A/N: Words cannot describe how excited I am for this chapter. It gets pretty…Well, you'll see. But to all of you who are new here, I want to take a minute and say hello! How are we doing today? Personally, I just finished lunch. My Monster's starting to kick in and I'm about to post. Well…At the time I'm writing this. By the time you're reading it, I've already posted. But it's nice to check in once in a while. Just to make sure you guys are doing ok. And that you're mentally prepared for the shenanigans that are about to ensue. So, good luck, Godspeed, and…I love you. xx

As much as I didn't want to, I left Haruhi's side and went back to Victoria. I made a quick mental note to send my best friend a fucking fruit basket for going above and beyond the call of duty for this. Alright. With everything in place, I could sit back down in front of the bitch who dragged me here in the first place. I can do this. She's not worth going to prison over. Or fucking up my manicure.

"I swear," Victoria groaned, still pissed off about the wine spot on my dress, "I need to see a manager. Someone is going to answer for this."

"It's really not that big of a deal," I assured, "I'll live to see another day."

"Did you catch the waiter's name?" her tirade continued, "I want to now."

"It's not worth you causing a scene." Honestly, she's like a five year old that got her chocolate milk in the blue cup instead of the green one.

"You!" Victoria waved Haruhi over to our table, only making me want to hide my face in shame even more. I share blood with this lunatic, "Come over here! What is your name? I want to know who I'm sending my dry cleaning bill to!"

"Forgive her madame." Thank God. Another voice of reason, "She's new and also in enough debt. I'll take care of it. Is everything else to your satisfaction?"

"Could I speak to your manager?" Victoria demanded, prepared to riot. Over one little spot of wine on my dress. And that was just an excuse for Haruhi and me to talk alone.

"I am the manager," Kyoya lied smoothly through his teeth, "How may I help you?"

"My granddaughter is covered in red wine," she growled, "Do you have any idea how much that dress costs? All because you hired someone so incompetent! Maybe if you would've screened for the position a little better, we wouldn't have this problem!"

"Ma'am, please," Haruhi apologized all over herself. Unnecessarily, in my opinion. Victoria didn't need to be such a bitch to her. It was a planned accident, "I didn't mean to…"

"Is everything ok over here?" my heart melted. Everything is going to be just fine.

"Who are you?" Victoria scoffed, still on her high and mighty trip.

"I own the restaurant." No, you don't. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling. I am a total stone wall right now. No emotion. No joy. Big ass wine stain on a god-awful dress I already hated.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" At her advanced age, I'm impressed she still has this kind of energy in her. He knows exactly who you are. You don't exactly make an effort to hide it, "I could have you shut down!"

Without any remorse, too. Someone needed to settle her down before she has a heart attack. As nice as that'd be right about now, I needed to step in, "Victoria, please…"

"No, Reila! They need to know I mean business and that they should have more professional staff!"

"No, you couldn't." Awfully cocky for someone who doesn't even own the restaurant in the first place.

"Oh," Victoria's eyes burned. Because nothing pissed her off more than when someone tells her no. If anyone at that table knows that, it's me. She told Daddy she wanted me. He told her no. We ended up in court. She told me that she cornered me in Japan because she wanted me. I told her no. Now, we're here, yelling at poor little Haruhi, who did nothing wrong, "But I could. Is that something you'd like to test?"

"It wouldn't work," he leaned over a chair, "No matter how hard you try."

"And why is that?" Victoria fumed. It's strange. He's never met the woman, yet he knows just how to push her bitch buttons.

"Because…" That smirk…That goddamn smirk…It got to me every time, "This restaurant is under some very special protection. There's not a thing you'd be able to do that would shut this place down."

"You underestimate me."

"You overestimate yourself." Ooh! Right in the ego, "So, are you going to stop playing shy? My Reila's a little more vocal than this. You're so much better than that, sweetheart."

"So, we're up to sweetheart now," I teased, thanking God for this boy, "Awfully bold of you."

"Like I said," my savior reiterated, "This place is protected, "Kind of like the girl. She's under special protection, too."

"Maybe in New York," Victoria gave him a look, not having a single fucking clue as to what was going on, "But this isn't New York. She doesn't have any mafia connections here."

"Yes, she does," my connections threw an arm around me, pulling me into his hip, "We just call it something different here. Her connections come from a different syndicate than the one she's in. A very powerful syndicate."

"I'm not afraid of you." Now, Victoria was the one lying. I could see it in her eyes. She's scared shitless. And I loved every second of it.

