The door opened to a relatively large office. The desk was in front of a wall of windows. A man stood at each side of the desk. "Welcome back. Though, it's futile to keep asking. We don't have your money." The boss was turned around in his chair. He didn't see me, but the men that did tensed.

"Sir."

"What is it?"

"You may want to turn around, sir. They brought a guest this time." Once the man turned, he immediately recognized me.

"What the hell is one of Nikita's men doing here?! She never makes a treaty with anyone!" He slammed his fist on the desk. He was obviously afraid because of my involvement. Whenever Nikita was involved in any way, someone would end up dead. We sat down in the chairs provided.

"That's right. I am one of Nikita's men and there is no treaty." I replied coldly.

"Why are you here?" He slammed his hand on the desk a second time.

"I want you to give back the money you borrowed from this family." He scoffed at me.

"Sorry, chick. We don't have the money."

"And why is that?" I asked him.

"We've been spending the funds to pay our men." I didn't make a sound. "What?" He spat at me.

"Is that your truthful answer?" He clicked his tongue. One of his men pulled out a gun at me.

"Now, now, there's no need for violence." Timoteo said.

"Stay out of this, old man." The man on the right said. I put a hand over Timoteo's to reassure him. I have full control of the situation despite what it may look like.

"It's okay. I'll be fine." I took out the book to show the boss what I had. He immediately recognized it but kept silent. "Lying is one of the strongest weapons in the world. It can give you the greatest profit and can also give you the greatest problems. Lying is a form of gambling. You're taking a big risk since you don't know whether the person you're lying to knows the truth. If they believe you, you have won the gamble." I smiled with no emotion in my eyes. "However, if they know the truth, you've lost."

"What are you getting at?" The Tachibana leader questioned. I opened the book.

"You recognize this book, don't you?"

"I haven't seen it in my life." I went to the page where I marked his name.

"Someone must have used your name to make a purchase then."

"So what?"

"Don't you want to know what the purchase was?"

"I'm not interested. I don't want to know what kind of sick things that were bought." I turned a few more pages.

"I thought you didn't recognize the book. Only those who have been to the auction know what's there and what the books even look like." I stopped and looked up at him without any emotion.

"I've heard rumors of the book."

"That's it? Just rumors?" I questioned. He nodded. "I'll have some people look into it and dispose those that started the rumors. It'll be a shame if the auction gets shut down."

"Why would you want it open in the first place? That place is rumored to be hell on earth." I looked him right into the eyes.

"Why don't you use that puny brain of yours and think for once? Why would one of Nikita's men want that auction open? You can do that one little, easy thing, right?" I mocked him in a teasing voice. I gave him a small smile. He clenched his fist tightly.

"You're one of those damn foxes." Checkmate. He realized his own mistake and froze. I dialed the number next to his name that was on the book. His phone started ringing. "Who the hell is calling me now?"

He answered it. "Hello?" There was no answer. He looked at me with my phone in my hand and started to sweat.

"It seems like one of your men did this to you and have been spending all the funds on chickens."

"That's impossible! None of my men even have this phone's number!" He let out a gasp. He was digging himself a deeper hole the more he spoke. He didn't even realize it.

"You lost the second I got involved, Tachibana. Now, let's discuss how you'll pay us back." I commented.

"I don't have any more money."

"I'm aware. There are other ways of paying us back." I gave a cold, sadistic smile. "Let's say you give me three of your men. I want your right hand man and two lackeys of my choosing."

"No."

"I'll take you then." I retorted.

"What?!"

"That is my condition. What will it be, Tachibana? Your life or your men's?"

"You can't make me choose."

"If you don't choose in the next five minutes, I will choose everyone in this room." They all had their guns pointed out at me. Even the leader did. Timoteo was the only calm one. Dino and Squalo had their own guns out and pointed. "Put down your guns." I commanded. They stayed quiet.

"What will you do now? You're outnumbered." The Tachibana leader said with a smirk.

"That is a shame. Though, I ordered you to put your guns down."

"I don't listen to women, especially Nikita's dogs!"

"I said, 'put them down'!" In that instance, one of the men was shot dead. Everyone turned to him and then at me. Nikita must have been told and is giving me assistance from afar. "There's one man. Who will the other two be?" The garbage man and Kira walked in.

"You called, miss?"

"Kira, you get to take care of the dead one. He's too ugly to sell well on the market." I said gently.

"Thank you, miss." I kept my eyes on the Tachibana head. He was shaking by now.

"I'm sure you've never felt the fear of your life possibly ending within seconds. Isn't it exhilarating?" I questioned with a giggle.

