There was nothing more disturbing than this. If they needed a single event to turn everything they've planned into shambles, this was it. Their plan was supposed to happen at least a year and a half from now, but this predicament will most definitely short circuit the process. What disturbed Julia was how society has conditioned her to think. Yes, she was engaged but there was still this sense of shame. She still wondered to inform Kyoya of this news. The media still hasn't gotten over how the Kyoya Ootori served his heart on a silver platter and asked for her hand in marriage. The union of the Ootori and Mizushima family was something that became the talk of the town. It's been two months since Kyoya proposed but it caused a series of events. This move certainly boosted all sorts of sales that even the Ootori Group hospitals had a couple's package for a yearly checkup, and it was sold out almost immediately.

"This is just the worst." She took a deep breath and slowly sunk into her chair. Her forehead was plastered to the mahogany desk with stacks of paperwork.

Forget about telling Kyoya, it's the board she'll have to contend with.

This realization made her groan even longer.

Her internal monologue could be viewed as a fugue of sorts for those watching her. Her secretary pushed her glasses and continued typing on his screen. He could see the chairman through the glass walls of the office and tried his best to ignore the scene that was unfolding. He's grown used to these moods of the Mizushima chairman. In public, she was quite the definition of refined, modern, and controlled. Little did they know that behind closed doors, their chairman would work sprawled on the floor with her documents sitting left and right. Even the pajamas kept in storage are used when extreme episodes of inspiration happen, and the chairwoman literally works while using those adult onesies.

The shark onesies of the chairman were the secretary's personal favorite, but the unicorn onesies produce most results during trying times.

Misuzucchi-san cleared his throat and looked at the poor secretary. "She's in one of those moods again?"

The poor man nodded. He looked through his records once again. "She's been like this the entire morning. I checked her schedule to make sure I wasn't overlooking any deadlines, but she seems to be worked up with something else."

When the secretary realized who he was speaking too, he stood up abruptly and bowed his head. "Misuzu-san, forgive me I didn't realize-"

Misuzucchi waved his hand and wasn't bothered with the familiarity. "I guess I'll delay the wedding planner's news for now. Somehow planning the wedding has been causing her more stress."

"Well, the number of lawyers needed to properly fix their prenuptial agreement is…"

Misuzucchi nodded his head. No further explanations were needed. The union of the Mizushima family and Ootori family's assets as well as it's possible division of the future turns to an outcome they weren't expecting was being prepared.

"I think you should update Ootori-sama with your news first, Misuzu-san." The secretary suggested.

Misuzucchi nodded. "He is the more rational one."

There was something with people who worked in the creative arts or media. To think Julia was already a structured worker for their standards. It just proves how they were a different set of people when it came to working habits. They worked in spikes of productivity and would rest for prolonged periods of time. It was a practice Julia acquired. This behavior was unorthodox for places like the Mizushima Corporation, but no one could complain about it since she always had results.

"Do you have any documents you need to leave?" Julia's secretary asked Misuzucchi.

He handed the envelope slowly as he stared at Julia. He straightened out his powder pink business suit and walked out as discreetly as possible. He opted not to go for something as loud as hot pink since he was going to the business district. He had to dress properly for the occasion. It would have been easier for him to move around discreetly if he wasn't wearing his platform shoes.

It's been exactly twelve hours fifteen minutes and forty-seven seconds since Haruhi told Tamaki that they were expecting another child. He's been gloating with pride that they were expecting another child. He couldn't contain his happiness and concentrate on his work he had to visit members of the Host Club.

"Kyoya, I believe I'm turning into those stereotypical fathers who bring up jokes. Let me demonstrate my newly found skill to you." Tamaki cleared his throat. "Knock, knock."

"Come in." Kyoya answered as he tried to finish his presentation for the end of the week.

Tamaki whined. "No! It's not supposed to unfold this way. You're supposed to be suspicious. You never answer the door to strangers."

"I don't."

"Then how did you know it was me?" Tamaki asked in disbelief.

"When are you going to leave?" Kyoya answered his question with another question.

"Kyoya, please take me seriously." Tamaki begged. "You of all people should know the lightness I feel in my soul."

"I don't."

Tamaki shook his head slowly and chuckled as he conjured another idea. In this area of life, he was far more experienced compared to his dark-haired friend. "Ah, is this how my children will be when they become teenagers? Have I practiced with such a cold-hearted teen? My paternal skills are beyond compare."

