Chapter 13

"…and then they lived happily ever after."

Sakura closed the book and eyed the kids. Lien was looking at her as though she was expecting her to continue while Yuan seemed unimpressed by the ending of the story.

"That's it?" he asked.

"Well, yes. That's it," Sakura replied.

"But what about after the prince and princess got married?" Lien questioned.

"Umm… they lived happily ever after…"

"Yeah, right," Yuan scoffed. "Who lives 'happily ever after' after they get married?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "You see, this prince and princess loved each other very much," she tried to explain.

"So? Are you saying my daddy and mommy didn't love each other—so they didn't live happily ever after?"

Sakura stared at Yuan in shock. "That's not what I…"

Yuan's eyes were challenging her and Lien's were expectant.

"I… I don't think I'm the right person to talk to you about all this."

"Why?"

"Because… I've been here for barely two months. And I don't know what happened between your mommy and daddy." She got up and kept the book on the bedside table. "Enough now. Time for sleep."

The kids watched her silently as she tucked them in.

"Lu said Mommy and Daddy had a silly but nasty fight," Lien spoke softly.

Sakura chose not to respond. "Goodnight, Lien. Goodnight, Yuan." She bent down and kissed them both on the forehead (at which Yuan turned pink).

"I miss Lu."

Sakura smiled sadly. "Me too."

She sighed as she switched the lights off and closed the door. The kids' behavior was much different from what she had been expecting after the kidnapping. Of course they had been very happy to see her back, but there had been no questions from their side. It was almost as if they had been instructed not to question her about the incident. Perhaps the Lis were scared that Sakura would divulge something they didn't want the kids to know.

Sakura herself was unsure if it was a good thing to keep the kids in the dark about everything. But she wasn't complaining—she shuddered imagining the kids' reaction if they ever came to know about the tabloid article linking her and Syaoran. She had suffered enough embarrassment due to it already. Dan's constant teasing and the pointed glances of the servants were driving her crazy. Tomoyo's reaction had been nothing short of ecstatic, calling her up as soon as she read the article. Remembering the conversation they had two days back still made Sakura blush hotly.

'She's probably perfecting the designs for my wedding dress right now,' Sakura thought resignedly. Luckily, Tomoyo still hadn't realized the connection between Syaoran and 'amber-eyes'. 'I'll have to leave the country and go into hiding if she does find out.'

But what bothered her most was the reaction of the Lis. Surprisingly, they hadn't confronted her about the article at all. Sakura had been certain that Yelan would put the blame on her, saying she had set it up to get attention. But the older Li walked around the house coolly as though there was nothing wrong. Syaoran, on the other hand, had been avoiding her like the plague for the past two days, not even looking at her in the eye if he encountered her in the dining hall. Sakura suspected he had been the one to bear the brunt of Yelan's anger.

The only good that came from the article was Lauren Ross ending her frequent visits to the mansion. She was probably furious at Syaoran after the date, this incident just making her anger worse. 'Good thing too. I'm sure she'll murder me if she sees me.'

"Miss Kinomoto, there's somebody here to see you."

Wei was standing at the door of her room, right across the kids' bedroom. Her room had been shifted next to the kids' room since the kidnapping.

"Oh. Who is it?"

"She didn't give her name. But she says she's from your hometown and a good friend of yours."

"From Tomoeda? Who's come to see me from Tomoeda at this hour?"

"I don't know. I told her to wait outside. Can't take any risks since…" He trailed off, lowering his voice. "I must caution you though, Mistress Li is not very pleased. Your friend better have a good reason for this visit."

She shook her head. "But I don't know who…" She sighed and walked down the stairs.

On reaching the living room, she spotted Li Yelan sitting on the sofa. Her eyes narrowed at Sakura's arrival. Sakura gulped and silently cursed whoever had come to meet her. Without meeting Yelan's eyes, she opened the door and stepped out to see Dan talking to a dark-haired lady who she had never seen before in her life.

