Hinata finished the director's status. She shifted folders in her arm uncomfortably and moved her weight to her other leg, waiting to be dismissed, but it didn't come.

Fugaku leaned back in his chair with his hand clasped over his chest. "Is there something bothering you?"

Hinata opened her mouth to lie, but maybe she had done enough of that lately.

"Take off your blazer," Fugaku commanded.

Hinata's jaw fell open. Sasuke told him?! She could believe him! Sasuke was a stubborn, selfish brat when he wanted something. She couldn't imagine he would tell her when she still hadn't told him what had happened. What was he thinking?!

"Don't make me say it again," Fugaku told her, his voice stern.

Hinata unloaded her files on his desk, jerked off her blazer, and let it fall onto the chair. She looked away and held her arms out for the director to examine. "I've been trying to find a way to tell you about it."

"Sasuke didn't do this?" Fugaku waved his finger at the bruises.

Hinata shook her head, putting her blazer back on.

"Who?" Fugaku demanded.

Hinata pressed her lips together, unwilling to answer.

"Gaara?"

"No!" Hinata denied. "I don't know what Sasuke-sama told you, but Gaara was just being nice. He saw I was upset and offered to take me home."

"Tell me who did this." Fugaku snapped. "Why are you protecting them?"

"I'm not protecting them. I'm protecting you," Hinata stepped back and straightened. "I got an offer from Suna. Maybe I should go."

"What?" Fugaku sat up.

"I have been causing problems for your family since the beginning." Hinata started. "My mother's connection with you makes you treat me differently. It's constantly being misunderstood."

Fugaku set his jaw. "Mikoto."

Hinata swallowed, pressing her lips together into a line. She shouldn't have worded it that way.

"She's gone too far." Fugaku picked up his phone. Hinata dove to stop him. "She knows better." Fugaku's eyes bore as she dared to stop him. "You are off-limits to her tantrums."

"Please," Hinata whispered. "You're only going to aggravate her more."

"What did she threaten you with?" Fugaku released his phone. "Ruining your career?"

Hinata sat down, shaking her head. "I can't cause any more problems for Hanabi-chan. She's worked so hard."

Fugaku sighed, pressed his fingers into his temples, and closed his eyes. "I should have never married that woman."

"She's protecting her kids. Isn't that what a mother should do?" Hinata's voice solemnly.

Fugaku's eyes snapped open to glare at her.

Hinata shrank.

"She wants to play this game. She's going to lose." Fugaku declared.

Hinata waved her hand to tell him, no, but with that look he got, she knew what that meant, he made his mind up, and he already had a plan. "Director…" Hinata whimpered. "Please, I have to think about Hanabi-chan."

"That was an empty threat. She knows better." Fugaku picked his phone back up. "Your sister is a smart kid. I think she has a bright future."

Hinata didn't like the sound of that. Was he getting Hanabi involved?

Sasuke got a drink from the fridge as he heard the front door open, his father rambling off things, and his assistant's assistant diligently confirming. Sasuke rounded out of the kitchen as Lee bowed and bounced out the door with his list.

Fugaku sighed and turned to him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. His father loosened his tie and headed for his office. Sasuke followed after him. "Did she show you her arms?"

"Yes." His father admitted.

"Did she tell you who did it?" Sasuke wondered.

Fugaku sighed. "I'm handling it."

"Is she okay?" Sasuke asked. "When I took her home…"

"She'll be fine." Fugaku dug around his desk and pulled out a small velvet box. "A little frightened, but she will be fine."

Sasuke's eyebrows knit together. He recognized that box. What was he doing with it out?

Hinata jumped as something was tossed on her desk. She looked up to Fugaku, holding the door open with his coat still on. "Wear that on your left ring finger, don't answer any questions if asked about it, and don't take it off." Her door shut with a snap. She picked up the velvet box and rolled it around until it was upright. Hinata opened it to reveal a ring with a very large diamond in the center with little ones in a swirl design around it.

Hinata gapped at it hesitantly and took it out of the box, looking back out her door at the empty space the director had been in. Why? Was this part of his plan?

Hinata wanted to ask questions, but she also heard his commanding tone. It was his 'don't ask, just do' voice. She hadn't heard it directed at her for a while.

She slid the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit, but the gems were way too big for her taste. Not that she had much taste, she never really had any jewelry until Itachi started dressing her.

