Chapter Two:

Sparkling Diamonds

A/N: It's been forever. Trust me...I know...i got distracted...it's really for a stupid reason. Anyone still reading this? Review and let me know.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my car.

It burned…the brandy…flaming amber liquid stinging the back of his throat like a fiery torch. It seemed to be the only thing that could quell the fire within him, the resonating sting of anger that was festering in his chest like maggots writhing within raw meat. He fingered the cold marble that sat atop the elegant desk…it was rich and gaudy, mirroring the tastes of his self absorbed uncle.

Silence reigned heavily in his ear, the ticking of the clock like audible gun shots, penetrating the solace of the furnished room with sudden bursts of sound. How long had it been, minutes, hours? Time seemed to be slithering by like a slug, and the remnants of pained emotion mixed with angry despair left a staunch trail of slime behind it.

No doubt his uncle was testing him. It was something Nicholas was exceptionally good at. The proverbial mind fuck of sorts, pushing his opponents with psychological force until the breaking point when he would finally swoop in like a circling vulture, ripping and tearing at his prey until nothing was left. It was the reason that Nicholas was such a good business man. He would destroy a man in an instant and dance on the rotting flesh if he could. It was the reason Darien never got involved in the family business…he was a lot of things, but a cutthroat son of a bitch wasn't one of them.

He swirled the goblet in his hand, the sparkling liquid staining the crystal brown before sliding into place near the bottom of the glass. By the time Nicholas arrived, Darien would be drunk and their verbal confrontation would be substituted by lolling heads and angry slurs. But maybe this was all part of the plan and Darien was just a small notch in the scheme of things.

He tapped his foot against the floor, the heel of his expensive shoes clicking so loudly against the shiny, spotless wood that he didn't hear the tapping of his uncle's cane or the turning of the door knob. Until the older Chiba cleared his throat, Darien hadn't even known that there was another presence in the room with him. He craned his neck slightly as the tap of the cane came closer, but never turned to meet the rueful gaze of his towering relative.

Nicholas rounded the chairs slowly, studying Darien's rigid composure as he slouched against the gilded chair, his hand loosely gripping the glass, the other balled into a fist at his right. He looked like a self righteous prince of sorts, good looking and spoiled and bored with his entire fucking life. He was just like his god damn father, arrogant and stubborn. Nicholas smirked. He would beat that out of him soon enough.

Nicholas studied him quietly before laying his cane against the desk, the golden hilt sparkling under the iridescent lights above. Darien mused to himself, that cane probably cost more than his entire college education. "I'm at odds Darien, I truly am," began Nicholas, leaning against the desk, his plump elbows digging into the surface as blue eyes met grey. "You're far too old to be letting your dick lead you to making poor decisions."

Darien's eyes narrowed into slits as his grip tightened around the goblet. So that's what this is about. Serena. He would have guessed that something as trivial as his love life would not have been a great concern to Nicholas. But in business, especially at their level, everything was politics and class, the haves and the have not's. "Aren't you a bit old to be monitoring who I am and am not dating, Uncle?"

Nicholas chuckled. "You have a point, son, I shouldn't have to be monitoring you like an infant but here I am." He shrugged. "While you were screwing your blonde little tramp of a girlfriend, I was securing our legacy in Hong Kong. I thought I could trust you to keep yourself out of trouble, but what do I see on the news? You and that girl."

"So the fact that I was saving her life is no which way to you then?"

"Darien in our line of work, any publicity that doesn't have us adopting children from Africa or giving to the poor is bad publicity. What does your little stunt on TV tell stock holders, buyers, lawyers? It tells them that you're hanging around the wrong crowd. That you're irresponsible, that you're not ready to take things over when I die. "

Darien scoffed at his comment. "Even on your death bed you wouldn't hand this company over to me. It doesn't matter that we're family, it doesn't matter that your only brother was my father, you would have your trustees and your stock holders in your pocket from the moment you get sick till the day that I die."

"Look around, you're all I have left. No one to secure my legacy, no heir, just an incompetent, sensitive little brat who lives in the shadow of his father's success, burning his money on trinkets like that ring you gave her."

