Chapter Seven

Seto watched his brother as he gave the monthly report and updates of the new projects the company was working on to increase revenue. Lately, he had been more reserved than usual. His trips to the bookstore had stopped and had become less frequent. He had been meaning to ask him what was wrong, but never found the right moment. Especially after when he had won the ticket to spend the whole day with A. Eliza, which turned out to be Alisa. If he had known, he would have never betted so much money on her.

The meeting ended and they were left alone in the large boardroom, which contained a large table in the center with enough office chairs for each of them. 'Mokuba, it seems that you have more than numbers and statistics on your mind.'

'Is it that obvious,' he asked as his lips slightly turned down at the corners and his brow creased.

'Looks like you just got rejected,' he off handily mentioned and saw that his brother's frowned deepened.

'In a way, you could say yes,' Mokuba stared down at the black leather folder before him.

'You mean that she actually rejected you,' Seto asked him, it was what he had wanted but it somehow made him upset and like a weight had dropped on his shoulders.

'She friend zoned me, told me that a friend like me was one of a kind. That I almost seemed like her little brother,' he clenched is right fist.

As soon as he heard his brother's words the weight on his shoulders lifted and he felt relief. She had kept her word and had quickly rejected him before he fell even further for her. 'It's probably better this way,' he tried to ease his pain. 'She is older than you and you don't know much about her.'

'That is what dating is for,' Mokuba rebuked, 'but I never even got to ask her out before she rejected me.'

'Well, you should take some time away from her to assess your feelings. In the meantime, you could try seeing other people,' he advised.

'That would be the most sensible thing, especially now that it seems that she is interested in someone else,' Mokuba sighed in resignation as he lifted his gaze towards his brother. His brother had frozen at the news he just given him, 'Seto?'

She liked someone else, how was that possible? Seto recalled she said she wasn't interested in Yugi anymore, nor his brother so who could she like? He didn't notice that his face had contorted into a snare, which made his face unpleasant and scary. He then remembered the young manager that was always there with her as if he was attached at her hip. 'Seto,' Mokuba was a bit frightened by his brother's passionate reaction.

It had to be that pesky manager, but what was so interesting about him? He wasn't even that handsome, if he had to compare each other he would say that he was better looking. She needed someone that could tame her wild and reckless nature, not let her run around loose to do as she pleased. Every time she did, she caused trouble and that was no good. Mokuba reached out to grab his shoulder and shake him out of his daze. 'Seto, I am glad you feel so passionate about my rejection, but it's something that I can deal with on my own.'

'What?' Why would he force her to be with his brother?

'I thought that you were going to help me,' Mokuba answered.

'You can't force or buy someone's feels, especially if she sees you as a little brother,' Seto clarified.

'Then why were you so upset about my rejection,' Mokuba was puzzled at his brother's reaction.

Now he had to get out of this one, he realized as he had let too many emotions slip through because of her. What was he supposed say to avoid his brother thinking the worst of him? 'Because you are a Kaiba, we don't get rejected. We do the rejecting and are prime choice in boyfriend and husband material,' he explained.

'That's going a little too far isn't it,' Mokuba found his brother a little too conceited. 'It was just a matter of her already being interested in someone else and me being too late.'

Again, his brother's features twisted unpleasantly as if his rejection really angered him. Maybe he should warn Alisa about him. It was probably better if she and his brother didn't crossed path for a while. 'Well, I think that it's best if we just forget about this,' Mokuba offered. He wasn't as disappointed about his rejection anymore seeing that his brother was so upset on his behalf which was a relief. It means that even if he was against her, he would have still supported his decision in the end.

'I think that it would be best,' he appreciated his brother's escape goat. He would use his certificate himself and make her regret having picked someone else.

'Great, we should go out for lunch and treat ourselves to something delicious,' Mokuba offered.

'Fine, you can pick whatever you want,' it was him that they needed to cheer up.

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Alisa was typing away on her computer when she heard her cell go off. It was lunch time, she was trying to use her time wisely and get further into her novel. However, with so many interrupts, it was impossible to do. 'Hello, Alisa speaking,' she answered after the third ring.

'Ms. Prism, it's me, Yu,' she heard the deep voice of her manager on the other line.

'To what do I owe the pleasure of your call,' she asked. 'I didn't think that you were going to call or come over until next week. Was there something wrong with the chapters that I sent you?'

