Hinata paused as the director set what looked like a jewelry case on the table. "What is it?"

"It was your mother's. I got it for her when she accompanied me to a gala once." Fugaku opened it. "Hiashi found out it was a gift from me and made her give it back. Before our falling out. He didn't like gifts from the rich. He thought they had strings attached."

Hinata looked inside, a silver chain with a teardrop pendant that had several small diamonds. Simple, elegant.

Hinata shook her head. "I couldn't."

"Hinata, it's been collecting dust all these years." He slid it toward her. "It's sat in the case. No one has worn it since your mother."

Hinata lightly touched the pendant.

"You're the ghost of my best friend. Please let me honor her memory," Fugaku begged.

"You don't have to try so hard. I've forgiven you already," Hinata told him.

"This isn't just that. I am doing what I should have done all along. Treating you like family." He explained. "You should have the same chances my boys have. You deserve the world your mother would have given you if she was alive."

Hinata shook her head.

Fugaku cut her off before she could protest more. "You need to stop acting so much like your mother, or I am going to think I am in college again. I don't think you want to tutor me in Biology."

Hinata sighed. There was no winning with him.

"Have you been able to get ahold of your sister?" He asked, sipping his wine.

"No, my father must threaten something awful. She's usually so rebellious." Hinata sighed. "I was expecting her to call me on a friend's phone or log in to social media at school or..."

Fugaku nodded solemnly. "Sounds like I would like her."

Hinata smiled wearily. "Father always pitted us against each other, but it was always clear who he favored. If I did better, I should have done better by a higher margin. If she did better, I saw double the ridicule."

Fugaku sat back with a frown.

"But we were still close. Our fights were fair. She's just smarter and more talented. I may look like mom, but she got all her best qualities." Hinata mumbled.

"I weigh everything equally. I think you both lucked out." Fugaku countered. "You're mother's calm voice was a powerful thing. Ended a lot of fights before they started."

"I wished it worked on my father." Hinata sighed.

"It used to. I'm sure it's painful to hear now." Hinata glanced up at the director's face as she looked into his wine glace. "He's an ass, but he loved her, and he never processed loss well."

Hinata nodded.

"Let's get you cake." He waved for a waiter.

Hinata cracked a smile.

Itachi covered his eyes as he slowly walked her down the hall. "I designed it all myself."

Of course, he did. Hinata was sure this fancy apartment building that they had selected was the director's idea. For some reason, they were mysteriously only asking for the same rent she was paying at her tiny apartment.

Hinata held on to his wrist lightly, using them to keep her balance. Walking with someone taller than her was awkward for the both of them. "I'm sure I will love it."

"Ta-da." He pulled his hands away from her eyes to reveal her own lounge area.

Itachi had decorated with elegant but simple features and cool colors. She had been worried for a moment that he would fill it with gaudy expensive-looking furniture, but she should have known that he knew her better.

"Kitchen ready for a cook." Itachi waved toward the open kitchen. He pulled open cabinets to show that they were already stocked. He put his hands on her shoulders and shuffled her up loft stairs towards some doors. "This is the guest room, for you know guests. This is your home office." He opened the door and revealed an office the was already filled with books and plants. "And this is your bedroom." He opened the next door, a large bedroom with a massive bed with the same simple, elegant theme. A few of her personal items were displayed, but she noticed the distinct lack of any of her furniture.

Hinata sighed with a smile. "Well, once again, you have done too much." Itachi grinned proudly. "What did you do with my furniture?" Hinata wondered, looking around.

"I thought you would be upset I tossed it, so it's in storage," Itachi explained. "I know better." He shrugged.

Hinata wondered if that was from experience.

"I'm pretty sure that this place is bigger than my childhood home," Hinata told him.

"Get used to it. If father is keen on adopting you, you are going to have to learn to be a high-class woman, even if you don't live with us," Itachi told her with a pat on her shoulder. "Means a lot more gowns." He opened a wardrobe. Inside was not only more high-end office wear but a range of gowns and dresses for different occasions. "They won't stay in here. We keep formal wear in proper storage, but I thought it should be in my big reveal." He said with a bright smile.

Hinata frowned.

"Wait until you see the handbags and shoes." Itachi chuckled.

Hinata groaned. "I have enough shoes."

"A lady never has enough shoes." Itachi chastised.

"Simple shoes match everything." Hinata pressed.

"But a lady needs a simple shoe in every color." Itachi checked as her face dropped. "Come on now, think of it as a job perk."

"Itachi, I don't know about all this. I think the director is overcompensating." Hinata sighed, sitting on the end of the bed.

"Dad's always been a pain in your ass," Itachi told her, flopping down on the bed beside her. "It's just a different kind."

"You aren't worried about this?" Hinata asked.

Itachi shook his head. "When I found out about your father, I went back into some of the old photo albums looking for him. I didn't find a lot of him, but I did find some of you" He took out his phone and held out a picture of a picture.

Itachi held out the picture of her mother lounging back on her hand on a rock with a smile on her face, he flicked the screen to show another in a similar location, but her mother was leaning forward with her nose scrunched up laughing.

"That's my mother." Hinata leaned over to look at the picture better. "Looks like she would have still been in college. She cut her hair after she had me." Hinata hummed at her mother's long hair.

"Your not a long-lost sister or something, are you?" Itachi asked.

Hinata shook her head. "I think they were just close friends. The director never mentioned anything more, and he was quite drunk when he told me about her."

Itachi flipped through a few more pictures. "I'm surprised we didn't grow up together."

Hinata leaned back on the bed folding her hands over her stomach. "I don't know if we would have even if my mother was alive."

