Disclaimer: Theirs.
How long has it been since my last update? To be honest, I am not entirely certain. =P Heh. I've been swamped with exams and a lot of other inconveniences, therefore I can't be blamed entirely for my lack of updates. *Makes a variety of inconceivable excuses* Actually, I've just been lazy. Uh, yah.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart for ALL your encouraging reviews. =)
Trial of Fate
By Ash Night
Chapter Eleven
Li Syaoran drummed his long fingers on the edge of his beautifully furnished office desk and lifted his gaze to the clock hanging on the wall.
Ten-thirty AM.
Damn. He'd only been at work for a few hours and already he was wishing the day was over. It wasn't entirely all his fault, was it? Sometimes his job could get a little boring, the paperwork he was expected to go through was enough to put anyone asleep. What he needed right now was another hot cup of coffee...
Preferably black.
The president of his self-titled corporation grinned to himself as he remembered why he loved his job. Li Syaoran leaned forward on his swivel chair and switched on his intercom.
"Judy, bring me in another cup of coffee, would you?" Oh yes, feel the power. Li leaned back in his executive chair with his hands behind his head as he waited for the response from his secretary.
A flirtish giggle blasted through the speaker on his desk.
"What in hell?" The amber eyed man cursed aloud as he stared blindly at the speaker, waiting to hear more.
"Why don't I take you out for dinner, babe?" A man's rough voice from the other side of the intercom asked silkily.
The male voice was strangely familiar to him. Li stood up and mumbled something incoherent as he shut off his intercom and started for the door. He sure as hell wasn't paying his employees to bat their eyelashes at each other during working hours. Just as he opened the door, he found that his cell phone was inconveniently ringing.
"Hey Li," The perky female voice on the other line greeted. "I hope you aren't busy with anything at work right now."
Li barely heard the voice, as his attention was focused on his two laughing employees at the front counter. He narrowed his brows at the sight of Judy and Eriol, not sure weather it was from surprise or anger. Three thoughts automatically came to him at a halt. One: Judy and Eriol!? Why Judy!? What about Tomoyo? Two: Wow, where did that come from? And Three: He was going to strangle them both for goofing off.
The couple didn't seem to acknowledge him as they continued talking to one another. Or if they did, they found no need to be afraid of their boss.
"Li?" The female voice spoke again when he didn't answer. "Is this a bad time?"
Li Syaoran finally recognized the caller, it was none other than his cousin. Whatever she wanted, it could wait. He had two 'dedicated' employees to kill first.
"Hello!? Li? I know you're there, I hear voices...."
Li shook his head as Judy burst into another fit of giggles, evidently she found Hiiragizawa funnier than he did. "Talk to you later Meiling, I'm busy right now."
On the other end of the line, Meiling narrowed her eyes. "You're busy!? I just heard laughter, and it sounded more than femal-"
Li didn't catch her, his cell was already away from his ears and he had disconnected the call. He crossed his arms in front of his broad chest and strode up to the culprits. "Having a nice chat?" He asked sardonically.
"Hey boss." Eriol grinned.
"Mr. Li." Judy smiled back.
"Well," Li drawled. "Aren't we just dandy?"
"Repeat that last one to him, Eriol." Judy started laughing again.
"Alright," The blue eyed man cleared his throat with more drama than needed. "Why don't I take you out for dinner, babe?" His voice was too deep and too rough, the macho effect didn't really work in his favour.
Li blinked, it was the same phrase he heard through his speaker. "No woman in their right mind would dare go into public with you sporting that voice." He replied honestly, trying to collect his thoughts.
Eriol's grin grew wider. "Think Tomoyo-san will?"
"I think it'd make her laugh, then there is no way she could resist you." Judy offered.
Tomoyo? Sakura's friend Tomoyo? This is what it was all about? For some reason that set him at ease. Ah, crap. Hanging around the girls must have rubbed off at him. He was actually in favour of Eriol and Tomoyo. Damn. At least he couldn't blame Judy for laughing at the horrifying voice.
"Don't you two ever do that to me again." Li grumbled something to himself and stalked off to get his own cup of coffee.
Eriol glanced at the secretary and shrugged. "Guess he didn't like it."
Li continued walking, aware of the laughter fading off in the background. There was one good outcome of all this, he thought wryly to himself. They had saved him from his annoying cousin.
