Chapter Four: Brothers
Dark and Daisuke woke up early the next day. Risa was practically flying—obviously something happened between her and Daisuke. But Riku, never really a morning person, was disagreeable when her sister yanked her from bed and shoved her towards the bathroom.
When the sisters descended their marble staircase and entered the dining room yet once again, Dark and Daisuke had already started talking about St. Moritz, skiing and the like.
"Morning, Risa. Morning, Riku…still not a morning person?" Daisuke greeted with a smile.
"Don't get on my nerves today, Daisuke, I couldn't sleep last night because of you two." She glared at her sister and her beau.
Riku wasn't lying. Last night, she could hear bodies being slammed on the walls and other noises that made her wish she didn't sleep in the room beside her sister's. Finally, she was so fed up that she moved to the living room—she didn't even check the guest rooms because she didn't want to talk to Dark at so ungodly an hour—and moved back to her room about an hour or so before Risa pulled back her curtains and shook her awake.
The couple blushed and Dark laughed at their reaction. "That was the two of you? Really, who would have thought you guys could get so wild," he commented, a smug look on his face. He turned to Riku who had slumped over in the chair beside his—she must be really tired if she didn't notice who was sitting nearest to her.
Riku groaned and hit the table with a fist.
"Don't worry about her, she just needs some food to wake her up," Risa assured Dark when he looked at Riku strangely.
"Are you still against caffeine in your system?" Dark asked Riku, referring to a conversation they had when they were in high school and he was in a phase where coffee meant life.
Riku looked at him blearily before realizing that he had asked her a question. That seemed to wake her up a little bit. "Of course I am, unlike you, I'm sure." She scoffed at the offended look on his face.
"Actually, Riku, Dark doesn't drink coffee…come to think of it, he doesn't drink any sort of caffeinated or alcoholic drinks anymore," Daisuke informed, a look of pure awe on his face.
Riku raised a brow. "Well, it's comforting to know that you listened to me at least once before," she said to him sarcastically.
"Oh come on, can't you stop fighting for at least ten seconds? We haven't even been here for three minutes and you two are already starting up again!" Risa cried out just when the maids entered to serve their breakfast.
Riku didn't answer her. Instead she ordered Dark to shut up with a glare then held up both her hands. Dark caught on quickly and smirked at the immatureness of it all. Slowly, one by one, Riku's fingers folded. When only her right pinky was left, she grinned widely and stuck her tongue out at Risa.
"That's really mature, 'Ku. Aren't you supposed to be older than me?" Risa frowned.
Riku shrugged then started putting food on her plate. Dark and Daisuke were already beginning to eat. When they were done, the two men had to leave. Daisuke promised he would come back after a change of clothes at his house.
A week had passed since that memorable night with only Daisuke visiting Risa. In fact, Riku almost forgot that she had met Dark at all after the meetings, interviews and shoots she had to attend. She was exhausted, only getting at least seven hours of sleep every night and working from nine in the morning 'til around ten in the evening most nights. Risa was worried for her sister, she knew more than anyone else that Riku needed a break before she spontaneously combusted.
Before Riku left the house the next Thursday, the door bell chose to echo throughout the house. "I'll get it!" she yelled to Risa and all the maids in the house being the nearest to the door.
She checked herself in the mirrors that lined the hallway going to the front door. She made sure her hair was in a perfect, reasonably high ponytail and that she didn't have a bit of dirt on her face. Her suit was both flattering and professional. It had to be, Risa had designed it just for that purpose in the first place as a gift to her overstressed sister.
She opened the door with a smile before rolling her eyes at the red head grinning at her. "Daisuke," she greeted. "She'll be down in a few hours, make yourself comfortable." The elder of the Harada twins smirked at him, leaving the door open for him to enter.
"Risa, Dai's here! Remember, it's the New York Art Museum!" she called out as a good-bye. She loved teasing her younger twin of their dinner conversation the week before. Risa screamed something back at her but Riku ignored it and walked towards her silver Mercedes-Benz, the only car she actually liked out of all the cars Modern gave her freedom to own.
The ride to her office was slow. So slow in fact that, as always, those on the sidewalks were reaching their offices and appointments faster than those on the road ever would. She was thinking idly to herself of the board members' meeting that afternoon. The last thing she needed was to baby-sit thirty grown men and women and made sure they didn't bite each other's heads off when all she wanted was to shut them all up.
A flash of violet caught her eye and she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her when she saw none other than Dark Mousy walking briskly towards Modern. Luckily, the office had a valet. She maneuvered her car quickly to the front of the twenty story-high glass building that was Modern Mag's main office building.
She allowed the valet to open her door before pulling her suitcase after herself out of the car. Riku smiled at the car attendant then hurriedly made her way to the retreating back of Dark.
"Miss Riku! Good morning!" Peter, the guard she was friends with, greeted with a broad smile, his silver hair glinting under the sun's rays that easily made its way inside the front lobby.
