The weeks passed and as much as Mokuba tried to pin down when Chance would melt out of his awareness he was never quite able to do it. It helped them both because if he wasn't concerned with her being around, he wouldn't look for her and that helped Chance keep her profile down.
They all knew that eventually others would catch on that it wasn't just happenstance that Chance was in the same places as Mokuba at the same times. But for now everyone was happy to just let her melt into the background only making her presence, formidable as it could be, felt when Mokuba was threatened. She had overheard one of Mokuba's friends as he tried to keep a low tone telling him. "Man, she's scary."
Mokuba laughed at that not bothering to tell his friend the truth. For all of her bulldog stance on his safety, she was actually quite easy going and a lot of fun to be around once you got used to her.
It was a school night and Mokuba had elected to stay in that night. However he thought it would be fun if they had company for dinner, so he cleared it with the cook and invited Chance over. The elder Kaiba would be at a meeting that would take him late into the evening to resolve so if Mokuba had wanted a friend to come over, that was ok.
Chance had been set for a quiet evening at him with a pint of Mioku Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-cream and a movie when the cell phone rang. As she answered she wondered who knew that she was home this evening. "Moshi-moshi"
"Chance, want to come over for dinner?" Mokuba's distinctive voice carried across the line.
Smiling she replied. "And to what do I owe the honor?"
"Seto's at a meeting and he's not going to get home till late. You won't be on duty, and I thought you might like to come over when it wasn't."
Chance grinned now and it carried in her tone. "You're bored aren't you?"
Mokuba laughed. "Gee, how could you tell?"
"All right. I'll be over shortly. Stay cool."
As she hung up she shook her head. That had just taken the cake as the strangest dinner invitation she had received yet. Smiling she washed her face quick, then changed out of her slouch wear and into her blue jeans and dark green sweatshirt. She decided to leave her hair down for the evening since the scalp was getting a little sensitive from having the hair pulled back all the time and with a quick glance in the mirror she grabbed her wallet and keys and headed out to the Kaiba Estate.
As she drove up to the front gates she slid her ID into the card reader and was admitted through the gates. She parked around back as she didn't really care for anyone who would know her to know immediately that she was at the estate. For one thing, it would fuel the rumor mill that was going on in the local tabloids about her supposed relationship with the CEO. For another, she just wanted to relax for the night.
Thinking about the rumor mill Chance grimaced. Neither she nor the young executive had foreseen the results of a press conference at which both Mokuba and his brother were needed. Seto had made it clear that he wanted Chance at this conference and after a brief meeting with him, understood the reasons for it. Mokuba was an easy target for reporters, as he didn't quite have his brother's imposing stature or mien. Chance was there to keep the media hounds off the younger Kaiba before and after the conference.
However her presence near the Kaiba brothers had been noticed by one sharp eyed reporter and the next day, the tabloids were rife with the rumors that Seto Kaiba was dating the woman in the photograph and that the secret relationship would soon produce a wedding announcement. It was that day that she had spotted the tabloid in the newsstands and bought one. Reading the story she called Mokuba's school and asked to have him dismissed from class for a short time and that yes, she would try to have him back in class by the end of the day.
Not even for her own fury at the situation would she forgo her duties to Mokuba. She swung by the school in her car as she had been running a quick errand and picked up a very relieved young man. They both headed over to the Kaiba Corp offices and as soon as they stepped out of the elevators at the executive level Tammy looked up, saw the look on Chance's face and with out a word having been said, called into Seto and told him that Chance was there to have a word with him, and that she had pulled Mokuba from class to do it.
Tammy nodded as she glanced at the tabloid in the younger woman's hand and winced. She knew that Seto was used to these things, as it was a part of being a very rich, powerful and public figure. However, she knew that Chance did not want the attention that this would bring as she needed the anonymity of her position to protect Mokuba, and could not do that job if she were fending off reporters or worse.
Seto called back out with the directive to let Chance in, and to clear his calendar for however long this would take. The young CEO had a pretty good guess as to why his most trusted employee was there to see him that morning, and he knew that steps would have to be taken to squelch this fire or he'd be caught in the middle of a firestorm.
Chance had none of the usual grace that usually characterized her normally fluid movements. However this had upset her to the point where she was stalking into the office and coming just short of slamming the door behind her. Mokuba made himself scarce by heading to the TV area of the office while Chance and his brother hashed this out.
"I assume that you have seen this Mister Kaiba?" Chance spoke very quietly and intensely as her hazel eyes sparked and seemed more green than hazel.
