Trusting The Rich
Chapter 2
"Is there some secret relationship you have that you've never told me about?" Misaki pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger and sighed, batting her hand at the shoulder of her irritating co-worker.
"You never take your break this early. What do you want?" She bit, picking at her plain nail as she averted her eyes from his gaze. Usui rested his arms on the table and propped his head up with one hand, watching her fidget.
"To talk to you." He said truthfully. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"About what?"
"Yumi seems to have taken a great liking to your daughter." Misaki scoffed.
"Not to me she hasn't." Usui chuckled and a small smile graced his features.
"Did you want her to like you?" Misaki averted her eyes hurriedly once more and shrugged, sipping on her water bottle.
"I wanted to know what the death glare was all about."
"Oh- that? She thinks you're going to sleep with me and take all my money." Misaki nearly choked on her water and coughed it down, her eyes wide.
"W-what? Why would she think that?"
"It's her perception of women." He shrugged, as though it were no big deal. Misaki clearly thought otherwise.
"Sounds scandalous." She murmured, sipping her water again to calm herself.
"So does your shrouded story. I've never seen Ayano's father." He'd hit a nerve.
"I've never seen Yumi's mother." She spat back. And likewise had she hit a nerve. Both parties watched each other with a certain fire raging in their eyes. His emeralds became dark and clouded and her ambers became hot and melted as they continued an unbreakable stare.
"Oi! Your break's ended, Misaki!" A male waiter popped his head around the door frame, breaking their glares. Misaki nodded and waved him off, standing up from her chair.
"Let me put my drink bottle away. I'll be out in a minute."
"Hurry up then." He mumbled disapprovingly before disappearing around the corner. Usui caught her arm as she made to move around him to get to her locker. His eyes met hers and there was something in that forest of green that she couldn't understand.
"Yumi's been begging to see Ayano. She's never had a proper friend, so I worry what might become of them, seeing as you seem to hate me." Misaki blinked. That wasn't what she'd expected to hear. It wasn't some kind of wooing. He sounded so... fatherly that it surprised her somewhat.
"I- I don't hate you," She said hastily, pulling out of his grasp. "I just don't like you... at all." She opened her locker and threw her drink bottle inside before closing it and turning to him.
"Is this a hit at me or at the entire male species? I can't quite tell." She narrowed her eyes and surveyed his small grin.
"Rich bastard." She proclaimed, stalking out of the staff room to resume the later half of her shift.
~o~
Misaki kicked off her pumps as Ayano scurried inside to the kitchen, opening the fridge for a snack.
"Baby, I'll make dinner in a minute. You don't need a snack." Misaki explained, setting her handbag on the couch as Ayano dejectedly closed the fridge.
"But I'm hungry now, mummy." She moaned, draping herself along the battered old couch as she sighed dramatically. Misaki frowned.
"Didn't you eat at grandma's?" She asked, swiping Ayano's brown bangs to the side of her face. She'd inherited her hair colour from her father, much to Misaki's dismay, but it suited her amber orbs a lot more than Misaki liked to admit. Ayano nodded slowly. "Then you can wait a little, okay?" With a sigh and a dramatic roll off the couch, Ayano conceded defeat and Misaki smiled.
"What are we having?" Ayano asked in interest as Misaki began pulling ingredients out of the cupboard.
"Spaghetti bolognese sound okay to you?" Ayano nodded hurriedly. It was her favourite meal, after all. "Good. Do you have any homework to do while I cook it?" Ayano thought about it for a moment before smiling and running to her room. "Okay then." Misaki mused, putting the pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. When dinner was ready, Misaki called for Ayano, but she didn't come. Frowning, Misaki followed the short hallway to their joint room. She pushed open the door a crack and watched Ayano as she fiddled with small scrapbooking jewels and bits of paper, sat at Misaki's desk. "What are you doing, Aya?" She asked, peering in interest as she reached the desk. Ayano had a small frown on her face from concentration.
