It's Business
A/N: I don't own any of the CCS characters. Some of the names and characters I did. This is a story that just lives rent free in my head. If it's not good and up to par, my apologies. I'm not expecting good or mean reviews, I just wanted to write down this story onto "paper." I just dream so often of this story blooming along with characters who we may resonate with. Anyways, enjoy.
Also, sorry for the late update. I graduated Uni and now have a lot more free time to write.
"Are you sure this will be, ok?" Sakura said as she looked at herself in the mirror, "why do I feel like I am so overdressed?"
"You look amazing Kura, I don't know what you are talking about. You only feel that way because most of the time you're either in scrubs or you're in your pajamas. Plus, this dress compliments your eyes really well."
Sakura groaned, "That is mostly false. I wore a nice outfit when I went to dinner with Li last time and I wore pants the other day that were not scrubs." Despite Sakura's dry humor, she couldn't help but be nervous. Since Li sent her a text to the location, she was having butterflies in her stomach. When was the last time I got dressed up to go out to something like this, she thought.
The night Li had sent her the text, she had stayed up all night. She even searched the internet who this Li was. Why have she ever heard of him? Turns out he is the heir to the Li Empire that owns most of Tokyo stocks. Li is just rich with no gossip at all – literally this guy was clean. His mother, Yelen Li, on the other hand was even more impeccable. She came from a prestigious lineage and despite having three older brothers, her father handed her the company in his will instead. She took her father's company and took it from the bottom up, while handling being a new wife. Her husband, now deceased, took the Li name instead and just a couple years ago, she stepped down to give the title to her son Li Syaoran, despite having an older daughter. Now she understood slightly why Li was so terrified of his own mother. She was her own monster it seems like.
"You sure you don't want me to drop you off, kura?" Rika asked, playing with Sakura's hair some more.
"Yes, Li said that their butler Wei will be picking me up. Apparently, this is supposed to be as discreet as possible" Sakura fidgeted in her dress some more. The last time she wore something this extravagant was at her brother's wedding. She looked at the mirror once again, scanning her makeup, making sure it was ok. The dress flowed nicely. It was a dark forest green satin dress with a cowl neckline. Her gold pendant necklace hit perfectly above the cowl neckline. Her hair was curled so elegantly, but she knew that in a few hours she would itch to tie it up when the curls dropped.
She sighed one last time. If Sakura could take a shot for time she sighed, she would be drunk. A drink sounded nice right about now, Sakura thought.
"It'll be ok Sakura. If you don't want to do this, just tell him. At least it'll be like you rejecting a major hot shot." Rika said, noticing her friend's sudden anxiety. Sakura did an awkward laugh.
"I guess I just don't know what to expect. I know this has nothing to do with Li-san but how am I supposed to be around all these big named individuals and….Rika..I haven't gone out in years. I mean…if I don't enjoy tonight, then I can always let him know the deal is off. There's no foul in that right?" Sakura trailed off. At one point she started to think out loud.
"Nope, not at all. Just have fun, that's what you wanted, remember? BUT also, please air drop me your location. I will drive to you if you need anything." Rika said.
Sakura nodded and laughed at her own thought, "are you sure you won't be too busy with Yoshiyuki?" she laughed. Rika just turned bright red. Both girls ended up giggling until Wei arrived at their apartment. Wei was a tall, lanky man. His hairline receded, with a little pearly white strand of hair perfectly placed with a tailor suit that was perm pressed. You could see the loyalty he had to the Li clan with the wrinkles around his eyes. Without thinking too much about how a butler just showed up at their door, Rika gave Sakura a hug and wished her good luck.
- Li Gala –
"Li-sama," one of the waiters said, "word from Wei-san that a guest is arriving for you at the front gates." Syaroran nodded and left to the front. Syaoran let out a huge exhale, not knowing what to expect from this Kinomoto girl. He said that she shouldn't have expected anything, yet he should have given himself the same advice. He reminded himself that this was only temporary. He never thought he could have gone to such drastic measures to find someone on an app. He needed someone no one knew, no one with a name close to the Li clan. Finding someone that didn't know of him or the people that surrounded his life was hard. Letting some stranger, you must have some balls, Li thought to himself. But really, he was desperate, he would never ever admit that to anyone but he just needed someone so his mother would stop pestering him. Before Syaoran got too deep in his thoughts, he stepped down to the last staircase by the roundabout. As he saw Wei, walk over to the limo door, he almost had to look again at the person exiting the vehicle.
