chapter 22: The preparations

Fuyumi returned to the Ootori mansion. She took out the microphone she was wearing underneath her jacket and placed it on Kyoya's desk. Fuyumi's microphone has recorded the entire conversation with Ren:

- Here you go, little brother!- Fuyumi said cheerfully.

- Thank you, big sister!- Kyoya responded with a friendly smile.- This would be the most important element in our plan.

- You, know.- Fuyumi added.- I admire how much you are willing to work for the sake of your daughters.

- That is such an intriguing notion, isn't it?- Kyoya said.- Even I did not know that parenthood can do this to someone. 11 years ago, I believed that family is not any different than any other type of business, and children are part of it. Now when I look at my point of view from back then, I feel like a fool.

- Do not put too much pressure on yourself.- Fuyumi was worried and she tried to help her brother feel better.- Father is the one who made you feel like this. He was always very hard on you, even more so than he was with us.

- And for a very long time I believed that he was doing me a favor, but now when I can make my own choices, I see how many things I have missed. I made a little research about parenthood and I found a very intriguing report on one website about the different types of fathers around the world. It turns out that in North Korea, the "emotionally distant father" type is not only acceptable, but the norm. I felt disappointed while reading that and then I remembered that I was not any different from them. I do not want my girls to see me as a callous general.

- The past is in the past, little brother.- Fuyumi reassured him.- From what I see, the girls appear to adore you. I think this means that you are doing a pretty good job as a father.

- I sincerely hope they do.- and he smiled.

- And that girls is how you cook fellah köftesi.- Priti was just done with teaching the twins how to cook. Today's lesson was much harder than they thought. There were some many balls to make for the meal.

- It took longer than I thought.- Simran said a little tired after making fellah köftesi.- But I am still glad we learned a little more about Turkish cuisine.

- You are very helpful when it comes to these things, Ms. Priti.- Nandini joined the conversation.- I cannot wait to taste it.

- I am glad you enjoy it, girls!- Priti thanked them for the lovely compliment.- This means a lot to me.- and she gave them an adorable smile.

Suddenly, Fuyumi passed by, seemingly going to the entrance door. Presuming that her boss' sister was about to leave and go home, Priti rushed to get out of the kitchen and caught up with Fuyumi:

- Wait, madam!- Priti shouted from the other side of the corridor. Fuyumi turned around and saw the young maid running towards her.- Allow me to open the door for you.- Priti said after she reached the door on time.- It is my job, after all.

- Thank you very much, Miss!- Fuyumi smiled.- Sorry for not informing you I was leaving, but I was just excited.

- "Excited"?- Priti repeated.- About what? Finishing that floozy for good? Because I know I am.

- That too.- Fuyumi answered insecurely and gave a sheepish smile. This was not exactly what she was thinking about at the moment, but it was still good that they were finally going to end this whole nightmare for her brother and her nieces.- Thank you again for everything, Miss Priti!

- No need to thank me!- Miss Priti said.- I am the one, who is grateful. Not just to Mr. Ootori and his daughters, but also to you, Mrs. Shido, for being so understanding.

Yes. About that. Fuyumi was wondering how Priti would feel when she hears that Kyoya wants to see her in his office right now. Before she left her brother's office, the two of them talked whether it would be the correct decision for him to talk with her about her little crush. They talked whether it would be wise to inform her that he is well aware about her feelings. Kyoya believed that if Priti knew she had a crush on him this whole time, then she would feel less stressed when talking to him. Fuyumi basically told her brother that whether he tells her or not, should be his own choice, but she was still glad that things were going smoothly between Kyoya and Priti, despite the circumstances.

- Just enjoy your job, Miss Priti!- Fuyumi said smiling and she left without saying anything else.

Miss Priti was slightly confused by Fuyumi's behavior, but she tried not to pay too much attention to it. She jumped when she heard another voice, calling her by her name. She turned around, to see her boss standing right behind her, with his arms behind his back and a polite expression on his face.

- Mr. Ootori!- Priti said with a hand on her chest, where her heart should be, as a reaction from the surprise. She tried to ignore her fastened heartbeat and simply focused on what her boss was about to tell her. It was hard to concentrate, as he always looked very handsome in this pose.- How can I help you, sir?

- Could you, please, come to my office for a moment?- Kyoya answered her question.- There are a few things I would like to discuss with you.

- Is everything alright here?- another voice was heard. It was Simran's. Both she and Nandini were eavesdropping.

