For everyone in the US, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving later this week. I just want to thank everyone who's taken the time to read this story. I'll try to update every week, unless work or other real life things get in the way. ^^
Chapter 15
The school bell had just rung, indicating the end of the day. As to the day itself, classes went by smoothly, although Alex noticed that Kaiba was absent. Alex figured that he was probably absorbed in some work, and at any rate, she might see him once she was at Kaiba Corp.
Alex looked at the time and knew that she had to be at work at 3:30 pm. It was now 2:15 pm, so even though Alex had a bit of time, she would still be cutting it close. She quickly got up and picked up her things, intending to say bye to the others when Joey said,
"Hey, Alex. I want to ask you something."
Alex smiled apologetically and replied, "Sorry, Joey, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Don't want to be late. Call me tonight, ok?"
She then said goodbye to the others and rushed out of the classroom, heading to the girls' bathroom to quickly change clothes before getting a taxi to take her to work.
Meanwhile, Joey sat back in his seat, feeling deflated. Tristan approached him, patted him on the shoulder and said,
"You're gonna keep missing your chance, you know."
Joey gave a look and replied, "I know, but Alex is always busy."
Tea smiled and replied, "She sure is. Just call her tonight and ask her then. It might not be the same as asking her in person, but at least, you'd finally get the question out."
Joey groaned and replied, "Does everyone know?"
Bakura laughed and replied, "You two have made it kind of obvious. Just ask her to make it official."
Meanwhile, Yugi sat back, watching the conversation unfold. He was having his own private conversation with Yami.
"So what do you think?"
Yami sighed and replied, "I don't know. I would be happy for them, but I have a bad feeling."
Yugi replied, "Because of Kaiba?"
Yami replied, "Yeah. He won't just lose to Joey, and this could get ugly."
Yugi silently agreed although he didn't say anything. Suddenly, Joey turned to Yugi and said,
"Yug, we're all heading to the arcade. You comin'?"
Yugi smiled and replied, "Yup."
He got up and walked with the others out of the classroom as they headed outside.
Alex had just stepped out of the taxi after having paid the driver. She was right outside the main headquarters of Kaiba Corp. Although she had been here once before with Mokuba, it still felt impressive. Alex took a deep breath and then walked towards the building entrance.
Once Alex was inside, she approached the security guard at the entrance, giving her name and the reason she was here. The security guard made a few notes and then gave Alex a security clearance badge. Alex then asked if there was a place where she could put her bags, as she didn't want the hassle of carrying them. The security guard nodded and took her bags, noting that she would just need to approach him to get them back before she left.
Alex then took the elevator, heading to the tenth floor. She was told to report to Mr. Williamson, who was in charge of the programming department. Once she arrived, she asked a passing employee and was directed to a middle-aged man sitting in front of a computer. Alex walked towards him and then with a smile, she asked,
"Are you Mr. Williamson? I was told to report to you."
The man looked up from his computer to look at Alex and asked, "Ahh Ms. Lawrence?"
Alex nodded in affirmation. Mr. Williamson smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, and welcome to the programming department. It's nice to have a fellow American working here."
Alex replied, "Thanks, sir. I admit I was surprised when I heard your name. I thought all the employees here would be Japanese, or at least, of Japanese descent."
Mr. Williamson nodded and replied, "Yes, I understand. However, Mr. Kaiba found me during one of his trips to the US and recruited me to work here. He wouldn't take no for an answer. But even still, the pay and opportunities were too good to pass up."
Alex replied, "I understand. I'd like to hear how it is working here."
Mr. Williamson smiled and replied, "I can certainly accommodate you, and I want to hear how things are back in America. It's been a while since I took some time off."
He took a breath and continued, "Ok, I'm supposed to give you a brief tour of the department and then tell you what your tasks will be. You're on an internship program, so you won't be expected to work here every day. You remember the details of your employment?"
Alex nodded and replied, "I do. I'm to report here at 3:30 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I may be asked to work on Saturdays as well, and I'm supposed to go through security. Oh, and I'm not to disclose the details of what goes on here. Is that about right?"