Her hair was beautifully curled and the dark green, floor length, cowl neck dress complimented her body seamlessly. She bore a tiny clutch in her hand, no other accessory besides the dainty gold chain on her neck. While she didn't look extremely extravagant compared to those in the gala, with crystal jewels on their neck and hands, he nodded approvingly to Sakura. Before he knew it, he had offered his right arm to her as she took hold of it.
"Good evening, Li-san." She said, her throat suddenly felt dry, yet her hands felt clammy. He was dashing in his suit. It was a sleek black suit, his pants nicely hemmed towards his ankle to see his socks exposed. He cleans up nice, per usual.
"Kinomoto." He said stiffly, looking ahead preparing his first step up the stairs.
Sakura cleared her throat and whispered, "Are we to continue formalities during the gala?"
"For our meetups, you may call me Syaoran. Otherwise, Li will do just fine when we are together like this." His voice stern per usual. Sakura nodded. Her face suddenly scowled, is he always this cold? It would have been nice to talk about formalities earlier if he didn't want such a fuss.
As they entered the hall, Sakura suddenly felt a thousand pairs of eyes on her. She scanned around and felt severely underdressed despite her recently questioning if she was overdressed. Everyone looked immaculate with their hair and nails done. Women were donning beautiful jewels and ball gowns. Sakura felt like she was dreaming, never truly believing that events like these really occur in real life and just in the movies. Before Sakura knew it, they stopped in front of a couple – Eriol Hiiragazawa and a beautiful woman next to him. She made Eriol look like arm candy.
Eriol smiled, "Kinomoto, nice to see you, I was half expecting you not to show up with this grumpy man here.. You look lovely tonight." Syaoran scowled at Eriol while he ignored the displeasure on his cousin's face. Eriol turned to his side and introduced Tomoyo to Sakura, "Please let me introduce to you my wife, Daidoji Tomoyo." Sakura bowed and said a soft hello.
Tomoyo was bright eyed and smiled right at Sakura, "please to meet you, Kinomoto. You can call me Tomoyo and please don't mind eriol, he's just teasing Li-kun as always."
Sakura blushed at her kindness, "Please call me Sakura." Without a second thought, Tomoyo started a conversation about how the green of her dress made Sakura's eye pop. Sakura shy at first took the compliment but also doted on how beautiful Tomoyo's dress was. It was a simple conversation, but the dress was beautiful. It was a luxurious silk burgundy gown. Sakura felt at ease around Tomoyo. She was afraid that her first conversation would be abrasive. While it was just a simple compliment, she started to put her fear at the back of her head.
"If you'll excuse me, gentleman. I am going to take Sakura to go mingle with the ladies so that you can go on with your business shenanigans." Tomoyo said as she took Sakura's arm and led her to the ladies. Both Eriol and Li looked in the direction of the two walking away arm in arm.
"She will do just fine," Eriol said as Li kept staring at Sakura.
"She better," was all Syaoran was able to say. He turned his heels away from Sakura's direction and walked off while Eriol followed along.
- Ladies –
Sakura's arm was held tight by tomoyo, she followed along, unsure of who she was going to introduce her to. There were many curious eyes on her still. Suddenly they stopped in front of two ladies who were talking amongst themselves with a champagne glass in their hand.
Tomoyo whispered in her ears, "it's not a ball without business. People come here to make business plans while their wives or partners mingle through gossip." Sakura gulp, oh dear.
"Everyone, this is Kinomoto Sakura." Tomoyo said, "Sakura, on your left you have Li-Ryosuke Meilin and on the right is Mihara-Yamazaki Chiharu." Everyone bowed to Sakura, as Sakura reciprocated.
"Nice to meet you all," Sakura said. Of course, no one took a minute to pause, and the questions came quickly.
"Your dress is beautiful, who designed it?" Chiharu asked.
"Mou—Chiharu-san, how about we ask her the real question about her and Li-san? How come I never heard my cold-hearted cousin telling me he was dating?" Meilin asked.
Sakura could feel the nervous sweat around her strapless back. Her first thought was how Li would probably wring her neck if she screws this up big time for him. What will she say to them?
Tomoyo giggled at Sakura's obvious weight shifting.