***
Sakura had settled herself into an old Victorian styled desk, her papers spread evenly distributed on its huge surface. The desk was located upstairs in an enormous library that she had stumbled upon that morning. At first glance, she was dazed at the gorgeous setting. The tall shelves were made from the finest of wood, oak, she guessed. Books upon books filled the ledges, while the sun's rays shone through the two huge windows that seemed to swallow one side of the wall, giving the room a majestic look.
Sakura had dropped her documents on the desk as she made the decision to work in the breathtaking library instead of the dining room table as she had done before. Still a little dazed with awe and wonder, she began to explore her surroundings. The books, she observed, were covered with a thin layer of dust and the shelves were in desperate need of a sweeping. Two adjectives leaped into mind and Sakura sat herself down at the desk.
Elegant and haunty.
But it was apparent that the place wasn't used on a regular basis, which left Sakura more than a little puzzled. It seemed like a total waste to her. With a shrug, she had begun doing what she'd loved for forever.
Now, scratching her head as she studied the notes she came up with from a morning's work, Sakura read them over and reviewed them to herself.
Firstly, she had gotten her hands on everything there was to know about Li's ex-wife. What Li had told her held true. Jin-Jin 'Fiona' Chin came from a wealthy family here in China. She had a couple elder brothers and two powerfully influential parents. Her family had married her off to Li because of the man's riches and connection with the corporate world. It was even easier as he had fallen head over heels in love with her beauty.
Ugh. Sakura gave her head a slight shake at the thought. Typical male species.
So, Li had welcomed the woman with open arms hoping to live happily ever after, like a fairy tale... Except the marriage turned out to be a major disaster and the two split, leaving a child behind. An adorable little girl, Sakura smiled.
Next, she looked underneath that at more of her illegible scrawl on the abused piece of paper. She had scribbled the heading POSSIBLE MOTIVES and listed a bunch of bullets.
The first one that had immediately jumped to her mind was the most obvious of reasons; money. Everybody knew it was the husband's responsibility to send the wife divorce money to care for the child, leaving the mother to play the part of the good and him the devil. She had seen it done one too many times in movies and books to not have caught it. Somehow that didn't play out though.... Chewing on the end of her pen, Sakura scribbled down a counter to Jin-Jin's first motive. Initially, Chin had wanted to rid herself completely of her own daughter and had walked out whole-heartedly. No money, no nothing. Why the sudden change?
Which meant Chin wanted something. The next thing she had written down.
Something. Something. Something. What something!? It would have to be something that worked in her advantage. She was beginning to dislike that word, 'something'. Was it revenge the woman was after? Maybe, maybe not.
Sakura rested her face in her hands as her thinking swirled in her head. Chin wasn't a complex creature to understand, there were only a few things that she wanted. The first one on the list would be money. With money came with power, and with power came the ability to do whatever one wanted. Superiority. Chin liked to be above others, that, she experienced firsthand at the Cafe.
Chin was brought up in a prosperous family, no doubt she'd like to keep the luxury going for her as long as she lived. Especially now that she was no longer linked with Li Syaoran. Meaning, she was indeed after something.
No good. Sakura needed to find out exactly what she was after. Did somebody know something? Was Mei-Fa holding something back? Li? Whatever it was, paper and documents wouldn't help.
Maybe Chin did know about Mei-Fa's gift for fortune telling, Sakura closed her eyes. It was the only plausible explanation, and the only one that kept jumping up that actually made some sense. It fit everything perfectly. It satisfied Chin's greed for money, and the reason for why she wanted her daughter back so badly. Perfect. Sakura smirked. Things never went perfect for her. If Mei-Fa said her mother didn't know, she would believe her.
As she looked down her list, she realized that nothing else was written below that. It was blank. Wonderful, some lawyer she was turning out to be, Sakura though bitterly to herself. What was Zing Cheng doing now?
"He probably has his whole case wrapped up already, all ready to take out the amateur attorney." Sakura rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips, with a tinge of admiration. "But I won't give up." She promised herself.
The emerald eyed lawyer lifted her pencil, in hope of coming up with more motives. Sitting there and thinking, her mind was blank, it was as if her brain decided that there were no more.
Her instincts had made her mind come to a crashing halt. She blinked and turned her gaze to look outside the grand windows. She wasn't at all certain why, or how, but something inside of her was willing herself to stop drowning in her papers. Something was telling her she was close. And she would get nowhere stuffed up inside.
"There are no answers here." She breathed. There was a reason.... a something, and she had just a few days to find it. "I promise to find it." She vowed, saying the words out loud helped to reassure herself.
"Sakura-san?"