Hinata gathered her phone and headed to the director's office to give him her report.

Fugaku glanced up at her, his eyes locked on the ring. He nodded, satisfied. "Status."

Hinata stood at the front desk flipping through the incoming mail clipboard. She was missing a package that was meant to come today. If it didn't come by the end of the day, she would have to call the company. They needed it by Friday, and she wanted it in hand before then.

"Oh my god." Hinata snapped out her thoughts as the desk attendant covered her mouth, her eyes wide on her.

"Hmm?" Hinata wondered.

"Did you get engaged?!" The attendant took her hand, examining the ring on her hand.

Hinata opened her mouth to tell her no, but she remembered she wasn't supposed to answer any questions. Was this Fugaku's plan? If people thought she was engaged, then there wouldn't be as many misunderstandings. "Uh well…" Hinata took her hand back. "I, uh, can't really say at the moment."

"Oh? Haven't you announced it? Does the director know? Are you keeping the guys a secret until you tell your parents? Is he handsome?" The attendant gave her rapid-fire questions.

Hinata just smiled, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, and she waved her hand to try to stop the questions. "Can you tell me if a package comes in for this company?" Hinata grabbed a sticky note and wrote the company down. "I need to know if it comes in."

Hinata quickly moved to the elevator, and once the door closed, she let out a few heavy breaths.

Maybe she should have asked a few questions.

"Did you hear that Hinata is getting married?"

Sasuke wasn't sure he had heard that right.

"Yeah. I even saw the ring at the support meeting. It's huge." Another employee gossiped. "But I haven't heard who."

"No, no one is sure, but she's never mentioned anyone outside the office, has she?"

"Do you think it was that director for Suna? He came all the way here to have a contract meeting with her. He's never done that. She was here the whole night."

Hinata was getting married? What? That didn't make any sense. She would have said something…

"Long day?" Sasuke flinched as he was brought back from his eavesdropping to look at his brother's assistant. "Here are the product specs you asked for."

"Thank you," Sasuke told Kisame as he idly flipped through them.

"Have you seen Hinata's ring yet?" Kisame asked him.

Sasuke glanced up at him. "Why would I care what her ring looks like?" Did he believe this? Hinata barely had time to eat. When did she have time to find a boyfriend that he wouldn't have known about?

Kisame raised an eyebrow at him. "You might want to. It's nice. Girls in production kept her for quite a while when they saw it."

Sasuke gave Kisame a look. It felt like Kisame knew something he didn't, but he didn't really want to ask.

"She's shy about it," Kisame told him. "Won't tell anyone anything."

Sasuke puffed. There was no way.

Hinata waved off the girls from marketing, she was going to have to put her meetings further apart to account for all this attention, or she was going to have to put her meeting closer together to make good excuses for not letting them keep her. She was leaning toward the latter.

She checked her phone, the director was en route for his next meeting, and she was going to have two hours to get a few office errands done, that is if she could escape the constant questions she was ordered not to answer. The rumors, in just a few hours, had gotten beyond ridiculous.

According to rumors she had overheard about herself, she was apparently marrying a handsome, rich something. A mobster or a director, or a celebrity. She couldn't understand how a piece of jewelry could make everyone go insane. She understood being excited for someone, but why are you more excited than they are?

Hinata paused as she felt she was about to walk into someone. She wavered back as Sasuke as he raised his eyebrow at her.

Had he said something?

She really should have been paying attention. "I'm sorry?" She bowed her head, tucking some hair behind her ear that fell as she did.

When her eyes met Sasuke's again, his expression was different. He was frozen, almost horrified. His hand shot out, grabbed her wrist, and turned it, so he could see the ring. Not him too? Surely he had already heard?

"Where did you get that ring?" Sasuke snapped.

Hinata flinched and tried to take her hand back. "I can't really say…"

"Where did you get that, Hinata?" Sasuke demanded.

Hinata squeaked as she twisted her wrist wrong to get it out of his hand. Sasuke immediately released her. "I'm sorry, I really can't tell you."

Sasuke glared at her, then shifted his glare away. He was furious. Hinata rolled her wrist a few times before politely tucking her hand behind herself. "I have some things to do before the director gets back. Please excuse me." Hinata bowed her head again, shuttering past him, only taking a few glances back to see if he was okay.

His shoulders were hunched, and his fists were curls.

Hinata glanced at her hand. What about this ring made him so angry?