Fugaku smiled at his computer. It wasn't often he read a tabloid with a smile on his face. Hinata came in with a coffee and fell into her normal prepared stance, waiting for his commands.

"You know it's a proud day in a man's life when his son is in the news, and it's not a scandal," Fugaku told her.

Hinata tilted her head in question.

After a few clicks, he shared the article.

"Though Sasuke Uchiha seems to have a continuing problem with women fighting over him. According to an anonymous source, Uchiha is "driven and passionate as well dependable even if it doesn't benefit him." Hinata read, but her face fell as she trailed off. "Sir..."

"You don't agree?" Fugaku chuckled.

"No, sir, it's not that. I said this." Hinata clarified. "After the spill incident, a well-dressed man came up and asked me what I thought of him. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought he was an interested investor." She continued to scroll through the article.

"Your name isn't mentioned," Fugaku assured her. "I already looked for a credit."

"Sir, he didn't have a press badge." Hinata expressed concern.

"Then we should be glad that he wrote good things," Fugaku replied with a smile. "And you didn't air out my boy's worst qualities."

Hinata sighed with a continued look of concern on her face.

"You think my son is driven and passionate?" Fugaku teased, leaning back in his chair with an eyebrow raised.

Hinata caught his tone, turning red at the smile that spread across his face. "I think it's a trait among Uchiha men."

"So Itachi, too, then?" Fugaku added.

Hinata frowned, looking down at her phone, and then her face changed. Oh, he didn't like the look she got. "Sir, you haven't congratulated your son and his team yet," Hinata said in a polite but vindictive tone. "You're open for the next hour."

Fugaku's face twitched. He shouldn't have played with fire.

Sasuke glared at the article on his screen. Why did the press always focus on him and not his work? So far, three articles, none of them focused on what they were about to put on the market, but all of them had a picture of him.

His email pinged. Another article.

He opened, and his blood pressure shot up a picture of his father with Hinata tucked on his arm.

He made a fist and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the picture only now it was moving.

His father came down the hall with his little assistant trailing behind him. Sasuke sat up straight as his father came to a stop at his office. Sasuke waited for a moment, and when his father didn't let himself in, he got up and opened his door. "Can I help you with something, director?" Sasuke asked his father.

"I wanted to congratulate your team on a great opening event." Fugaku waved his hand at their cubicles, and his team rubbernecked above their desks.

Sasuke could feel his father's professional voice. It was not really what he hoped for.

His father looked back at Hinata, who looked amused. "Celebration." She said under her breath, hiding her smile poorly.

His father nodded awkwardly. "Sasuke, make sure they all have a celebratory dinner. Hinata set it up and put it on the company tab."

"Yes, sir," Hinata said in an amused voice.

Fugaku looked around the room at the expecting faces before Sasuke's. He then cleared his throat. "I have to get back to work, thank you all. Keep up the good work."

Hinata pressed her lips together and tried to keep her professional face. It made Sasuke's skin crawl.

"Hinata, I need you for a minute," Sasuke said quickly.

Hinata nodded and waved off the director. She followed him into his office. "Did you have a problem with the new assistant that was assigned?"

"No, I want to know what that was about." Sasuke snapped.

Hinata looked surprised. She glanced behind her through the glass. "The director came down to congratulate your team. He is proud of you." She paused and then added. "Even if he struggles to say it."

"You made him come down here?" Sasuke accused.

"I reminded him he should." Hinata corrected, matching his tone. "That is my job."

"I am getting real sick of you saying that," Sasuke growled.

Hinata just straightened her posture, giving him a frown.

Sasuke waved his hand, indicating for her to leave.

Hinata did, but she paused with her hand on the door like she was going to turn back and say something. She sighed and made her way out of his office and down the hall.

"The Harano's are some of Mikoto's closest friends, though until recently, they have been living in Europe. I'm sure she would have been shoving my boys and their daughter together since birth if they hadn't." The director explained.

Hinata listened as the car drove them to their diner destination. She wasn't sure she should actually be present as the invitation was more of a throwaway, but the director also didn't want to go alone. "Is their daughter Itachi's age?"

"Sasuke's." The director corrected.

Hinata nodded understandingly.

