Chapter 25
Mari was an organized person. Mostly.
Her lab bench was always organized, clean, and stocked. Her data was always placed in order of the experiment, date, and filed correctly. She had a clear-cut schedule developed with her team to follow for the next few months. She woke up at 6 AM every morning and got home at the same time almost every day. Mari was organized where it counted.
But when her calendar popped up with Taika's Recital at 7:00 PM, she was most certainly not organized for it. Old habits die hard, it seemed. Some things just slipped out of her mind, hence the calendar reminder. But even so, Mari had been too busy to deal family events unless it came to her niece and nephew. She felt like she was suddenly back in her teenage years, scrambling to get the last set of textbook questions done before the next period. She texted the Ootori immediately.
Can you handle dinner by yourself? I have to go to Taika's piano recital at 7.
The man didn't respond. Not surprising. Mari packed up her things from her office, leaving a string of paperwork on her desk. Her desk was always a nightmare. The mug that held her coffee from this morning went unwashed for the day. She grabbed her water bottle and laptop at the very least and stuck it in her handbag. Mari bid farewell to her colleagues and rushed out the door. Her phone vibrated. It was the Ootori.
"Where are you?" No greeting. They weren't the kind of people who cared for it.
"Running to the subway station," Mari responded as she ran down the stairs, her heels echoing down the hall.
"I can come pick you up," the Ootori offered. "I'm already on my way down to the parking garage."
"I work on the other side of the city," she reminded. "It's not worth your time."
"That's alright," Kyouya shrugged. "It'll save you some time instead of having to commute for the entirety of it. I'll meet you halfway."
He hung up and texted her shortly. When the Ootori's mind was made up, there was little chance of changing his mind. Mari gave in, realizing that it was the most logical choice. It would save her a little bit of time if he drove instead of having to take multiple trains to get to where she had to be.
Mari picked up some convenience store onigiris and some soft drinks before meeting with Kyouya. She spotted his Mercedes quickly, hopping into the passenger seat in a flurry and settled down with the plastic bag with food from the convenience store. She placed the small bouquet of flowers and macarons from a high-end bakery in the back.
"I bought dinner," she told him, tossing him a tuna onigiri into his lap. The man was in the midst of driving to the recital hall, unable to do multitask. Mari was barely able to put a seatbelt over her body before ripping open the plastic wrap.
"What is this?" he asked in disgust, picking up the object from his lap with his free hand. It was like a brick of triangle-shaped rice. It was still warm. It made his hands feel weirdly gross.
"Just fucking eat it," she ordered with her mouth full. "We don't have enough time."
"I'm driving, Mari!" he raised his voice at her, obviously annoyed by the choice of food and by the demands of the scientist. Mari only responded by shoving her own onigiri in his face. He barely got a look at the stuffing inside of the rice. It smelled like fish.
"You have to eat something," she ushered. The Ootori got grumpy when he didn't eat enough. That much she learned to deal with over the years. "It's good, I promise," she tried again.
The Ootori snarled and took a reluctant bite into the rice brick as he looked ahead towards the traffic. The savoury flakes of tuna mingled nicely with the furikake-seasoned rice. It was not Michelin star quality food, but it was satisfactory – especially when you were hungry. He swallowed and quietly chewed on another bite of the onigiri Mari hand fed him while he drove. The two shared two onigiris between each other, taking turns at biting at what the Ootori could only describe as a triangular brick of rice.
The woman made no comment to tell him that she was right when the Ootori began taking larger bites of the onigiri, knowing that it would only create an endless cycle of bickering. She was just glad that the man was willing to eat – otherwise she'd have to deal with his stupid temper later that night. They arrived at the recital hall and parked with 15 minutes to spare before the recital began.
Mari silently handed him a bottle of iced barley tea to wash down their quick convenience store meal. He took it without complaint, glad that they were able to make it in time.
"You can go home," Mari offered. "The recital will take at least an hour and a half. They're children so…"
"I was planning on staying," the Ootori told her casually.
"You don't like children," Mari reminded. "I'm trying to give you an out so you don't have to suffer, dear." Their terms of endearment often came with a strong hint of sarcasm.