"You should be," he offered me his hand, "Reila? Shall we?"

"I'd love to," I reveled in the warmth of his touch. Mmm…Comfort.

Then, Victoria realized just what was going on. And glared a fucking dagger into me, "You really are your mother's child, aren't you, Reila?"

"And damn proud to be," I assured.

"Come on, Rei," Ritsu insisted, "Let's get you the hell out of here."

"Wait!" Victoria snarled, "Sign the papers, Reila. You wouldn't want anything to happen to Daddy, would you?"

"If he were to go down because of you," I pointed out, "There's no fucking way he'd want me to end up with a bitch like you. Not to mention one other detail you managed to overlook."

"What?"

"You told me everything," I stood up, "What's going to stop me from telling someone? I think the murder confession would be more than enough, wouldn't you?"

"Reila," Victoria's forehead sprouted a bright blue vein, "Sit. Down. Now."

"No!"

"Come on, Rei," Ritsu shielded me, "Let's get you somewhere better than here."

"Ok."

"Reila, please," Victoria begged, her eyes swelling with fake tears, "The feud between your father and me aside, you're still my granddaughter. I…I already lost your mother. I don't want to lose you, too."

"You already did, Victoria," I kicked these miserable shoes off, "You tried to take Daddy from me. You were right to hit me where it hurts the most, so I'll commend you for that as a professional courtesy. But you still made one fatal flaw. You left me wounded. The funny thing about wounds? They heal. And we don't forget where they come from. If you were going to hit me, you should've killed me. If you ever want to play with the big dogs, at least learn how to play the game, you fucking amateur."

"Reila!" she stopped me once more, her eyes bright red with sheer lividness, "If you walk out that door, I'm done with you. For good. If you're ever in need because your father betrayed you, don't you ever come crying to me for help."

"You wouldn't even be on my list," I vowed, "Besides, Daddy would never betray me. Because our family doesn't do that."

"But you betrayed me…"

"Who said we were family?" I cut her off, "We're blood. That doesn't mean we're family."

"You're just like your father," Victoria glared, "Just like him."

"Victoria," I showed her my hand. And the little diamond on it, "I chose this life. I may have been born into it, but Daddy wanted to keep me out of it as long as he could. At the end of the day, I made my choice. Not because he wanted me to go into the family business, but because it was what I wanted. He couldn't keep me out of it anymore, so he started showing me everything he knew. From the business end to self defense. And I'm done wasting my breath on you. Ritsu?"

"Yeah, Rei?" Ritsu perked up. Without another word, I pulled his face down to mine, giving him the most passionate, yet pissed off kiss I've ever given him. At least it started that way. But I could feel his lips under my own. He was trying to quell the out of control wildfire that burned brightly in me right now. And I loved him for it. As soon as he pulled away, Ritsu wrapped his arms around me, softly whispering in my ear, "You're ok. I promise. You're safe."

Dammit…I didn't need to cry here. Not in front of her. Pull yourself together, Rei, "Thanks for the rescue, baby."

"Anytime."

"That's your…?" Victoria's jaw hit the floor.

"And I don't appreciate the way you're picking on my friends either," I shook her a little more, "And if we're being honest, Haruhi did me a favor. This dress was horrible anyway. If a certain someone at this table plays his cards right, he may see it on the floor later. Can we go now?"

"Yes," Ritsu took my hand.

"Thank you, Kyoya," I smiled a bit, "I can't let you go unnoticed."

"Merely buying time," Kyoya gave me a nod, "But I'm glad to see you're ok."

"Ok is a relative term," I sighed out, "Physically, I could stand a shower. Emotionally, I'm drained to all hell."

"Now, I understand the horror stories," Ritsu cradled me against his chest, "I will say, though, the dress was a bit much."

"You ever mention this dress again," I threatened, "I will kick your ass personally. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"But really, Ritsu," I cuddled into him, "Thank you for coming to save me. And for having my back."

"I got yours if you got mine, baby," Ritsu promised, "You and me. Got it?"

"Deal." Like I'd say no to that, "And I'm sorry you had to deal with her, Haruhi. When did you get a job here?"

"About a week ago," Haruhi admitted, "I needed something to fill my extra time, so I thought I'd get a part time job. And don't worry, Rei. Your…

"She's not my grandma," I snapped, "I got mi abuelita. I don't need that bitch."

"What should I call her?" she asked, not pushing that button again.

