A/N: We're finally at the halfway point for this fic now, I'm gonna try and pound out as many chapters as possible before I hit classes once again.
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Righteo folks! Enjoy the chapter; it's a plot turner this one. And thanks for all the reviews! It really lit up my holidays! Wishing the best of 2006 for y'all!
Euphrosyne's Fic III – 09
.:Bastard Academy:.
"-Calvin, the land was left to the child, the girl under the Lee name. The woman has no access to the grounds! Such a union will be of no use to you!"
Kai froze by the doorway at the name, dropping a hold of the towel around his neck. Stepping back, he moved his body towards the wall, hoping the morning sun peeking through the windows would not give him away.
"Father," the word was stretched but firm. Kai could tell they had had this row before.
"-No, you listen to me." The older man stepped forward, voice dropping to that of an aggressive whisper. "There are certain rules in the business world that even we, the Hiwataris, must adhere to. Play hard, but play fair. Men do not gamble with children!" Voltaire slammed a fist against the table, body shaking from the repressed force.
Kai had never seen this side of his grandfather before; the crude man was displaying a set of morals.
"Father," now impatient for having been interrupted, "do you understand the worth of that piece of land?" there was rustling of paper, "Oil, enough to double our fortune-!"
"She is not even 18!"
"No one is aware of the land's value, not even the old man."
"The Lee Estates is a monumental symbol, tourists, culture, riches. You do not tear down a kingdom to abuse its resources-"
The man took a step forward, staring his father in the face. "But I can."
"Is that what this is all about?" Having registered the conversation, the blue-haired boy's heavy footsteps had adverted their attention towards him. Boiling from anger, he threw his towel to the floor.
It surprised the two men. The boy had always been a man of extraordinary control, this questioned the truth to that statement.
"The stocks, your sudden interest in finite sources," it sickened him how he could've missed it before, he had been walking along side his father this entire time, "you're interested in buying the Lee Estates, just to tear it dow-"
Having been silent at first, the younger of the two men, his father, waved a finger at him, "This does not concern you Kai. I would like you to leave-"
"-This downright concerns me! You are messing with Rye and her grandfather here!"
Threading the boy's words together, Mr. Hiwatari gave a crude laugh. "My boy. If there's anything you're good at, it is attracting all the right women. I would like to think it genetic. I should thank you for having built such an intimate relationship with the girl. You have finally proved to be of some use."
His father's words made him sick to the stomach.
"After all, if I do not succeed in wedding her mother, I can still count on you to move in where I left off, with your precious Miss Riley- correction- Miss Melisande Lee."
Moving towards his father, a hand stopped him from advancing.
He locked eyes with Voltaire.
People did not come into the Hiwatari name with allies, it was every man for themselves. This was no different, the best do not take sides.
"You will be attending the Black and White party tonight then?"
Kai narrowed his eyes at the question. What party?
Calvin did not leave the confusion unattended.
"Lovett and I are announcing our engagement. Tonight."
Black and White gatherings were the most exquisite of their kind. One usually took months, if not years to arrange. Guests were flown in from across the world, only the best gowns, foods, and people- it was like a buffet for the paparazzi, and somehow, all this preparation had slipped past his nose.
Having had enough of this topic, Mr. Hiwatari straightened his suit before leaving, pausing to grab his son in the arm in an almost mocking manner. "Do not look so angry and distraught Kai. Today is a day of celebration, the uniting of two very powerful people. Just think, someday, all of this will be yours. Not bad considering I earned it all in a day's work."
Kai slid the man's hand off his arm, staring into eyes that appeared, if possible, even more foreign to him than ever. "Don't be so modest father. You're not that great."
There was no missing the revulsion.
Before the man could even register the words, the boy was off. Disgust was a two syllable word, renewed, for a nine figured man.
"Whoa Kai, nice going brother!"
Looking up, Enrique mentally noted the male's expression as the cover of the latest Attitude slid towards the blue-haired boy. This edition covered the recent Lovett party, world renown if not digitly expensive. Everyone wanted a piece of the action, the inside scoop. Having followed his instincts the night of the event, the blue-eyed boy had discovered both teens, Kai and Rye away from their dorms, having been given special permission to leave Rene for 'reasons undeclared.' This only proved one thing…
"The world's most eligible bachelor and bachelorette finally go public…" the redhead blinked at the title. Kai and Melisande? No way! His best friend would have personally told him if such news were true…
…Right?
"How did you manage to score someone as fine as Melisande, Hiwatari?" Grabbing the magazine from Tala, Johnny flipped through the pages to find pictures of the boy with the heiress. The photos were not much, there were a few featuring the boy as he offered the girl a drink, most however, were just shots (from various angles) of the two walking away, Kai's hand on her waist. Johnny shrugged, the two did appear rather friendly, even happy in the presence of the other. Almost couple-like, now that you mentioned it.