"She's determined but spoiled. She's never understood the word no," Fugaku grumbled. "She's more like Mikoto than she is her own mother." That told Hinata everything she needed to know about the director's feelings about her.

Hinata made a face.

As the car came to a stop, Fugaku sighed. "This is going to be a train wreck. Maybe we should get a drink after."

Hinata smiled. "I really don't know if that is a good idea, sir."

"We can drink at the manor. If you have too much to drink, you can stay." He commented as they got out.

"Maybe," Hinata commented unconvinced.

"You know that wouldn't be an issue if you had just moved into the manor." The director added.

Hinata wasn't going to give a reply to that.

They were guided to a mostly full private table. Fugaku sat her next to himself and briefly said his hellos.

Hinata looked around the table. Sasuke was the only one missing. Always late.

"Hinata, this is Kizashi and Mebuki Harano and their daughter Sakura." Fugaku presented.

Hinata bowed her head.

"Fugaku, you're finding them rather young, aren't you?" Kizashi chuckled.

Hinata turned red.

"She is my assistant, Kizashi." The director corrected, looking unamused.

"That's how I met my wife." Kizashi smiled at his wife, unfazed by the director's tone.

"She's your daughter's age." The director countered in vain.

Hinata dipped her head and prepared for more accusations, but before they could be made, Sasuke stepped into the room. She was alerted to this by the woman introduced as Sakura jumping up and cheerfully calling his name.

Sakura greeted him at the door and drugged him in the seat next to her.

"Don't they look cute together?" Mikoto leaned over to the director to comment.

The director's lips fell into line. He didn't seem to think so.

Hinata saw a reflection between son and father.

The director leaned over to her. "You're not working. Drink. We'll both need it."

Hinata sipped her wine, but she hoped that this wasn't going to become a habit. Dinner was served as Mikoto spoke great things about the heiress. Singing her praises, listing her qualities. Hinata would have been more convinced if she didn't know the director's ex-wife's motives. The girl was beautiful, and she was sure the Mikoto was only slightly exaggerating her gifts.

Hinata couldn't say she wasn't jealous of the woman. She was beautiful, talented, and smart. She sipped her second glass of wine.

Hinata felt her mood worsened as the conversation went on. Something about hearing Sakura being on her way to a Ph.D. had hit her in the stomach.

Maybe it was walking back in time with Itachi at the university. Maybe it was the direct side-eye Mikoto gave her when she mentioned it. She didn't know what had triggered it, but her mother's forgotten wishes dug at her. She didn't even know if Hanabi started university yet.

She missed her graduation. She had missed helping her fill out applications and scholarships as they planned. She missed taking her to campus for the first time and hearing about all her class and teachers. She would miss her coming home from her first exams, proud of how well she had done.

How long until she saw her again? Would she ever call?

Hinata felt her eyes prickle and stopped the train of thought. The way of emotion didn't go away. She couldn't just start crying sitting here.

"Excuse me," Hinata said as she got up. The director caught her arm, looking worried. She kept her face out of his view the best she could, but she was sure he noticed. "Just going to the restroom." She lied.

Once out of the room, Hinata picked up her speed, hoping to hear no more. She patted eyes in the bathroom and took a few deep breaths. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had turned red, so had her nose. She could explain it away with sneezing. Another deep breath, and she felt collected enough. Hinata headed back out the hall but paused to look at her sister's contact on her phone. She pressed her lips together and pressed the call. She held the phone up to her ear, but like it always did, it rang once then told her that the caller she was trying to reach was no longer available at this number.

Her lip trembled, and she lowered the phone. "Maybe I deserved it." She whispered to herself.

"Most likely."

Hinata's eyes snapped up to Sasuke's sharp stare.

Hinata's face fell away from him. "I really do not want to fight with you right now." Maybe she shouldn't have had that glass of wine.

"Sasuke, wait." Hinata heard the heiress call from down the hall. Hinata turned her head toward her.

Sasuke's eyes snapped to Hinata, it was like he was asking her for help, but she didn't know what he wanted. What was going on?

Hinata just felt overwhelmed. The tears she had held back started to well back up.

Sasuke could work with that. He reached out to her, and she hesitated as she took his hand. He pulled her to him and hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. Her crying intensified as she hid her face.