"Ladies, don't put poor Sakura on the spot. Maybe it's a private matter, let's all just welcome her nicely, I'm sure she will tell us eventually. But Sakura, do tell us about yourself, what do you do? We've never met you outside of the gala before…especially accompanied by Li himself." Tomoyo asked.
"Well," Sakura was nervous again, does she lie?..."I work in health care. Just with my work, I am quite busy so Li- I mean Syaoran and I have a hard time allocating time together...What do you ladies do?" Sakura sighed a bit of relief quietly.
"Quite busy? The most fun he does is work. I don't know how you two manage, and already on a first name basis. He must be hiding you; he has never allowed anyone to call him by his first name. You two are crazy." Chiharu said, "When Yamazaki and I started dating, we couldn't stand any time away from each other. I was a schoolteacher, but now I just stay home to tend the house. My husband, by the way, is Takashi Yamazaki is the CFO of Li Estates. His family has worked closely with the Li clan for many decades." Chiharu continued. She seemed aloof but very kind.
"I am the wife of Ryosuke Sanjiro. I am the cousin of Li Syaoran and my husband is Syaoran's accountant. I am the niece of Yelen-sama. We have direct blood lineage; I also have some shares of the company but don't manage it as much as my dear cousin Li." Meilin said. Melin's words felt heavy, somewhere in between "nice to meet you and I want to know more but hurt my family and I will end you."
"I am a fashion designer, and you met my husband, Eriol, the lawyer for Li Enterprise, I don't have any contact with Li besides through my husband," Tomoyo chided. Sakura was in awe of all the ladies in front of her. All individuals live such extravagant lives, married to important lineages, came from prestigious blood lines and all related to Li somehow, while she was just a nurse at the local hospital that they probably don't even know exist.
"You ladies are incredible," Sakura said out loud. All the girls laughed.
"Honestly, not as incredible as you are, Kinomoto-san. Being connected to the Li-clan means we have to hold up our title and it's very stressful." Chiharu said, completely honest.
"I can't even imagine," Sakura replied. It was nice to get such an honest answer. It reminded Sakura that they're just humans too, with big obligations with familial ties that existed from generation to generation.
"What exactly do you do, Kinomoto-san?" Meilin asked, emphasizing "exactly."
"Well, I work in the ICU as a nurse," Sakura exclaimed.
"How long have you been an ICU nurse?"
"Hmm..maybe...5 years now?" Sakura said having to count how long it's been.
"Wow, Kinomoto-san. That's amazing. You know, you should go into plastics as a nurse. I was told that, that's where all the big business is going with everyone wanting Botox nowadays." Chiharu said excitedly. "There are plenty of ladies here who would love to pay you big time for that."
Sakura laughed, "wow, is that so?"
"You'll notice who uses it a little more than most," Meilin said, "right, Tomoyo?"
Tomoyo giggled, "Well, it is not me who's to say they should and shouldn't use it. It's just interesting how plastic surgery has increased. Even some of my models are applying botox more often than what I once remembered." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Tomoyo-chan, what sort of fashion do you do," Sakura asked, trying to deter the conversation from herself.
"Only the best, Kinomoto, she designed my dress here," Chiharu exclaimed, her eyes glowed as she did a small twirl.
"That dress was meant for you, you look wonderful Chiharu," Tomoyo complimented, "My mother owns Daidoji Fashion, Sakura. We are based here in Tokyo and in Milan. Our main focus is wedding dresses but I do ball gowns for fun. You look exactly like someone who I would love to have on my runway."
Sakura blushed, "Oh no, I would be an embarrassment. I could barely walk in these heels tonight." The pain she felt while wearing her heels was unbearable. How she missed being in her crocs for work.
"Well, you are doing a fabulous job," Meilin added.
The night continued with cocktails, light refreshment, and chatter. Sakura continued to meet many individuals who are affiliated with Li and his business. Many were curious about her relationship with Li, but she continued to divert the conversation to something else. Even talking about politics that she hates.
Towards the end of the night, Syaoran walked up to Sakura to her side and leaned closely to ask how she was doing. Sakura nodded and said that she was holding up well. She wanted to ask if he was doing ok but she didn't prod, after all, it was none of her concern, right?
Syaoran had put his arms around her waist as if he were meant to do this for years, he whispered to her ears, reminding her to act natural. He wanted to make sure that people at least saw him engage with his partner, even if it was at the end of the night. All Sakura could think about was how normal this seemed to him, as if he's done this before.
