure out what I had and when. I supposed after school activities had to be taken into account, not that I had picked any. Thinking about it was hurting my brain.
I still couldn't leave the guys. I looked around and spotted them walking down the street. "Sorry," I said loudly. "I can't leave my friends out in the rain. Tell Mister Kaiba I'm sorry and I'll come see him as soon as the rain lets up." I bowed slightly before running after the gang. "Hey, guys! Wait up!"
They didn't stop walking, and I didn't blame them. But, they slowed down a little. As I tried to catch up, I started to feel sick. Ditching Kaiba after he asked me to meet him was kind of a bad move. I hadn't even had my first shift and I was already turning him down. Would he take the job off me?
I watched the gang veer off the foot path into what looked like a park. I followed them towards the other side of the park where there was a large sheltered area. I sighed in relief as I reached the safety of the gazebo.
"Why didn't you go with Kaiba?" Duke asked from beside me.
"I'm not gunna sit in a nice, dry limo while you lot walk around in the rain. What do you take me for, Devlin?" I responded, shaking the umbrella before handing it back to Duke.
"We really wouldn't have cared," Tristan commented as he sat down on one of the two benches behind me.
Before I could say anything, something began vibrating against my boob, scaring me. I quickly pulled it out. It was a number I didn't recognise.
"Hello?"
"You realise it's bad form to decline a meeting with your new employer, especially before you've been given a shift?" Kaiba's rough voice spoke on the other end.
Shit. What was I supposed to say? I didn't think he'd call me so soon.
"I'm sorry Mister Kaiba," I apologised softly. I shouldn't have run off after the gang. They would have been fine, like Tristan said. I mentally kicked myself while my heart pounded against my chest. He was going to take the job off me.
"I suggest you come over to the car now," Kaiba stated coldly. The car? Did he follow us? "Bring them as well," he added before hanging up.
"'Bring them as well'?" I muttered in confusion. Did he mean Duke and his friends? Was he going to give them a lift?
I looked over towards the street and could make out a black limo. I assumed it was Kaiba's. The rain had backed off a little, so it was the perfect time to make a mad dash to the car. I turned to the gang and told them to follow me. I took off towards the car. Shortly after, I could hear feet pounding the ground behind me.
As I approached the limo, the back door opened but no one got out. I assumed it was alright for me to get in. I crawled about half way in and gaped at the interior. The limo was quite specious. A blood red U-shaped seat ran along the edge of the car and two sunroofs were letting in what little light was escaping the clouds. Sitting to the back of the limo was Kaiba. He was wearing the white trench coat he had interviewed me in.
"Hi!"
The high, cheerful voice scared the living daylights out of me. I squealed slightly and looked beside me. During my scan of the limo, I hadn't noticed a little boy of about 12 with long, thick black hair and dark grey eyes. His two tone blue, long sleeve top and yellow, unbuttoned vest added some brightness to the limo.
"C'mon, Cal!" Duke shouted from behind me.
I snapped out of my senses before I said 'hello' to the boy and took a seat near Kaiba. There was a decent sized gap between us. As everyone climbed in, I was forced to shift closer and closer to Kaiba. I could smell his cologne again. I didn't know what it was, but for some reason, it made me calm.
"Where are you lot going?" Kaiba asked as he folded his arms.
"We'll just go to the arcade," Tea piped up from beside the little boy.
"Thanks for giving us a lift, Kaiba," Yugi said kindly as the car began moving.
I looked behind Tea's head and saw a black screen slowly rise, blocking us off from the driver. I turned my head slightly and glanced at Kaiba. He had a slightly irritated look on his face. Having everyone in his limo mustn't have been his idea of a party. I was grateful that he was giving them a lift.
He must have noticed me looking at him because he looked at me out the corner of his eye. My heart jumped and I quickly looked away.
"Hope the rain lets up before we head home," Joey commented between Tristan and Duke. "I ain't walking in the rain again."
"How are you gunna get home if it's raining?" I asked Duke, who was beside me.
He shrugged. "Run I suppose. Unless you get home before I do, then you can come get me. The car keys are inside somewhere."