Sakura turned around, an embarrassed flush tinted her cheeks. "Meiling!"
One corner of Meiling's mouth went up in that sly smile of hers. "Were you talking to yourself?"
"No." Sakura answered. "Yes. Well sort of." She chewed on her bottom lip. "I was working on the case, actually."
"Oh," Meiling blinked. "Did I interrupt your thinking?" She quickly apologized before Sakura could respond.
"No," Sakura reassured her. "I was just about to wrap it up for now." With a smile on her face, she glanced at the shopping bags scattered around her friend. "Christmas already?" She raised her brows.
"No, silly." Meiling let out a laugh. "I went shopping," She paused to search through her bags, "And I bought something for you."
"For me?" Sakura stared. "But I didn't ask for anythin-"
"I know you didn't," Meiling cut in, "What do you think of this?"
Sakura caught the blouse her friend threw her. Meiling stood against the wall, a twinkle in her red eyes as she waited for approval. "You didn't have to buy m-"
"For crying out loud, Sakura," Meiling said, exasperated. "I know you didn't, now, would you just look at it and tell me what you think?"
Sakura couldn't help but smile. She unfolded the blouse and brought it up in front of herself. "You'll have to be my mirror, Meiling." She grinned.
Meiling's eyes lit up. "I knew you would look adorable in it!"
The blouse was a light shade of pink, with a collar, a small trendy zippered pocket on the right and sleeves that were folded just below the elbows.
Sakura giggled as she studied the top. "But you're one of those biased mirrors."
Meiling was already ruffling through more of her bags. "Wait 'til you see what else I got you."
"More?"
"Yes," The raven haired beauty answered. "But they must still be out in my car, I can't find them in these ones."
"More?" Sakura repeated, this time referring to the bags.
"Sometimes I don't understand you, Sakura." Meiling shook her head playfully. "I'm only female, but you seem immune to your female needs."
They shared a warm laugh together.
"I'm going to head to my room with all this stuff, alright?" Meiling picked up all her bags.
"Don't fall over."
"Very funny." Meiling rolled her eyes. "Will you go check the answering machine while I put all this away?"
"Check the answering machine?" Sakura looked at her strangely.
"Sure." Meiling said curtly. "I noticed the light on the machine was blinking when I came home, but the shopping bags in my hands prevented me from doing anything about it." She laughed a little.
"But this isn't my home, I'd feel like I was intruding if I did."
"Whatever," Meiling couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This is your home as much as it is mine, you're entitled to all the facilities here, now and always. You're my best friend."
"Okay." Sakura smiled, convinced. "Only for you though." She added with a sly one-sided grin.
Sakura helped Meiling with the bags and then went downstairs to check the messages as Meiling had instructed her to. She looked down at the LSD screen.
YOU HAVE 3 NEW MESSAGES
"Great, but which one of these buttons am I suppose to press?" Sakura muttered to herself as she stared at the panel of metallic buttons. She smiled in triumph when she figured it out.
"Hey angel," Sakura recognized it as Eien's voice. "Let me take you out to dinner, alright? It'll be fun, but then again, yours truly is always fun. I'll also fill you in on you-know-what. See ya tonight, Meiling. Over and out."
Eien really loved Meiling, she could hear the love in his voice when he spoke. Sakura smiled for Meiling. Maybe she could find someone she could love and love her back one day as well, like Eien and Meiling. "Sakura, you are utterly hopeless." The auburn haired girl muttered to herself again.
The next message was from Eriol, and directed to Li.
Li.
Sakura looked up at the ceiling. Li Syaoran was a lot different than what she had thought of him to be upon their first meeting. Well, almost. He was still controlling, obnoxious at times and just as arrogant. She smiled unconsciously. But he loved and cared about his family and friends with a ferociousness that was almost frightening. And last night, last night he made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. His touch had been tingly, and she was nearly certain that she should have melted from his hot touch. She frowned. Now she was like every other female, succumbing to his charms...
But she wouldn't. She was only here for her best friend's wedding and to do her job. Once it was over, she would be back in Japan, away from all this. She would be back home. But what was there for her? She didn't have any family, nothing really to go back for. Her only real friend there was Tomoyo, and what if Tomoyo decided to stay here? Oh great, now you're reluctant to leave as well.
"Hey boss," The male voice had a slight trace of amusement. "Remember the annual banquet you're suppose to attend each year with your family? It's in a couple of days. You won't believe this, but your mother has decided to play hostess. It looks as if we'll have fun this year. Later." There was a laugh before Eriol had hung up.