Kyoya took a deep breath and stopped typing. He wasn't getting any work done with Tamaki in his office. The world certainly has a way of testing his patience. "If you're such a good parent, why don't you go home to the twins? They might be feeling the neglect. I've read that absentee parenting is one of the most common reasons for rebellion."

"A-absentee parenting?" Tamaki said slowly. He took out his phone and started to do a quick search on google. The first article he pressed was enough to scare him. "The thought of my precious children turning into a rebellious teen such as yourself or those Hitachiin twins is something I need to stop early!"

Tamaki's paternal instinct told him that having Kyoya, Hikaru, or Kaoru as biological children is something he cannot have. His children shan't be tainted with darkness. He ran out without saying goodbye and the office was silent once again.

Kyoya stood up and made himself a cup of coffee. He didn't have the same level of energy as before. Tamaki was like a parasite who drained the energy of those around him. He tried the optimism thing Mori spoke of and looked on the brighter side of life. He wouldn't be stuck with someone like Tamaki for the rest of his life. Julia shared the same jadedness when it came to these things.

The short break was enough to energize him, and he sat down and continued to type the data needed for the weekly report. He was about to get into the zone until a knock was enough to break his concentration.

"Good morning Ootori-sama." Kyoya's secretary entered and bowed quickly. "We have Misuzu-san with the documents for the wedding preparation."

"Send him in." Kyoya took a deep breath and closed his laptop for now. It appears that other factors are getting in the way of his work.

When Misuzucchi entered Kyoya's office, he took out his briefcase and gave the documents to Kyoya. "Kyoya-sama, here's the confirmation for the venue, photographers, and musicians. The wedding planners will have a summary of their progress by Monday next week."

Kyoya nodded slowly as he glanced at the documents Misuzu handed. He noticed the platform heels Misuzu was wearing and wondered how he traveled while wearing those shoes. It looked like a form of punishment and not footwear.

"On a more serious note." Misuzu said as he sat down slowly without breaking eye contact with Kyoya. "Has anything happened with Julia lately? She's been on edge since yesterday."

"Nothing significant has happened lately." Kyoya leaned back and crossed his arms. He didn't notice anything odd with Julia. "She did say she was stressed with work, so I didn't pry too much."

"Is Mei-san doing well with her pregnancy?" Kyoya changed the subject. The entire Kasanoda clan was overjoyed when they found out the boss was expecting.

"Yes, but the doctor asked her to stop being on call for night shifts since it's a bit too stressful for the baby."

Kyoya did find it odd that almost everyone was expecting a child. Haruhi just found out she was ten weeks pregnant. Mei was on her third month of pregnancy. Chizuru and Kaoru are about to have this very western practice called a gender reveal party. Mori and Hinako were still trying to conceive. It seems like everyone was having children at this point. He felt…for lack of a better term…old. They were at that stage of life. It was still difficult for him to grasp the responsibility of being responsible for another living being. Financially he was sure that he had no shortcomings, but parenting was more than that.

Misuzu dismissed any worries he had. He was probably overthinking the situation. That's it. He's just overthinking the situation. Maybe the stress for Mei's baby shower four months from now was causing him stress.

The Tokyo International Business Club had their yearly charity ball. Big names and players were all there. It was a grand ball of sorts, and it was the kind of gathering that people sought to be a part of. Little did they know this was the stage of one of the greatest performances in their lifetime. Everything was set and the buildup was there. There was enough media coverage without them trying.

She looked at the queue of cars at the entrance and saw Kyoya's message. 'Are you ready?'

'Let's give them a show they'll never forget.' She replied.

By the time it was her turn to enter the venue, the camera's focused towards her direction. All sorts of questions such as the seriousness of her relationship with Kyoya were being thrown. She replied with a smile and said nothing. Let her silence be the thing that kept everyone on their toes. You could hear the people talking and the camera shutters when Kyoya met her by the door and offered her his arm. The two said nothing and this kept the media wanting more. Their actions spoke well enough as they intended. The pair went inside and moved to one of the quieter hallways to regain themselves.

"I'll never get used to this." Kyoya took off his glasses and closed his eyes for a bit. Being born into a wealthy family was something he was used to. He was acquainted with a certain level of attention, but this level was another thing.

"Focus your eyes somewhere far when that happens." Julia didn't seem fazed with the attention. She's dealt with this before.

"At least the wine they're serving later is decent." Kyoya tried to console himself.