"It's your family," Kyouya pointed out. He knew what he was getting into. She loved Taika, sometimes more so than him. By extension, it was only right that he treated the nephew in the same manner – or at least try to. "And I'm already here."
Mari sighed. "Kyouya, you're going to fall asleep." She had been to these recitals before as a child. She couldn't have imagined that things had changed much over the years.
"No, I won't," he promised.
"You don't like classical music," the former pianist raised an eyebrow. The Ootori didn't like music in general.
"But I like you," the Ootori quipped with a host club smile.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. He could suit himself then. Mari pulled down the passenger side mirror, checking that she still looked presentable. She took apart the bun that she wore on most days, letting the soft curls settle down on her shoulders. Mari fished out a lipstick and applied the nude pink on her lips to look more alive than before.
Kyouya watched her silently and drank his barley tea quietly. She peered over to him as he sat against his leather seats. His tie was loosened and his sleeves rolled up. This was probably the first time in his day that he was able to relax. Mari reached over to his chest, loosening his tie to take it off of him but not before pulling him closer to her, planting a kiss on his cheek before pulling off the tie. She placed his tie in her handbag for safekeeping.
"Thanks for coming," she whispered. Mari sat back and got her wits together, cleaning up the wrappers from their convenience store dinner. The Ootori smiled to himself before rubbing off the lipstick on his cheek. He didn't have to say anything. They didn't have to speak a word to know how grateful they were for each other's presence, even if it wasn't needed.
Mari took the small bouquet of flowers and the macarons out of the backseat, meeting Kyouya at the front of the car. He grasped onto her free hand, opening doors for her into the auditorium. Mari looked around and spotted no one she could recognize. Emi, her sister-in-law had not been anywhere to be found. Kanda was also nowhere to be spotted. Mari was recognized by Miyawaki-san, the Takuya family's nanny from afar.
"Takuya-san," the elderly woman greeted with a bow. Mari reciprocated the bow out of respect. It took her a moment to recognize the woman. The nanny had recognized Mari from all the times the aunt had taken the boy off her hands for an afternoon over the many years of working for the family.
"Where are Emi and Kanda?" the aunt asked, looking for her brother and sister-in-law.
"They had a benefit to attend tonight," the nanny explained. "Yumi is at home with a stomach-ache and the other nanny. And my daughter is home waiting for me," the woman shyly added. "Would it be alright if I took off?"
Mari nodded in understanding, relieving the duties of the nanny immediately. "I'll take Taika home," she promised. Mari took a seat near the front row, pulling Kyouya down with her. She placed the bouquet and the treats by her feet, crossing her legs and getting herself acquainted with the program in the brochure they were given.
He could tell by the way she gripped the pages that the woman was annoyed.
"What's wrong?" he whispered, wondering if it was even a good idea to even ask. Mari sighed.
"It's fine," she mumbled. "It's the same thing we all go through. Absent parents on a big day and then I'm stuck with the damage control with the kids. First with Yuki, now with Taika."
"Yuki?" Kyouya scoffed. She was a grown adult who did not need the support of her parents. Although to Mari, Yuki was the baby of the family. She needed to be validated by at least someone in the Takuya clan before she blew up.
"No one else showed up for her launch party but me. No one else congratulates her when she creates a new product. No one else is there to encourage her to go back to school," Mari rolled her eyes. "Jesus, if we all have to play happy families for the press – sometimes I feel like I'm the only person holding it all together."
The Ootori rested his hand on her leg, soothing her from the rage that broiled within. "You're a good sister… and aunt," he added.
"This shouldn't be acceptable," Mari scolded in a quiet whisper. "I took it as a child when no one showed up to my competitions. Now it's happening to Taika," she grumbled.
"Not if you're around," Kyouya reminded. "He looks up to you." Taika always beamed with joy to see his aunt. They had fun together. She helped with his homework, took him to fun activities like movies and parks, and also listened to him when he needed an adult to speak to. Kyouya had no idea what that was like. It was a foreign concept.
Mari looked at the Ootori and shook her head. "Sometimes all you want to see is your mom and dad," she told him.
"I didn't want to see my parents as a child," Kyouya rolled his eyes.