I frowned at him. I wasn't legally allowed to drive in Japan. Sure, I had an Australian license, but that wouldn't do me much good. I was going to have to see about getting a permit of some sort. I wasn't sure how that stuff worked. "I don't have a permit to drive over here. And I have no idea where I'm going."
"You'll be right, Cal. I'm sure you're a good enough driver that the cops won't even bother to pull you over. And, besides, you said Google would help you," Duke sighed as the limo slowed down to a stop.
Did he realise he was talking about breaking the law while my boss was in the car? I glanced at Kaiba and watched him glare at Duke. I was expecting him to be glaring at me, not my best friend. He clearly didn't like talk of laws being broken. "How are you gunna get home if I don't get there first?" Duke questioned, bringing me back to my senses.
"I dunno," I shrugged as the gang prepared to get out of the car. "I'll find a way."
Duke nodded before giving me a quick hug. "Be careful."
The gang climbed out, while thanking Kaiba, except for Joey. I waved at them before the limo pulled away. There were only three of us in the limo. The little boy across from us kept looking at me curiously. It was then I realised I was still sitting rather close to Kaiba. Should I move? Would it be rude to move away? Is he uncomfortable being so close to me.
I decided to stay still. "Thank you for giving them a lift," I murmured, looking down at my lap.
"It won't happen again," Kaiba said stiffly.
"Is she your new PA, Seto?" the little boy spoke, making me jump.
Kaiba nodded. "Miss Andersen, this is my brother, Mokuba."
"Hi, Mokuba," I greeted with a smile. "I'm Callie."
Mokuba smiled back. They looked so different. And, Mokuba seemed so much more cheery than his brother. Almost polar opposites. I wondered how Kaiba became such a grouch. Maybe he had been like his little brother at one point. It was pointless to think about that, though. There was no way I'd ever have access to that information. It was none of my business.
"Miss Andersen, while you are working for me, you must maintain a professional attitude during your working hours," he stated as he glared at me. Was he talking about the way I introduced myself to his brother? Or the fact I had been conversing with Duke while sitting next to him. How was I to know I was in working hours? I suppose getting in his limo and going to his office was clear enough.
"Yes, Sir. Sorry," I muttered.
I have to be professional, I have to be professional, I kept telling myself as Kaiba lead the way through KaibaCorp. People kind of kept their heads down as we walked past. Were they afraid of Kaiba? Honestly, I really didn't blame them; he was pretty intimidating. But, I would have thought they would have some nerve to actually acknowledge him as they passed, seeing as they were working for him.
As Kaiba, Mokuba and I stepped into the elevator, I wondered what working for Kaiba was going to be like. I had always wanted a PA, but I didn't have any training or experience, not to mention the fact I was still in school. Also, in the town I lived in back in Australia, there weren't many PA positions; that was a big city job. I hoped I was good enough to keep this job.
The doors slid open smoothly and we made our way down a familiar corridor. We were on the top floor. I walked as close as possible to the wall opposite the glass panes. I really didn't wanna trip and fall out the window.
Kaiba stopped in front of his office doors. He unlocked them before pushing one open and stepping in. I let Mokuba in first then I followed, closing the door behind me. The office looked different. Kaiba's desk, and big, comfy chair were in the same spot, but, the lounge had been moved to the other side of the room. The bookcase that also been behind the lounge had been replaced by a simple desk with a high back chair. It didn't look as comfortable as Kaiba's big executive one.
"That's your desk," Kaiba spoke from his desk. "You are to keep it tidy."
I looked towards him and nodded as I walked towards the lone chair I had sat in during my interview. My own desk in his office. I thought it might have been set up outside his office or something. Would I be able to get anything done with him watching me?
"There will generally always be someone in here with you; if I'm not here, Mokuba will be," Kaiba explained as he motioned behind me. I looked to see Mokuba sprawled out on the lounge, remote in hand.
What's the remote to? I thought as he pressed a button. Light out the corner of my eye brought to my attention a large flat screen TV mounted to the roof, hanging over the office doors. Must be for when Mokuba's in here.
"In case you're wondering, Mokuba is Vice President, so you answer to him as well."
I stared at Kaiba in shock. Mokuba was VP? How could that little boy have so much pressure put on him? I really needed to stop worrying about their business. It didn't concern me.
