A messy situation at its finest

Ralf is not a Hiwatari.

The thought circles as I push the wooden spoon through the sauce in front of me. At my side, Rei's strong tan hands knead the pasta dough. That'll be for another night. Already, the delicious scent of pork roast wafts through the air.

I was surprised, and then overwhelmingly excited, and then immediately nervous when Kai texted to let me know he asked Rei if I could help prepare some dinners. It meant that he had listened when I said, half-jokingly, that I wanted to take lessons from Rei. And then he followed through and asked. Incredible progress, I think.

Kai said Rei didn't have a problem with it, but I still went to the bookstore as soon as I could to pick up a few cookbooks. I focused mainly on techniques, not wanting my inexperience to slow him down.

Ralf is not a Hiwatari.

The bookstore had a magazine rack at the entrance. Usually, I rush past, giving no thought to the smiling faces that look out from the covers. This time, a flash of dark purple caught my eye on the way out. The picture was a candid of Ralf, narrow-eyed and severe. This wasn't his best picture; even I have to say, despite his particular pointy features, he's much more attractive than the image allows.

Not attractive in the way Kai is attractive. I shudder at the thought.

But he's captivating in his own way.

The caption underneath read: The Next in Line?

But...

Ralf is not a Hiwatari. And according to Kai, there's no way he'll ever be given the role of President. Soichiro won't even consider it.

"It's a mess," I mutter.

"No, that's about right. You can turn off the heat now."

I look down. The sauce has darkened considerably so that looks rich and thick. "Sauces are the one thing I can actually do."

"Good to know." Rei laughs lightly. He's moved on to running the dough through a machine, flattening it. White flour coats the counter, but he moves with sure hands. "Can you take the roast from the oven? Make sure it's the right temperature."

"Got it!" I grab the oven mitts and the meat thermometer, sticking it in as deep as it can do, and watch for it to raise. "Perfect," I say when it stops.

But Rei already knew that.

"It has to rest now, right?"

He smiles. "Kai said you were hopeless in the kitchen, but you're not half bad, Hilary."

I roll my eyes. Spending time with Rei is enjoyable. His energy is mild, easy to get along with, though I do miss the wildness of Mariah. She's a whirlwind and a great distraction, one I was especially looking forward to after the weekend I've had. When Rei arrived on his own, I asked where she was. He held a hand to his heart, claiming to be hurt that I wasn't happy to see him.

"Mariah said she's taking the day off," Rei continued after laughing at my efforts to apologize. He brushed it off, unloading the bags on the kitchen island. I rushed to help put things away. "She says you still owe her for the weekend and the party."

At first, I was awkward, never having been alone with Rei and unsure of what to expect. But Rei is a fantastic teacher. He has a natural balance of being hands-on – knowing better than to let me handle a sharp knife – and giving instruction.

"I picked up some books." I shrug as I gather the plates from the cabinet.

He makes a sound of approval as he deftly folds the little pasta circles around his pinky. It's impressive to see how detailed he is while being so quick at the same time. "Let me know if there's anything you want to try."

"Really?" I try to tap down on my excitement. "You won't mind having me around again?"

His laugh tells me he thinks I'm joking. "The great thing about Kai is that he'll eat just about everything. He's perfect for experimenting on."

I enjoy the idea that Rei experiments on Kai. Serves him right for the way he uses everyone else. "I've never seen him actually enjoy anything. How can you tell if something is good or bad if Kai doesn't really have a reaction to it?"

"If something is truly awful, he'll just leave it. If it's something he likes, he usually saves it for last. If it's something he's neutral about, he picks at it right away to get it over with."

"He has a tell?" I gasp, wondering how I've let this get by me.

"Don't tell him that," Rei cautions. "He'll change it just to spite me."

"Your secret's safe." I mime zipping my lips.

After setting the table, I watch Rei finish what he's doing with the pasta. We keep the conversation light, mostly on food and what he's doing. If Mariah were here, she'd be all over the place with the conversation – especially on what's going on with Kai and me. Sometimes, I think she's convinced that we're actually really dating under cover of our fake engagement.