Eriol was a playful character, Sakura decided with a smile. She clicked the button again for the last remaining message. This one was from yesterday evening, she noted.
"Sakura? I hope you're living here, I wouldn't want to make a fool out of myself," He chuckled.
Sakura's eyes widened. Who would be calling her here? The male voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite trace it.
"It's Zing Cheng, remember me? I'd like to talk to you about the case, if you're willing, of course. It would be appreciated. Call me back as soon as you can, okay? Goodbye Sakura." He had left his phone number.
Aha, she knew she had heard that voice somewhere. But why would Cheng want to talk to her about the case? If he was hoping that she would spill anything of importance to him, he was in for a surprise. Did she even know anything of importance? Well, she could stand her own ground.
But then again, she didn't have to go see him at all.
"Anything of importance?"
Sakura glanced up. "Eien called." She grinned wickedly. "He's taking you for dinner and wants to talk about 'you-know-what'."
Meiling grinned knowingly. "He is clever, that one."
"Huh?"
She shook her head. "Oh, nothing. Anything else?"
"Um, Eriol phoned for Li," Sakura paused. "That's all, nothing else was important." She figured that that was the truth. Cheng's message was pretty much mundane, she probably wouldn't even agree to go talk to him.
"You should start living here on a regular basis, girl." Meiling laughed. "How's the case?"
"Smooth as peanut butter." She lied.
"Right," Meiling saw right through her quick response. "Can't and won't talk about it, huh?"
"I must have horrible lying skills." Sakura blinked.
Meiling bit back her laughter. "You're right on that one, how's my cousin? He's not that bad, right?" The look in her eye was devilish. "I told you you'd get use to him, he likes that tough guy image."
"Yes," Sakura agreed. "But he cares deeply for the ones he loves."
"You've managed to conclude that faster than most."
"It's not hard to notice."
"Actually, most people he works with think him ruthless." Meiling informed.
"I guess he is that as well."
Meiling saw the look in Sakura's eyes, and recognized it instantly. He even had sweet Sakura at his feet. She suddenly remembered the phone call she had with that stupid Li. He had been flirting! Flirting had been more important than her call! What if she was dying!? Caring, my butt.
"Sakura?"
"Hmm?"
"I was wrong about my cousin," She said in disgust. Dumb Li, he definitely did not deserve Sakura. And Sakura did not deserve to have her heartbroken for the first time. He would probably always be a flirt, Chin had made him that way, she thought bitterly.
"Wrong about what?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Li Syaoran's a flirt, a moron and wouldn't be able to see real love if it bonked him in the head."
"Oh, really?" Sakura laughed. "Why the change of heart?"
"A little incident," Meiling continued. "But as I was saying, if he continues to flirt and whatnot with you, ignore him to the best of your ability. He's scum." She added the last part sweetly.
Sakura smiled gratefully, if a little sadly as well. "Thank you for telling me, but I'll be fine, Meiling."
"I don't want my cousin to break your heart."
"He won't, he hasn't even gotten anywhere near my heart." She replied somewhat sarcastically.
"Okay," Meiling smiled. "Good. I'm going to go get the rest of the bags from my car, then you can try on your new clothes!"
Sakura watched as Meiling went outside. She had such wonderful friends, she was very lucky, she decided. She should have felt a little better, after what Meiling said. Her theory had been right, she couldn't let Li come anywhere near her heart, but that would be very hard. At least she now knew where she stood in his game, just another pawn.... Sakura had little to nothing experience with love, but being with Li gave her such a warm feeling inside.
Lack of experience, she told herself firmly, yes, that had to be it.
This was truly going to be hard, she let out a sigh.
But all she had to do was avoid him, that would be the easiest. She would work on the case, do what she was here for. When this was done, she would be gone for sure.
"I'm brilliant." Sakura said, with a sad smile as she glanced towards the answering machine.
And so was Li Syaoran.
Yesterday night he had told her to study her opponent, and learn from his point of view. With a triumphant smile plastered on her face, she picked up the phone and dialled for Zing Cheng. She would do her job, use his advice and avoid him. It was foolproof.
To be continued...