"Shut up."

"I need an answer, Tachibana."

"Take them. Take my men. Take all of them." He spoke quietly.

"You can't do that, boss!" His right hand man yelled.

"I'm saving my own ass!" The garbage man took him while Kira dragged the other man. I stood up and glared at him.

"You're a despicable, ugly, little man. Will you buy back your men when they're in pieces and feast on their flesh?" He refused to look up at me. I let some of my flame come to my fingers. I touched him and he instantly passed out. The garbage man came in. "Take him and leave him alive."

"Shall I give everyone your best regards?"

"Yes, and make sure Kira does a fine job. We want as much revenue as possible."

"Of course, miss. Shall I put the money in your account?"

"Not this time. You will put it in Timoteo's account." I looked down at him. "That is unless you don't trust these people. If that's the case, I'll transfer the money from my account with a receipt from the auction." He shook his head.

"I can trust them."

Once Timoteo gave his information, I looked at Dino. He looked sick, as if he'd puke any second. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"I don't know if I'll be alright any time soon."

"I'm sorry if I surprised you." I heard heels walking towards the room. I looked and saw Nikita.

"Wonderful work, Shiori." The men turned around.

"Did a little birdy tell you about this?" I asked lightly.

"You could tell?"

"I know the work of your snipers better than anyone else. How could I not tell you were somewhat involved?" She chuckled and lit a cigar.

"I wanted to see what you looked like in a negotiation."

"Did I do okay?" I asked quietly. I wanted to get her approval. It'd make me more confident in my abilities.

"I wouldn't have done exactly what you did, but you exceeded expectations as always."

"Really?"

"When I was notified, I was a little worried you'd let your emotions get the better of you." She walked over to me and put a hand on top of my head. "With time, you'll become an even greater woman than me. You'll serve the Vongola well. When the time comes, we'll have a meeting, just the two of us." I knew what she meant. After my father dies, we'll have a meeting about assets and such.

"Okay."

"Just because you're not under my wings doesn't mean you can't rely on me time to time. You're still my daughter."

"Thank you, Nikita."

We went back to the hotel. Nikita went her separate way. There was food already waiting for us. My stomach grumbled loudly. "You must have worked up an appetite." Timoteo mused.

"I didn't really work up any appetite. It's my lunch time." I didn't hesitate to dig into my large plate of Italian food. It was delicious.

"I've been meaning to ask you something. Why did you tell the garbage man to take the Tachibana leader?" Dino questioned.

"I can tell the value of people by a single look. The henchmen that were already taken in won't accumulate to the money that was loaned."

"What will happen to the rest of the family?" He asked me.

"They'll be consumed by other families that can provide them with what they need." After a couple of minutes, we all finished our meal. We were all stuffed. "That was delicious."

"Just wait until you live with us. You'll get this every day." Squalo said.

"I can't wait."

"Are you fine with living with Xanxus?" Dino asked.

"I'm more than fine. Why?"

"I'm just making sure."

"Shiori will do just fine. She'll straighten everyone out if there's a problem." Timoteo said a little too happily.

"If anyone has problems, they'll have to deal with me." Squalo really was protective of me. He might as well be my big brother.

"It'll be nice to have you around, Shiori. Xanxus won't be as grumpy as usual." Dino commented. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Me being there won't stop him from being grumpy."

"That is true. He probably doesn't show his grumpy side when you're around." Timoteo said. I shook my head.

"He's even grumpier with me, almost childlike, especially when I don't do something he wants."

"That isn't a bad thing."

We all relaxed for the rest of the day. Timoteo came to visit me. "Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Everything is fine. I just wanted to ask you something I didn't want the others hearing." I sat up on Squalo's bed. He was currently with Genzo getting his swords sharpened.

"What did you want to ask?"

"What did Nikita mean 'when the time comes'? Your face instantly dropped. Is there something going on? If there is, I want to help you get through it."

"It's nothing." He looked me right in the eye with a frown, knowing I lied. Just a single look from him made me feel guilty for lying. It was as if I lied to my dad. "My dad is dying because of an attack." I admitted.

"I'm sorry, Shiori."

"The Hibari family broke him to get to me. He's in a coma he won't wake up from. His health is slowly declining. His heart will give out soon. It gets worse every day."

"Does Xanxus know?"

"He doesn't and I don't want him to. He'll lose it and kill half the town out of spite. He knows my business with the Hibari is personal."

"Were you pretending to be strong in front of that family?"