"So how long have you known Sakura?" Dan was asking her in a suspicious way.

"Well that's none of your business, is it?" the woman replied cheekily. "I'm here to talk to Sakura… and ah, here she is." She smiled widely at her. "Hello, Sakura darling. Long time no see, eh? Let's go somewhere where we won't be… disturbed…"

She grabbed Sakura by the arm and started leading her away from Dan, who was still throwing suspicious glances in their direction.

Sakura blinked. "But who… what…?"

The woman ignored Sakura as she led her and stopped when she was sure they were out of earshot. Swiftly turning around, she smiled at Sakura again. "This place is perfect for us to talk."

"Uh… do I know you?"

"I'd be highly surprised if you do know me. That was a small lie I had to say in order to meet you."

Sakura's eyes widened. "You—you lied? Just so you could meet me? Do you know how much trouble I could get into for this?"

The woman shook her head, still smiling. "You won't get into any trouble if we do this tactfully."

Sakura frowned. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Ling. I'm a journalist." She paused. "Do you remember the article about you and Li Syaoran?"

"Article… why… wait. Did you write that article?"

Ling smirked. "Why? Didn't you like it? Made you even more famous, didn't it?"

Sakura spluttered in indignation and stared at the other woman wordlessly.

"You've created quite the stir in the media. Everyone wants to know more about the nanny who so bravely rescued the Li kids and managed to win Li Syaoran's heart."

"So you want to interview me, is that it?"

Ling nodded, smile still firmly in place.

"And what if I say I have no interest in answering the questions of someone who wouldn't hesitate to twist every word I say?"

Ling's smile faltered a little. "Our paper doesn't twist anything. We tell it as it is."

"Oh, I see. Then how come there's nothing going on between Mr. Li and me when your paper says otherwise?"

"Now, now, Sakura. You don't have to hide anything anymore. The whole of Hong Kong knows now."

"The whole of Hong Kong knows nothing. They've got to be totally gullible to believe in such rubbish."

"You think? Wasn't the photograph proof enough?"

"Photographs can be deceiving."

Ling sighed and chuckled. "Sakura, Sakura. I get it now." She smirked again. "It's the money you're worried about, isn't it? Oh don't you worry. Our boss is very generous in that regard. But that will depend on how… interesting the interview is."

"Oh so that's it, isn't it? When you say you want to know more about me, it's not my life history you're interested in, is it?" She felt her voice rising as she said it.

"Ssshhh… not so loud… and well, I suppose you've got the gist of it, yes. And think about it, you'll be the talk of the town for weeks."

Sakura clenched her fists, the urge to wipe the smug smile off Ling's face overwhelming her. "Yeah, and you'll get the scoop of the year—'Kinomoto Sakura confesses to having Li Syaoran wrapped around her fingers' or something like that." She didn't bother to keep her voice down as she spoke. "You know what? My answer's 'no'! I'm a girl with morals, and I think your newspaper could do with some. Don't you people have anything else to report?"

The smug smile had left Ling's face, much to Sakura's satisfaction, and she looked at Sakura with an eyebrow raised. "We write what people want to read."

"I bet you do. So is this what people want to read—a bunch of lies about someone who deserves to get some privacy? You waste time and space to print rubbish when instead you could be—"

"Don't you tell me what to print in my paper, girl," Ling cut her off sharply. "I know way more than you do about this business."

"Really? Then why are you so slow on the uptake when someone says 'no'?"

Ling's eyes narrowed. "Be careful, girl. That sharp tongue of yours could get you into trouble." She straightened up and suddenly smiled. "Very well, it was a pleasure talking to you, Miss Kinomoto. Thank you for the lovely interview." Her smile turned into a smirk.

Sakura blinked as Ling turned around and walked off. 'Odd woman.' Shrugging off the feeling of unease, Sakura headed back towards the mansion.

She froze when she saw Li Yelan standing at the door, looking straight at her.