"You'll have to drink my share." Julia said. There was no easy way of bringing this up so she might as well get it done and over with.

"You're not feeling well?" Kyoya asked.

"I'm fine, but we'll also need to reschedule the wedding."

"Reschedule? Are you-" A rare feeling of nervousness engulfed the Ootori. Was his fiancé implying what he was thinking? Having a child was an expected result of their union in the future. At this stage of their plan, it was unexpected, but not unwelcomed.

"How far along are you?"

"Seven weeks."

Kyoya took a deep breath. This was going to make executing their final stage difficult, but there was no going back now. He could only imagine the reactions of their families once they've made this fact known.

With all the plans being rushed, it was practically hell for everyone. Kyoya was so exhausted that there were times he would stare into space. It wasn't the wedding preparations or the merger that kept him up at night, but it was the fact that he didn't feel ready to become a parent.

Considering the physical burden on Julia's body, he dared not bring his thoughts to surface. Things were hard enough as it is.

"What are you thinking about?" Tamaki sat down beside his dearest friend. Through the years, he's known how to navigate through the Ootori's mind games and saw through the cracks.

"Nothing much."

Tamaki chuckled. "I don't think this is nothing much considering how much time you've been sitting out here by yourself."

Kyoya glanced at Tamaki and knew what his friend was saying. There was no use trying to hide it from him.

"I wasn't sure if I would make a good father." Tamaki shared. "I doubt there is perfection in everything, but children will know if you value them. I know the reservations you're having, but I know you Kyoya. You'll do great."

One of the rare moments where Tamaki's wisdom was a source of comfort for Kyoya. He wasn't sure what the future had in store for them so he could only wait and see things unfold.

Ryusei Ootori stared at the clock at the café. He wished he could just run out since the intern coordinator has been saying the same thing for the past hour. He glanced at his other co-interns who also had the same sentiments. It's part of the new school curriculum to have exposures to various industries and they were mixed with students from different schools across the country. He was the representative of Ouran High School while his co-interns came from other high-ranking schools as well. They all made this brief eye contact with each other hoping that this would end.

When they saw their intern's coordinator stand up, their hopes went along with it and it dipped even lower when they saw that the president of the company entered the café.

"President Komatsuzawa, what a pleasant surprise to see you here."

The president glanced at the interns and walked past them. The intern's coordinator mentioned in passing that the interns were here for the team dinner. After a few seconds he walked back and did a double take at Ryusei Ootori.

"What's your name, boy?"

He stood up and introduced himself. "Good afternoon president, my name is Ryusei Ootori."

"Gosh, I knew it was you. You are an exact replica of your father. I feel like I was transported to almost thirty years ago when we were in high school." Komatsuzawa took off his glasses and placed it back on. "I didn't think it was possible to look so much like a parent." He said with a short laugh. He called the other members of the board. "Look, it's Ootori-kun's son."

Ryusei was more than familiar with this treatment. He looked a lot like his father, but that was basically it. He didn't have the same calm demeanor that members of the Ootori family or even that of the Mizushima family. It was probably his clumsy nature that made him different from the rest of them.

One of his co-interns sat closer to him. "Hey you're related to the Ootori family? As in 'the Ootori family'?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you say so?"

Ryusei laughed it out lightly. "Hey, am I supposed to have a business card saying I'm from the Ootori family?" He didn't feel like an Ootori to most people. The aura that most of his uncles, cousins, and even his aunt wasn't shared to him. If there was an easy going and approachable Ootori, that would be him.

"Damn. If I knew you were so rich, I wouldn't have paid for your coffee when you left your wallet. I can't believe someone as cheap as you is an Ootori." His co-intern said jokingly.

His other co-intern added as if to jest. "Well, it could be worse. I heard that the Ootori and Mizushima heir was about our age. You could have been that person which wouldn't make sense considering how much of a cheapskate you can be."

"Can you Imagine that…" Ryusei replied with a nervous laugh.

"No! You're probably one of the nicest people in the business industry if that happens." His other co-intern added.

As if it wasn't enough, Komatsuzawa went back to their table and sat down beside him. "How's your mother? I remember taking her to this exact restaurant years ago when she still wasn't the chairwoman of the Mizushima Corporation."

The sudden realization made the air so thick none of Ryusei's co-interns could breathe.

"Okaasan is doing fine. I'm surprised she went to a place as expensive as this." Ryusei answered.