"I've been threatened left and right almost every day. They want to see me break. If I show them any weakness, they'll use that to taunt me. I have no choice but to be strong. The only thing getting me through it is knowing I'll be in Italy after." Timoteo's expression stayed neutral. "Syoko is paying most of my bills and Nikita will cover the costs for my dad's funeral."

"And the other bills?"

"I have them covered. I'll be fine."

"What about the hospital bills?" I let out a small sigh. I'm sure he wouldn't like what I'll tell him.

"I wouldn't have to pay the bill, but I ended up making the Hibari head mad. You see, if I went with him, I wouldn't have to pay for the hospital bills. I did at first, but I ended up disappearing on the way there. They did give me a few options to help with the billing."

"That's good they gave you options." I shook my head.

"They gave me two options. Either I pull the plug or I wait until he dies." Timoteo's eyes widened.

"Those were your options?" It was bad enough to surprise a mafia boss.

"I refused and insulted the family head. I have the funds to pay the bill they sent, but they don't know that. I'd rather keep it a surprise. If they know, they'll charge me even more."

"You're a strong girl, Shiori. Most would buckle under the pressure."

"I was practically raised by Nikita. It's in my nature to go against everything I don't agree with."

"She certainly raised you well."

Squalo walked in with a new polished, sharpened sword. "Welcome back, Squalo. How was Genzo?" I asked.

"That old geezer is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I'm glad. He's very passionate about his work." Squalo unsheathed his sword and showed me and Timoteo. I could see my reflection in the blade. "That's some quality work."

"Isn't it? By the way, Xanxus called."

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He wanted to know if you were hurt and if the deal went well. I told him you were fine and we got our money. You should have heard how annoyed he was." Timoteo and I sighed. No matter the situation, that man will always be annoyed with something.

"Let me guess. He was happy to hear I'm fine but is annoyed that it went well because I told him so." I said plainly.

"Do I even need to answer you at this point?" Squalo asked.

"It's almost magic you know how my son thinks." Timoteo said happily. He got that happy go lucky smile that made me feel off.

"There isn't any magic involved." Dino entered the room with his men. They were surprised to see me there.

"What's she doing here?" One of the men asked. Timoteo stood up.

"You all know Shiori?" He asked with surprise.

"They called me a whore when I first met Dino." Squalo glared at them.

"You called her a what?!"

"It's alright, Squalo. I don't mind. They think I'm pretty enough to be considered one." Squalo looked down at me and blinked.

"That's really sad."

"You don't seem mad anymore." Timoteo smiled, knowing very well what I was doing to Squalo.

"Lussuria would yell at you if he heard you." Squalo said.

"I know. That's why I say it without him around. He's too loud." He let out a sigh and sat down. He couldn't win against me and knew that.

"What are you doing back, Dino?" Timoteo asked.

"I was contacted by someone about the auction. We all have an invitation to go tonight. Apparently, not just anyone can go." Dino explained. I didn't like where this was going.

"Don't we have to sign our names to sign in?" Squalo asked me.

"That would be bad for us if any of our rivals found out." Timoteo said to himself.

"It's true you have to sign individually. However, there is an exception and it's the only exception." They all looked at me.

"Why do you look troubled?" Dino asked with concern. I let out a sigh.

"The exception is if I go with you and sign my name, you won't have to sign anything. I'm a fox. As long as I'm there, they won't question you. They wouldn't dare."

"Do you not want to go?" Timoteo asked.

"I don't, but I'll do it for you."

"Is it that bad of a place?" Dino asked with fear. He was still pale from earlier.

"It's not as bad as you think. I just don't want to go for all the attention."

"Thank you, Shiori." I took out my phone and sent a message.

"There. Everything is taken care of. We'll have a private booth on the second floor. Since we're VIP, we'll need to arrive an hour early."

"Just from a message, Shiori saves the day." Dino said.

"Of course, idiot! It's Shiori." Squalo and Dino started to have a quarrel. Though, it was more of Squalo yelling at Dino. Most conversations with Squalo when he was yelling was always one sided unless he demanded an answer. The best way to defuse the situation is to make a constipated face. He gets self-conscious about his appearance and will go to see if his hair is fine. Dino hasn't caught onto that and they knew each other for years.

"This will be your life soon, Shiori." Timoteo said.

"Squalo yelling at everyone? Xanxus better pay for my hearing aids." He laughed.

"With you around, he might yell less."

"I doubt it."

"If not, Xanxus will put him in place."

"By throwing things? In my short experience with them, that makes Squalo yell even louder." Soon, his yelling was getting too much for me. My head was pounding. "Squalo." I said in a deep, annoyed voice. Everyone froze and looked at me. He looked scared.