Mr. Williamson replied, "Yes, you got it right. You look like you're going to fit in here well."
Alex replied, "Thanks, sir. Oh, before I forget, may I ask if there's some carpool service or something here? I took a taxi to get here from school since I didn't want to be late on my first day, but that's going to be pricey to do that every time."
Mr. Williamson replied, "Yes, we have such a service. I'll make sure to note your name, so you get picked up."
Alex smiled and replied, "Thank you, sir."
Mr. Williamson replied, "Well, let's get on with the tour."
He then showed Alex around the programming department, making sure to introduce all the employees in the department. Alex greeted everyone with a smile and handshake, and then Mr. Williamson showed Alex to her desk, where she would be working. He said,
"The tasks are pretty mundane. You're going to be looking at coding and if anything seems off, do your best to fix it. If it's something that you're unable to solve but you notice that it's off, then report it to me, so I can take a look."
Alex nodded and replied, "Seems simple enough."
Mr. Williamson added, "Oh, and um, Mr. Kaiba might ask for the occasional unusual task."
Alex looked curious and replied, "What do you mean, sir?"
Mr. Williamson chuckled and replied, "It's hard to explain. He asks for things out of the blue. The employees who've worked here for a long time are used to it although it threw me off when it happened to me the first time. I wouldn't worry about it, though. Everyone has their quirks."
Alex laughed and replied, "That's true. I'll be on the lookout then."
Mr. Williamson then said, "I'm looking forward to working with you, Ms. Lawrence. Today is just the tour and the details of your internship, so you're free to go and-"
Suddenly, there was a loud ringing, and Mr. Williamson picked up the phone in his pocket. He held up an index finger towards Alex and said,
"I'll just take this."
Mr. Williamson then picked up the phone and walked a few steps away from Alex, so Alex couldn't make out the details of his conversation. However, she could see that he was nodding and agreeing to whatever the person on the other end wanted. Once Mr. Williamson finished, he put his phone back in his pocket, approached Alex, and said,
"I was going to say that you can go home for the weekend, and I'll see you on Monday. But that was Mr. Kaiba just now. He requests your presence in his office before you leave."
Alex nodded and replied, "I understand. I guess I can go home afterwards."
Mr. Williamson nodded and replied, "Just take the elevator to the top floor and tell the secretary. She'll let you in."
Alex replied, "Ok. Thank you for the tour and all, sir. Have a good weekend, and see you on Monday."
Mr. Williamson gave her a smile and waved her off. Alex then walked towards the elevator and once inside, she pushed the button for the top floor. Once she got off the elevator, she approached the secretary, letting her know that Kaiba requested her presence. The secretary nodded and dialed the phone, letting Kaiba know that Alex was here. She then turned towards Alex and said,
"Go right through those doors, miss."
Alex nodded and did as the secretary instructed. She then arrived in front of Kaiba's office and knocked on the door. Kaiba gave an acknowledgment and then Alex entered. She briefly looked around, noting that nothing had changed since her previous visit although the circumstances were different this time. Kaiba continued to type away for a couple of minutes, and Alex didn't say anything, figuring that it was best to let Kaiba finish up whatever work he was doing.
After Kaiba finished up his work, he looked up to see Alex standing in front of him. He gave his signature smirk and said,
"You are full of surprises, Ms. Lawrence."
Alex looked confused and replied, "Whatever do you mean?"
Kaiba replied, "You were going to keep your internship here a secret."
Alex shrugged and replied, "There was no reason to say anything right away. I admit I wanted the upper hand, but it looks like you got me."
Kaiba nodded and looked a bit thoughtful. He then said, "You're probably wondering why I asked that you start working here now?"
Alex replied, "The thought had crossed my mind."
Kaiba replied, "I'll get to the point. There's a safety problem with the duel disks, and I think it has to do with the coding."