Seto winced internally as theirs was a somewhat complex relationship that had developed over the months. She had shed most of her formality with him with in a few weeks of working with the two brothers but there were certain triggers that would cause her to revert back to the extreme formalities. Tightly reined in anger was one of them.
"Yes, I was aware of this Castner. I had left a message for you at your home thinking that you would have picked it up, since this is not the case I take it you are here to discuss how you will be able to do your job with the media hounding you?" Seto for all intents and purposes maintained emotionless facade with everyone he worked with, and even with his one family from time to time. However this was even more evident when Chance turned her coldest and most formal attitude on him.
The extreme formalities that they both displayed as employer/employee were one of the things that kept most of their disagreements from turning into full out fights. It helped reign in tempers and gave them both a safety line to work behind to keep things moving smoothly and the lines of communication open.
Mokuba watched wide-eyed as he watched from his spot as Chance fairly vibrated with the rage she was containing now. Her voice as quiet as it had been before she pointed to her right ear where the cuff and earring were visible. "Do you see this Mister Kaiba? It is a comlink. You should know as you gave it to me to stay in contact with you in case something should happen that would affect Mokuba or my ability to protect him. You also know darned well Mister Kaiba that I am not in my apartment in the mornings as I start out well before Mokuba is awake to get my morning work out done and myself showered and ready for the day."
Again her eyes flashed and Seto noted idly that had it been anyone else, she probably would have sent them to the hospital by now but continued to listen to her 'complaint' as she pointed forcefully at the black and white news print before her. "THIS, Mister Kaiba. Certainly counts under the category of something that will affect my ability to look after Mokuba. I can not deal with this, and be expected to keep up the level of protection that I have been."
"There is a trade off Mister Kaiba. Take my attention and split it and I'll be guaranteed to miss something that would harm Mokuba, you or both. Since I don't take this off unless I'm asleep. YOU, Mister Kaiba, should have notified me so that I could plan around this, OR ask you to handle it so I could continue on with what I have been hired to do."
This did surprise him. Seto had not realized that Chance was also looking out for him as well. But as he thought back on things, he had noticed that some of his outings, particularly the ones that he had Chance along on were devoid of most of the normal rabble that would bother him for this charity or that.
Seto was also surprised at the vehemence that she projected. Mokuba had recounted how one of his friends had called her scary, and now he understood where he had gotten that assessment. This was no simple employee; this was an employee with the tenacity of a pit bull and the intelligence to rival some of the brightest in his company and the strength and ability to back it all up.
None of this was allowed to pass through the facade as he again looked at the image and then the story. It was rather ridiculous to him, but he figured that it probably wasn't so funny to Chance at the time. So rather than fueling her current level of ire, which bordered on homicidal, he picked up the phone and immediately set up a conference call to the major local tabloids and newspapers as they tended to pick up on stories that involved the Kaibas to see if there is any truth to them.
Less than an hour later he had them all on conference and with a set look on his face told them in no uncertain terms that they were to retract the stories around that rumor and to leave Chance alone. However instead of just demanding and leaving no explanation as he usually did. He told them that Chance was an employee hired to protect Mokuba and if she felt she was being hindered in any way by their attentions, they would find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty lawsuit.
The papers were all quite aware that Seto Kaiba had the clout to back up his threats, so every one of them printed a repeal of the stories and informed their reporters that the woman was to be left alone. This did not stop some of the more adventurous freelance reporters from trying their luck. One that had interrupted her while she was watching over Mokuba in a busy public place left said place shaking scared. He never said what she had told him or what she had done, but he circulated the word in the freelance community that messing with Chance Castner while she was on duty was a VERY bad idea.
But the damage was already done. Both her e-mail and postal mailboxes had been flooded with mail from people all over the world. Some were hounding her for news, information, interviews, and personal information. Others were threats from various jealous parties that wanted to let her know in no uncertain terms that her 'attachment' to Seto was unwelcome and would not be tolerated.
She was glad that Seto had thought to provide here with a cell phone the day she had come into his office with that complaint, as she now had to turn her own phone off at night in order to get any sleep. Only Seto, Mokuba and Tammy knew the number to that phone and she knew it was in case they needed to reach her in the night for anything.
Like tonight. Mokuba had figured that she would want to have a quiet evening so he had called the cell phone guessing correctly that she had turned her phone off early. Parking and jogging up to the kitchen door in the back she sniffed. Whatever was being made smelled really good. She was glad to get out for this and could just about bet that Mokuba would be equally glad of her company.