Thanks for your support everybody. I will really try to update sooner. Really, I will. X.x I just need inspiration. =P Leave me a note, tell me what you think. =D And thanks once more. Leave your addy if you'd like update notification. ;D Individual thank yous next time. o.O -Ash
©Shadow Productions Inc. 2003
How long has it been since my last update? To be honest, I am not entirely certain. =P Heh. I've been swamped with exams and a lot of other inconveniences, therefore I can't be blamed entirely for my lack of updates. *Makes a variety of inconceivable excuses* Actually, I've just been lazy. Uh, yah.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart for ALL your encouraging reviews. =)
Trial of Fate
By Ash Night
Chapter Eleven
Li Syaoran drummed his long fingers on the edge of his beautifully furnished office desk and lifted his gaze to the clock hanging on the wall.
Ten-thirty AM.
Damn. He'd only been at work for a few hours and already he was wishing the day was over. It wasn't entirely all his fault, was it? Sometimes his job could get a little boring, the paperwork he was expected to go through was enough to put anyone asleep. What he needed right now was another hot cup of coffee...
Preferably black.
The president of his self-titled corporation grinned to himself as he remembered why he loved his job. Li Syaoran leaned forward on his swivel chair and switched on his intercom.
"Judy, bring me in another cup of coffee, would you?" Oh yes, feel the power. Li leaned back in his executive chair with his hands behind his head as he waited for the response from his secretary.
A flirtish giggle blasted through the speaker on his desk.
"What in hell?" The amber eyed man cursed aloud as he stared blindly at the speaker, waiting to hear more.
"Why don't I take you out for dinner, babe?" A man's rough voice from the other side of the intercom asked silkily.
The male voice was strangely familiar to him. Li stood up and mumbled something incoherent as he shut off his intercom and started for the door. He sure as hell wasn't paying his employees to bat their eyelashes at each other during working hours. Just as he opened the door, he found that his cell phone was inconveniently ringing.
"Hey Li," The perky female voice on the other line greeted. "I hope you aren't busy with anything at work right now."
Li barely heard the voice, as his attention was focused on his two laughing employees at the front counter. He narrowed his brows at the sight of Judy and Eriol, not sure weather it was from surprise or anger. Three thoughts automatically came to him at a halt. One: Judy and Eriol!? Why Judy!? What about Tomoyo? Two: Wow, where did that come from? And Three: He was going to strangle them both for goofing off.
The couple didn't seem to acknowledge him as they continued talking to one another. Or if they did, they found no need to be afraid of their boss.
"Li?" The female voice spoke again when he didn't answer. "Is this a bad time?"
Li Syaoran finally recognized the caller, it was none other than his cousin. Whatever she wanted, it could wait. He had two 'dedicated' employees to kill first.
"Hello!? Li? I know you're there, I hear voices...."
Li shook his head as Judy burst into another fit of giggles, evidently she found Hiiragizawa funnier than he did. "Talk to you later Meiling, I'm busy right now."
On the other end of the line, Meiling narrowed her eyes. "You're busy!? I just heard laughter, and it sounded more than femal-"
Li didn't catch her, his cell was already away from his ears and he had disconnected the call. He crossed his arms in front of his broad chest and strode up to the culprits. "Having a nice chat?" He asked sardonically.
"Hey boss." Eriol grinned.
"Mr. Li." Judy smiled back.
"Well," Li drawled. "Aren't we just dandy?"
"Repeat that last one to him, Eriol." Judy started laughing again.
"Alright," The blue eyed man cleared his throat with more drama than needed. "Why don't I take you out for dinner, babe?" His voice was too deep and too rough, the macho effect didn't really work in his favour.
Li blinked, it was the same phrase he heard through his speaker. "No woman in their right mind would dare go into public with you sporting that voice." He replied honestly, trying to collect his thoughts.
Eriol's grin grew wider. "Think Tomoyo-san will?"
"I think it'd make her laugh, then there is no way she could resist you." Judy offered.
Tomoyo? Sakura's friend Tomoyo? This is what it was all about? For some reason that set him at ease. Ah, crap. Hanging around the girls must have rubbed off at him. He was actually in favour of Eriol and Tomoyo. Damn. At least he couldn't blame Judy for laughing at the horrifying voice.
"Don't you two ever do that to me again." Li grumbled something to himself and stalked off to get his own cup of coffee.
Eriol glanced at the secretary and shrugged. "Guess he didn't like it."
Li continued walking, aware of the laughter fading off in the background. There was one good outcome of all this, he thought wryly to himself. They had saved him from his annoying cousin.