"Hey Pete, anything new happening today?" she asked with a smile of her own, momentarily forgetting that she was supposed to demand to know what Dark Mousy was doing in Modern.
She picked up the stack of magazines and letters left for her on top of Pete's table. People really needed to learn to suck it up and find a way to reach her personal office, not leaving things meant for only her to see in the entrance hall.
The fifty-three year-old man nodded his head enthusiastically, looking over Riku's shoulder with an even wider smile than she had ever seen on him.
"One of the owners of Modern's coming to check the magazine. They say he's the hardest boss to please."
The executive blinked in surprise at what she just heard. "He must be a real slave driver if he's worse than Mr. Herdrowe. Who is he?" Riku was already anxious to go to her office and get ready to meet with this boss. She's already met Mrs. Miranda Black, a pleasant, reasonably tolerant woman in her late thirties, and Mr. William Herdrowe, someone she didn't want to be within ten feet ever again.
"I don't know, Miss Riku. But I think you'll get to meet him soon enough," Peter commented with a shake of his head.
Riku nodded at the older man before making her way towards the elevator. She was so engrossed in the magazines and letters in her hands that she didn't notice the ping that signaled she was already on her floor.
"Excuse me, are you getting out on this floor?" a kind voice asks from her side, she didn't even notice that she wasn't alone!
Riku almost jumped three feet in the air before the embarrassment kept her grounded. She turned her head to be met with golden eyes slightly hidden under equally golden locks but clearly clouded over with amusement at her absent-mindedness. She was sure he was handsome but there was something that she didn't like in the man.
"Oh, yes, thank you." She walked quickly off the lift and made the proper turns to reach her CEO office which peacefully overlooked most of NYC.
"Hey 'Ku, how's my favorite CEO?" Asha Williams, her executive assistant, welcomed her with a great smile threatening to tear her fragile face in half.
Riku shrugged, sitting down in her chair behind her oak desk. "Fine, I guess." She stayed quiet for a few minutes, organizing the folders on her desk as Asha moved around the office, preoccupied with making it sparkle.
"I heard that we have a visitor. Do you know who he is? I've never even heard of Modern's third owner," she declared in disbelief, not looking up from the files in her hands.
Asha laughed hysterically. "You mean visitors. Riku, one of the owners and his brother are visiting. How could you not know this? Where were you during that impromptu conference Mr. Thompson had the other day?"
"Today's a Thursday, when did he have it?" Riku wrote something down on the fashion section of one of their rival magazines, Chic.
"Tuesday, I think. Anyway, you were in another meeting so I won't tease you about them. Speaking of whom, you have a meeting with the owner in a few minutes. Sir T's having a heart attack because they called for you before 'the president of this whole damn magazine section'. You should have seen him when he told me to tell you to go to ConRoom 2," Asha declared, mocking their boss near the end of her little speech.
"Brothers?" Riku echoed, her brows furrowed. Nonetheless, she stood up and walked towards the doors.
"Yup, brothers."
"Are you going to tell me who they are?" Riku questioned sarcastically, already knowing the answer. If she knew the girl in front of her at all then she would have to find out the identities of the brothers herself.
"Of course not, but I will tell you though, they are hot. I like the owner better though, more my type. That reminds me, give me a good word, 'kay? Maybe a raise or promotion," Asha called after her friend, who had walked out of the office when she refused to give in to her wishes.
Riku reached Conference Room 2 much too quickly in her opinion. Maybe she could go back to her office and let Asha tell Mr. Thompson that she didn't have time for the…owner and his brother. Oh gods, she had to go inside.
"…I'm telling you, she's a great author." someone's muffled voice reached her ears before she could knock on the door.
"How would you know? For all we know she could be a fake like all those other suck ups we used to have," this time a more assertive male snorted with disgust.
"Come on, I've known her since kindergarten. Sure, we haven't talked in years but talent doesn't fade with time, now does it?" the other guy countered more forcibly this time. Whoever this guy was, Riku was rooting for him! She knew how it felt always being rejected and having no one stand up for her.
"She has a great job and she's being paid more than she ever could earn as an author..." the enemy, as Riku had labeled him in her mind, was cut off by the other man with a snort of his own.
"Yeah right, it's been her dream for years. I've seen her work; I'd sponsor her myself if only the rules didn't prohibit me from doing so." Woohoo! Go whoever you are! Riku couldn't help but smile at the second man. Whoever he was trying to help should be very happy even if he couldn't sponsor her. This was probably the brother of the owner fighting the owner himself, who wouldn't feel grateful?
"Would you? Come on, little bro, she's better off this way. She's such an asset to this company. You should see her work, she's much better as an editor than an author, hands down." Riku scowled when she heard this, she knew so many people who were being praised for their editing skills rather than what they really wished to be known for—herself included.
"I would. I can't help but feel a little guilty for not knowing about this earlier, you should have told me! You knew her from way back then too, didn't you?"