They all knew that eventually others would catch on that it wasn't just happenstance that Chance was in the same places as Mokuba at the same times. But for now everyone was happy to just let her melt into the background only making her presence, formidable as it could be, felt when Mokuba was threatened. She had overheard one of Mokuba's friends as he tried to keep a low tone telling him. "Man, she's scary."
Mokuba laughed at that not bothering to tell his friend the truth. For all of her bulldog stance on his safety, she was actually quite easy going and a lot of fun to be around once you got used to her.
It was a school night and Mokuba had elected to stay in that night. However he thought it would be fun if they had company for dinner, so he cleared it with the cook and invited Chance over. The elder Kaiba would be at a meeting that would take him late into the evening to resolve so if Mokuba had wanted a friend to come over, that was ok.
Chance had been set for a quiet evening at him with a pint of Mioku Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-cream and a movie when the cell phone rang. As she answered she wondered who knew that she was home this evening. "Moshi-moshi"
"Chance, want to come over for dinner?" Mokuba's distinctive voice carried across the line.
Smiling she replied. "And to what do I owe the honor?"
"Seto's at a meeting and he's not going to get home till late. You won't be on duty, and I thought you might like to come over when it wasn't."
Chance grinned now and it carried in her tone. "You're bored aren't you?"
Mokuba laughed. "Gee, how could you tell?"
"All right. I'll be over shortly. Stay cool."
As she hung up she shook her head. That had just taken the cake as the strangest dinner invitation she had received yet. Smiling she washed her face quick, then changed out of her slouch wear and into her blue jeans and dark green sweatshirt. She decided to leave her hair down for the evening since the scalp was getting a little sensitive from having the hair pulled back all the time and with a quick glance in the mirror she grabbed her wallet and keys and headed out to the Kaiba Estate.
As she drove up to the front gates she slid her ID into the card reader and was admitted through the gates. She parked around back as she didn't really care for anyone who would know her to know immediately that she was at the estate. For one thing, it would fuel the rumor mill that was going on in the local tabloids about her supposed relationship with the CEO. For another, she just wanted to relax for the night.
Thinking about the rumor mill Chance grimaced. Neither she nor the young executive had foreseen the results of a press conference at which both Mokuba and his brother were needed. Seto had made it clear that he wanted Chance at this conference and after a brief meeting with him, understood the reasons for it. Mokuba was an easy target for reporters, as he didn't quite have his brother's imposing stature or mien. Chance was there to keep the media hounds off the younger Kaiba before and after the conference.
However her presence near the Kaiba brothers had been noticed by one sharp eyed reporter and the next day, the tabloids were rife with the rumors that Seto Kaiba was dating the woman in the photograph and that the secret relationship would soon produce a wedding announcement. It was that day that she had spotted the tabloid in the newsstands and bought one. Reading the story she called Mokuba's school and asked to have him dismissed from class for a short time and that yes, she would try to have him back in class by the end of the day.
Not even for her own fury at the situation would she forgo her duties to Mokuba. She swung by the school in her car as she had been running a quick errand and picked up a very relieved young man. They both headed over to the Kaiba Corp offices and as soon as they stepped out of the elevators at the executive level Tammy looked up, saw the look on Chance's face and with out a word having been said, called into Seto and told him that Chance was there to have a word with him, and that she had pulled Mokuba from class to do it.
Tammy nodded as she glanced at the tabloid in the younger woman's hand and winced. She knew that Seto was used to these things, as it was a part of being a very rich, powerful and public figure. However, she knew that Chance did not want the attention that this would bring as she needed the anonymity of her position to protect Mokuba, and could not do that job if she were fending off reporters or worse.
Seto called back out with the directive to let Chance in, and to clear his calendar for however long this would take. The young CEO had a pretty good guess as to why his most trusted employee was there to see him that morning, and he knew that steps would have to be taken to squelch this fire or he'd be caught in the middle of a firestorm.
Chance had none of the usual grace that usually characterized her normally fluid movements. However this had upset her to the point where she was stalking into the office and coming just short of slamming the door behind her. Mokuba made himself scarce by heading to the TV area of the office while Chance and his brother hashed this out.
"I assume that you have seen this Mister Kaiba?" Chance spoke very quietly and intensely as her hazel eyes sparked and seemed more green than hazel.