'No, it's not about that,' he hesitated. 'We received a call from Mr. Kaiba to set up a date for you to come over and spend the day with him.'

She almost lost the phone when he told her the news, 'You aren't serious?'

'Um,' he was unsure of how to answer, but honestly. 'He set it up for you to come over to his house at seven in the morning this Friday.'

'I have my work at the bookstore,' she told him trying to get out of it.

'Understood, that is why we will send someone from the office to cover for your absence,' he tried to ease her worry.

'I don't know if Risa will be alright with someone new coming to the bookstore and helping,' she continued to make excuses.

'I've already talked to Ms. Risa and she understands,' he replied. 'We have confirmed with Mr. Kaiba your arrival. He said that you are free to wear whatever makes you comfortable.'

This wasn't happening, she groaned as last Saturday's nightmare became more of a reality. 'Ms. Prism,' Yu called out to her after he heard her groan, 'are you alright?'

'I am not,' she bitterly snapped. Knowing Seto he was plotting something devious, because what normal person had her go over to their house at seven in the morning. She was supposed to spend the day with him, but it was more like a few hours for a meet and greet with her. 'Seven is too early.'

'Isn't it almost like your normal schedule at the bookstore, you even get to rest an extra hour,' Yu didn't know how to make her date less unpleasant considering he had a feeling things weren't going to go his way.

'That's not the point, I should go over at ten, meet and greet him and go out for lunch afterwards and then part ways,' she told him.

'A meet and greet is kind of out of the question, considering you two know each other,' Yu pointed out, 'and as long as it's day hours he can keep you with him until the day is done.'

Alisa wanted to throw another tantrum, but felt it was useless, she had agreed to being added to the auction with no specific rules. It was just courtesy to not manipulate a simple standard agreement and force the first party into something unpleasant. 'Fine, but if he tries anything, I will not be responsible for my actions.'

'I am sure that Mr. Kaiba will be on his best behavior,' he heard her mocked laughter on the other side of the phone. 'I'll send you his address and if you feel more comfortable, I can come and pick you up and drop you off.'

'That's alright, just text me his address, I can make it there on my own,' she looked up at the clock. 'Yu, I have some stuff to finish up before I return to work in ten minutes, so I am going to have to let you go.'

'Right, I'll send the address to your phone. If you have any questions, feel free to call me back or message me.'

'Kay,' she answered, and they exchanged good-byes. Afterwards she threw herself onto the couch in resignation at her fate. Then after a minute or two of screaming into one of the throw pillows, she got up and finished what she had been working on and saved her file. Before getting up and going to grab a juice pack from the refrigerator to alleviate her quacking heart.

After she was done, she headed back downstairs to help Risa. 'So, I heard the winner of the auction finally called to schedule a date with you,' Risa told her as she cleaned the windows.

'Unfortunately,' she grumbled.

'I don't think that your date will be pleased with that attitude,' Risa said as she looked over the new arrivals for the week, they needed to be labeled and entered into their system.

'He's not a date,' she sprayed the window with cleaner before wiping it. 'I just have to spend the day with them and that's all.'

'Sounds like you know the person.'

'Not well, but well enough,' she grumbled as she looked out at the less than busy streets.

'I heard he wanted a head start on his day with you, sounds exciting. Is he young?'

'As young as us,' she answered.

'Aww, so a potential admirer?'

'Ha, admirer my ass, more like pest that has infested my peace of mind.'

'Sounds like you think about them a lot,' Risa thought she was going to receive a comeback right away like usually, but instead she was quiet and began to clean the window with a fiery passion. 'Wait,' she put the book that she was working on down and turned her full attention to her silent partner. 'You're not seriously interested in this person, are you?'

Alisa's face was flaming, she wasn't interested in him in the slightest, but she couldn't deny the fact that her unconscious thoughts about him were a bit disturbing and that unsettle her. 'No,' her voice wavered.

'Oh, my god,' Risa cried in happiness. It didn't take a genius to figure out who she knew that was their age and caused her a headache. There was only one person that ruffled her feathers and at the same time soothed them from time to time. 'I can't believe it!'

Alisa jumped at her sudden cry of disbelief and joy, 'Have you lost your mind?'