"Was that a journalist?" she asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Hmm… I had a suspicion. You handled her better than what I was expecting."

Sakura looked up in surprise. 'Did she just praise me?' Yelan's eyes were softer than usual and her lips were curved slightly upwards in a barely there smile.

'Maybe Yelan was testing me last night,' Sakura thought as she ate her breakfast. 'She probably guessed Ling was a journalist as soon as she saw her. But she didn't kick her out as she wanted to see how I would react. Whether I would send Ling away or be eager to get my name in the papers again.' She inwardly smiled. 'Clever woman.'

Sakura felt a sense of achievement. What she got last night from Yelan was probably the closest thing to appreciation she would ever get from her. It made her want to do a victory dance.

"They're still at it."

Sakura looked up, her thoughts interrupted. "Huh?"

The cook made a face. "Li and Lauren. They're still arguing. You can hear them from here now."

"Oh." This morning, much to Sakura's chagrin, Lauren had come over to the mansion. She'd greeted Yelan and marched straight into Syaoran's room. Minutes later, sounds of a heated argument could be heard throughout the mansion.

"No guesses as to what they're arguing about," one of the servants said pointedly, glancing at Sakura.

"And especially if Lauren Ross realizes that a certain someone's room has been shifted right to the centre of the mansion. She's going to throw a fit. I mean, that makes it more… accessible now…" another servant commented.

Sakura stood up. "Well, I'm full. Got to go and teach the kids now. See you guys later."

She ignored the not so subtle comments that came her way as she washed her hands and made her way out of the servants' common room. She smiled—nothing could ruin her mood today. She was still on a high at being appreciated by the hard to impress Li Yelan.

'Their comments are getting old anyway. I'm no—'

"Ooff!" Her trail of thoughts was interrupted when she banged straight into someone.

She looked up to meet a pair of furious amber eyes. "Watch where you're going, Miss Kinomoto," he snapped at her and walked off.

Sakura stared at Syaoran's retreating figure in shock. 'Geez, what have I done? If he's angry at Lauren, why's he taking it out on me?' She frowned. The fact that Syaoran had left his room implied that he had stopped arguing with Lauren, which meant that…

"Kinomoto Sakura," a mocking voice came from behind her.

Lauren Ross stood a few feet away, hands crossed and eyes throwing daggers. Sakura gulped. She had been bracing herself for a confrontation with Lauren ever since she'd read that article. But right now was a bit unexpected.

Lauren strode towards her. "Enjoying the attention, are you?" she whispered scathingly, her face inches away from Sakura's.

"I…" For some reason, Sakura's brain had ceased functioning and she couldn't come up with anything to defend herself.

"I'm Syaoran's fiancée. I know him and I love him. I've seen lots of fan girls like you, who know nothing about him, but would do anything to get their name linked with him." Her voice was cold. "Stay away from him. You don't even come close to his league." With that, she spun around and strode off.

Sakura stood frozen in place, feeling an odd sense of guilt and hurt. She didn't know what it was but something Lauren had said found its mark.

'Sometimes, you just don't know what to do.'

Sakura sighed, fiddling with the ends of her pillow. She still had a hollow feeling and she cursed Lauren for it.

'Why did she affect me so much?'

Though she had to admit it wasn't just Lauren who had affected her. It was Syaoran's angry dismissal as well. It was the first time he had said something to her since… well, since the infamous 'double-date'. Actually, it was the first time he had even acknowledged her presence.

She tried to make out the time on the clock reflected in the moonlight. It was well past midnight now. 'God, at this rate, I'm not going to get any sleep tonight.'

A knock on the door made her jump. 'Who's knocking at this time of the night?' She waited to see if she'd just imagined it. At the next knock, she slowly got up from bed and walked hesitatingly to the door.

"Who is it?" she asked. Another knock came as a response.

