A/N: Before I begin, I'd like to thank all of my readers for their reviews and I apologize that it has taken me this long to update. Writer's block is simply horrible. However, I promise to update this fic as soon as I can, but it might be difficult due to my other stories I'm working on. But, I promise to finish this one! Lastly, I'd like to address the newest pest on fanfiction who goes by the screen name facebookshine. I could honestly care less about what you think about my story, but I really do hate people who accuse my reviewers of being fake. If there is one thing I don't tolerate, it is when readers disrespect my reviewers. If you don't like my story, it doesn't bother me. But, don't you dare accuse my reviewers of not being real due to the fact that their reviews are anonymous and because their screen-names are not official. Furthermore, I've noticed you flaming several other stories and it's not right. Rather than radiating hate and being quick to condemn other authors, you should try to help your fellow writers which is what many of us do on fanfiction. There is a difference between constructive criticism and flat out hatred. I think you'd better learn the difference quickly before you seriously upset someone. Quoting my friend Lnzhomeskillet, "When people review our stories, it's not an ego booster but a confidence booster that makes us want to make them happy with what we write." Your nasty reviews are trying to diminish that confidence. Keep in mind that you are not James Wood or Michiko Kakutani.


Tea looked down at her papers, unable to concentrate. Her mind kept drifting back to what Mai told her earlier that morning.

"Cial's in love with you." Tea let out a sigh before she leaned back in her seat. She knew that Cial still loved her, but she was unsure about her own feelings towards him. Sure, she did love him in the past. But, now she had no clue as to how she felt towards him. After what had happened with Seto, she wasn't sure if she was willing to commit herself to another relationship.

She knew in her mind that Cial was not like that, that he would never hurt her. In her heart, however, she wasn't sure if she believed that. But, convincing the heart and the mind were two different things.

"What's the matter with you? You seem like you're fighting an internal battle." A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Tea looked up and found a puzzled Mai staring back at her. She chuckled and shook her head before she stood.

"No, I'm just wondering who Molly is going to have to use for the shoot. I mean, Cial won't be able to do it and we don't know anyone else who she could use." Tea said while Mai shrugged. Clearly, she didn't really care about who Molly chose to replace Cial with.

"It doesn't matter. Molly didn't even know who was supposed to be the guy in the shoot. It was a surprise guest. Besides, I doubt she would really care if Cial got replaced." Mai said but stopped after seeing Tea laugh.

"Then, you obviously don't know Molly. She would die if she knew that Cial was supposed to be in her shoot and then she'll kill whoever got him removed from the shoot. She's been after him since I began modeling." Tea said while Mai's eyes grew wide and she looked around for Molly. They both knew how scary Molly was when she was upset. The last time she had been upset, the entire shoot had ended in disaster and tears as Molly stormed out after her lead models failed to show up. Not only had she not done the shoot, but she had also vowed never to work with those models ever again.

They both knew that when Molly vowed never to work with anyone again, she kept it and would keep it even if her life depended on it.

"There you girls are." Molly's voice caused a shriek to escape Mai's throat. The blond model quickly jumped up as Molly's hand laid itself on her shoulder. Tea quickly placed her hand over her mouth in an attempt to conceal her laughter while Molly simply stared at Mai, who was flushed.

"Are you okay?" Molly asked, looking slightly concerned as she stared at Mai, who quickly nodded.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Mai quickly asked, her voice and motion fluttery. Molly regarded her for a moment before she shrugged and turned away, not thinking twice about it.

"If you two are finished playing around, we're going to start soon." Molly said as she retreated.

Tea turned towards Mai, who was recovering from her momentary shock. As she stared at her best friend, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, it's not funny!" Mai growled as she turned towards Tea, who continued to laugh.

"Really, you're so immature sometimes." Mai scoffed as she threw her hair over her shoulder.

"Hey guys!" Another voice interrupted them. Mai, against her will, let out another low shriek as a hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Mai?" Serenity's face appeared behind the blond model. Mai let out a relieved sigh before she glared at Serenity.