"What about hours, Sir?" I asked meekly.
"I can't really give you solid hours until you sort out your time table. I'm aware we're in the same class, but I need information about your afternoon clubs and such. There is also the option of using your position here as your extra curricular activity."
"I'll have to see what other clubs there are," I said, although I was already considering just using the job. It would have been so much easier, I assumed.
"That's fine. Now, I have a meeting in five minutes, so Mokuba will be here with you. I want you to research this for me," Kaiba announced as he handed me a piece of paper. Chrome Industries? There was a brief description of the company, which I didn't really read. "Once I'm finished, I'll take you home."
"Is there anything in particular you want from my research?" I asked as Kaiba stood up and walked around the desk.
"Name of the owner, CEO, who holds shares, anything you can dig up," he said gruffly, walking out the door and closing it behind him.
I sighed and stood up. My first bit of work. Hopefully looking up this company would be easy. I wondered why Kaiba wanted info on it. Was he going into business with them? I slowly wandered over to my desk and plopped into the chair. There was a silver laptop in front of me that I had not noticed on the desk before. I opened it and turned it on.
"You're close to Duke?" Mokuba piped up from his spot on the lounge across from me.
I looked up at him and nodded. "He's been my friend for many years. I'm still adjusting to his friends though."
"I'm surprised Seto gave you the job," Mokuba commented. I knew he didn't mean anything by it.
"Me too, Mokuba. I'm actually surprised he gave them all a lift."
"I asked him to. He may not like them a great deal, but they've helped my big brother, and he's helped them," he said quietly.
Well that was news to me. "Well, thank you. I couldn't leave them out in the rain," I smiled as I looked at the computer screen. I had to make myself a KaibaCorp login. How fun.
"Do you duel?" Mokuba asked.
I laughed. "I wish. I'm hopeless at Duel Monsters. It doesn't stop me from watching what goes on in that world. Maybe your brother could give me a few pointers," I joked.
"I doubt it."
"Yeah, me too."
Mokuba and I kept talking while I skimmed through various pages relating to Chrome Industries. I had heard of them before. I jotted down what I though would be beneficial to Kaiba. There wasn't much I could get. It was very repetitive. I just hoped I found something useful.
The office door opened just as it hit dark outside and Kaiba walked in, slightly annoyed. I looked at the clock on the computer. 7.15pm.
"Are you okay, Seto?" Mokuba asked his big brother.
"I'm fine, Mokuba," Kaiba cooed before rounding on me. "What did you find?" he asked coldly.
That was sudden. I quickly sorted my notes and stood up as Kaiba walked over to his chair.
"I really couldn't find a lot," I began as he sat down. I hurried over to his desk and stood in front of it. "Chrome Industries mainly focuses on virtual reality, they have offices in 5 countries, including Japan, a woman named Viola Rodriguez took over the company five years ago. Um, I couldn't get any info on the previous owner. There was nothing on their share holders, but they own shares with Industrial Illusions and KaibaCorp. Ten percent of Industrial Illlusions, twenty five of KaibaCorp."
"Twenty five percent too much," Kaiba growled.
I placed my notes on his desk and pushed them towards him. "I'm sorry I couldn't get more."
"That's probably all they want the general public to know. I couldn't get much either. I'll have to take extreme measures," he said as he picked up my notes and slipped them into his desk drawer.
I gave him a confused look. Extreme measures? I wondered what he meant. Would I be allowed to ask? I decided against it. I didn't want to annoy him.
"Are we going home now, Seto?"
"Yeah," Kaiba sighed as he stood up again and walked over to Mokuba. "We have to take Miss Andersen home first."
"Are you sure? You don't have to. I can see if Duke is home-"
"Let's go," Kaiba cut me off.
The walk down to Kaiba's limo was quiet. I had trouble keeping up with Kaiba's long strides. I had a feeling I looked like a lost puppy, trailing along behind him. How Mokuba kept up with him, I didn't know. They were both ahead of me as we walked through the foyer, which was dead, except for the brunette woman at the reception desk.
She's here late.
"Good night, Mister Kaiba. I'll lock up for you," she spoke from her spot as we walked past. "Oh, Miss Andersen. Congratulations on the job."