Tala came to the same conclusion.
Kai's expression remained distant, almost worried-like.
"Let's stop interrogating him already. These tabloids are total BS anyways."
Enrique was a little taken back. The redhead never complained about the articles before. Unless…
The blond strung the words together in his head. He could see it already: The third man. Rene heir jealous and heartbroken over Hiwatari-Lee couple. Enrique had been hesitant over his friends' discovery before, but this arrangement proved journalistic potential. This snooping around was also kinda fun! The adrenaline, sneaking around like a real reporter! Who knows, maybe he'll hand this in as his final report.
"How's babysitting been treating ya?" asked the amber-eyed Asian subconsciously. Ray had never been all that interested in the entertainment world. He had better things to occupy his time with, like figuring out why Mariah was angry at him all of a sudden. She was cold and distant when around him. This really screwed up his plans for asking her to the formal.
Holding the door open as the pink-haired girl exited the class, the dark-haired boy ran after her, she having obviously missed him, a quick escape.
"Mariah! Hey, how've you been?"
No answer.
He tried a different approach. "Um, is everything alright?"
Stopping, the girl slowly turned towards him in a haughty manner. "Everything is fine." With a 'hn,' she picked up her pace, rounding the books with her arms.
…O-kay…
Catching up with the girl once more as she turned a corner towards the library, Ray placed a hand on her arm, spinning her to face him. "Is it me? Was it something I did? Something I said?"
The pink-haired girl gave an irritate huff. "Raymond Kon! I expected better from you. How could you do such a thing to Brooklyn? What has he ever done to you?"
…Yeah, no. This wasn't making any more sense. Whatever he had done to offend Mariah involved Brooklyn, he got that bit…
Was she telling him to find the orange-haired boy? Cause if he had any answers that could lighten the load on his mind right about now, he saw no loss. Tala and 'em were the masters when it came to the female-department. Shaking his head in hopes of clearing some confusion, the amber-eyed boy debated whether interrogating Rye and Scarlett would solve the problem. Those two were close with Mari.
"I ah… I mean, I um…"
Way to play it cool, Ray.
Somehow, his disorder seemed to only aggravate the girl more. Placing her hands on her hips, she peered at him, an angry stance, "Raymond Kon! Playing stupid, eh? Well, you know what? If you 'don't know' what you did, I'm not going to tell you!"
With that, the pink-haired girl stormed into the library, the librarian shooting him dirty looks for the commotion the two drew behind the glass doors.
Ray sighed. Women were such layered creatures. So difficult, so very difficult.
Tala's sudden voice adverted him from his problems
"Babysitting still sucks ass." It was a lie. With Rye there half the time, the kids were definitely a lot more behaved. He could now walk around the estate without kids gripping him by the belt. Ditch'em once during hide-and-seek, and he loses their trust! They literately followed him everywhere!
Rye had a way with children. It sorta reminded him of his parents. There was a calming personality balance between him and the girl.
He shuddered at the sudden thought, "Thank god I've only got a week or so to go. My heart ain't built for such challenges."
And indeed, his heart was not.
The Lee Estates had a way of bringing out the best in people. This was starting to affect the way his life was run.
"You know, Kai. I love you and all, but I'm starting to think you're following me."
Passing her friend a glass of punch, the girl smiled before tipping her glass towards his, then lifting the glass towards her lips in one long, swift, smooth motion. She acknowledged the boy's absorbed expression, passing it off as social anxiety before linking arms with him, taking him away from the refreshment table and onto the dance floor.
Their exchange did not go unnoticed, millions of cameras began flashing. This had been an open event, where tonight, one night only, nothing on the Hiwatari grounds was out of bounds. Selected photographers from selected magazines had been given special access for fan coverage. All shots however, by code, had to cross Hiwatari eyes before hitting the papers. This was no small gathering. Everything had to be perfect.
Kai tightened his hold of the girl by pulling her small body towards his own. How perfectly they seemed to mesh. One hand in hers and the other on the cut of her backless dress, he moved his head softly so his cheek rested against the feathery texture of her hair. Holding himself back from whispering his mind into her ears, he closed his eyes, mentally running over his options, questioning what he should do.
Surprisingly, the girl did not resist the intimacy of their setting. Moving her hand to rest softly around the boy's neck, she allowed her head to rest peacefully on his shoulder.
She smiled inwardly at herself, she often teased the boy about his distinctive scent: the smell of wealth. "Hope you didn't forget about our little tea party with grandfather tomorrow."
"Mn."
The girl resisted the urge to raise a brow. Any small movements, especially this close to the boy, would give her suspicions away.
"My dress is rising from all this grinding."
"Mn."
'Mn,' eh? Just as she thought.