"Your family wins at being dysfunctional," Mari snapped. "Maybe not the best thing to be winning at, Ootori-san."
The Ootori shrugged and grazed his thumb over her hand. "Relax," he tried again. "You're doing the right thing," he reassured. "You're a good aunt. Taika will appreciate you being here."
Taika came on stage near the end of the program, playing a movement of a Mozart sonata. Mari nodded with pride, picking up on all the little details that she hoped the judges had too. Kyouya on the other hand, was doing his best to stay awake in the dark auditorium. Mari rolled her eyes and let the man doze off, only waking him when her nephew was on stage. It was enough that the man showed up with her. Mari wasn't going to hold it against him when he couldn't stay awake to watch children play different renditions of classical music.
The Ootori clapped politely when the whole thing was over, letting Mari rush up to her nephew on stage as she passed off the bouquet and the box of macarons. She tossed him her phone and made him take a photo with her nephew by the grand piano. She beamed in pride while the child smiled with a missing tooth.
"Why did you buy flowers? Isn't that a girl thing?" the boy asked his aunt when they were exiting the hall. Kyouya trailed behind them, listening to them from the shadows.
"Flowers are celebratory," Mari told her nephew. "It is genderless," she nuzzled the hair on the boy's head. "Take the gift and be grateful for it, kid. I'm proud of you."
"Second place isn't as good as first," Taika murmured, obviously disappointed.
"She beat you by one point," Mari reminded. "You'll be even better next time."
"What's the point of a next time when no one shows up?" Taika only noticed his aunt in the audience. Not even his mother came to pick him up after it all. Of course, Taika couldn't expect his dad to show up to events since he was always busy with work anyway.
Mari turned to the Ootori and gave him an I told you so look. The Ootori blinked and shrugged, he wasn't prepared to fix something like this. He stuck his hands up in surrender, not wanting to deal with it. It was never in his books to deal with upset children. When they were upset as children, they just sucked it up. He unlocked the car and opened up the driver's door. Mari ushered her nephew in the back seat before she sat beside the Ootori.
"Well, you don't know that," Mari tried to be positive as she put on the seatbelt. "Your parents had an important event to attend to."
"But what could be more important than me?" the child quietly murmured as he looked out the window, watching the city lights pass by.
Mari sighed and understood how it must have felt. The feeling of neglect happened early in their childhood. Mari knew exactly the feeling of being bragged about to their family friends. She was there, winning first at competitions that no one showed up to. As if they took credit for her achievements without putting in any of the work. The fury that brewed within her as a child was only relieved by putting in all that anger into perfecting a skill that propelled her onto an international level.
"You're right, Taika," Mari answered. "There is nothing more important than you. Your parents should have showed up." A part of Mari had felt angry about all the times she had been left behind, and to see it happen again in another generation only evoked more bitter feelings.
"It's okay," the boy sighed. The same kind of sigh Mari recognized. The sigh of defeat and surrender. "Adults have adult things to attend to," he quoted his father.
"Adults are not always right," Mari reminded her nephew. "Adults make mistakes and poor choices."
"It's fine, Aunt Mari. I understand," the nephew quietly responded. "It doesn't really matter anyway, I didn't win."
"You placed second," the aunt gloated. "Don't discount your achievements, Taika. I'm proud of you. You're allowed to feel disappointed that your parents did not come because they should have," Mari wanted nothing but to hug her nephew. They were nearly home by now. Traffic had died down significantly since nightfall.
"You're being very mature and understanding about your parents and where their priorities lie," Kyouya cut in. His deep voice surprised the pair of Takuyas who nearly forgot that he was there. The man had been quietly driving the entire time, slipping away in the shadows.
"You think so?" the boy asked, hopeful. It was nice to be validated by an adult who was not part of the family. His dark brooding nature only made him seem more authoritative about it all. Somehow, it made Taika respect him even more.
She smiled at the Ootori before turning her head and nodding at the boy.
"We know it. You're very bright. You were a superstar today," Mari couldn't help but to grin at how cute her nephew was.
"You're so embarrassing," the nephew stuck his tongue at her, reverting back to his usual self.
"That's only because I love you!" Mari sang, eliciting a giggle from her nephew.