"I call her bitch," I shrugged, "But I'm sure you'd call her Victoria."

"Hey," Ritsu stopped me just before we got outside, "I need to collect protection fees…But I don't want to. Rei, can you go get the money for me?"

"Just get it tomorrow," I leaned against him, "Haruhi, tell your actual boss we'll be back tomorrow, ok?"

"Can do," she nodded, "Kasanoda, your family is the one they pay protection to?"

"They have for years," Ritsu confirmed, "Before I was even a thought. Speaking of thinking…I need to make a phone call."

"Who are you calling?" I wondered.

"Someone very important," he pulled his phone out of his pocket, "More so to you than to me, but he's an alright guy."

"Daddy knows?" I freaked, "He knows about all this?"

"Of course he does," Ritsu assured, "After I got the call from Haruhi and the one from Roy asking me if I knew where you were, I figured something would be up, so I called your dad. He had every right to know, Rei. If shit went sideways, I didn't want that on my head. And by the sounds of it, Bitch was holding him hostage from you, wasn't she?"

"Unfortunately," I grumbled, "She's the one that caused all the problems back home just so Daddy had something to distract him. She wasn't banking on me having you, though."

"You always got me," he kissed the top of my head, "Always."

"I love you, too," I think I'll keep this one around.

"Hey, Frankie," Ritsu chirped, "It's Ritsu…She's ok. But your mother-in-law's a piece of work. Holy shit, man…Everything's ok. I got her right now…Ok. Hold on. Rei, phone for you."

I plucked Ritsu's phone out of his hand and put it up to my ear, "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, princess," his voice broke a bit, "You ok? Bitch didn't rough you up too much, did she?"

"She wishes," I brushed her off, "You should see the other guys."

"Did you get to crack their heads open?"

"No," I groaned, "Do you really think Victoria would let me fight them? Not even for her own amusement. Or mine, for that matter. But enough about me for a minute. What about you?"

"What about me?" Daddy asked.

"Victoria told me she had people on you," I explained, "And they were ready to pounce on her command. All it would take is a phone call and I'd end up an orphan."

"Is that what she told you?" he gasped, "Goddamn, someone needs to take that fucking bitch out. As much as I want to, what's the rule?"

"We don't kill in cold blood," I remembered, "Only in retaliation. If someone knocks us down first, we get back up and knock them six feet under."

"That's my girl…" I swear I could hear Daddy smile on the other end. Everything really was going to be ok, "So, what'd the bitch want this time?"

"What do you think?" I scoffed, "She wanted me. Again. Any and all rights to me. She brought adoption papers and everything, Daddy."

"That's not happening."

"Because we're a team," I felt a hitch in my breathing. No. Let that shit out later, but not like this.

"The Ace of Spades and the Queen of Diamonds, baby girl," Daddy swore, "Always. Hell of a hand, too."

"I miss you, Daddy," my voice broke. No. Reila…We talked about this. Seconds ago. No. Suppress that.

"I miss you, too, Reila," he was in the same shape. I could hear it. Worst of all, I could feel it. My chest ached, "I'm glad to hear you're safe, though. That Ritsu kid…He can stick around."

"That was the idea," I melted inside. I'm so happy Daddy and Ritsu get along. As much as I love Daddy to pieces, he's not always the easiest man to get along with. Especially if he knows they have eyes for his little girl. But since Ritsu's the same as us, I think he can make an exception. There's no thinking about it. He has made an exception.

"Hey," Daddy perked up, "Let me talk to Ritsu."

"Ok," I handed Ritsu his phone back, "It's for you."

"It's my phone," Ritsu took it, "Hey, Frankie. What's up…? Yeah. That was the plan…I know a guy that can monitor her credit cards and we can track her from there. You're not thinking about…Yes, sir…Yes, sir…I'll keep you update…You're welcome. No worries…Bye."

Ritsu shoved his phone back in his pocket. That's weird, "Daddy didn't want to talk to me?"

"He says to say he loves you," Ritsu reported, "And that it's only another week. And to get you to bed."

"Please," I jumped on the back of his bike. Somewhere along the way, we seemed to have lost Kyoya, but I'm sure he came here in a nice ass limo. We don't have to take care of him. I nuzzled my face in Ritsu's shoulder blades and brought myself down. Although, the cool leather between my thighs was nice. Hopefully, I'll be able to cut off some of this dress along the way. This shit's hotter than hell. Ritsu had to stop for gas before we headed to what I'm assuming will be the Kasanoda compound. I'm not surprised. Ritsu wouldn't want to leave me alone for the night.