"Well…of course I did. I would have done something if only she wasn't doing such a good job," the voice sounded uncomfortable...and familiar. In fact, both the voices seemed much closer to home than she wanted to believe. Now that she thought about it…
"Just admit it, you didn't know about her until I called this morning."
"Fine, yes, I had no idea. I don't have time to keep track of all of them, alright?"
"I don't know why we're still having this conversation when—"
Riku had had just about enough so she forced herself to knock on the door. The voices inside quickly shut up. The older, more authoritative of the two men inside (the enemy) allowed her to come in.
What Riku saw inside was the last thing she would have ever expected seeing. There, sitting at the head of the table was Krad Mousy, Dark's elder brother. That meant…
'Oh great!' Riku glared at the two guys in front of her. No wonder she had a bad feeling about the guy in the elevator. It was none other than friggin' Krad Mousy!
Krad was the first guy she had a crush on in elementary, long after she and Dark started fighting over anything and everything. He was always kind to her and Risa even if they were six years younger than he was. But when she had confessed that she liked him to some level above friendship, he had instantly turned cold towards her. She hated him more than she hated Dark!
Dark was sitting beside his brother, with a guarded look in his deep wine-colored eyes. He was wearing a black jacket over a dark purple long-sleeved polo shirt with black slacks and black leather shoes to complete his work attire. He had his coat hung on the chair he was leaning on.
His brother, on the other hand, was more casual in dark denim jeans and a white button-down shirt. It was like they exchanged personalities. If her memory served her right, she's never seen Dark in anything near formal and Krad in jeans.
But she couldn't deny that Dark looked just as god-like in his work attire as when he wasn't. She wouldn't let any thought on Krad form in her mind.
"Miss Harada," Krad acknowledged, standing up and motioning for her to sit on his other side, across from Dark.
Dark said nothing; his eyes simply followed her as she moved across the room to sit in her designated seat.
"Mr. Mousy." She nodded at Krad coldly; she glanced at Dark and nodded to him as well.
"Riku, you needn't be so formal. Call me Krad, we were friends when we younger, were we not?" he asked her uncertainly, clearly remembering how they had stopped talking. When he thought about it, he was worse than Dark, based on the way they treated Riku. At least his younger brother never ignored her when she confessed she had a crush on him.
"Of course," Riku replied curtly, leaning in her chair as she took in the brothers in front of her. They couldn't be any more different from each other but Riku had to say that Dark was the more approachable and attractive of the two, to her anyway. Not that she'd ever admit that, even to herself.
"You need to talk to me about something?" she asked a little brusquely when the silence continued to reign in the room.
"Oh yes, right." Krad turned his eyes to his younger brother. "Well, Dark here has been telling me about your application to the publishers in the book section and…" Krad looked at Riku with regret etched on his face.
Dark hit his brother's leg impatiently with his own under the table. "Alright, alright, I called you to ask if you were still interested in your work being published," he offered lamely. It was clear that he wished she would turn the chance down and continue working as CEO.
The brunette was shocked but she sort of got the gist of the conversation she had interrupted only a few minutes beforehand. She couldn't help but feel as if she was only getting this chance because of Dark and not her skill as a writer.
That thought made her scowl at the younger of the two brothers. "Dark," she hissed murderously, glaring daggers at the violet-haired man.
Dark got her message and excused himself from the room, bringing Riku with him. "Sorry, Krad, I have to talk some sense into this girl. Just hold on a minute and I'll bring her back." With that, Dark closed the door after him and turned to the seething Harada ready to kill him with her bare hands.
"What was that all about? I want to get my stories published because they're good enough not because the brother of the owner of the company forced him to! Mousy, who the hell do you think you are?"
"Listen, I wanted to help you out, alright? Risa told me all about the rejections and it just so happened that Krad is my brother and the owner of Modern. If you accept his offer then I'll make sure that those in publishing will seriously consider your works. It's against the rules to force them to accept a story and for the relative of an executive or higher to sponsor someone, only those outside of the company can do that. But Krad's an owner and the privileges he has can help me convince those dimwits to finally publish your work."
Riku was touched but continued to glare at Dark regardless. He was an enemy, why would he want to help her? Never mind that only minutes ago she was applauding him. "Why are you doing this? For me of all people?"
Dark shrugged. "You helped me with Megumi Saehara, I help you with your stories," he answered casually.
"When you weigh a fan girl against a book publishing, I don't think even you could think it fair."
"Just accept it, will you? It's my vague, unusual way of apologizing for all the times I've terrorized you when we were younger, happy now?" he asked, ushering her forcibly inside the conference room again. As much as he wanted to say that aloud, he was mentally kicking himself for dropping a bomb on their delicate relationship.
Riku couldn't believe her ears. Dark just apologized to her…she'd have to see the news if the Apocalypse was due.
But her heart was beating so erratically it was hard to think of anything else other than Dark's thoughtfulness. She couldn't say that she didn't enjoy the sensation.