Kyouya gave a look at his fiancée, wondering where this woman came from. Someone who declared their love so willingly while sometimes he had to pull out her teeth to even hear a word of gratitude from her. He wondered if this was the kind of mother that she would be – the kind that she had always yearned for when she was younger.
Mari was the one to walk her nephew to the door of his residence after the boy politely said thank you for the ride to Uncle Ootori. It was odd to be called that, he thought to himself. But nonetheless, he accepted the polite thank you from the boy. He watched Mari kiss her nephew on the top of his head before letting go of the boy to get ready for bed. It was nearly 9. The adults were also tired after a long day. Mari exhaled when she arrived back in their car. She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was curl against him without the gearbox in the way.
Kyouya drove them home in silence, holding onto her hand the entire way. She welcomed his affection, his silent support during the entire thing, even though Kyouya slept for most of the recital. He was the one who needed the energy to drive after all. He let her lean against him during the elevator ride up, with his hand securely on her waist. The two settled quickly into their night-time routine without needing to speak to one another.
Mari was the first to come out of the shower while the Ootori was brushing his teeth. Her hair was tied up in a high bun with the towel wrapped around her body. She planted a kiss on his neck, leaning against his body for comfort. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, rubbing her arm in support while his other hand brushed his teeth. Mari let him finish up as she moved onto putting on her skincare.
She changed into her pyjamas. An oversized Harvard t-shirt that was not her own, but Kyouya made no effort to have her return it. What's his was now hers, apparently. He wore another one of his shirts from their alma mater. The cotton had grown to be softer and thinner over the years, perfect for sleeping. He found her curled up in their bed, hair still tied up and scrolling through her phone with her glasses. She swiped through the photos he took of her and her nephew earlier that night.
Kyouya slid beneath the comforter, peering over her shoulder to see what she was looking at the screen.
"You're a terrible photographer," Mari sighed.
"Watch it," he snapped. "You wouldn't even have gotten there if it weren't for me." He met her eyes with a scowl on his face. She sighed and relented, apologizing in her own way by placing her head against his shoulder.
Some shots were alright. Some were just poorly lit due to the lighting of the stage. Mari sent off the video of Taika playing to her brother. At the very least, Kanda could watch the video of his son. She pulled the glasses off her face and rested them against her head. Mari nuzzled her face against his chest, her arms wrapped around his torso. He smelled like bergamot and sandalwood. She relaxed against him, letting him hold her – at least for a little while.
"You'll make a good father someday," she whispered it like it was a well-kept secret. "Taika thinks you aren't half-bad."
"Did he say that?" Kyouya chuckled. It sounded like something Mari would say.
"No," Mari admitted as she closed her eyes. "He called you kind of cool in a mysterious way."
"So I'm cool," the Ootori corrected.
"No, I'm cool," Mari murmured. The aunt was the coolest. She was his favourite. There couldn't have been anyone else. "You're just kind of cool. I'm the coolest."
"Alright," Kyouya couldn't compete against her. He willingly surrendered against her when it came to her nephew, kissing the top of her head. "It's time to sleep," he told her. Mari muffled a yawn and rolled over to her back. Kyouya pulled the glasses off of her head and reached over her body to place it on her nightstand.
She tugged him to fall against her body, welcoming the extra weight and the warmth from him. She clung onto him like a child. He relaxed and let her do so. There was nowhere else he'd rather be. He pulled her over so that they laid on the side of their bodies. She entangled her limbs with his own.
"What's up with you today?" he murmured into her hair.
"I don't know," she sighed. "Seeing Taika disappointed was hard. Having another generation go through the same shit we did… it hurts in a different way."
"It seems like you are the one who is the most disappointed," Kyouya pointed out, putting loose strands of hair out of her eyes.
"Yeah," Mari nodded. "I was livid before I reached disappointment."
"I know," He felt it while they sat in the auditorium. Kyouya was surprised the woman wasn't seething by the end of it all.
"I don't want him to grow up feeling like I did," the aunt sighed. "Neglected until needed. Another trophy."
Kyouya couldn't promise that such things would not happen to her nephew given the kind of society they both grew up in. He held her a little tighter, rubbing her back in comfort.
"He'll grow up fine with you around," he promised her.