She opened the door slowly and wasn't really surprised to see a messy haired, rumpled looking Li Syaoran standing outside. He was leaning against the door frame, clad in black trousers and a grey button up shirt, which was hanging loose.

"Mr. Li? W-What…?" She tried not to stare at his exposed chest.

"Hello, Sakura." His voice was low and slurred.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Are you drunk, Mr. Li?"

"Maybe a little." He gave a half smile and she felt her heartbeat fasten. "I-I can hold my liquor, you know."

But Sakura wasn't very convinced by that statement. He was looking at her in an altogether different manner and it made her feel a bit nervous. She suddenly realized she wasn't wearing anything apart from her thin nightdress. 'Oh shit! Stupid, stupid Sakura!'

"Is—is there something you want, Mr. Li?" she asked, trying her best to hide her nervousness.

He blinked slowly. "Huh?" He frowned. "I… I… don't know… I don't know why I came here…" He looked genuinely confused. "Did I disturb you?"

"Umm… not really, Mr. Li."

"Syaoran."

"What?"

He smiled again. "I'm Syaoran, remember?"

Sakura felt warmth on her cheeks. "Alright. Syaoran, then. Goodnight Syaoran."

"No, wait. I remember." He pushed the door fully open. "I remember why I came—I wanted to… uh… apologize."

"Apologize?"

"For-for yelling at you in the m-morning."

"Oh."

"And also to thank you." He stared at the floor. "For saving Lien and Yuan," he added softly, his voice cracking. "I-I d-don't know how-how to—"

Without warning, he stepped in and enveloped her in a hug, shaking and crying.

'Oh. My. God.' Sakura panicked.

"It gets too much sometimes. The kids, Fu, mother's expectations, Lauren, the fashion house—just too much. I can't even take it out on anyone. I just need a break from it all," he rambled on between sobs.

She raised her arms but didn't know what to do with them. 'He's getting all angsty and emotional on me. What do I do now

Sakura decided that the best course of action was to pat him consolingly on the shoulder. The shaking stopped but he continued rambling. "All these women in my life are driving me nuts. Mother treats me like a five-year-old, Fu won't leave my kids alone, and Lauren behaves like we're already married."

She continued patting him on the shoulder. He stopped crying after some time and she let out a sigh of a relief. She stiffened when she felt a pair of lips press softly against her exposed shoulder. 'Accidental. Just accidental.'

Her heart skipped a beat when the lips pressed more firmly the second time. "Sakura…" She felt a warm breath against her neck.

'No! This isn't right, Sakura. He's drunk. He doesn't know what he's doing…' The lips traveled up her neck, leaving soft kisses in their wake. 'He's engaged to another woman…' The lips traced her jaw line. 'He's your boss!' The lips captured her own and Sakura was far too gone to care.

He kissed her hungrily, slowly pushing her further into the room. Her fingers reached up, running through his messy hair and allowing herself to be led.

The lips left her own to travel back down her neck. The kisses were no longer soft, they were insistent and demanding. A hand trailed up her arm to rest on her shoulder.

"Sakura… God, you're so beautiful… let me…" Fingers tugged at the strap of her nightdress.

Sakura's eyes flew open. 'Let me…? Let me what? Use you as a stress relief? Play around with you so that I can escape my problems?' Her mind cleared immediately and the hollow feeling returned. 'What am I doing

She wriggled and tried to push Syaoran away. "No, stop…" But he didn't seem to hear her and pulled her closer. "No," Sakura tried again. "I said stop it!" she yelled, and pushed at him with all her strength.

Syaoran stumbled but managed to steady himself. His eyes, darkened with need, stared at her in annoyance and surprise. "What?" he spat.

Sakura clenched her hands and stepped back nervously. In the faint moonlight, she saw his expression change from annoyance to realization to horror in seconds.

"Oh God," he swayed. "What have I done?" He fisted his hair. "Oh God."

He took a couple of steps back, looking almost sober but miserable.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He didn't meet her eye when he said it. Without another word, he left the room.