Rei doesn't seem to be interested in that at all, and for that, I'm thankful. I've had enough of trying to figure out Kai's abnormal personality for a while.

Ralf isn't a Hiwatari.

The thought comes back, unwarranted, uncalled for, and unforgiving. I feel like I've seen behind the curtain that's behind the curtain. Heard a dark secret that hides in the shadows of other family secrets. It sits in the corner of my mind, lurking. I'm not sure what to do with the information, and realistically, there isn't anything for me to do. It's a Hiwatari thing. And I'll never be a Hiwatari.

Like Ralf.

But not like him.

'Does he know he's not a Hiwatari?'

'No.' he says with a single shake of his head. 'Not even I'm supposed to know.'

It was hard to look at Kai after that and yet even harder to look away. He explained that Soichiro told him the night before Kai would be announced as the new CEO. Kai asked why him first, why not Ralf. It was something that weighed on him all throughout school.

'What answer were you expecting?'

'I wanted him to say it's because I am better.' The sharpness of his tone, dipped in bitterness, bites at me. 'Instead, he grumbled and laughed before finally spilling Gideon's little secret.'

Kai's not angry that Soichiro told him the secret. Only that it's his reason for preferring Kai over Ralf. I think back to the first time we had dinner alone when Kai told me he's better than his cousins. As opposed to the arrogant man I saw sitting across from me that night, I see a young boy trying to convince himself of this fact. Kai is both.

It's all games. Soichiro knew what he was doing to Kai when he told him the truth. Instead of assuring Kai of his efforts, he added an extra layer of pressure just to see Kai squirm. Soichiro played games, and now Kai does, too.

"Smells good in here!"

I grin, spinning around to greet Mariah. "Finally!"

Mariah swings into the kitchen, looking relaxed and pampered. Her pink hair falls around her shoulders, free from its usual ponytail. I open my arms for a hug, and she's quick to meet me.

"You're still standing. That's good news."

"Rei's been great," I assure her.

"He can be a pain in the kitchen. And he's always in the kitchen."

"Stop telling lies."

"Are they lies, though?"

Rei lifts his head, black bangs falling around his face, darken his playful glare. She opens her mouth to speak, but we're interrupted by footsteps in the hall. Kai, accompanied on either side by Rick and Spencer, appears around the corner. I greet all three as Mariah leaves the circle of my arms, eager to get dinner started. Rick follows Mariah, barely sparing me a glance, and Spencer nods as he passes.

With no one left in the room but Kai, my gaze returns to him and his dark eyes. My head swims.

Ralf is not a Hiwatari.

After dinner is finished and plates are cleared, Rick and Spencer depart first. At least this time, Rick waves passively when I call out for them to have a good night. I frown as I place the last plate in the dishwasher. I thought we had actually gotten past this when he helped me with Queen, but I guess that was just my imagination.

"You can leave the rest," Mariah says, coming up to me. There's not much left; we'd mostly demolished dinner since it was so good. What was leftover had already been packed away, as well as the other meals Rei prepared for the next few days.

When I linger, she gives me her most charming smile, and my hesitation lifts. It's hard to refuse her when she smiles like that. Wiping my hands dry, I let her push me out of their way while they finish with the cleaning. It's probably easier and quicker for them without me in the middle of things.

Though it's already late, I'm not ready for bed. Still, I run through my night routine, washing my face and dressing in my pajamas quickly. When I come out, Rei and Mariah are gone, and the lights in the kitchen are off. The light in Kai's office is on, though, and my feet carry me in that direction without thinking about it. I pause just before the doorway. The memory of Mathilda leaving comes to mind. That was the last time I was here.

And this makes me remember Ralf is not a Hiwatari.

I shake my head to rid myself of those thoughts and walk into the room. Kai sits at his desk, reading glasses reflecting the light from the screen.

"You should take a break," I say, taking a seat in the chair across from him. Hard to believe it was just a few weeks ago I was sitting here for the first time. We flirted poorly, awkwardly, unaware of what was to come. The sheer lunacy of it all.