"Yes?"

"Stop yelling. I'm getting a headache because of your voice. Just because you can get away with it normally doesn't mean you can with me. Got it?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Now that we're on the same page, we should all get ready for tonight. Dress presentable." The room cleared out. Timoteo was the only one there.

"You're absolutely magical."

Squalo walked in. "This is my room." He said awkwardly.

"Wear a suit." He nodded and took his clothes into the bathroom.

"We'll meet you two in the lobby." Timoteo left the room. Thankfully, I was still in the same clothes as earlier. I fixed my hair to make it neater. Squalo came back in a black suit after twenty minutes.

"Is this good?" He asked.

"Perfect." His hair was tied back which was a nice touch.

"Here." He put the jacket he always wore on my shoulders. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"I'm ready." We walked down to the lobby and saw Timoteo and Dino in their suits. Timoteo looked adorable and even had a bright smile.

"I see you two are ready. Let's go." The four of us walked outside. That's when a familiar woman walked to us. The three behind me were on guard.

"I'm here to escort your assess."

"Long time no see, Chen." I greeted. She smiled.

"I see you didn't call me that ugly name."

"Push me and I won't hesitate." I turned to the three. "Chen is an acquaintance of mine. She won't hurt you."

"Nikita threaten me already. I won't kill you. Now, let's go." I walked beside Chen while the three stayed behind us. It was rather quiet except for the small conversation behind me. We got to a normal looking building before walking down the alleyway and entering a different door. There were stairs that led to the basement. It was completely dark with the exception of dimly lit candles. They wanted this to look as cult like as possible. A man with a mask met us at the door.

"Welcome back, miss. We are thankful for your addition. You're expected to make another fortune tonight."

"Thank you." We were handed masks. I turned to the three. "Put these on. They help hide your identity." The men got masks that covered their entire face. They were blank with traditional fox markings. As for me, I got a black mask that covered only my eyes. It was decorated with gold and red eyeliner.

"Why is yours different?" Dino asked.

"The miss wears this mask to indicate her status. Only those with familiar masks are allowed to look at her for more than three seconds at a time."

"Enough talking." I said. The man smiled.

"Of course. Your escort will bring you to the main lobby while we wait for more guests."

Chen led us to the lobby. Men and women in various masks were standing around with drinks in their hands. A waitress walked over with glasses of wine and a juice box. "Welcome back, miss. Juice?"

"Yes." She handed me the box. This perplexed the men as they received wine. I glared at them with a pout. They were ordered by Nikita to always have juice for me when we used to come. I was only a child at the time. "Don't question it." I could tell other patrons were staring at us.

"Excuse me." I turned and saw a man with a mask similar to mine.

"What?"

"You wouldn't happen to be the highest esteemed guest I heard about, right?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." His dark eyes narrowed. He then laughed quietly. His hand cupped my cheek, his mouth getting closer to my ear.

"It's a shame you aren't back on stage. I'd buy you again and have more fun than last time." My eyes widened. I thought Nikita handled the rest of them. Timoteo immediately noticed my change in demeanor. "Are you scared, princess?"

"Don't call me that." My voice was low.

"Your body might have changed, but I still see the little girl that begged us to make it stop." In the next second, the man's hand dropped to the ground. Everyone looked at Chen.

"We missed one."

Everyone turned their backs on us. It was a weird rule they had. The man screamed and held his arm. "You can't run from us, princess. You're not under that Russian bitch anymore. She can't protect you."

"That's right. I'm not directly under Nikita anymore. However, someone else is." He looked at Chen.

"You bold to talk to Nikita daughter like that." She flipped her blade up and down.

"She isn't your ally anymore. Why are you protecting her?!"

"She still one of us." Chen responded casually.

"She betrayed you." The two of us started to laugh.

"Is that the rumor?" I questioned between laughs.

"He dumber than bitch. So, what you want me to do?" The man looked at me with a mixture of hatred and fear. I scoffed at the man.

"Dispose of him slowly. I want to hear him beg." Chen smiled.

"You heard the boss. I get to kill you now. Don't pass out on me or else it won't be fun anymore." The man started to scream as Chen sliced and punctured his body multiple times. She was able to get ten minutes of torture in before he lost his voice. "You scream like girl."

"Wait, Chen." I stopped her with an idea.

"What?"

"Bring him downstairs with the rest. They'll make him stay alive." Chen stood up with the man in her grasps.

"Good idea. We split profit?"

"That's fine by me. I wonder who will buy him."

We all heard the soft click of a button. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the auction will soon commence. Please take your seats."