When we stopped, I got off the bike and went inside. Just as I was going to go inside for a slushie, I saw something else in an aisle slightly off the beaten path. Oh, yeah. There's the shiny stainless steel I needed. Unfortunately, it wasn't a brand new knife, but it sure as hell was the next best thing at this point. They were sharp and shiny and that's all I needed. I paid for the slushie and a pair of bright yellow scissors and walked back to the bike.

"What's that all about?" Ritsu gave me a look as I set my cup on the seat.

"You'll see," I didn't give a shit about making an even cut or if anyone was watching. I just wanted to be more comfortable. I grabbed half of the skirt on my dress and cut it off, taking it from the middle of my shin to the middle of my thigh. As the fabric puddled around my ankles, I think Ritsu's eyes damn near popped out of his head.

"Rei!" he freaked, looking around, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"What?" I shrugged, working the scissors on the cap sleeves. Or should I just take the sleeves and the collar off altogether? I had a corset on and no tits. It's not like it'd be the end of the world. I slid my arms out and made the cut, "It's not like I paid for it. Or gave a shit about it in the first place."

"But do you have to do that here?" Ritsu gasped, "There are people around here!"

"So?" I brushed him off, having no shame. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the front fender of Ritsu's bike, "If you ask me, I think I improved it. A little black lace around the top and the bottom. Knock out the corset. Yeah…I think I'm coming around to it."

"You're exhausting," he pointed out, "Did you know that?"

"I had an inkling," I kissed his cheek, taking my slushie off the bike, "Where are we going?"

"Your penthouse," Ritsu decided, "If that's alright with you."

"My penthouse?" I wondered, "I thought we'd be going back to the compound."

"Not tonight," he shook his head, "I figured I'd let you sleep in your own bed. We are stopping by the compound first, though. I need to grab some shit."

"Ok," I knew we were going back to the compound eventually.

"And then," Ritsu started the bike back up, "I'm going to bring you back to your penthouse, put something on the TV to drown out the silence, and put you to bed. How's that sound?"

"Like a fucking plan," I let out a little yawn. Dealing with the bitch kicked my ass more than I thought it did. Tonight has been a roller coaster. And as soon as we got back to my place, Ritsu came through on his promise. Although, I did make one little addendum to it…

I got my shower. For a brief moment, I considered inviting Ritsu, but he doesn't need to see me completely naked yet. I took whatever I had left of my energy and bawled my eyes out. Fuck this night. My day started so good. I had a nice moment with my boyfriend. Everything was going great. But then, fucking Victoria had to ruin it. She threatened my father's death. She treated me like a commodity again. All I could think about were those fucking court hearings. I hadn't seen her since that day and if I had my way, the streak would continue until I could spit on the bitch's grave. I just wanted a good day. Was that too much to ask?

I pulled myself together and crawled into bed where Ritsu was already waiting for me with open arms, "Come here, baby…"

Who was I to tell him no? Immediately, I rolled into his arms, burying my already reddened face in his chest, "Do you have any fucking idea how much I love you right now?"

"I love you, too, Rei," Ritsu pulled my wet hair out of my face, "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you…"

"Forgiven and forgotten," I shook it off, "I believe I was promised TV and being put to bed. I have not had either of those."

"Alright," he grabbed the remote off the nightstand, "Did you have something in mind?"

"Goodfellas," I demanded.

"Seriously?" Ritsu giggled, "Can't leave the office at the office?"

"It's one of my favorite movies," I told him, "And to get Daddy and me in the same room watching it is a whole different experience. I had all intentions of watching it tonight anyway. Turn it on."

"Alright," he wasn't going to fight me. It was late and I'm sure he was tired, too, "Hey, Rei, can I ask you something?"

"If it's anything about what happened tonight," I shot him down, "No. You can't."

"It's actually about tomorrow," Ritsu clarified, "Are we going to school in the morning or are we ditching and heading to Akihabara and Karuizawa again?"

"We're going to school," I insisted, "As much as I don't want to, we need to go to school tomorrow. I want to pretend like nothing happened and go about business as usual. If that's alright with you."

"Only if it is with you," he ran his fingers down my back as the opening titles played, "I love you, Rei."

"I love you, too," I cuddled into him, pulling my blankets over the both of us. But just before I could call it a night, I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and shot Daddy a text.

Good night, Daddy.

I love you.

-R