- Of course, everything is alright, girls!- Kyoya answered with a smile.- What made you think otherwise?

- We are just asking for Miss Priti's sake.- Nandini added.

Priti felt flattered, and Kyoya was just reminded how happy he was to have this girl by his side. She was not only a very competent maid, but a very decent of a babysitter as well. So much that his children treated her like a big sister.

In Kyoya's office, Priti and Kyoya were both sitting on chairs, with his desk separating them. The maid seemed somewhat uneasy with her insecure smile and the sheepish position of her hands. There was no way that this would go unnoticed by her boss. He told her to relax and that she was not in trouble. Although Priti believed him, she was still nervous about what he was about to tell her:

- Miss Priti?- the maid jumped after her employer called her by name.- There is something else we have to talk about. It is not exactly a big deal, but it has to be said, because I think you deserve to know.

Priti was sitting on the edge of her chair, waiting for what Mr. Ootori was about to reveal her. He told her:

- I know about your feelings.

He gave her a few seconds to process what he just revealed. Priti seemed confused at first, until she realized that Kyoya was talking about her small crush on him. The realization felt like an arrow in her heart. She was quick to explain:

- OH MY GOD! Mr. Ootori, I feel so embarrassed. Please accept my most sincere apologies. I know that this is stupid, considering so many things, but it just happened. Your sister also found out and I begged her not to tell you. I would never do anything to harm neither you, nor the children.

After she bared her soul in front of him, Priti was breathing heavily, like she just ran a marathon. Kyoya thought that this was too much of a shock for her:

- Miss Priti, calm down please!- he told her.- I am not firing you or reducing your salary.

Priti gave him a confused expression, which Kyoya interpreted as a reason to explain further:

- Like I said, I am telling you this only because there is no need to put barriers in our workplace. You became part of this mansion. You have always been there for me and the girls and I am grateful for that. This is just one thing we should make clear. That is all.

- It is?- Priti asked.

- Of course!- he assured her with a polite smile.- Not to mention that if we will be eliminating Ren's plan, we have to know more about her weapons. She will definitely use this little piece of information to make a bad image for me, the least offensive of the possibilities would be that I have an affair with my teenage maid. This would only encourage any potential followers to support her plan to take Simran and Nandini away from me. This would also serve as a revenge on you. Two rabbits with one bullet.

- Woof!- Priti sighed angrily.- Why does this witch always know when and where to hit?

- That's why we have to work together,...- Kyoya made a short pause before continuing his sentence. He turned towards the door's direction.- ... girls!

The door opened, revealing Simran and Nandini behind it. They were eavesdropping again, curious what their father was about to do to their favorite maid. The only thing going through Kyoya's mind currently was "They always hear everything when it is about Priti.".

- We just wanted to know what was going to happen to Priti.- Nandini explained.

- You have a crush on father! I knew it!- Simran celebrated.

Miss Priti blushed so much that her face resembled a tomato with eyes. When the smiles on the girls faces suddenly disappeared, after joking a little about their reasons for eavesdropping, Kyoya revealed to them why he summoned Priti in his office:

- Do not worry, girls!- he pushed his glasses.- Miss Priti and I were just discussing the plan we need to get your mother out of our hair for good.

- So...- Simran asked shyly.- Ms. Priti is not fired?

- There is no reason to fire her.- Kyoya answered. - After she has done so much for us. Besides, I know how much she means to you two.

- You have really changed, haven't you?- Nandini asked rhetorically.- The things you said to aunt Fuyumi were true.

They have heard that too. Why was Kyoya not surprised? Spying on people like that. Not that he is any different, so they had probably taken that from him. He was actually proud of that fact.

Out of blue, a lot of tears came out of Nandini's eye corners. They did not cease. They kept running and running like waterfalls. With open arms, the girl rushed to her father giving him a tight hug:

- I am sorry!- Nandini cried.- I am sorry!

This caught Kyoya off guard. This sudden change of emotion. Simran also joined the hug. Their father hugged them back and patted their heads:

- It's okay, darlings!- he whispered to them.- It's okay!- he looked at Miss Priti and thought that she probably felt lonely, so he gestured to her to join them and so she did.

- Okay, girls!- Kyoya said to his daughters.- We can put your tendency to spy on people to good use.

The Ootori family, Miss Priti and the former host club were all there to get ready for operation: Burn the witch.