"I'm making a crown... for Yumi." Misaki smiled gently.
"That's nice of you." Ayano frowned further.
"Mummy?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you hate Mr. Yumi's daddy?"
"Who, Usui? I- I don't hate him, sweetie. We work together, y'know?" Ayano blinked.
"Is he the evil chef that you mumble about when you're angry?" Misaki blushed a little and nodded.
"Sure," Misaki rubbed little circles into her back. "Why do you think I hate him?"
"Yumi said you did... she said it was a good thing, that nobody can have her daddy. You're not going to marry him, are you? Yumi doesn't want that-!"
"Marry him!? No, no, of course not! Calm down, Aya," Misaki sighed and put her hand over Ayano's. "Let's just have dinner."
"Mummy... if you ever do love Mr. Usui, you'll tell me, right?" Misaki blushed somewhat and took a deep breath.
"Of course, darling. But I highly doubt that will happen. Come on, to the kitchen. You can finish your crown later."
~o~
"She's going to make a move sometime soon, you know, daddy?" Yumi picked at her nails as she studied her father, her golden hair in a fish plait. She had always been such a lovely girl, but whenever it came to the subject of her father's love life, everything went dark. "I've seen this before. Why can't you just love mum?" Usui shot a look at his daughter, so calm that it was almost terrifying.
"You're treading on very very thin ice here, Yumi." Somehow, they seemed more like business partners, rather than father and daughter. Yumi frowned at Usui where he sat behind his mahogany desk, typing away at his laptop.
"I don't understand why you have to love another woman."
"I never said that I loved Misaki." She pointed one perfectly manicured fingernail at him.
"But you're not denying it."
"She's a beautiful woman."
"So was mum."
"Yumi." For a seven year-old, Yumi seemed much older than she was. She was incredibly smart too, and she knew her way around adults, especially Usui. She drew her lips into a thin line and played absently with the end of her plait.
"I don't want you to love anyone besides me and mum. Ever." He shut his laptop, making her jump a little as he stood and sighed, covering his face with one hand.
"Do you realize how selfish you sound, Yumi? Of course I love you and your mother, but that doesn't mean that I can never love anyone else."
"So you admit it?"
"There's nothing to admit!"
"I've seen the way you look at her! It's the same way you looked at mum!" She broke off, teary eyed, and Usui shook his head.
"I'm going to bed." He strode over to Yumi where she crossed her arms in an emotional huff. He kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek softly. "I love you." And with that, Yumi remained alone in her father's study and burst into tears.
~o~
"You look wonderful." Misaki murmured as Usui walked into the staff room the following morning, his eyes drooping. He glanced at her briefly and rubbed his face tiredly, grabbing his water bottle from his locker.
"Oh yeah, I'm just perfect."
"Thanks for the sarcasm."
"You started it." He flopped down into one of the chairs across from Misaki and she gave him a small, worried smile.
"Your daughter seems to love me." Usui looked a little alarmed
"What did she do now?" Misaki shook her head.
"No, no, she told Aya that I hated you and that that was the way it was meant to be. I think she thought Yumi was upset about it, so she stayed up late and made her a paper crown with jewels and glitter and the lot." Usui chuckled a little bit, but it was rather flat.
"That's cute. The crown thing, I mean." Misaki frowned.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that your stress is over Yumi." He blinked up at her.
"How did you know that? Without even asking..." Misaki shrugged.
"I know you more than you think." Usui sighed.
"Yumi thinks I love you." Misaki laughed and he looked up, confused.
"You think that's bad? Ayano thinks I'm going to marry you!" Usui smiled.
"Wouldn't be so bad."
"Keep telling yourself that." She countered easily. His eyes fell and he checked his watch.
"I need to explain why Yumi acts this way around you. Our breaks align so, I'll ask you nicely, may I take up some of your free time?" Misaki pondered it and twirled a plastic promise ring around her finger.
"Sure."
"It's an honour."
"Don't get cocky."