***
Sakura had settled herself into an old Victorian styled desk, her papers spread evenly distributed on its huge surface. The desk was located upstairs in an enormous library that she had stumbled upon that morning. At first glance, she was dazed at the gorgeous setting. The tall shelves were made from the finest of wood, oak, she guessed. Books upon books filled the ledges, while the sun's rays shone through the two huge windows that seemed to swallow one side of the wall, giving the room a majestic look.
Sakura had dropped her documents on the desk as she made the decision to work in the breathtaking library instead of the dining room table as she had done before. Still a little dazed with awe and wonder, she began to explore her surroundings. The books, she observed, were covered with a thin layer of dust and the shelves were in desperate need of a sweeping. Two adjectives leaped into mind and Sakura sat herself down at the desk.
Elegant and haunty.
But it was apparent that the place wasn't used on a regular basis, which left Sakura more than a little puzzled. It seemed like a total waste to her. With a shrug, she had begun doing what she'd loved for forever.
Now, scratching her head as she studied the notes she came up with from a morning's work, Sakura read them over and reviewed them to herself.
Firstly, she had gotten her hands on everything there was to know about Li's ex-wife. What Li had told her held true. Jin-Jin 'Fiona' Chin came from a wealthy family here in China. She had a couple elder brothers and two powerfully influential parents. Her family had married her off to Li because of the man's riches and connection with the corporate world. It was even easier as he had fallen head over heels in love with her beauty.
Ugh. Sakura gave her head a slight shake at the thought. Typical male species.
So, Li had welcomed the woman with open arms hoping to live happily ever after, like a fairy tale... Except the marriage turned out to be a major disaster and the two split, leaving a child behind. An adorable little girl, Sakura smiled.
Next, she looked underneath that at more of her illegible scrawl on the abused piece of paper. She had scribbled the heading POSSIBLE MOTIVES and listed a bunch of bullets.
The first one that had immediately jumped to her mind was the most obvious of reasons; money. Everybody knew it was the husband's responsibility to send the wife divorce money to care for the child, leaving the mother to play the part of the good and him the devil. She had seen it done one too many times in movies and books to not have caught it. Somehow that didn't play out though.... Chewing on the end of her pen, Sakura scribbled down a counter to Jin-Jin's first motive. Initially, Chin had wanted to rid herself completely of her own daughter and had walked out whole-heartedly. No money, no nothing. Why the sudden change?
Which meant Chin wanted something. The next thing she had written down.
Something. Something. Something. What something!? It would have to be something that worked in her advantage. She was beginning to dislike that word, 'something'. Was it revenge the woman was after? Maybe, maybe not.
Sakura rested her face in her hands as her thinking swirled in her head. Chin wasn't a complex creature to understand, there were only a few things that she wanted. The first one on the list would be money. With money came with power, and with power came the ability to do whatever one wanted. Superiority. Chin liked to be above others, that, she experienced firsthand at the Cafe.
Chin was brought up in a prosperous family, no doubt she'd like to keep the luxury going for her as long as she lived. Especially now that she was no longer linked with Li Syaoran. Meaning, she was indeed after something.
No good. Sakura needed to find out exactly what she was after. Did somebody know something? Was Mei-Fa holding something back? Li? Whatever it was, paper and documents wouldn't help.
Maybe Chin did know about Mei-Fa's gift for fortune telling, Sakura closed her eyes. It was the only plausible explanation, and the only one that kept jumping up that actually made some sense. It fit everything perfectly. It satisfied Chin's greed for money, and the reason for why she wanted her daughter back so badly. Perfect. Sakura smirked. Things never went perfect for her. If Mei-Fa said her mother didn't know, she would believe her.
As she looked down her list, she realized that nothing else was written below that. It was blank. Wonderful, some lawyer she was turning out to be, Sakura though bitterly to herself. What was Zing Cheng doing now?
"He probably has his whole case wrapped up already, all ready to take out the amateur attorney." Sakura rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips, with a tinge of admiration. "But I won't give up." She promised herself.
The emerald eyed lawyer lifted her pencil, in hope of coming up with more motives. Sitting there and thinking, her mind was blank, it was as if her brain decided that there were no more.
Her instincts had made her mind come to a crashing halt. She blinked and turned her gaze to look outside the grand windows. She wasn't at all certain why, or how, but something inside of her was willing herself to stop drowning in her papers. Something was telling her she was close. And she would get nowhere stuffed up inside.
"There are no answers here." She breathed. There was a reason.... a something, and she had just a few days to find it. "I promise to find it." She vowed, saying the words out loud helped to reassure herself.
"Sakura-san?"