"Her has a name, you know. And you should get used to saying it. She's going to be your in-law soon enough," replied Darien, a defiant sparkle in his eye.

Nicholas pondered momentarily, a sly smile forming against his lips. "Can you really be that selfish? I would hate for something else bad to happen to this girl…considering you love her so much."

"Are you threatening her?" Darien asked, his body jerking into rigid attention, his eyes burning with epic fury.

Nicholas smirked. "Am I, son? Sometimes, as a business man, you have to take out the trash. She seems sweet enough; you don't want to cut her life short, do you? And don't think I won't boy. When you have the law in your pocket, you can get away with murder. "

"You're lying," spat Darien, grabbing his coat and slamming the chalice against the desk so harshly that it shattered into hundreds of tiny little pieces that flew slowly into the air, glistening under the lights as they fell like shimmering, sparkling diamonds. The Brandy, like brown droplets of dirty tears mixed with the glass, fondling and coating the shards as they fell, dropping to the floor and staining the wood like blood. He stared there for a moment, caught up in the steady emotions warring within him.

"I've done worse," muttered Nicholas, his voice a hoarse whisper, his eyes too fixated on the remnants of crystal shining on his desk, lonely traces of the precious glass.

Darien looked up at him, stern blue eyes meeting the watery, sad grey orbs of the man he called uncle. The emotion lingered for only a moment within him, but for a remote second, for a moment in time, he saw something in his uncle's eyes that he had truly never seen before. Regret. What had he done so horrible to melt his stone like resolve? The demons of his past seemed to be approaching and for that second Nicholas truly felt the cold sting of true guilt against his heart.

And it hurt.

He was edgy and twitchy and buzzed enough to be legally drunk. The elevators in the lights hurt his eyes and his hands, they wouldn't stop shaking. In the deep recesses of his mind he wanted to believe that his uncle was bluffing, trying to scare him into submission. But the glance that he caught in the stillness of the moment…the vulnerability in his eyes…he truly believed his uncle had indeed done something unforgivable.

He ran his fingers through his hair, the silken strands tangling as he gripped the back of his head. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn't…he couldn't just leave her. He didn't want to be one of those guys. The tragic hero in fairytale's who gives up the girl for the greater good. He didn't want to be that kind of pompous ass hole that didn't give her a choice in the matter. That loved her so much that he would sacrifice his happiness just to make sure she was safe. He wasn't a fucking masochist.

But upon on further reflection he thought…no knew…that he would give Serena up within a second to keep her safe. He loved her; he loved her enough to let her go and all that chivalrous bullshit.

The ringing of the elevator door chimed painfully in his ear and he quickly recalled why he didn't like drinking. The golden doors opened and as he lunged forward to exit he paused momentarily, his eyes falling upon a gorgeous hunter green; emerald eyes belonging to a voluptuous brunette that stared boldly back at him.

"I figured you'd still be here," she said, smiling up at him. His eyes narrowed and he glanced around quickly. When he realized there was no one else within the elevator he recognized that she indeed was talking to him. "You don't remember me?" she asked softly, pressing her hand against the elevator doors as they attempted to close on her. "I didn't think you would, after your accident and all."

Did he remember her? There was a familiarity…but how many pretty brunette girls had he seen, hell, dated in his lifetime? A lot. He wasn't exactly a prude. Was she someone he had been involved with at some point? "How do you know about my accident?" he asked as she stepped into the elevator and watched the golden doors close before him. She smiled into her reflection and he could, for all intents and purposes, appreciate just how pretty she was.

The brunette was about a head taller than Serena. Her eyes, although green, were dark and foggy. If he had to describe them, he would call them bedroom eyes. She seemed like that kind of girl who stared at a guy until she clouded his mind, until he was throbbing with desire, until all consequences to his actions were forgotten and only the lustful embrace of the moment forced him to stray. She seemed like that kind of girl.

"Believe it or not we used to be best friends," she said, her voice far away, memories of a simpler time carrying her back to their childhood. "I've know you for a long time, but it's been years since I've seen you."

"Best friends?" He shook his head before shoving his hands in his pockets. "I find that hard to believe. I don't even know your name."