"Yes, but are you trying to kill me?" She asked, glaring at the girl.

"No. I didn't know you were nervous." Serenity smiled before she turned towards Tea, who was laughing again.

"Really, I hope you choke on your laugh." Mai growled as she looked at Tea, who simply nodded before she stopped and pretended to wipe a tear from her eyes.

"That was too funny. Damn, you're so tense Mai. Relax." Tea smirked at Mai before turning towards Serenity.

"She's nervous because she got rid of Cial, who was supposed to be Molly's mystery guest. I told her that Molly's been after him since I started modeling and that she would kill her if she found out Mai got rid of him." Tea said while Serenity smiled at Mai.

"Oh, so that's why you're so upset." Serenity said in a sympathetic voice as she looked at Mai, who scoffed before turning away.

"I'm not upset. I'm one of Molly's favorite models. She wouldn't dare fire me." Mai replied in an effort to convince them that Molly wouldn't fire her. However, they all knew she was trying to convince herself.

"You're right Mai. Besides, she won't know. Just relax. Being tense doesn't suit you. What do you think, Serenity?" Tea asked, turning towards the brunette girl.

"I agree with Tea. Being tense doesn't suit you although it is funny." Serenity said before she giggled. The moment she began, Tea joined her.

"Fine. You two can laugh all you want although I think Tea is the last person who should be laughing." Mai said in a somewhat gloating voice. Both Serenity and Tea stopped laughing at once and turned towards Mai.

"What? What are you talking about?" Tea asked as she saw a smirk appear on Mai's lips.

"Well, what do you know? Karma is instant, isn't it?" She asked before turning towards Tea.

"What are you-" Tea began as she looked in the direction Mai had been looking in a few seconds ago. Mai watched as Tea's eyes grew wide before she let out a gasp and her mouth dropped open.

"Close your mouth, darling. It's not ladylike." Mai smirked as she watched her best friend take in the sight in front of her.

"What happened to Tea?" Serenity asked, following Tea's eyes. Suddenly, her own eyes grew wide.

"Is that who I think it is?" Serenity asked, turning back to Mai who nodded.

"It is exactly who you think it is. Right, Tea?" Mai couldn't help rubbing it in.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Tea hissed after she finally got her voice back. Standing on the other side of the room was the last person she expected to see in the studio.

"Why is he, Seto Kaiba, in this studio? Did hell freeze over or something?" Tea asked, turning back towards her two best friends. Both shrugged and regarded her with looks that clearly stated they were as puzzled as she was.

"I'll go and ask Molly." Serenity said before she turned and headed in the direction Seto was in.

"Really? Why is he here?" Tea groaned as she turned around so that her back was facing him.

"Like I said, karma was instantaneous, wasn't it?" Mai asked while Tea glowered at her.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Tea mumbled in an angry voice. Mai smiled before she shook her head.

"Of course not. This is the jerk who broke your heart. Not to mention he insulted me on the phone!" Mai angrily said the last part, clearly still angry he called her the maid.

"Well, I wonder what he is doing here." Tea grumbled and turned as she heard Serenity's voice.

"Well? What happened?" She asked, turning around to address Serenity. However, she stopped talking as she saw the apprehensive look on Serenity's face.

"What happened, Serenity? What did Molly say?" Mai asked, also noticing the look on Serenity's face.

"Well, it seems that," Serenity began but stopped as she looked at Tea with an uneasy look. Clearly, Molly had said something that made her very nervous.

"Come on! Just spit it out!" Tea said in an exasperated voice, impatient that Serenity was taking her time.

"Fine. But, Tea won't like this. Apparently, Molly thinks he's the mystery guy!" The words tumbled out of Serenity's mouth and were indistinguishable when Serenity's voice rose until the only sounds she was making were squeaks.

"Can you repeat that?" Mai asked after giving Serenity a confused look. Serenity nodded and took a deep breath before she began to relay the message once again.