"Yes, I remember her being so discreet about her birthday. It was around this time of the month too." Komatsuzawa looked at his calendar.

Ryusei nodded.

"She must be busy since you don't have any plans."

Ryusei found the opportunity. An opening. He was going to use this one well. "Ah well I cancelled dinner with her since we were lucky enough to have you here for the team dinner."

Komatsuzawa was suddenly flustered. Was Julia's birthday today? Did he just keep one of the children of their main shareholders in a team dinner? "Nonsense! You should have dinner with your mother."

Ryusei shook his head politely. "It would hardly be fair for me to leave early while the other interns have to stay."

"You guys should go." Komatsuzawa insisted. "Spend time with your families."

The signal was there and it was one of the few moments he used his family to his advantage. He smiled warmly at his co-interns and motioned for them to leave. There were all sorts of questions being thrown his way and he knew they weren't leaving him alone until he's answered all of it.

Ryusei drank the iced tea until there was nothing but ice. He wasn't sure how he got himself into this situation. She just came back from France. She opted to take the international internship for that summer, and she just got back the other day.

Yuriko Suoh batted her eyes at her date. "Thank you, my sweet choco-cutie."

Ryusei almost spat his water out and mouthed silently "Choco-cutie?"

"You're the cutest strawberry cheesecake baby doll in the world."

He stared at the couple and looked away out of shame for them. "Strawberry what?" he asked himself in a hushed manner. He could feel his eye twitching. It was disgusting enough to be in this situation but to see this with his own eyes is just too much.

"How long have you been seeing each other?" Ryusei asked earnestly. Surely a relationship with this level of pet names should have been around for some time.

"One week." The extremely lovey dovey couple answered.

"O-one week." Ryusei repeated slowly as he hid the disbelief in his voice. He wanted to bang his head on the table and probably stab his friend with a chopstick. Where did she get this idea that it was okay for her to bring a friend to a first week of a relationship celebration? Even he had more common sense than this.

Yuriko Suoh was the youngest child of Tamaki and Haruhi. She shared the same features as her mother, but certain traits such as Haruhi's common sense wasn't passed on fully.

Yuriko's date excused himself and went to the restroom. She watched Ryusei texting incessantly.

"Hey! We rarely see each other and you keep on texting." She scolded. "So rude."

"I'm calling for backup. I can't stand this. That's why you forced your father to letting you go to France." Ryusei didn't hide the digust on his face. The cutesy voice his friend kept on making was horrid. Absolutely disgusting.

Luckily for Ryusei, help was nearby.

The ever so loud Keitaro Morinozuka opened the doors and saw his friends. "If it isn't the thorn among the roses coming home!"

"Hello to you too Kei-chan." Yuriko sometimes cannot fathom where Keitaro gets his energy. His talkativeness certainly made up for the fact that Mori-ojisan doesn't speak as much.

Keitaro made himself a little bit too comfortable and started ordering some food as they waited for Yuriko's date to come back.

"Sooo? Who's the special guy?" Keitaro asked smugly. "Surely he passed your father's standards considering he's in the country."

Yuriko smiled so widely and was frozen in her seat.

"He doesn't know?" Ryusei stated the semi-obvious predicament. Then things started to fall into place. That's why he was invited to the date. He was there to mask it knowing that Tamaki Suoh would never let any man come near his precious daughter.

"Who doesn't know what?" Itsuki Kasanoda pulled another chair, and he too was oriented with the situation. He tied his red hair back as Yuriko explained what was happening.

As she unfolded her intentions for dating, it further confused her friends. It was simply her way of knowing the world better. She wanted to know how it feels to experience a relationship.

"So you wanna keep this guy so you can finally have your first kiss?" Ryusei struck gold with this one.

"N-no!" Yuriko's cheeks turned dark red.

"If a first kiss is the only thing you wanted, you should have asked Keitaro to help you." Ryusei suggested.

Keitaro's confident demeanor suddenly eroded. "I-I wouldn't kiss her!"

Itsuki started chuckling and saw where this was going. "Yeah we know, but you got a lot of guys on the kendo team who probably wanna kiss her."

Ryusei and Itsuki left the two flustered. They took their leave and hoped that one day they'll realize it themselves. It was awkward for childhood friends to transition to something more than that.

I just kinda missed this story and just added a glimpse into the future. I had this weird thought that having a clumsy Kyoya, a very girly Haruhi, a noisy Mori, and an extremely calm and controlled Ritsu would be a bit entertaining.