"We'll meet tomorrow in my dorm before heading over. Bring Tala. I'd like to have a nice mass orgy with'yall and Ming Ming before heading over to the estates. Morning love-making really brings out the hunger in me."
"Mn."
Parting a little so her face was directly in front of the boy's, Rye placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her.
"I just offered myself to you in an arousing foursome with Tala and Ming Ming and all you can say is 'Mn'?"
The boy shook his head, momentarily bringing a hand towards his temple in a tired manner. Rye watched his lids slowly close, as if washing visions from his view. "Sorry, it's just I'm a little preoccupied right now. I've got a lot on my mind."
She was starting to worry, but suppressed it. If the boy sensed any negative strings from her, he would shut himself up. He had always been one to take burdens on his own.
"Tell me."
It was not an order, but an invitation. Smiling at him with a reassuring look, she ran a thumb across his cheek.
He wasn't sure what exactly he was searching for, but found himself placing a hand over hers, bringing those delicate fingers to nest once again, around his neck.
He dipped her, very much a number in their standard waltz routine. Swinging back, the two swept the dance floor before Kai slowly whispered into the girl's ear. "This isn't a party."
The girl tensed, but kept her legs a moving. Registering the band's change from a 3/4 classic to that of a 6/8 Viennese waltz, their pace sped up, but nonetheless, together they flowed a part of the counter-clockwise mass.
The boy continued. "It's an engagement proposal."
She relaxed a little but didn't understand. "This is about your fear of weddings?"
She had always been a little slow when it came to relationships, but then again, he was like a piece of clean slate when it came to giving hints. He tried to word his insinuation differently. Waiting for an opening in the crowd before sliding pass a wary couple, still very much a part of the line of dancers, Kai didn't want others to hear what he was about to say. He wanted to deliver it softly cause god knew, he and Rye had both been sent to Rene on similar notions, an arm to improve anger management.
"Look over your left shoulder as we make the next turn. Who is your mum dancing with? This is an engagement party. An engagement party on Hiwatari land."
Obligingly so, Rye forced a smile before tilting her head back, gracefully over her shoulder.
Her body snapped at the realization, but Kai kept her movements from giving them away.
"No."
"Yes."
"When?"
"This morning."
Before she could even form intelligent questions in her head, the band was cut, Mr. Hiwatari looking rather dashing disguised in a rich tailcoat, a white-tie occasion, tapping a spoon against a wineglass to hail attention. Ms. Lovett, clad in a beautiful white dress, had her arm gently around the man's own, an intimate gesture, but not one big enough to give away the extent of their seconds-away broadcast.
Rye tightened her hold around Kai's hand as they were ushered forward by the movement of the guests.
She suddenly found it inappropriate to be touching Kai in such a manner and stopped, stationary in the crowd, before slipping her fingers away from the boy's own.
Something flashed before the boy's eyes, but Rye assumed that he too, had come to the same realization.
"No Rye. Nothing has change and nothing is going to change."
The speech began.
"We are all gathered here today on this joyous occasion to celebrate not only the success of one, but the power of two, uniting past business into life, a life which I call family…"
Instantly, like wind over a meadow, a wave of whispers spread over the people.
"It had been on our minds for months, if not years, but not willing to heed to the other by order of competition," soft laughter erupted across the room. The people in this building lived and shared standards equal to his father's, "our feelings were questioned and tested one after another."
Mr. Hiwatari shifted a little before guiding his bride-to be towards the mic. Ms. Lovett lifted her lashes over the audience, a very feminine gesture, but instantly, words of how "perfect" the two were for each other, rose from the lips of hundreds.
Ms. Lovett smiled, where, like the early years of her career, her unchallenged beauty silenced and drew the attention of all.
"After months of life-changing decisions, Calvin and I have decided to-"
"I can't do it."
Kai couldn't stop the tears from steaming down her face. Instinctively, she moved towards him.
He pulled her close.
An uproar of applause sounded the room as cheers and hooting from close associates and friends for the soon-to-be bride and groom filled the hall. One would think everyone had mistaken this to be their first attempt down the aisle.
Cameras began flashing, forcing Kai to tighten his grip around the girl only more, shielding her from any and all potential threats and harm directed their way.
Trained all his life for this lifestyle, the blue-haired boy's mind told him to smile, to pass off the girl's tears as tears of happiness at the uniting, but that was too cruel and most unfair; they were both- no, they were all lateral steps to his father's game of world domination.
If Ms. Lovett was anything like the woman Rye made her out to be, she would call off the wedding.
Because the last thing he wanted to see, were two women, crying over Hiwatari men.
In chapter five, Ms. Lovett lectured Riley about the men in her life, suggesting she should start dating. Labeling Brooklyn unworthy, Kai unfavorable, and Tala most attractive- we now understand her prejudice towards the Hiwatari name- she was saving Mr. Hiwatari for herself.
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