"Molly thinks that Seto is the mystery model in the shoot." Serenity calmly said before she moved backwards, aware that a volcano was about to erupt. Mai, sensing the anger that would burst from Tea in a moment, also took a step backwards.

"What?" Tea managed to squeak. Her mind was a suddenly mess, as if a fire had erupted in her brain and was now consuming the information needed to perform basic functions such as breathing and remaining upright.

"Tea?" Mai asked as she cautiously approached her best friend, unsure what to make of her reaction. However, she took a step back as she saw Tea's face change and her eyes rage with anger as the information fully sank in.

"He's what?" Tea suddenly growled, spinning in the direction Seto was in.

"What the hell is wrong with her? He's never modeled! There is no way he can model in this shoot! What the hell? Have we stumbled into the studio of Hell?" Tea was now red and seething with anger.

"I think I should let him know that!" Tea hissed before she began to head in Seto's direction.

"This isn't going to end nicely." Mai mumbled to Serenity as they both watched Tea stalk over to Seto.


Seto looked up and a smirk carved itself onto his lips as he saw none other than Tea heading towards him, a murderous look in her eyes.

"Gardner, imagine seeing you here." He said as she stopped in front of him, his tone smug and mocking in an attempt to add more fuel to the fire in her eyes. It worked and a scowl was his reward.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tea hissed as she glared up at him. She saw the superior gleam in his cobalt eyes before he cleared his throat and gestured towards the cameras.

"Isn't it obvious or are you just that slow? I'm here to model." He replied in his usual caustic voice. Tea regarded him for a moment before she folded her arms and ignored his question.

"Since when do you model? Do you even know how to model?" She asked, not letting it go so easily. He stared at her for a moment without replying, almost as if he was trying to determine her intelligence level.

"Your intelligence seems to have decreased since we last spoke. Clearly, you fail to remember who I am. I'm Seto Kaiba. There is nothing that I cannot do." He replied, rewarding her with another one of his superior smirks.

"Unless it's showing up for your own wedding." Tea scoffed, watching as his eyes grew wide in surprise and his smirk momentarily disappeared. She relished the effect her words had on him, even if the effect lasted for a millisecond before he regained his footing.

"If you were a more appealing and worthy bride, then maybe I might have actually considered showing up." He retorted, noting how her eyes narrowed and the tip of her nose flared in anger.

"Well then, I guess I owe your ego and superficiality a great thanks as they saved me from committing the atrocious act of marrying the reincarnation of Narcissus." Tea riposted, noting the smirk that was threatening to show itself on his lips. He managed to quell it down at the last minute as he continued to stare at her, his cobalt eyes piercing her skin like glass.

"There you are, Tea!" A jocund voice suddenly interrupted the battle that was raging between Seto and Tea. Both turned and saw Molly approaching them, a wide smile on her face.

"I see you two have met. Tea, Seto is the model you will be working with in this shoot." Molly said, looking at Tea, whose face rapidly underwent a change.

"Is something the matter?" Molly asked, noticing that her best model was now scowling and glaring at Seto.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Why is he the model? I mean, does he even know how to model?" Tea asked, folding her arms in a superior manner. She didn't break the eye contact with Seto.

"Excuse us for a moment." Molly smiled at Seto before she grabbed Tea and pulled her aside. Seto didn't even seem to care that Molly was addressing him.

"What are you talking about?" Molly hissed at Tea once they were out of earshot.

"I'm talking about the fact that we're using an amateur model rather than a professional one. How do we know he can model?" Tea asked, nudging her head in Seto's direction. She saw him looking at them and knew that he was positive that they were talking about him. Not that she cared.

"Tea, it doesn't matter. He is Seto Kaiba. One photo shoot with him and people will be going even crazier over our magazines. After all, no other agency has had the honor of having one of the most eligible bachelors in the world pose in their photo shoot." Molly said, so grateful and happy that Tea felt as if she was choking on the ecstatic vibes coming from Molly.

"Oh come on Molly. He wasn't supposed to be the model. It was supposed to be Cial. Do you remember Cial, who you've been after since I began modeling?" Tea asked in another attempt to get through to Molly.