Alex nodded, looking a bit thoughtful. Inwardly, she was surprised to hear that Kaiba was concerned about people's safety. As though he could almost read her thoughts, Kaiba asked,
"What is it?"
Alex replied, "It's nothing. I'm just surprised that you're concerned about safety."
Kaiba replied, "Of course I am. If customers who buy duel disks end up suing Kaiba Corp, that would be a huge mess for me."
Alex rolled her eyes and replied, "Of course. Why does that not surprise me?"
Kaiba gave her a challenging look and asked, "So you think you can do this?"
Alex looked straight back at Kaiba and replied, "Of course. It might take a bit of time, but I'm up to the challenge."
A thought occurred to Alex and she asked, "Assuming that I can solve this problem, you'll have more free time?"
Kaiba raised an eyebrow and replied, "Perhaps although I don't understand where your line of thought is going."
Alex was hesitant in speaking her mind, so she asked, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
Kaiba shook his head and replied, "We don't make weapons here anymore and we're not in the military, but yes, feel free to speak your mind."
Alex replied, "You look like you could use some sleep, so I was thinking that if I can solve this problem, you'd get time to catch up? Also, Mokuba told me that he misses you. Well, he didn't say it in those words, but I could tell that's what he meant. So yeah, that's why I asked."
Kaiba replied, "I suppose I will have more free time, provided that you can solve this problem."
Alex smiled and replied, "Then I'll get working on it right away. Will that be all, sir?"
Kaiba replied, "Just one more thing and then you can go. Why did you bring up Mokuba?"
Alex was about to turn around and leave when she heard Kaiba's question directed towards her. She looked at him and replied,
"There's nothing more important than family. I should know."
She gave a brief, sad smile and then left Kaiba's office, heading to the elevator and to the ground floor to pick up her bags and leave for the day.
After Alex left, Kaiba thought about going after her. He could see the sadness in her eyes and knew that she was thinking of her brother when she said those words. However, he still had work to do and he didn't know how to approach her without possibly putting her on her guard. He sighed and resumed his work although his mind was still on Alex, thinking about whether he could help her and if so, how.
Meanwhile, Alex got off the bus, walking the rest of the way towards her apartment building. She was a little tired from all that had happened, and she was looking forward to ordering a bit of take out and just watching TV. However, when she arrived just in front of her apartment door, she saw someone she wasn't expecting and said,
"Joey? What are you doing here? Have you been waiting long?"
Joey turned around and grinned upon seeing Alex. He replied, "A while, but you're worth waiting for."
He noticed that Alex had on a business suit, so she looked slightly different although he chose not to comment on it. He then said,
"This won't take long, and I need to get home. But this can't wait until tonight. I need to ask ya."
Alex looked a bit worried and replied, "What is it, Joey? Is something wrong?"
Joey quickly shook his head and replied, "Nah, nothing like that. I'm givin' off the wrong idea."
He took a breath to calm himself and then asked, "Alex, will you go out with me?"
Alex was a little surprised to hear the question although part of her had been expecting it. She replied, "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Joey scratched the back of his head and replied, "Yeah, I am."
Alex blushed and was suddenly quiet. Although she was excited that Joey had finally asked the question, a part of her couldn't help feeling hesitant. However, she had no idea where that feeling was coming from although an image of Kaiba briefly appeared in her mind. Noticing how quiet Alex was, Joey said,
"If that's not what you want, that's ok. We can remain friends and-"
Alex interrupted, "Joey, I'd love to go on a date with you."
Joey happily replied, "Really?"
Alex nodded and replied, "Of course. I hoped you'd ask me, and I'm looking forward to it."
Joey grinned and replied, "Me, too. Would tomorrow be ok for our date? I'll pick you up at 11."
Alex replied, "Sure."
Joey replied, "I should go, but I'll see you tomorrow."
Alex nodded and replied, "See you then."
She smiled sweetly and after opening the door and picking up her bags, she entered her apartment. As Joey was walking out of Alex's apartment building, he raised a fist in the air and yelled,
"Yes!"