Sakura and Syaoran continued to hold conversations with another couple. Many elders came to congratulate Syaoran on finding a new partner, they exclaimed they were glad he was finally hoping to settle down. They kept talking about how Yelen-sama must be so excited. Neither of them really acknowledged the comment. Sakura just smiled and nodded politely.
Syaoran on the other hand nodded, barely smiling. People were now leaving, and Syaoran pulled Sakura to the side, excusing himself and Sakura as they walked away.
"You're more than welcome to leave whenever you want. It's quite late," he said, dismissing her again, "I can walk you out to the limo." Sakura just nodded.
"I would like to say goodbye to the ladies if that's alright. They made the evening much more exciting than I expected." Syaoran just nodded and watched her walk to say goodbye. He saw her take out her phone to exchange her phone numbers with the other ladies, he wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not. Would it be too close to home to have her be friends with people he knew after all of this ended? However, they haven't talked about rules yet.
He waited for her to return by his side as he offered his arm again. They walked out into the brisk autumn night. Sakura cleared her throat, unsure if she should say goodbye. Before she spoke, he had already interrupted her thoughts.
"You'll receive an email from Eriol sometime next week. If he doesn't receive your response, then I will know your answer. Please take a good look at the arrangement and let me know if it is something we can tweak. Wei will take care of you for the rest of the evening and drive you home now." He opened the door and Sakura slid into the limo. She didn't even say goodnight as he closed the door.
Sakura let out a long exhale, she felt like she was holding that exhale all evening. What a night it was. Surprisingly more enjoyable than she had imagined. While the richness of these individuals had shocked her, everyone was extremely nice and welcoming. Is this something that she could continue to do? Sakura asked herself as she stared out the window. Tokyo lights flash by as she continues to ponder.
- Back at the Gala –
Eriol and Tomoyo were walking in the direction of Syaoran.
"She's a lovely girl, Li-san," Tomoyo beamed, "I can't believe you haven't brought her around sooner. How dare you hide her away from us? And for that long?"
Syaoran peered over to his lawyer and didn't say a word to him. I guess he didn't tell her after all, Syaoran thought. It wasn't like Eriol to not keep a secret from tomoyo. He was suspicious of the couple in front of him.
"It's business, I'm sure you already knew that, Daidoji." He responded to Tomoyo, knowing better and looking harder at Eriol.
"Sorry, Syaoran. She's my wife, I can't hide anything from her." Eriol exclaimed. Tomoyo just giggled.
"What ever happened to this only being kept between the people at the restaurant?" Li asked Eriol.
"Don't worry, Li. I won't tell a soul, but I would like to continue to hang out with Sakura-chan, not that I need your permission or anything. She's such a sweet girl. She handled tonight perfectly, but I must say, next time I will dress her up instead of watching her wear that poorly made dress, those seams were awful." Syaoran just scoffed. In many ways he was in disbelief about Eriol but also felt the same way about Tomoyo.
"Well, I am glad you enjoyed her presence, Daidoji."
"How many times have I told you to call me Tomoyo." Tomoyo said. Syaoran didn't say anything as Eriol looked at his wife brimming ear to ear.
"You two are going to be my worst nightmare. Goodnight." Syaoran said as he walked in the direction of the parking structure. His hand went to scruff up his hair while sighing on the way out.
Both Eriol and Tomoyo smiled at each other.
"This is going to be interesting," Eriol said. Tomoyo nodded in agreement as they too, were leaving the Gala.
The Next Afternoon -
Sakura was on her lunch break at work. A measly 30 minutes that she knows will end quickly compared to her long 12-hour shift. Her phone buzzed. Probably spam mail, she thought. Looking at her phone, she stared blankly at her notification. It was from Eriol. She opened the message, heart pounding, reading how formal his emails were compared to their interaction. Downloading the attachment, she nearly fell out of her chair.
It was nearly 50 pages of terms and conditions. She quickly skimmed through.
Terms and Conditions for Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura
No parties will interact outside of social gatherings.
Interaction to be platonic for both parties.
Sakura continued to scan through her phone, flipping up and down, losing her mind a little more.
$500 for social events – including work events, partnership events, and so on.
$1000+ for personal events – including family events, weddings, etc. pricing will be adjusted fairly.
All extra money will be provided by Li Syaoran himself should he deemed it appropriate for Kinomoto Sakura.
Transportation/Room and Board covered by Li Syaoran.