"Is Cial one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, Tea?" Molly asked, extinguishing Tea's hopes of getting through to her. Realizing that Molly was already gone, Tea let out a sigh before mumbling something and then nodding.

"Fine. I'll do the shoot." She growled, turning towards Molly, who was beaming once again.

"Excellent. Oh, this month's issue is going to be incredible. I can see it now. Tea Gardner, one of the most prominent models in the US, and Seto Kaiba, one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, modelling side by side on the cover of my magazine." Molly squealed in excitement before she turned and headed towards the camera, momentarily forgetting about her most prominent model.

Tea let out a frustrated sigh and shot another ray of hatred towards Seto before she turned towards the spot she had left Mai and Serenity. Both girl were still there, eagerly awaiting any news.

"Well, what happened? Is he in the shoot or not? What did Molly say?" Both girls bombarded her with questions as she stopped in front of them.

"Well, apparently he is going to be in the shoot because Molly is too excited about having one of the most eligible bachelors in the world in her shoot." Tea scowled as she crossed her arms.

"Aw, honey, I'm sure it won't be that bad." Mai said as she placed her arm around Tea.

"Yes, maybe it won't be as bad as you think." Serenity offered as she placed her hand on Tea's shoulder. Tea shrugged before she sighed.

"I guess. But, I still don't like the idea of working with him." She replied in a glum voice. Mai opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Molly's voice as she yelled for the models to get into their spots.

"Don't worry. You'll make it through this." Mai said as she squeezed Tea's hand before she disappeared to take her spot. Serenity shot Tea a reassuring smile before she followed behind Mai. Tea let out a groan and straightened before she began to make her way towards Seto to do the shoot. As she walked ahead and caught sight of Kaiba's arrogant smirk and his gloating colbalt eyes, she felt as though she was walking towards a guillotine rather than a shoot.


"Well, that was horrible!" Tea grumbled as she looked over at Mai and Serenity, who both gave her a shrug.

"I didn't think it was that bad." Serenity replied, causing Tea to glare at her as she pulled her coat on.

"You didn't have to model with Seto Kaiba and you didn't have to feel his cold, disgusting hands on your body." Tea shuddered, causing Serenity to chuckle.

"It's not funny." Tea said, shooting her a look. However, her look failed to intimidate the girl, who began to laugh even louder. Mai, unable to hold back her own laughter, joined in. Tea stood still, unable to believe that her two best friends were both laughing at her, seemingly enjoying her misfortune.

"Well, I'm glad it's over." Tea said, stretching before she turned towards Mai and Serenity, who had both calmed down. The three women turned and headed towards the door.

"Bye Molly!" They called before exiting the studio. Once outside, Tea let out a shiver and pulled her coat tighter around herself.

"Well, I'm hungry. Actually, I'm starving." Tea said as she placed a hand over her stomach.

"Oh, I think I just heard your stomach try to eat you." Mai chuckled as Tea's stomach let out a growl.

"I know. Clearly, a cup of orange juice was not breakfast." Tea grumbled.

"So, where do you want to head for lunch? How about Ellen's Stardust Diner?" Tea asked as her two best friends followed her to the parking lot.

"I don't know if I can make that, Tea. I mean, I have to get ready for that party tonight." Mai smiled at Tea, who nodded before turning towards Serenity.

"I don't think I'll be able to go either, Tea. I have a college interview later today." Serenity replied, giving Tea an apologetic look. Tea sighed and nodded. Both she and Mai knew that Serenity was only modeling in order to save money for college, where she wanted to study pediatrics in order to pursue a career as a pediatrician.

"It's fine. I'll see you guys later then." Tea smiled before she turned and headed towards her convertible. Mai and Serenity looked at her before they got into their respective cars and left Tea in the parking lot.

"Damn it! My scarf!" Tea groaned before turning on her heels and heading back into the studio. Running into the dressing room, she spied the scarf on the couch and quickly grabbed it.

"What a day." Tea sighed as she headed back towards her convertible.