Sakura turned around, an embarrassed flush tinted her cheeks. "Meiling!"
One corner of Meiling's mouth went up in that sly smile of hers. "Were you talking to yourself?"
"No." Sakura answered. "Yes. Well sort of." She chewed on her bottom lip. "I was working on the case, actually."
"Oh," Meiling blinked. "Did I interrupt your thinking?" She quickly apologized before Sakura could respond.
"No," Sakura reassured her. "I was just about to wrap it up for now." With a smile on her face, she glanced at the shopping bags scattered around her friend. "Christmas already?" She raised her brows.
"No, silly." Meiling let out a laugh. "I went shopping," She paused to search through her bags, "And I bought something for you."
"For me?" Sakura stared. "But I didn't ask for anythin-"
"I know you didn't," Meiling cut in, "What do you think of this?"
Sakura caught the blouse her friend threw her. Meiling stood against the wall, a twinkle in her red eyes as she waited for approval. "You didn't have to buy m-"
"For crying out loud, Sakura," Meiling said, exasperated. "I know you didn't, now, would you just look at it and tell me what you think?"
Sakura couldn't help but smile. She unfolded the blouse and brought it up in front of herself. "You'll have to be my mirror, Meiling." She grinned.
Meiling's eyes lit up. "I knew you would look adorable in it!"
The blouse was a light shade of pink, with a collar, a small trendy zippered pocket on the right and sleeves that were folded just below the elbows.
Sakura giggled as she studied the top. "But you're one of those biased mirrors."
Meiling was already ruffling through more of her bags. "Wait 'til you see what else I got you."
"More?"
"Yes," The raven haired beauty answered. "But they must still be out in my car, I can't find them in these ones."
"More?" Sakura repeated, this time referring to the bags.
"Sometimes I don't understand you, Sakura." Meiling shook her head playfully. "I'm only female, but you seem immune to your female needs."
They shared a warm laugh together.
"I'm going to head to my room with all this stuff, alright?" Meiling picked up all her bags.
"Don't fall over."
"Very funny." Meiling rolled her eyes. "Will you go check the answering machine while I put all this away?"
"Check the answering machine?" Sakura looked at her strangely.
"Sure." Meiling said curtly. "I noticed the light on the machine was blinking when I came home, but the shopping bags in my hands prevented me from doing anything about it." She laughed a little.
"But this isn't my home, I'd feel like I was intruding if I did."
"Whatever," Meiling couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This is your home as much as it is mine, you're entitled to all the facilities here, now and always. You're my best friend."
"Okay." Sakura smiled, convinced. "Only for you though." She added with a sly one-sided grin.
Sakura helped Meiling with the bags and then went downstairs to check the messages as Meiling had instructed her to. She looked down at the LSD screen.
YOU HAVE 3 NEW MESSAGES
"Great, but which one of these buttons am I suppose to press?" Sakura muttered to herself as she stared at the panel of metallic buttons. She smiled in triumph when she figured it out.
"Hey angel," Sakura recognized it as Eien's voice. "Let me take you out to dinner, alright? It'll be fun, but then again, yours truly is always fun. I'll also fill you in on you-know-what. See ya tonight, Meiling. Over and out."
Eien really loved Meiling, she could hear the love in his voice when he spoke. Sakura smiled for Meiling. Maybe she could find someone she could love and love her back one day as well, like Eien and Meiling. "Sakura, you are utterly hopeless." The auburn haired girl muttered to herself again.
The next message was from Eriol, and directed to Li.
Li.
Sakura looked up at the ceiling. Li Syaoran was a lot different than what she had thought of him to be upon their first meeting. Well, almost. He was still controlling, obnoxious at times and just as arrogant. She smiled unconsciously. But he loved and cared about his family and friends with a ferociousness that was almost frightening. And last night, last night he made her feel like she was the only woman in the world. His touch had been tingly, and she was nearly certain that she should have melted from his hot touch. She frowned. Now she was like every other female, succumbing to his charms...
But she wouldn't. She was only here for her best friend's wedding and to do her job. Once it was over, she would be back in Japan, away from all this. She would be back home. But what was there for her? She didn't have any family, nothing really to go back for. Her only real friend there was Tomoyo, and what if Tomoyo decided to stay here? Oh great, now you're reluctant to leave as well.
"Hey boss," The male voice had a slight trace of amusement. "Remember the annual banquet you're suppose to attend each year with your family? It's in a couple of days. You won't believe this, but your mother has decided to play hostess. It looks as if we'll have fun this year. Later." There was a laugh before Eriol had hung up.