"Eva," she said simply, pressing a metal key, her ears perking as the elevator came to life and began ascending the golden tower once again. He remotely wondered where she was taking them and was even more curious in regards to why he was following her lead. "I lived next door to you when we were young. I knew your mother and father. And your uncle. He's actually the reason why I'm here. He said you were going through some stuff and that you needed an old friend."

Darien laughed knowingly. "Yeah that's why he sent you. To tempt me, no doubt."

"What?" she asked, looking at him. Her features were bright and despite the fact that she did have…bedroom eyes…she seemed sweet. Darien shook his head. He couldn't have dated her. Before Serena, sweet wasn't exactly his type.

"Nothing," he said, looking away from her as the elevator doors opened before them. "I'm engaged. Kind of."

She laughed; a sweet kind of hearty laugh. Even to himself and his drunken mind that didn't make sense. "How can you be kind of engaged?"

"Long story."

"Why don't you come inside and tell me?" she asked, beckoning him in with a gentle, innocent smile. He remained locked in stance. "Come on, I'm not going to do anything to you. You're kind of engaged, remember?"

"I've had a long night," he said honestly, rubbing the back of his neck.

She smiled again; that damn smile. It made her face light up in a way that made him feel calm. It was familiar, something he knew, something that made him feel oddly at ease. Following her was a bad idea; he knew that…but if she really did know him from long ago, maybe she could shed some light on his past. He wondered….he wondered about a lot of things. So many questions that were always left unanswered.

He moved slothfully toward her and she grinned as he followed step behind her. He looked at the elevator, turmoil reigning over his mind. The doors closed and his final chance at escape was swallowed up into the ground as the lift descended into the depths of the hotel. She opened the door slowly and he watched as the rays of the moonlight were chased away by the shadows of the two figures that were entering the darkened room.

What the hell was he getting himself into?

"Drink?" she asked, removing the pearl necklace that adorned her neck and tossing it onto the couch as she approached the bar.

"I've had enough for tonight thanks." He looked around, taking in the surroundings. The sitting room was decorated nicely enough. She had good taste and a lot of cash, he could tell that by the quality of the décor.

"So, tell me about your fiancée," she said, pouring clear liquid into a glass and bringing it to her lips. The glass stained red, traces of her lipstick a clashing crimson against the clear surface of the cup.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" He didn't want to talk about Serena. Not when she was probably worrying about him. Not when he knew he shouldn't be here.

She smiled. "Let's see…where to start? You want my complete biography or the abridged version?"

He smirked. "Just give it to me straight," he said, plunging his hands into his pockets and leaning against a nearby column.

"Okay. I grew up in Kyoto with you. Your mom, Liz, she liked that place opposed to the city. You would come and spend summers there with your family. We met at a play date. Your mother said you were too serious and that Uncle Nicholas was having a bad influence on you. So she forced you to play with me. You followed me around the whole day, telling me that you didn't like girls and that you didn't want to be my friend. I punched you in the face. We were inseparable after that." She chuckled at the memory. "I'm 21 years old, I play the violin for a living, I just graduated from Cambridge and I'm taking a break to explore my options."

"Don't want to explore your options in Europe?"

She smiled. "No, Europe is different….I want to get back to my roots. Besides my mother died about a month ago. I was really far away when she was sick. My dad's getting pretty old and he's lonely…I don't want to be…I mean if something happens…" her eyes stung, the death of her mother a clear picture in her mind.

Darien regretted bringing it up. She looked as though she were on the verge of tears. He was searching for the right thing to say to get him out of such an uncomfortable situation when a searing pain shot through his head. He cupped his temple, his eyes shutting quickly as another wave of agony washed over him. He grunted loudly, his legs giving away as a cloudy fog washed over him…what the hell was happening? As he clenched his head in pain he felt soft hands grip his face and the sound of a woman screaming his name….

All he wanted was Serena…all he wanted was for the pain to stop. She was repeating his name over and over again, her screams were like a haunting, piercing cry in his ear and as a shadowy blackness drew near a vision behind his eyes stirred him from the present as he saw the figure of his mother, brushing her soft finger tips against his face gently, smiling and telling him that everything was going to be alright.