"You know something? I'm too lazy to go to Ellen's. I can grab a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino from Starbucks and then head to the office." Tea sighed as she reached her car.

"Are you so lonely that you feel the need to talk to yourself or are you just incapable of thinking in your head?" A voice interrupted her thoughts, causing her to suck in a sharp breath as she prepared herself for yet another encounter with Kaiba.

"Neither. However, I see you cannot restrain yourself from eavesdropping on someone's conversation, now can you?" She asked, turning around to face him. He was standing directly in front of her with his trademark smirk and his arms crossed.

"On the contrary, I'm not to blame if I happened to be passing by and you were unable to even whisper what you was thinking. You might as well have used a bullhorn." He sneered while she rolled her eyes.

"Very well. Next time, I'll be sure to bring my bullhorn. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would rather be anywhere but in your presence." She snapped, turning away and opening the door of her convertible.

"Is my presence really that repulsive?" Kaiba couldn't help taunting her. Tea looked up at him before narrowing her eyes and scoffing.

"I think one would have more fun in the presence of cannibals as opposed to you." Tea replied while he let out an amused chuckle.

"I see. It's a pity though because I doubt we'll find cannibals in Manhattan." He said while Tea rolled her eyes once again.

"You're testing my patience. What do you want, Kaiba?" Tea asked, getting out of her car. He smiled, pleased at his victory.

"How about lunch?" He offered while Tea scoffed.

"As if I would have lunch with you. I doubt I would be able to swallow the food." She retorted while he chuckled again.

"I see you're still as sarcastic and rude as you were three years ago." He observed while Tea turned away. She hated that he kept bringing the past up every time, especially when she had managed to lock it away with much difficulty.

"What exactly do you want, Kaiba?" She asked in a voice that clearly stated that she wasn't in the mood for bullshit. His tone and face instantly sobered up as he donned his business demeanor. He wasted no time in getting straight to the point, obviously not in the mood to bullshit around.

"My company needs stability at the moment. The latest product launch failed and the losses were a lot. While going through some documents a few months back, it came to my attention that we were still engaged. I was going to ignore it, but then decided to see if it was true. I found out that it was still valid, although you had left Domino City. I came to New York shortly afterwards since there was no need to do research to find you." He stopped and watched as her face became cold and stony.

"I see. You want a marriage of convenience." Tea didn't hesitate in saying it exactly as it was and Kaiba made no attempts to gild the truth.

"Exactly. My company needs stability. A marriage to me will boost your reputation and your company's reputation while your company will ensure stability for my own. At least," At this, Tea cut him off.

"At least, until your company has compensated its losses. Then, the marriage is over, isn't it?" She asked, looking over at him. He nodded and she found herself unable to believe that someone could be as cold as he was. Was business and success the only things that mattered to him?

His next few words answered her question.

"After my company compensates its losses, I'll definitely pay you for your troubles. Any price you want." He smirked at her, under the delusion that his money could buy anything or anyone in the world. However, he wasn't prepared for her anger.

"What the hell do you think I am?" Tea asked, her eyes hard and full of anger and hate as she looked at him. He seemed taken aback by her sudden burst of emotions before it passed and he smirked.

"I see. Fine, I won't give you money. What do you want instead?" He asked, leaning against her car. She continued to glare at him before she responded.

"How about your life on a silver platter?" She growled before she pushed him out of the way and got into her car. She started it up before stepping on the accelerator and leaving a baffled and pissed Seto in the parking lot.

Tea could feel her heart beating in her head as she stepped harder on the accelerator. Who the hell did he think he was? Who was he to think he could suddenly waltz back into her life three years after leaving her at the altar and then expect her to readily fling herself into his arms after he proposes marriage?


So, reviews! I know I took forever to update but it's summer and I've been busy with volunteering and stuff. But, I promise to finish this fic asap and I have a new one to post as well. So, keep checking! And, as usual, I had to include something about coffee. I actually had the mocha coconut frappuccino and it's soooooooooo awesome!
-DramaQueen95