"I know," she sighed. "I'm trying."
"You'll be a great mother. A wonderful one," Kyouya murmured into her hair. "Your children will be lucky to have you."
"And you," Mari reminded. She wasn't planning on having children with anyone else. Perhaps not now, but someday with this man who held her tenderly. "You did so well with Taika today."
"I just showed up," the Ootori shrugged. It wasn't much.
"That's all you have to do," Mari smiled. "That's all I ever wanted when I was a child. For someone to show up. It was always Louise who showed up, by the way. She sat in the same seat every time. She brought me flowers. Chocolates too. Told me that only champions deserved good things."
"Mm," he nodded. "You deserve the best," he agreed.
"I'm not a champion anymore," Mari pointed out.
"You're my wife," Kyouya smiled. Fiancée. Wife. Whatever, it was all the same at this point. He wanted her to be his wife. The mother of his children. His life partner.
She laughed. "I guess I did somehow win you over all the other women. Not sure how."
"With that big brain of yours," Kyouya joked.
"Mm," Mari agreed. "Big brain," she repeated. "If only you had the same…"
Kyouya scoffed. "You just always have to ruin things, don't you?"
"You should come by my office," Kyouya told her.
"I literally have no reason to be in the corporate office," Mari responded, tossing the invitation aside and throwing it into the trash. The scientist was obviously too busy to be attending this event. Her job was not to sit and mingle when no one was able to afford backlogging any experiments at the timeline they were given.
"The conference is being hosted by corporate," the Ootori rolled his eyes. "How is this any different from your regular academic conferences?"
"Uh, businesspeople don't understand science," Mari pointed out. "You guys see our graphs and ask dumb questions."
"Excuse me?" the Ootori narrowed his eyes. Mari had just insulted his team of executives that sat on the board with him.
"Except for maybe your CSO," the scientist gave credit where it was due. "Besides, you can get any other scientist to present their work. Someone else will volunteer for it."
"No one in the R&D department volunteers for this sort of thing," Kyouya pointed out.
"Oh hm, I wonder why," Mari sarcastically answered. "Maybe it's because no one cares about our science and cares only about the money it makes."
"Mari, can't you just be more open-minded about this?" the Ootori groaned. "Not everyone gets invited to present at these conferences."
"What we do is proprietary," the scientist reminded. "What can we share without breaking our NDA anyway? Who cares what we do? Just let us do our jobs quietly in the background." They were just introverted beings who liked to do their own thing in the lab. Everyone groaned at the invite when they received it in their inbox at the beginning of the week.
Kyouya sighed. "It's a good opportunity to be seen, Mari."
"And I don't want to be seen," the woman replied, shoving the bowl of rice in his face.
"It'll be good so you can get promoted," the Ootori explained, taking the bowl from her. "It'll increase your reputation amongst upper management. Mari, it's a good opportunity. Just take it."
"I don't want it," the woman was stubborn. "What I do is enough, Kyouya. I do my job and I do it well. I match your deadlines. I report the data as required. I don't want to be the captain of this ship, I just want to be a nice crew member who can keep the ship afloat during my shift."
The Ootori frowned. "Who else will do it if it isn't you?"
"I don't know," Mari shrugged. "We'll draw straws tomorrow." It was going to happen during the lunch hour. The scientists gathered today and none of them wanted to take time off to go to corporate for some frivolous presentation on their progress for the past year.
"What?" the Ootori narrowed his eyes. Grown adults drawing straws? "This is such a silly method of—"
"—No one wants to do it, okay? We'll put together the slides and then some poor sucker has to present it to management for all of these corporate shenanigans."
Kyouya sighed. "This presentation also determines how much more funding your department gets for the year, Mari."
"Well, I sure hope it's not me," Mari stuffed her mouth with a spoonful of rice, not wanting to deal with the Ootori on this topic any longer. The Ootori grumbled about how stupid she was about passing up the opportunity.
The poor sucker was unfortunately, the youngest person of the group. Mari frowned at the straw that she drew, no more than two inches. She found herself standing in front of the skyscraper in the afternoon on the other side of the city. It was most likely owned by her own family which housed the corporate offices of the Ootori group.