Personal information will not be shared between the parties [Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura]. Phone numbers and emails will be the only exchange.
Payment will be put into a private account made by Li Syaoran. All money will be given 24hours after the encounter. Kinomoto Sakura to always receive a debit card and access to her account.
Termination of arrangement should be given three months in advance to either party.
These were just some of the conditions. One of the terms simply said, should anyone fail to commit to this, aka Sakura, they would be fined and jailed. Sakura sweated a little, questioning her very existence. Suddenly, her phone rang, Sakura nearly jumped out of her seat, it was the resident doctor on the line. Before she knew it, she packed up her uneaten bento and left to go back to work. At least this time, working wasn't so terrible since she didn't have to think about the email until after her shift.
Of course, as the day ended, so did Sakura's shift. Work was a good distraction for her. By the time she was done with the evening she knew the inevitable would come. On the ride home, her mind was jumbled. Should she continue? Her pros and cons weren't terrible.
Would this impede my work life balance?
Maybe I can find a different passion to pursue while meeting new people?
Is this how I want to spend my time?
Why did I do this again?
Sakura continued to ponder some more in her mind silently until she got to her apartment.
Sakura dropped her bag at the front of the door. She slid off her nursing shoes and put on her slippers. Rika greeted her warmly as she saw Yoshiyiki Terada on the couch.
"Hi Rika, hi Terada." Sakura responded.
"Welcome home, Kura! You're just in time for curry. I made some extra for you in the kitchen." Rika beamed at Sakura as she walked in.
"Thank you," Sakura said to Rika, while her face showed a smile, her mind was elsewhere. She looked over at the couple on the couch and walked into her room. As she entered her room, she quickly took off her scrubs, getting ready to go to the shower but her thoughts continued to wander some more. Thinking back to the couple on the couch, she asked herself if she wanted the same thing.
Is this something I want too? Or is this another one of life's pressures?
If I'm doing this arrangement, would I have time for love/life/work balance? I'm not looking for anything with Li.
After her fall out with Dr. Yukio, she hasn't been looking much farther.
Yukio was the new resident at the time when Sakura started her ICU position. They were both new to Tokyo, in the best hospital. As she continued to get to know Yukio, she thought that maybe this would be it, however, her best colleague Yuki also really like Dr. Yukio. After having a conversation with Rika about potentially not dating where you work, Sakura pushed Yukio and Yuki together. A part of her regretted that decision. But together they sounded so perfect. Yukio and Yuki.
It was just a crush, Sakura thought. She shouldn't date where she works. You know what they say, Sakura thought, don't poop where you eat.
She was 29 for goodness' sake. She had a job; she's been a nurse for over 5 years since she got out of college. Yet her life was somewhat mediocre in terms of love and life passion. She had her fair share of terrible relationships and there was nothing exciting about her life, maybe besides the occasional travel. She was able to live freely without the obligation of someone else. That's what her family wanted, was for her to grow and live life lavishly.
Sure, Sakura was thankful. But after her mother Nadeshiko passed away, her father Fujitaka had pushed her out of their small town in Tomeda. Fujitaka wanted her daughter to experience the world and told her that she didn't have to worry about her father. Go out and work hard, find security in yourself were the words her father echoed into her heart when her mother died. Her brother Touya was married to his childhood best friend, Yukito and they both reside at their family home with Fujitaka.
Sakura plopped herself down at her computer monitor, forgetting her shower. She turned it on and just stared at the photo on the screen. It was an old photo of a photo of her mother's bouquet at their wedding. She stared at it harder, asking herself the same question every time she felt this way.
What do you want, Sakura?
For the thousandth time, Sakura sighed. Pulling the attachment up again on her computer, she signed it and sent it over to Eriol. There were too many fine prints, but what was there to lose?
"What's the worst that could happen?" Sakura said out loud. She looked through the calendar and the next event was the Yamazaki's Charity event. It was in two weeks on a Thursday night.
I guess the good thing is I don't have to talk to him daily. Sakura thought to herself. Signing the contract made her have butterflies but for some odd reason, she felt comfort. Without questioning the feeling, Sakura got up to go wash up before the dread came back.
A/N:
Hi everyone. Thanks for reading until the end. I hope that if you find yourself in similar situations of Sakura, constantly asking yourself about your life choices, that you find clarity. I hope you are all doing well in this season in your life. xx see you all in the next update.