'As much as you have,' she told her as she beamed at her friend. Finally, it was happening, the isolated whirl wind had found someone that could tame her. He wasn't the perfect tool in the shed, but for her he was ideal. Risa was a supporter of the cool and collected young man, she liked his brother, but he would let Alisa walk all over him and do as she pleased. She was too eccentric for the young lad and he would want to spend more time with Alisa, which would drive her away. His older brother would meld well with her, if it was only for keeping her in her place.

'I have not lost my mind.'

'But you've matured more recently. You don't run away from Yu. You do your job properly and you even dressed up and enjoyed your evening out for work.'

'I did not,' Alisa shook her head and protested.

'Did not or you don't want to admit it, because I heard you met someone there and ignored your date.'

'Yu was not my date, just my companion that would help me when I got stumped with questions and didn't want to deal with unwanted attention.'

'So, you ignoring him for Kaiba was something you were okay with because he wasn't unwanted attention?'

'I never said that.'

'Those were your words a moment ago,' Risa pointed out.

Alisa floundered, but quickly found the words to save her, 'I couldn't ignore him, he's Mokuba's brother and our customer.'

Risa's mouth opened in awe at her straight up lie and excuse, 'If that helps you sleep better at night, so be it. I won't argue with you, but how lucky to have the guy that you like buy you for the day?'

'You make me sound like I am a prostitute sold to the highest bidder for the night.'

'Of course not, but that makes me think you want to do those kinds of things with him,' Risa watched her reaction and was amazed at her blooming red face. 'You're kidding?!'

'No, no, no,' she shook her head. 'It's just that we were talking about prostitutes and unpleasant images surfaced to the front of my mind.'

'With him,' Alisa got a shade darker.

'No,' She cried out, 'and if I do think of that it's your fault!'

'Why, I am not the one that is having the perverted thoughts about a customer and old schoolmate. Don't worry though, I won't blame you if you did. He is a handsome man, tall with strong broad shoulders, a firm athletic build, perfect unblemished and chiseled face with amazing dark blue eyes. A person could get lost in his deep oceanic hues that sometimes resemble the twilight sky before it goes into darkness.'

'Don't make him sound so poetically handsome. He's ordinary, if there is anyone that is handsome, I would say…' crap, she didn't know that many men and even if they were handsome in their own respects, it was hard when pinned against him.

'At a loss or ready to admit I was right,' Risa smirked as she caught her in a rabbit hole without escape.

'I just can't remember his name right now, but there is a handsome Columbian actor that I am interested in,' she tried to find another lifeline, but Risa wasn't going to let her have this one.

'I bet he's tall, fair skinned, has broad shoulders, defining facial features and brown hair. Eyes I am not sure, but besides that doesn't it sound like someone we know?' Risa described the possible appearance and match for Kaiba.

'He,' she was speechless because thinking about it he did sort of resemble him, except his eyes weren't a deep blue, but a clear sky blue.

Risa saw her face no longer in thought but contorted in displeasure as she realized that what she said was true. It was normal that they would look similar considering they were a representation of her taste in men. A complete one-eighty from her previous taste, but as humans grow older their taste change or evolve. Then again maybe she's always liked him and mistook her admiration for Yugi as something more. Like now she refused to acknowledge Kaiba because he was a bully that pursued greatness by whatever means. It was just the way that he pursued it that threw her off and into fawning after another. However, now their attraction for each other was apparent, in the way that they constantly fought and bickered but came back to each other. A cat and mouse that constantly pursued and avoided each other, but always met. 'Are you going to admit it?'

Alisa finished cleaning the windows, 'I am going to go organize the backroom,' she avoided the question and Risa's questioning look. However, the blonde just watched her and kept her mouth shut until she opened the door to the back room, and she began to laugh hysterically as if she found her plight extremely hilarious. Alisa closed the door to the backroom quickly and dropped down, releasing her tools and pulling her knees close so that she could bury her face in shame. Because when in the world had things changed and it happened, she berated herself.

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A/N: Ah, man, I seriously thought that this chapter was it. Didn't realize that things didn't get more interesting until the next chapter. However, it's great to see that feelings between the two are getting more interesting. Sorry, for not updating this past weekend, with the holiday, visitors and cake orders, life got a little too busy. I will try to go back to my usually schedule, so see you again this weekend!