Eriol was a playful character, Sakura decided with a smile. She clicked the button again for the last remaining message. This one was from yesterday evening, she noted.
"Sakura? I hope you're living here, I wouldn't want to make a fool out of myself," He chuckled.
Sakura's eyes widened. Who would be calling her here? The male voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite trace it.
"It's Zing Cheng, remember me? I'd like to talk to you about the case, if you're willing, of course. It would be appreciated. Call me back as soon as you can, okay? Goodbye Sakura." He had left his phone number.
Aha, she knew she had heard that voice somewhere. But why would Cheng want to talk to her about the case? If he was hoping that she would spill anything of importance to him, he was in for a surprise. Did she even know anything of importance? Well, she could stand her own ground.
But then again, she didn't have to go see him at all.
"Anything of importance?"
Sakura glanced up. "Eien called." She grinned wickedly. "He's taking you for dinner and wants to talk about 'you-know-what'."
Meiling grinned knowingly. "He is clever, that one."
"Huh?"
She shook her head. "Oh, nothing. Anything else?"
"Um, Eriol phoned for Li," Sakura paused. "That's all, nothing else was important." She figured that that was the truth. Cheng's message was pretty much mundane, she probably wouldn't even agree to go talk to him.
"You should start living here on a regular basis, girl." Meiling laughed. "How's the case?"
"Smooth as peanut butter." She lied.
"Right," Meiling saw right through her quick response. "Can't and won't talk about it, huh?"
"I must have horrible lying skills." Sakura blinked.
Meiling bit back her laughter. "You're right on that one, how's my cousin? He's not that bad, right?" The look in her eye was devilish. "I told you you'd get use to him, he likes that tough guy image."
"Yes," Sakura agreed. "But he cares deeply for the ones he loves."
"You've managed to conclude that faster than most."
"It's not hard to notice."
"Actually, most people he works with think him ruthless." Meiling informed.
"I guess he is that as well."
Meiling saw the look in Sakura's eyes, and recognized it instantly. He even had sweet Sakura at his feet. She suddenly remembered the phone call she had with that stupid Li. He had been flirting! Flirting had been more important than her call! What if she was dying!? Caring, my butt.
"Sakura?"
"Hmm?"
"I was wrong about my cousin," She said in disgust. Dumb Li, he definitely did not deserve Sakura. And Sakura did not deserve to have her heartbroken for the first time. He would probably always be a flirt, Chin had made him that way, she thought bitterly.
"Wrong about what?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Li Syaoran's a flirt, a moron and wouldn't be able to see real love if it bonked him in the head."
"Oh, really?" Sakura laughed. "Why the change of heart?"
"A little incident," Meiling continued. "But as I was saying, if he continues to flirt and whatnot with you, ignore him to the best of your ability. He's scum." She added the last part sweetly.
Sakura smiled gratefully, if a little sadly as well. "Thank you for telling me, but I'll be fine, Meiling."
"I don't want my cousin to break your heart."
"He won't, he hasn't even gotten anywhere near my heart." She replied somewhat sarcastically.
"Okay," Meiling smiled. "Good. I'm going to go get the rest of the bags from my car, then you can try on your new clothes!"
Sakura watched as Meiling went outside. She had such wonderful friends, she was very lucky, she decided. She should have felt a little better, after what Meiling said. Her theory had been right, she couldn't let Li come anywhere near her heart, but that would be very hard. At least she now knew where she stood in his game, just another pawn.... Sakura had little to nothing experience with love, but being with Li gave her such a warm feeling inside.
Lack of experience, she told herself firmly, yes, that had to be it.
This was truly going to be hard, she let out a sigh.
But all she had to do was avoid him, that would be the easiest. She would work on the case, do what she was here for. When this was done, she would be gone for sure.
"I'm brilliant." Sakura said, with a sad smile as she glanced towards the answering machine.
And so was Li Syaoran.
Yesterday night he had told her to study her opponent, and learn from his point of view. With a triumphant smile plastered on her face, she picked up the phone and dialled for Zing Cheng. She would do her job, use his advice and avoid him. It was foolproof.
To be continued...
Thanks for your support everybody. I will really try to update sooner. Really, I will. X.x I just need inspiration. =P Leave me a note, tell me what you think. =D And thanks once more. Leave your addy if you'd like update notification. ;D Individual thank yous next time. o.O -Ash
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