I can't guess his thoughts behind his eyes and remote expression. His lips twitch, but he continues to scroll. I sigh dramatically and stand. "Forget it. I'll be in the other room watching TV like a normal person if you need me."

Watching the nightly news has become one of my new favorite past-times. Not because I enjoy torturing myself with the constant stream of dire happenings, but for their gossip segment. Recently, our relationship has become The Thing to talk about. At first, it bothered me. They said the most outrageous and obviously false things.

But then I just found it funny. Every night, I'm at the center of a new scandal. It's amazing. It's gotten even juicer now that Mathilda's existence has hit the public.

I say all these things to help convince myself I'm enjoying the attention. The truth is it's amazing I haven't broken someone's camera yet. Genuinely fantastic to still be sane. Ish.

Settling onto the center of the sectional, I happily pull my grandma's quilt over my lap and flip on the TV. It's right where I left it. Unsurprising, since I don't expect Kai to ever use it. So unfair that it serves more as an expensive decoration on his wall than what it was intended for.

The first thing that shows is the footage from a bouncing camera. If finds me eventually, and Romero walking behind me. Judging by my outfit, this is from yesterday when I was leaving a meeting with the florist. Romero picked out the ugliest, most awful centerpieces I can ever imagine. The attendant helping us with the order looked like she questioned my sanity when I agreed without argument. But as I just confirmed, I am, in fact, still very sane.

They were also incredibly costly, which Romero seemed to take a bit of joy in.

"Hilary, Hilary, Hilary," the various cameramen called, "how are things with you and Kai?"

"We're fine," I announce, going for unbothered by their antics. I don't quite hit the mark.

I can see Romero frown. No doubt he's wincing behind his sunglasses. He hates that I answer them, but I can't imagine not answering. It seems so rude. And sometimes, their questions are too stupid to leave unanswered.

"Is Mathilda the biggest problem you and Kai have had to deal with so far in your relationship?"

On the screen, I choke on a laugh. It comes out as a cross between a snort and guffaw. Very flattering. "Our biggest problem is that Kai doesn't believe in the moon landing," I hear myself say. Then, I reach the car and get in, Romero sliding in behind me and shoving back the camera that tries to get one last shot.

"What did you say?"

All the hair on my arms stands on end at the unexpected sound of his cold voice. Kai stands behind me. His usually bored expression has morphed into something half-crazed. My shoulders slump.

As the sudden shot of adrenaline fades, I wave his worry away. "It's clear I was sarcastic."

Moments later, Jazzman appears back in the studio, tapping his pages in order. "Well, you heard it here first. Kai Hiwatari, commander of Hiwatari Enterprises, doesn't believe we've been to the moon? You can bet we'll investigate this further. Come back next time for the answer. You'll only get it here!"

"Oh." I swallow hard.

The couch dips next to me as Kai takes a seat. His phone screen repeatedly blinks in his hand, a new message appearing every second. Someone tries to call. He tosses it on the table, where it vibrates wildly, eventually vibrating off the table entirely and falling to the ground.

"Oh, indeed," he repeats tiredly.

I change the channel, hoping to find something less incriminating.

"She's totally pregnant! Why else would he be marrying her?"

Four women sit at a round table, nodding or shaking their heads.

"She would be showing by now," one replies to the other.

"Some women just don't show! She small, it's possible."

One shakes their head. "No, but then why would Mathilda be around. If it was about saving face, it's too late for that. I think this can be summed up as late-stage rebellion."

"Rebellion?" One half-shouts. The audience laughs at her look of confusion.

"Think about it. Kai's just testing his grandfather, seeing what he can get away with. He'll marry the right girl in the end."

The audience claps and cheers. The women wait until the noise dies down, and then they continue.

"Speaking of the right girl," one says, "before today's show, we asked you to fill out a survey. We took a poll, and the results are very revealing."