Seto winced internally as theirs was a somewhat complex relationship that had developed over the months. She had shed most of her formality with him with in a few weeks of working with the two brothers but there were certain triggers that would cause her to revert back to the extreme formalities. Tightly reined in anger was one of them.
"Yes, I was aware of this Castner. I had left a message for you at your home thinking that you would have picked it up, since this is not the case I take it you are here to discuss how you will be able to do your job with the media hounding you?" Seto for all intents and purposes maintained emotionless facade with everyone he worked with, and even with his one family from time to time. However this was even more evident when Chance turned her coldest and most formal attitude on him.
The extreme formalities that they both displayed as employer/employee were one of the things that kept most of their disagreements from turning into full out fights. It helped reign in tempers and gave them both a safety line to work behind to keep things moving smoothly and the lines of communication open.
Mokuba watched wide-eyed as he watched from his spot as Chance fairly vibrated with the rage she was containing now. Her voice as quiet as it had been before she pointed to her right ear where the cuff and earring were visible. "Do you see this Mister Kaiba? It is a comlink. You should know as you gave it to me to stay in contact with you in case something should happen that would affect Mokuba or my ability to protect him. You also know darned well Mister Kaiba that I am not in my apartment in the mornings as I start out well before Mokuba is awake to get my morning work out done and myself showered and ready for the day."
Again her eyes flashed and Seto noted idly that had it been anyone else, she probably would have sent them to the hospital by now but continued to listen to her 'complaint' as she pointed forcefully at the black and white news print before her. "THIS, Mister Kaiba. Certainly counts under the category of something that will affect my ability to look after Mokuba. I can not deal with this, and be expected to keep up the level of protection that I have been."
"There is a trade off Mister Kaiba. Take my attention and split it and I'll be guaranteed to miss something that would harm Mokuba, you or both. Since I don't take this off unless I'm asleep. YOU, Mister Kaiba, should have notified me so that I could plan around this, OR ask you to handle it so I could continue on with what I have been hired to do."
This did surprise him. Seto had not realized that Chance was also looking out for him as well. But as he thought back on things, he had noticed that some of his outings, particularly the ones that he had Chance along on were devoid of most of the normal rabble that would bother him for this charity or that.
Seto was also surprised at the vehemence that she projected. Mokuba had recounted how one of his friends had called her scary, and now he understood where he had gotten that assessment. This was no simple employee; this was an employee with the tenacity of a pit bull and the intelligence to rival some of the brightest in his company and the strength and ability to back it all up.
None of this was allowed to pass through the facade as he again looked at the image and then the story. It was rather ridiculous to him, but he figured that it probably wasn't so funny to Chance at the time. So rather than fueling her current level of ire, which bordered on homicidal, he picked up the phone and immediately set up a conference call to the major local tabloids and newspapers as they tended to pick up on stories that involved the Kaibas to see if there is any truth to them.
Less than an hour later he had them all on conference and with a set look on his face told them in no uncertain terms that they were to retract the stories around that rumor and to leave Chance alone. However instead of just demanding and leaving no explanation as he usually did. He told them that Chance was an employee hired to protect Mokuba and if she felt she was being hindered in any way by their attentions, they would find themselves on the receiving end of a very nasty lawsuit.
The papers were all quite aware that Seto Kaiba had the clout to back up his threats, so every one of them printed a repeal of the stories and informed their reporters that the woman was to be left alone. This did not stop some of the more adventurous freelance reporters from trying their luck. One that had interrupted her while she was watching over Mokuba in a busy public place left said place shaking scared. He never said what she had told him or what she had done, but he circulated the word in the freelance community that messing with Chance Castner while she was on duty was a VERY bad idea.
But the damage was already done. Both her e-mail and postal mailboxes had been flooded with mail from people all over the world. Some were hounding her for news, information, interviews, and personal information. Others were threats from various jealous parties that wanted to let her know in no uncertain terms that her 'attachment' to Seto was unwelcome and would not be tolerated.
She was glad that Seto had thought to provide here with a cell phone the day she had come into his office with that complaint, as she now had to turn her own phone off at night in order to get any sleep. Only Seto, Mokuba and Tammy knew the number to that phone and she knew it was in case they needed to reach her in the night for anything.
Like tonight. Mokuba had figured that she would want to have a quiet evening so he had called the cell phone guessing correctly that she had turned her phone off early. Parking and jogging up to the kitchen door in the back she sniffed. Whatever was being made smelled really good. She was glad to get out for this and could just about bet that Mokuba would be equally glad of her company.