I smiled at her. She seemed nice. I wondered what her name was. She wasn't wearing a name tag. The more I thought about it, I realised she hadn't been wearing one the day I rocked up for my interview. Weird, maybe the don't need them.
"Make sure the alarm system is turned on," Kaiba snipped without looking at her. Why was he so rude to everyone?
We walked outside and I nearly froze solid. The wind was brutal. I mentally kicked myself for forgetting my jacket that morning. I wrapped my arms around myself while quietly swearing at the wind. The rain had stopped though, so that was a plus.
"Hurry up and get in," Kaiba said as he stood next to the open door of the limo. I hadn't even noticed it sitting there. "Before you freeze."
I stiffly ran over to the limo and practically dove through the door. I sat on the seat along the side wall and shivered, while rubbing my arms. The limo was warm, but not warm enough.
"You really should have a jacket, Callie," Mokuba scolded lightly, who was sitting on the seat that backed onto the front cabin.
"I forgot to grab it this morning. Anyway, I didn't think I was going to be outside this late," I laughed through my chattering teeth.
I saw something come flying at me out the corner of my eye, which ended up covering my head. Kaiba's cologne instantly filled my nostrils and I could feel my cheeks getting hot.
"There. Quit complaining," Kaiba voiced from the back of the limo as I pulled off whatever was covering my head.
His trench? I looked at Kaiba curiously. He didn't look back, he kept his eyes on the view out the window, not that there was much to look at out there. I quickly wrapped his white trench coat around me as the limo began to move. It didn't matter that it didn't have sleeves; my arms were tucked snug inside. The trench itself was still warm from Kaiba's body heat.
The limo was silent, and it was kind of irritating me. I wanted to thank Kaiba for his jacket, but I was scared of him snapping at me. I wasn't sure why though, I'd stood up to him before. But I didn't have anything to lose then. I had the job. I really wanted it.
"How'd your meeting go?" I finally murmured, glancing at Kaiba. I didn't even know what his meeting had been about, but I had to break the silence. I could ask him about that, but not thank him? I never understood my mind.
Kaiba closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It was a waste of time. I didn't gain any information. I essentially got what you found."
So he had been trying to get more information on Chrome Industries. Maybe he had a meeting with a representative. I was getting more curious about his reasons for wanting the details of that company.
"Are you planning on going into business with them?" I asked curiously.
Kaiba's eyes moved to me and stayed there, as if studying me. I shouldn't have asked. I was going to cop it. After a moment, he sighed. "For the past two months, they've been buying a couple a shares every few days. I've never had any dealings with them before. They just came out of the blue. "
"So they bought them off another company?"
"They must have. And, I need to know why."
"But, what if they intend on doing business with you?"
"I still need to know what their deal is."
Oh, that's right. He's Mister I Need To Know Everything.
"Can't you just hire a PI?"
Kaiba furrowed his brows. "You ask a lot of questions."
"Just like you did when we first met."
Where did that come from? I widened my eyes as Kaiba frowned. Yep. He was going to have a go. I quickly bowed my head and muttered 'sorry'. Why did I do that? He owned the damn company; of course he asked a lot of questions. But, he still didn't need to ask questions about Duke.
"Touché, Miss Andersen," Kaiba said softly, making me look up in surprise. He was looking out the window again.
Why didn't he snap at me? As the limo pulled to a stop, I looked towards Mokuba for some form of guidance, but he was looking at his brother with a soft look on his face.
"Um, I guess this is my stop," I said nervously as I moved to slide off the seat.
Kaiba climbed out and held the door open for me. I guessed he didn't want me crawling over him. I clambered out onto the cold street. I glanced up at the freaky clown on top of Duke's shop.
"Thanks for the lift, Mister Kaiba," I smiled up at Kaiba. "Oh." I pulled his trench off and handed it back to him. He slipped it on effortlessly.
"I'd like you to meet me near Saito's office tomorrow morning. You need to sort out clubs," Kaiba said quickly as I shivered. He must have known I was freezing. He climbed back into the car. As soon as he slammed the door, they took off down the street, leaving me to stand there like a fool.
"See you tomorrow then," I muttered to myself before bolting around the back of the shop.