"It's okay," Sasuke told her. He hoped it would. It would be an awful thing to say to someone who just lost a parent or found out their apartment burnt down.

Sasuke glanced down the hall to Sakura. She was turning red. Soon his parents found their way out into the hall to find him. His mother started to huff like she was ready to screech, but his father gave her a look he hadn't seen him give her often. Her mouth snapped shut, and she gave him a deathly glare.

Fugaku approached them. "Is she alright?"

Sasuke wasn't really sure what to tell him. He didn't even know why she was crying.

He opened his arms, and she sniffed, covering her face. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I'm fine." She squeaked, trying to pull herself together.

"Sasuke, why don't you take her home." His father patted on the shoulder. "I'll handle your mother for the time being." He added in a whisper.

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her down the hall. They were handed their coats as they left, and he loaded her in his car.

Hinata sat in the car, sniffling and wiping her eyes quickly but despite her best efforts.

"You cry on cue?" Sasuke asked. He didn't know he was trying to lighten the mood or make her angry, anything to make her stop crying.

Hinata turned her red eyes to him to glare. Maybe she hadn't been faking it.

"What was going on?" Hinata asked with a break of her voice.

Sasuke sighed. "I knew my mother wanted to set me up with that girl. She's done this before, but they started talking about us getting married, and I barrelled out of there."

"And you used me to get out," Hinata concluded.

Sasuke wasn't going to apologize if that's what she thought. "It's your job." He mocked.

Hinata tried wiping her face again, but it just made her look more miserable. Her chest shivered as she tried to take deep breaths. She really worked herself up. "I wasn't supposed to be working."

"So if it's not an act, why are you so upset?" Sasuke asked.

Hinata turned to glare at him again. "Please just take me home." She whispered to keep her voice from breaking.

Sasuke glared back. "No. Tell me why you're upset."

Hinata huffed, snatched up her purse, got out of that car, and slammed the car door shut. She started walking toward the street.

Sasuke growled, starting his car to follow her. He rolled the window down and called out. "Get back in the car. Dad told me to get you home."

Hinata hugged herself. "I'll make it home. I won't tell him. Just leave me alone."

"Come on, just get back in the car," Sasuke growled. "I'm serious. Dad will kill me if you don't make it home."

Hinata ignored him and moved her phone into her view to call a car.

Sasuke tightened his hands on the steering wheel and swallowed his pride. "I'm sorry, okay. You're clearly not faking it. Just get in the car. It's late and cold." He waited for a response. "Please." He added.

Hinata's fingers hovered over the screen. She looked at him and tried to look apologetic back. She sighed and got back in.

Sasuke watched her put her seat belt on and curl around herself.

Sasuke kept his mouth shut for the drive. He had caused enough problems today. He stopped in front of her apartment building, and she didn't get out immediately.

When she hesitated, he put the car in park. Maybe he deserved the scolding she was ready to unleash.

Instead of the raging lecture he expected, he got a small quivering voice. "I haven't heard from my sister since the day my father came to the office." She admitted. "I missed her graduation, and she's probably already starting university."

Sasuke sat back and listened to her. He didn't know what he was expecting, but that wasn't it.

"So you chose work over family," Sasuke concluded. He had heard a couple of versions of this story so far. "And now you have regrets?"

Hinata's eyes flashed at him in rage. She jerked the door open and slammed the door shut before stocking toward her building.

Sasuke watched her until she got inside. He rubbed his face and stared back up at the building. He slammed his hand on the wheel and let out a growl. He was going to regret it if he left now, wasn't he? Why did he have to be such a bastard if he knew he was going to feel bad about it.

Her emotions were raw, and she was being open, and he had to open his big fat mouth and say the first thing he thought, didn't he?

Sasuke sat in the car for a moment more before he looked down at the car's navigation. She had put her apartment number in it. His hands tightened around the wheel and then released along with his resolve. He would just check on her and then leave. Just make sure she got up to her room. After all, she was accident-prone. She could have fallen down in the hall or something.

Then he could tell his dad that he made sure she got into her apartment safely.

Sasuke ripped the keys out of the ignition and jerked the door open. This was a bad idea.