I groan when the screen changes. One half shows a picture of me, sweating, hair up in half a ponytail, strands sticking to my neck. Mathilda looks perfect in the dress from Kai's birthday party. "Of course! They choose a picture of me leaving the gym, but Mathilda's wearing a dress! How is that fair? If I had popcorn, I'd throw it at the screen. Boo!"

"You expect them to be fair?"

"I'd throw popcorn at you, too."

"Well, I'll be sure to cross that off my grocery list."

The numbers on the screen flash under each picture. Surprisingly, Mathilda's only a little ahead of me regarding which of us the public would rather see Kai with, despite their efforts. Still, seeing the numbers hurt. I taste the sourness of it on my tongue.

"I'd rather we go back to talking about how I'm pregnant. That's always fun."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

I giggle lightly, happy that he's joking with me a little. It helps to push back the bitterness that had been welling up inside. Lazily, I turn my head towards him. He's allowed himself to slouch, leaning as deep as the cushions will allow, shoeless feet kicked onto the table. His hand twitches as his phone vibrates on the rug below, calling out to him, but he makes no move to retrieve it.

"Hey, I don't know what you found in my background check that would make you believe I have a secret kid out there, but I certainly do not."

"No," Kai closes his eyes, repressed laughter just on the tips of his lips. "The rumor. It keeps coming back every week."

"Oh." I settle back. "Right. Hey. Does that mean you pay attention to the rumors too?"

"Of course. How else am I going to stay two steps ahead of them if I don't know what they're thinking."

"They're pretty dumb."

"People like dumb. They like complicated and dramatic."

"Those are opposite things, I believe."

He shakes his head. "They're really not."

Kai's sooty lashes fall over hooded eyes as the light from the TV creates moving shadows and plains on his face.

"We have to do something about their favor of Mathilda," I say, turning back to the TV. The program has changed again, this time to a mature drama. Five minutes in, and the two on-screen are already fumbling around in bed. I think they work in a hospital. I think of reaching for the remote, but I don't have the energy. Neither does Kai, apparently, as we let the scene continue.

Kai doesn't answer, but I can feel that I have his attention.

"Right now, your grandfather has all the power. There's no beating him. The idea that you first presented me with isn't going to work anymore. Even if we could gain public support by pretending to be some star-crossed lover, underdogs defy the odds. Me leaving you broken-hearted isn't going to be as devastating if you have a beautiful girl waiting in the stands."

"Mathilda is a wrench in the plans," he agrees. His words are flat, but there's that familiar spark in his gaze, the one that says he's thinking. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he works through various ideas. He frowns momentarily at a thought. Then, a smile returns to his lips. It can only be described as sly in nature; I get the feeling that a terrible idea has taken root as he turns to me.

"We should go on another date. It's been a while since it's been just the two of us for the public to fawn over."

I nod, agreeing immediately and yet suspicious of his thoughts. "What do you have in mind?"

He refuses to tell me his plans. Instead, he bends down to scoop up his phone from the floor, tapping away with quick fingers. I press him for more information as he walks towards his side of the condo, completely ignoring me.

"Unbelievable," I mutter. Though it's not really that unbelievable at all. It's actually very Kai to leave me in the dark. Both metaphorically and physically, as I turn the TV off and sit in silence, confused and exhausted.

Ralf is not a Hiwatari.

Days later, I climb into Kai's black sedan, greeting Spencer with a short wave. I'm still just as clueless as to what Kai's plan is since the night he came up with it. I've even pressured Romero for whatever information he could give me. Usually, he's pretty free-flowing with the plot, buying into the idea that this is a real-life drama playing out before him. For this, he remained tight-lipped, despite his annoyingly coy smile.

"Do I get any hints about what we're doing?" I ask, smoothing down the white summer dress I picked in an attempt to find the right balance between casual and nice, dressy but not fancy. A black cardigan rest over my shoulders, just in case where we're going is colder. I pulled my hair back into twin braids to complete the look, letting the bangs hang around my cheeks.

"No."

"As expected," I say. "You can really dish it out, but you can't take it."

"I assume you're referring to my hatred of surprises?"

"Obviously."

