Disclaimer: I have no rights over any Ouran characters.

Haruhi's heart sped up, but she forced herself to relax. So, he'd figured out it was her, what was he going to do about it? She'd just helped him save his family's zaibatsu. And, from what she'd heard through the grapevine Kyoya was going to be named heir to the Ootori Group because of that.

Why should he be angry with her?

She breathed in deeply through her and then released it slowly as she smiled at him, "So, I see you figured it out. I was surprised you didn't recognize me on the first day. Everyone says you're very observant."

He leaned back in his chair and studied her through his flashing spectacles, not saying a word. She raised one eyebrow in question.

"I'm trying to decide exactly what you hoped to achieve by deceiving me."

Her other eyebrow went up, "Achieve? What exactly could I achieve? It was my job to help you with this situation. What does the Hitachiin Extravaganza have to do with that?"

"You see, I'm wondering that too," he leaned forward to look her in the eyes "since, you see, there's only one reason you would try to play me like that."

Haruhi thought she saw a flicker of pain flash through his eyes, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't be sure.

"You're trying to grab power, you wanted to seduce me, possibly entrap me in marriage."

Haruhi's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?"

He crossed his arms and leaned back again.

"You heard me. You scoped me out at the Hitachiin Extravaganza, though that meeting was likely by accident. I suspect that you were originally after one of my friends. I suppose it was one of the Hitachiin twins or Takashi Morinozuka, since they aren't married or engaged. But, then you saw me, and decided I'd fit your bill much better. You likely planned to 'meet' me again later and give yourself away, purely by accident of course. But, then you realized your luck when I came to Tachiki and Sons on Monday. You convinced your 'friend' Mamoru Tachiki to let you take over the meeting, despite the fact that you're merely his assistant. And then, today, you deliberately wore a Hitachiin dress again and had Mamoru help you by canceling last minute. You even had him recommend this restaurant, which is rather romantic, is it not?"

He gestured at the candlelit tables separated by leafy potted plants and set in an open air courtyard.

Haruhi could only stare at this man and wonder what had happened to the calm, logical man she'd gotten to know over the past two months. How in the world did he see her as such a femme fatale? Hadn't all those hours pouring over presentations or rehearsing taught him anything about her? And did he really think she controlled Mamoru? Honestly!

"Everything you just said is nonsense."

His eyes narrowed and he sat up straight, now it was his turn to say, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. That was all pure nonsense based on unsubstantiated delusions you've pulled out of…somewhere. Honestly, Kyoya Ootori, that is not like you."

"We're not discussing me, we're discussing you. Oh, yes, I know all about you Miss Haruhi Fujioka. Your mother died when you were young and you were raised by your crossdressing fa–"

Haruhi saw red.

"Leave my father out of this 'discussion'."

"Oh? Then should I skip ahead to where you put a boy in the hospital in high school? Or–"

Haruhi stood up, "I'm done here."

She was not going to sit here and listen to him tear apart whatever little parts of her past were open to the public and dissect them.

He stood up too, "I'm not."

His voice was tightly laced with anger, but she didn't care, so she ignored him and turned to walk out. How had she found this man so fascinating? Had she really had butterflies in her stomach about this dinner? Her? The girl that wasn't fazed by anything?

She'd only taken a few steps when he grabbed her wrist.

"I'm warning you, Ms. Fujioka, I don't ever want to see you anywhere around my friends again."

"Let. Me. Go."

"No," he tugged until she was facing him.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "I'll count to three."

He ignored her, "I don't know what you were planning before you set your sights on them."

"One."

"All I can think is that you got tired of waiting to climb up the ladder."

"Two."

"But, don't worry, I'll be calling Mr. Tachiki, you won't have a ladder to climb up when I'm done."

"Three."

"Do you–"

She didn't stop to listen to the rest of his sentence. She was so angry. She didn't know where this Kyoya had come from, because it certainly wasn't the man she'd spent the last two months working with. Nor was it the man that the other boys in the Host Club talked about. And right now all she wanted to do was get away from him and go home.

When she finished her dress had a small tear at the hem and Kyoya was lying on the floor, groaning.

She turned and swept out of the restaurant, the eyes of every patron and wait staff on her. None of them were stupid enough to stop her from leaving the restaurant and getting in the taxi that the doorman hurriedly summoned.

She told the driver the address for the small apartment she shared with her father. She didn't know what she was going to do when she got home, but she was sure she'd figure it out. She had thirteen hours to figure out what to do as Mr. Tachiki was currently on a plane over the continental USA.

She knew Mamoru didn't have enough pull with his father to save her job if the Ootori Group wanted her gone. He'd already be angry enough about her taking over the Ootori case.

That meant she needed a new game plan.

She had quite a bit of money in savings. Between the money her father had set aside for her education that she hadn't needed and all of the money she'd saved and carefully invested over the past three years she had a very substantial nest egg.

If she dressed the right way, spoke the right words, and got lucky she might be able to get a few loans.

Between her nest egg, her loans, and the connections her friends had spent the last three years forcing her to make she might be able to set up her own law office and actually make a real go of it.

Haruhi found herself smiling as she paid the driver and slipped quietly into the apartment.

Yes, she could do it. After all, if she could leave everything she knew at the tender age of fifteen to go to Australia she could certainly do this.

She wasn't alone, she had her friends, she had her father.

And she was never, ever, letting them put her in a Hitachiin gown again.

Especially when they had devious plans in mind.

A Hitachiin suit might be acceptable though.

She chuckled silently as she stepped around her father and headed into the bathroom. If Mei and the Hitachiin twins had their way she'd be the best dressed lawyer in all of Japan.

Author's Note: It's a bit on the short side, but I'll make up for that by posting the next chapter, which is from Kyoya's pov, on Tuesday.

Enjoy! :)