Her badge was granted access through the security gates and into the elevator. Mari hardly had any idea where to go. She pulled up the email on her phone. 45th Floor. 3rd Conference Room. 3:30 PM. She found herself squished like a can of sardines in the elevator filled with Ootori employees. Mari clutched onto her laptop for her dear life, praying that the file with the slides she downloaded onto her computer hadn't been corrupted. Mari barely made it on time after losing their game of drawing the straws.
Kyouya saw her walk into the room from the corner of his eye. The conference had been going all day and was finally going to wrap up in the next hour. He licked his lips in an attempt not to smirk, knowing that the woman had drawn the shortest straw earlier today.
Mari only glared at the entire room with a scowl on her face, spotting the familiar man who she woke up to in the morning at the head of the table. Of course, where else would he have sat? Her phone buzzed as she sat down at the edge of the table with the rest of the presenters in this panel.
Don't look so excited. The Ootori texted.
Don't ask stupid questions. Mari responded quickly. She tried to text discreetly beneath the table, eyeing the Ootori with a glance. The man made no effort to hide his texting behaviour. Mari figured that the man was excused from such unprofessional behaviour given that he was a busy man himself, having to respond to whatever the hell he needed to on his phone.
I will do my best, Dr. Takuya.
The patronizing tone screamed through the chat bubble. Mari was unamused by the whole thing as she sat back in her office chair, refusing to play the game that the Ootori started. Mari looked through the agenda of the seminar, noting the time that she would be presenting.
Come to my office after this. 60th floor. Tell my secretary you have an appointment for 5.
Mari glanced down at her phone and rolled her eyes.
I'm going home after this.
Kyouya smirked.
How will you go home if I suspend your badge access? I'm a powerful man, Mari. Especially here.
Mari's eyes widened at the man and turned her head to glare at the Ootori, not caring who saw. He stared ahead and smiled to himself. Mari crossed her arms and huffed. She waited her turn to present. Mari fired up her laptop and made sure that everything was in order, censoring out all the important identifiers of their compound on any data or figures. Her presentation was not more than 15 minutes long, 20 if you included the question and answer period as provided.
Most questions were about the purpose of the compounds being developed. Some questions were about why the drug would be competitive against the already saturated market. Other questions were just out of pure clarification of what things meant on the slides she presented. None that she couldn't handle. None from the Ootori either, who only smiled at the end of it all.
It was odd having him watch her present the work of her department. A part of her felt self-conscious, given how revered the man was out of everyone in the room. Another part of her just felt unabashedly unashamed for what she presented, knowing that their research was strong and purposeful, but also because it was just Kyouya. The boy who she had known since she was a teenager. The boy she had known to make small mistakes during their time together as lab partners, and the boy who refused to even fall short of anything but perfection.
Good job, she read when she sat back down at her seat. Mari wondered if anyone else in the room could tell that they were texting. If anyone had caught on that the ring on her finger was given by none other than Kyouya Ootori. Could they tell that the diamond on her finger was worth thousands? Could others see that they were the two youngest people in the room and if they would ever realize that they were in a relationship?
Did their glances give each other away? The discreet texting? Surely, they could have been texting much more lewd things to each other beyond just encouragement and fake-threats. Mari did her best to not look in his direction, to keep it as professional as possible. She looked at the projector screen, letting the words on the screen drown into nothing but nonsense as her mind wandered.
How would things change if she was suddenly outed as the Ootori's fiancée? Would her work suddenly lose all credibility? Would people flock to her due to ulterior motives? Would all of her achievements in this company be deemed meritless if she had the Ootori backing her?
It saddened her knowing that people would think this way no matter how she tried to diffuse such rumours. Was it time to move onto academia? Just when she was already making strides at this company, with a team that she didn't realize she would grow so attached to. She had been working for over a year at this company already. It certainly helped that the company paid a considerably higher amount than academia. Funding for their lab supplies was never an issue that she needed to worry about. Life was easier in the industry for many reasons.
Her phone lit up in her hand when the seminar was nearly over.
60th floor. He reminded while the room shuffled to clear out. Mari shut her laptop and packed it away into her handbag. She hung around the hallway, quietly slipping into a crowd on the elevator that had been going upwards. By the time she reached the 60th floor, no one else was on the elevator but her. She took the time to fix her skirt and to re-tie her hair in a ponytail.