He frowns. "I hate surprises because, for me, they are rarely ever good. But this one is good, trust me."

I say nothing but bite back a smile as I look out the window. The buildings get shorter and more dispersed until we drive past the gates on what looks to be a vast, flat expanse of concrete. It takes a few seconds for me to piece what I see together.

"Is this an airstrip?"

Spencer drives straight into a hanger where a small jet – who am kidding, it's a jet! - is set waiting for us, its captain and a single attendant at the boarding steps. When I glance back at Kai, his dark eye meets mine, and I can almost describe his expression as glee.

Is he happy I'm impressed? As if it's that hard.

"Where are we going?"

"You think the jet is the only surprise?" He scoffs, stepping out of the door opened by Spencer. I follow, sliding out behind him.

The captain and attendant bow as Kai grasp my hand, his fingers sliding between mine. I allow him to lead me up the steps without a second thought, unexpectedly excited to be in a private plane. The seats are cream-colored leather and spacious. Kai guides me to one and then sits across from me. I can't help but look around, eagerly soaking in all of the details. Even the air smells expensive.

"Champagne?" The attendant asks, offering me a flute. I accept it without hesitation. One glass won't hurt me, and who knows where we're going. Well, Kai, obviously. And the pilot.

Probably everyone on board knows where we're going except for me. And they've all probably been told to keep their lips sealed.

"Excited?" Kai asks.

I hate to give it to him since he already looks so cocky, but I can't help it. "Yeah, who wouldn't be."

His chest expands, and his prideful eyes glance out the small round window. "We're just waiting for one."

"Someone else is coming?" It's hard to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I know this is all for show, but if someone is here the entire time, that's more work for me. I like when we can just be us.

"I'm here!" Romero's dramatic voice sings through the cabin. He appears, ducking his tall frame through the doorway before the attendant draws it closed. He stops to whisper something to her, and she blushes.

I watch in confusion as he boards and collapses into the chair across the aisle from us, dropping the bag hanging from his shoulder onto the other seat. My gaze swivels to Kai, who looks the picture of innocence. At least, as innocent as he can pretend to be, which isn't very much.

"What? You didn't think this was an actual date, did you?"

"No, of course not."

Romero pulls his notebook from the bag, the corner worn round and bent from use, and flips to the middle. He always has that notebook, always recording something. I've seen his large, looping handwriting and wondered how he hasn't filled ten of them by now, considering how much he writes.

"Now, we have much to discuss. Kai, I'm glad you finally took my advice to take Hilary out more often. One, she's too pretty to leave sitting at home."

I smile, flattered at the compliment. He doesn't always have such nice things to say. "Thank you, Romero."

"I can continue to say nice things if you'd get on the diet I recommend every time I see you. Just a few more pounds, and Mathilda wouldn't even be a thought in people's minds."

"That's more like it." I nod.

"And two," Romero continues with Kai, "the public needs to see you two together, loving each other. I'm happy you had a private weekend away; heaven knows you needed it. But I didn't plan an entire photo shoot to announce the engagement and party for you to disappear from the public eye completely."

I swirl the champagne around the glass, suddenly wishing it was something stronger. "Are we really going anywhere, or are we just going to pretend we did?" I ask Kai.

"Of course, you're going somewhere. Aren't you listening?" Romero says.

My eyes are on Kai, though, just as his are on me. He smirks. I do not smirk back. Romero speaks, explaining his plans for our dates, each increasing in romantic nature as we close in December, where everything will culminate in our breakup.

"First things first," Romero says as he's finishes showing us his ideas. "What are we going to do about Olivier?"

Soooo. I'm sorry for the extremely late update. All I could say is every time I opened this chapter, I immediately hated all words? The amount of time I procrastinated working on this because words were horrendous, ugly things, is quite frankly, ridiculous.

Thank you for your patience and your support - even if it's silent support. In fact, if you're only sticking around because you absolutely have to see the end, still, thank you. I'd love to hear any thoughts you feel like sharing, and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Hopefully, the words thing has passed.