A/N: No, still no Yu-Gi-Oh ownership here. Just a girl with an imagination and a lust for a certain CEO, who unfortunately, doesn't belong to me. Alas my boredom of videotapes and DVD's has led me to write my next chapter. Seeing as all of my most faithful readers (and a new one...goody...love new reviewers!!!) have read and reviewed I guess I'll post the confrontation. I hope I did this well, I've gone over it a dozen times, it's crucial for the rest of my plot to work. You all have to let me know, if not I pull it and try again...
Chapter 17
A strange and uncomfortable hush fell over the room. Iolite was standing there with her mouth gaping open. Seto's eyes were filled with fury; Ryan was seething to the point where his hands, now fisted up, were trembling.
She slowly stepped in front of Seto, hoping that her body could act as a deterrent to mass violence by the two men.
"Ryan," she started, trying to gain his attention away from the wrath that was threatening to unleash behind her. "You know just as well as I do that our 'engagement' was never official." Her voice was calm and even. She hoped it would help to calm one or both men down to see her placid.
"I asked. You answered 'yes' there is nothing more official than that Io..."
He was talking at Kaiba, not truly addressing her. "As far as I'm concerned we are betrothed, your marriage is simply something that needs to be undone so your true wedding can take place-to me." His words were clipped and cross.
"It seems to me that if she had honestly wanted to marry you she would have done so before any of her problems started. Seeing as it wasn't even announced leads me to believe that she had no intention of marrying you." Kaiba was using a matter-of-fact tone, which was dripping in sarcasm. Iolite closed her eyes, in an attempt to calm her racing pulse. This must be what it feels like to stop a tornado, you can see horrible things coming, but you're powerless to stop it or minimize the damage it will do.
"Well?!" Ryan finally turned his attention to the girl who was practically ripping at her hair at this point. She jumped slightly at his harshness. Her eyes opened and took in her childhood friend.
"I...I was too young to consider marriage when you asked. It seemed to make you happy when I said yes so I went with that, but Ryan, I had no idea what I wanted and neither did you."
"There has only been one thing I have ever wanted, that's you Iolite, you're the one constant in my life. Before you left we spent so much time together, we shared so much. How can you possibly be even remotely thinking of keeping up the charade with," he motioned towards Kaiba with his chin, "this cold heartless bastard?"
"This is how it has to be Ryan. If I annul this marriage and try to marry you I'd be ripped back to Valkaria so fast my head would spin. Can't you see how this marriage is protecting me?" She wanted to tell Ryan how Kaiba made her feel, how for the first time she felt secure within a household. Mokuba and Seto were a family that she urgently needed. For some reason she seemed to 'fit' with Kaiba. It wasn't really a question of the necessity to stay married to Seto, it was becoming a matter of wanting to stay.
Iolite couldn't tell Ryan any of this, not now, not in his state.
His eyes softened, "I remember a girl who hungered for glory. Do you remember how many nights we discussed our future? How we conquered so many companies, evaded the enemies your brothers created, we had dreams that were worth dying for...is she gone? Am I discarded now that you have him?" Ryan hardly acknowledged the CEO that was behind Iolite.
Her heart ached for him. She remembered all the times he had come to her rescue. He had convinced her Father that Raine should be placed in charge of her well-being, without that move she would have been chum for the sharks. He had hidden her more times than she could count, once going so far as to fly her out of the country. He never asked for anything in return, and she had given little freely. He fought for every kiss, every embrace, even sweet words that she said to him were coaxed by him. It wasn't that she didn't love him, it was the way she loved him that was wrong. Tears, involuntarily, started forming in her eyes. She used all her strength to hold them back.
"In your e-mail you told me to run. Where would I have gone? There is no place on earth that's remote enough to secure me. Valkarian Royalty, though not tremendously well known, is recognizable. Someone would have found me, and then I would have been sent home to the mercy of the new King...Aron. Seto Kaiba prevented that by marrying me."
"You could have told me your plan. Don't you think I would have been on the next plane to marry you myself?!" He was practically yelling at her now. Kaiba stood stiffly behind his wife. If this man were to approach he would strike with dead on accuracy.
"It would have done us no good. You're a citizen of Valkaria for one thing," her voice now matched his in intensity, "for another you would have been followed. They would have used you to find me!"