The receptionist was the first to greet her when she stepped off the elevator, asking if she had an appointment. Mari nodded shyly, telling her she had one for 5 PM, as instructed by Kyouya. The secretary made a couple clicks on the desktop, nodding in agreement when they saw the appointment in the Ootori's calendar. They led her through the glass doors and asked if they could get her any refreshments, to which Mari politely responded no before she was left alone in the giant office.
The entire city could be seen through the glass windows. Mari circled around the perimeter of the office, fascinated by the view. She sipped on the water from her bottle, noting the artwork that had been hung on the drywall. The seating area was spacious – obviously used for meetings with other clients or business partners, the couches were comfortable enough to sleep on if you needed to. There was a bar cart in the corner, a bottle of scotch had been filled halfway in its glass. Mari rolled her eyes. Typical.
The Ootori came through the frosted glass doors as Mari was in the corner, eyeing the alcohol.
"It's past 5," Kyouya greeted. "Would you like a drink?"
Mari rolled her eyes. "No, I'm fine."
"Suit yourself," Kyouya shrugged. He settled in his office chair, readying himself to go home by gathering whatever paperwork he needed to get through. He set his briefcase on his desk, placing his laptop in it with the papers. It was a busy day, as it always is. Though it was nice to finish it off with Mari around. He didn't have to wait an hour to see her at home when he was able to see her earlier in the afternoon.
"This is your office?" Mari shook her head at the extravagance. "What do you even need this much space for?"
"It's for my ego," he quipped, knowing that the woman would appreciate that comment.
She chuckled, choosing to let go of her previous question. "This place is crazy. Why do you even come home to work? It must look stunning at night."
Kyouya had to admit that he appreciated the view more often when he was younger, when he had no incentive to go home. Even more so, he appreciated the scotch after a long day. But it was different now. Quite frankly, Mari's condo had a similar view. It was even better, especially when he had her to come home to.
"You also look stunning at night," Kyouya smirked.
"Oh, so I don't look stunning during the day?" Mari raised her eyebrow. Two could play that game.
"You look breathtaking during the day, dear," the man shot back. The sarcasm only dripped with the term of endearment.
"Mmhm," Mari raised an eyebrow, not falling for such lines. She never did.
"I mean it," the Ootori casually told her. "You were especially beautiful when you told us all about the new development project."
"Oh haha," the scientist rolled her eyes. "As if anyone cared about how many weeks we took to even extract that compound."
"It was a good presentation, Mari," he told her sincerely, locking eyes with her.
"You're just saying that because I am your beloved," Mari refused to believe it. Her sarcasm could not be masked. She leaned on the edge of the pane that sat some décor against the glass window. She made herself comfortable quick in the office, admiring the view above all.
Kyouya could only sigh. "I am not allowed to be biased, you know that."
"How could you not be?" Mari whispered.
She had a point there. She wished she wasn't the one to deliver such presentations. Had it been anyone else, she wondered if it would have had the same effect. Kyouya shook his head.
"I have a team for a reason, Mari."
"And you can overrule them," the scientist pointed out.
"That's not good leadership," Kyouya shook his head. "I am a fair ruler, Mari. I listen to what they have to say. And for the record, they said good things about your presentation today."
Mari shrugged. "I guess we'll see if the funding comes through."
Kyouya shook his head and smiled. "Don't you worry about that, Mari."
He had finished packing his bag and began walking over to the woman who had waited for him. He was ready to go home and so was she. She sighed out of relief, eager for a nice cool glass of wine. Tonight seemed like a good night to relax after a nerve-wracking afternoon. She was about to take his hand before the frosted glass doors had interrupted them.
The familiar Ootori had always launched herself through the doors to the point where the CEO's secretary could do nothing but sigh. Kyouya's phone rang from the secretary at the same time the woman opened the doors. Long brown hair bounced off her shoulders as her Hermes handbag sat on her forearm.
"Why haven't you called me back, Kyouya?" the elder Ootori demanded.
"Fuyumi," Kyouya greeted calmly, unamused by the interruption.