Itachi set the phone down a look over at her. "You don't think."

"Well, even if she was alive, my father and yours were no longer friends. My mother was a traditional woman. She did what my father told her to. I doubt she would have convinced him to let us see each other let alone have a play date." Hinata explained. "On top of that, we are from different social classes. There aren't a lot of public events my mother, being a housewife, would have attended."

"I thought you said she wanted to be a doctor." Itachi thought back.

"Well, yes, but she wasn't expecting to get pregnant so early on in her marriage, and then her health started to fail, so she instead of going back to school, she had Hanabi-chan. She thought she could spend the rest of her days with her kids and be happy, but after she had my sister, she only lived another half a year."

Itachi sighed, closing his eyes. "I guess I should be grateful I made it to adulthood with two parents."

"You should be grateful both of your parents love you unconditionally," Hinata added.

Itachi paused, and she could feel him look at her, but she just stared at the ceiling.

Hinata adjusted the new blouse while wondering what happened to the old ones. She also wondered how often these mandatory salon trips she was going to be taking in the future. She was still getting used to wearing nail polish, let alone being forced to wear little gems on select fingers. She stepped into the director's office, and he looked up and gave her a partial smile before his status.

Her days were still packed, but Hinata noticed a distinct change in what the director ordered to be delegated to other departments. It didn't give her a lot of extra time, but she felt she could be more thorough with what was on her plate without spending the whole night on it.

Itachi came to visit her less during the day when he knew he would see her in the evening, and now that he no longer needed to cause trouble. Sometimes he came to ask her to lunch, but the director had been asking her into his office to chat about work items while they ate. He accepts meals openly made by her as long as she uses the grocery service as he requested.

Hinata yawned, eating her lunch.

The director wiped his mouth. "Don't schedule anything after 4 today."

Hinata looked up for clarification, but when nothing came, she took the message not to pry and turned her eyes back down toward her food.

"How's Sasuke's project coming?" Fugaku asked, leaning back.

"For his first project, I would say it is going rather well. However, a member of his team sent me an email with a list of complaints that the head of Marketing is making a lot of changes without Sasuke-sama's consent. They were concerned enough to make an itemized list of dates and events." Hinata sat forward to explain. "Sasuke-sama has not reported anything, but I looked it to policy on the matter, and the head of the department does have overruling say on all projects. However, I have never heard this complaint from this department before..." Hinata paused, hoping he got the idea and she didn't have to say what she was thinking.

The head of the department was giving him a hard time on purpose.

Fugaku nodded. "Hand-deliver a warning."

Hinata looked up, surprised.

"Understand?" Fugaku raised an eyebrow.

Hinata nodded slowly.

"My boy will be the head of the department sooner or later. He knew it was coming when I hired him. It seems he needs a reminder," Fugaku commented sternly.

Hinata held her head high as she stepped through the Marketing department. She saw one of the members of the Sasuke team bolt up out of his chair and make eye contact with her. He looked scared. She lifted her hand to signal him to sit down. He did slowly. Sasuke looked up from another cubicle it looked like he was chatting at and followed her as she stepped through but didn't seem to think anything of it as he looked back down.

She knocked on the head offices door, and the man looked up. He looked back down and didn't wave her in. She came in any way. He paused his work and slowly looked up, eyeing her. "I'm busy at the moment."

"This is important," Hinata told him.

"I am sure it's not." He huffed.

Hinata took a breath, started diplomatically. "How do you think Sasuke-sama's project is coming?"

He leaned back. "He's a cocky brat that doesn't know his place."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. Alright, no diplomacy, straight for the throat. "Do you know yours?"

The man's face became cold. "I am the head of this department."

"Yes, however, when you are inevitably succeeded by Sasuke-sama, your actions now will determine whether your removal will be a lateral move or a demotion." Hinata returned his cold stare. She could feel her face start to itch with adrenaline. She didn't know where it came from, but there was something that just fueled the shift in tone. She was glad about it. If the director found out she had delivered his message with a bow, he would be angry.

The man glared at her.

"Are we clear?" Hinata asked directly.

"Yes, ma'am." He said through his teeth.

Hinata bowed her head and turned to see Sasuke looking up from his spot. He did not look happy. Their eyes met, and he started moving as she exited the office and headed down the hall. She didn't stop for him. She knew this adrenaline was going to wear off soon.

"Hey," Sasuke called her. "Hey!" He caught up with her just as she turned the corner, putting himself between her and the elevator.

Hinata puffed up her chest and looked him in the eye.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" He growled at her.

"I'm making corrections to management." Hinata snapped back.

Sasuke towered over her hush-yelling. "You're making it look like I get special treatment!"

"You're the heir to this company. You do get special treatment." She fired back. "Fresh out of college new hires do not get their own teams and season releases."

"I don't need my dad fixing shit I didn't ask him to!" He growled.

"Your father has nothing to do with this. I am doing my job." She lied.

"And what exactly is that!?" He growled. "Medling?"

"Fixing things before they become his problem." Hinata wondered how long he would hate her for her white lie. She didn't mind his upset with her. She just hoped to keep the tension between father in son down. Fugaku wanted a better relationship with his son, and Hinata was going to try to keep his actions from sabatoshing it. "Next time, either step up and fix it yourself or at least be the one to message me before it almost gets back to the director."

Sasuke's face twitched angrily inches from hers before he turned back toward his office.

Hinata let out a shaky breath. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to keep tension like that without starting to tear up. She took a few deep breaths and took a moment to get herself a fresh coffee before reporting back to the director. He looked up, and she nodded. He nodded back and went back to his work.

This job always had new challenges.