"There had to be another way. Why would you join leagues with the Devil himself? Surely you could have found another man to marry in the interim? Until it was safe for me to come to you..." His eyes were still hard, but his voice was faltering. She wanted desperately to reassure him that this had all worked out for the best, but she couldn't find the words.
"When will you annul this unholy union?" Ryan spat and turned from her.
"When I freeze hell over," Kaiba replied coolly. He didn't take the reference to being called the devil lightly.
She turned to look at Kaiba, he was watching Ryan's back like a hawk. His arms were still folded defensively across his chest, he was in a fighting stance she slowly realized.
How the hell do I diffuse this? They would kill each other if I weren't standing here, of this, I'm sure. I would love to get Ryan alone, but how well will that sit with Kaiba? He'd have a fit. What do I do?
"What do you gain from this Kaiba?" Ryan growled as he spun, he looked even more agitated than he had when he turned away. "I know you must relish being called 'Prince'. An ego like yours would venerate a royal title. Or is it her looks that have you captivated? I know so many men who have chased her, each wanting to claim her body, but never her mind or heart...which do you want CEO Prince Seto Kaiba?! Are you looking for a way to legally rape her? Or...just maybe...is it something else?" Ryan surveyed the man who his words were raking.
Kaiba was practically snarling at him, his eyes were severe. He would have killed the man with his bare hands if his wife weren't in his way.
"I'm the only one who has ever wanted her for the person she is. Her mind and spirit mean as much to me as her heart."
"You have no interest in her...body? I find that impossible to believe. Everywhere we go she turns heads. I know the look of lust and you 'Sweet Ryan' have that look. It's almost as if you've been in a desert for years and have come upon a cool glass of water. You're like all men." Kaiba now took on the look of a viper, his words were deadly, "Don't humiliate yourself by claiming your interests are chaste."
"In trying to humiliate me, you admit your own wants Kaiba!"
"I want her, yes, I admit it freely. She is my wife and I have that right. However, if you think for a breath that it's purely hunger you're dead wrong."
"Why then CEO would you want her?!"
Kaiba looked the girl over, he had wanted to own her from the second he had seen her. At first it was primal, but if that was all it was he could have had her several times already. She was passionate and when he kissed her she melted into him, he was certain she would hold nothing back. His problem was that he wanted her willingly. He wanted her to come to him, without him having to stir her into a fervor. He also wanted her mind, hell, he found himself laughing over her practical joke, a costly joke, but a humorous one none-the-less. He wanted her heart, could there still be a chance that she would give it to him, rather than Ryan?
"My reasons are my concern."
"You're being evasive Prince Seto Kaiba," Ryan challenged. He wanted to get this man so riled up that he would take a swing so that Iolite would see who the better man was.
"I own a multi-billion dollar company a royal title might mean the world to some, but I could buy one if I wanted. I never had to chase her, she came willingly at my offer. As for what my wife and I do in the privacy of our bedroom...I won't even dignify that with a response." Kaiba placed his hands on his wife's shoulders, he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her away from here, she would never be allowed to see this man again, ever!
"Have you told him everything Io? Does he know all your secrets?" He realized he couldn't get Kaiba to attack him so he would pounce on her instead. "Have you thought, perhaps he knows more than you think he does?"
"What are you talking about?" She asked, almost terrified of the answer. She knew he felt like a trapped animal and was getting messy in his attack. She didn't want him to lash out and say something regrettable.
"Does he know your business dealings? Does he know what you had planned so many months ago? Did you ever consider that this could be an act of revenge?"
Her eyes opened wide, she was slowly shaking her head.
"I know she hacked into my system. I also know she failed at her attempts to raid, I'm not a stupid businessman. You don't think others have tried and failed in the past? A mere girl couldn't bring down Kaiba Corp., not even a girl with her skills."
"A mere girl couldn't," Ryan started, his eyes narrowing on the CEO. "But Cathway could. Don't you agree?"
"He could try...I've covered my bases quite thoroughly, Kaiba Corp. can't be infiltrated! I know she works for Cathway, I've done my homework. Tell me something I don't know." Kaiba dared the infuriated man before him.
"She IS Cathway." Ryan professed for Kaiba's ears.
It was Kaiba's turn to look dazed and confused. His wife was Cathway?! He knew something was amiss, but he never realized it was on this level. She had managed to get in through the backdoor and...what...attempt to take him over? That wasn't possible, he had too strong a hold. What were her motives? She had lied, all along she had lied.
Iolite slapped Ryan, she would have punched him if she hadn't had a knee-jerk slap reaction. "You claim to want me, then betray me in your next breath. You're a snake Ryan how could you do this to me?!"
Ryan grabbed her upper arms and pulled her in close, "No Princess, the question is, how could you do this to me?" He slammed his mouth on hers.
Kaiba reacted slowly, due to his shock, but once his mind kicked back in he pulled the two apart and decked the green-eyed blonde who had just attempted to molest his wife. Ryan fell to the floor and wiped at the corner of his mouth with his shirtsleeve.
Kaiba grabbed his wife's arm and jerked her to the door. She didn't have explaining to do, rather, she had revelations to make. She was in a daze as she was dragged down to the limo and practically thrown in. She scooted across the seat quickly. Escape was her first thought, she had to get away from the outburst that her husband was about to have. She reached for the door handle, she decided that now was a good time to run. He slid in quickly and grabbed her around the waist, pulling the car door shut.
"Don't make this any harder on yourself, I'm not in a merciful mood."
He had never looked at her with such hatred. Gone was the man who was teasing her and kissing her. This cold-calculating monster replaced him. She suddenly found herself petrified. She wanted to cry, but was well beyond tears. All that they had built tumbled before her.
"What are you going to do with me?" She stuttered, a cold shiver had replaced the butterflies he usually set to flight within her.
"Maybe I should rape you..." His eyes were wild, his grip tightened, "Should I take what should have been mine on our wedding night?" He growled as he grabbed her to him, grounding his mouth viciously on hers.
When he broke away he looked at the horror in her eyes. His breath caught, she was terrified. She never looked at him like that before, and he never wanted to see that dread in her deep velvet eyes again. He went to push a piece of hair away from her face and was rewarded with her shrinking from his touch, as if she was afraid he would strike her.
She had been abused by men for so long she only knew their fury, now here he was, someone she had trusted showing her his wrath. She closed her eyes tightly, tears escaped down her cheeks.
He pulled away from her, gently returning her to the seat. He turned to look out the window. He had to get away from her, his anger couldn't be trusted at this point. Now he knew why she had called him her enemy. Now he understood why she had goaded him, why she kept trying him. She had to remain distant it was the only way she could destroy his company.
Was the lunch hack a ploy or a sign of things to come? Had he married her and now she was a traitor to him, to Mokuba? Was this her strategy all along? Make him vulnerable? Destroy him from within?
They pulled up in front of the mansion. "Get out." He commanded.
She opened the door and stood up. He leaned across the seat and abruptly pulled the door shut.
"Driver, take me to the airport." He would go away for a while, try to figure out how to regroup, rally against this enemy of his. An enemy he had invited in.
A/N:
mariks1andonly: So glad you reviewed! I'm glad you love it!
whitejello: I'll take your word on the 'stared' thing. Are you enjoying grammer? I try so hard to be accurate, spelling errors and incorrect grammer annoy the heck out of me too. I usually reread my stories dozens of time before I let them go. Yes, Ryan was posing as her boss. I had to figure out how to have a confrontation, what other way could I get the two together? Was it believeable? btw...this story is my baby...I like the other one too (it's growing on me) but this is my prize, it will always come first!
SetoLover: Fluent, catchy and good dialogue? Thank you ever so much!!! I believe you just made my night. I'm glad you're liking this more and more. I'm seriously flattered by the word amazing. I hope I continue to live up to it. I'm having a blast writing this novel...is my writing too long winded?! lol I hope you enjoyed the confrontation, if I get complaints on this part I swear I'll yank it and rewrite it. This was a struggle. I was hoping Seto would be more and more appealing. I'm simply extrapolating what he already is!
Solo-girl: Ok...it's now Thursday...day 7 of the Star Wars DVD being viewed. I could go watch it or I could continue writing...you choose...lol! Glad you're excited about the plot. I like the analogy...pudding huh?
Frosty: I loved your second installment of Magnolia Blossoms (promotion from me to you). I can see Seto as jealous and possessive. I remember when he tore up Yugi's grandfather's Blue Eyes simply because he wanted no one else to have it. There is a problem with that, can you imagine what he would do with a girl who captured his heart? It's so enigmatic! Love the possibilities...As for using 'fun' against Iolite, I think he found one of her weaknesses...her desire for him. How many hands would rise if asked if Seto Kaiba was their weakness?! I for one...
Tenshi: How is this for fast?