Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.
"Talk"
'Thoughts'
Flashback/Dream
...
"Mr. Kaiba?" A meek voice spoke through the intercom. Seto grunted in frustration at the interruption.
"What?" He growled. There was a pause before his secretary spoke again.
"Sir… the director of Advertising… and Marketing department is waiting for you in the board room." Seto grunted again and shut off the intercom.
'What does he want?' He thought, gathering his documents to place them in a neat pile.
The director of advertising and marketing, Shinn Hariguka, had requested an immediate meeting with him this morning, not specifying the reason for it. Shinn was a smart man in his late 30's, very familiar with the trends among their consumers, and Seto wondered what the man had in mind to call for this sudden meeting. Maybe it was concerning their latest product, the Duel Disk VX.
He entered the board room and was somewhat surprised to find not just Shinn, but a few other distinct members from the department sitting there as well.
"Mr. Kaiba, so glad you could join us." Shinn said in courtesy, getting off his chair to greet his boss. The others followed his example and stood up as well. Seto only grunted in greeting, something that all his employees were quite used to.
"What is the purpose of this meeting?" Seto inquired, having taken his seat. All the other occupants of the room shared glances before Shinn spoke.
"We are about to launch our new product, the Duel Disk VX into the market, but I'm sure you are already aware of that."
"Yes I am." Seto said in annoyance. "And if you called me here just to inform me of that, I'm afraid you're going to have to look for a new job very soon." Shinn's face paled considerably, but having worked with Kaiba for many years, he knew this was coming, and recovered immediately.
"Sir, this is about the ad campaign for our product. Originally, we had decided that Miss Mai Valentine would be employed in the ad. After all, she is beautiful and a famous female duelist, and would be able to cover both male and female markets." He paused, sharing another look with his fellow members.
"However, in the light of recent events, we think it is not such a great idea." Seto raised an eyebrow.
"Explain." He commanded.
"Well, the whole world saw Miss Valentine's humiliation by the hands of Miss Tea Gardner. It would be foolish to go ahead with Miss Valentine now that she has lost a considerable amount of support and respect. It won't be good for our campaign or product, and most likely, the profit margin will be very low or close to none." Seto nodded his head in understanding.
"We think it would be more appropriate to use someone who is in demand these days, someone who is loved and respected by all… someone like Miss Tea Gardner." Seto's mouth hung open in shock at Shinn's suggestion. Tea? Were they serious about recruiting Tea for this campaign? Having noticed his boss' reaction, Shinn quickly spoke.
"Sir, she is a world famous celebrity, so if she agrees to endorse our product, the popularity and demand of it will be global. Also, we have seen her dueling skills which far surpass Miss Valentine's, or many other duelists for that matter. She is beautiful, charming, and talented. She has fans among males and females. Using her would target both markets, and the estimated profit margin we have calculated would be at least 61% higher than using Miss Valentine." Shinn finished, shooting his employer a pensive glance. Seto appeared deep in thought.
From a businessman's point of view, he agreed with Shinn whole-heartedly. Tea was, no doubt, the best candidate for the job. But one question surfaced in his mind.
Would she do it? Would she agree to work for a man who had driven her away from not just her friends and the city, but the continent? Considering her recent attitude, he knew the answer was no.
"She won't agree." He said, almost sadly.
"But if Mr. Mokuba asks her, she might." Shinn said hopefully. Seto felt his heart stop beating for a moment. Yes. That was true. If Mokuba asked her, she would most likely agree.
"The odds are in our favor Mr. Kaiba." Shinn continued his efforts to convince his boss. "Miss Tea seems to be quite close to Mr. Mokuba, and we can use it to our advantage. And because we never formally signed any contract with Miss Mai Valentine, only agreed to hire her, there will be no legal complications." Seto finally nodded his head in agreement. There was no denying what Shinn had said. Using Tea was their best option at that moment.
"Great." Shinn said, rejoicing with the other members of his department. I have already called for Mr. Mokuba. He should be here momentarily." Seto nodded and immersed himself in his thoughts, ignoring the excited chatter of people around him.
Kaiba Corp. was going to offer Tea a contract to work with them. Mokuba was their trump card, but he still doubted Tea would agree. She despised him. He had seen it in her eyes during their first meeting in years. She hated him. It tore his heart to pieces knowing this, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was the one who was responsible for that. He was the one who had made the choice to hurt her, to sow a seed of hatred in her heart, and he knew that forever, he would taste its bitter fruit. The loud noise of doors opening broke his train of thoughts and he watched his brother enter the room. Just as he had expected, Mokuba didn't even acknowledged his presence.
"So gentleman, what do you need me for?" Mokuba said in a careless tone, gracelessly plopping in an empty chair. Everyone turned their attention to him.
"We want Miss Tea to be the spokesperson for our Duel Disk VX campaign, and we want you to speak to her about that." Shinn got right to the point. He knew there was no point beating around the subject with the younger Kaiba. Mokuba's face remained uninterested.
"But you already have Mai flashing her boobs. Why do you want me to bother Tea?"
"We never officially hired Miss Mai." Shinn said. "It was a verbal agreement to use her since she is a respectable duelist." Mokuba let out a chuckle at that.
"Respectable? Sure." Shinn shook his head and continued.
"Anyway, given the recent events, you and I both know that using Miss Mai would be a mistake. So we want to request Miss Tea's help."
"I'm sure you have good reasons as to why she would agree." Mokuba said. "But I have damn good reasons why she wouldn't agree." Seto knew this was directed towards him, but he kept on the mask of indifference.
"But please sir, if you try, surely she would consider." Someone else almost begged and Seto wondered if this was really about the campaign.
"Sure, I can try, but I won't guarantee anything." Mokuba said with a careless shrug. The guys faces lit with glee and immediately, they pushed a phone towards him.
"Call her right away so we can prepare." Mokuba let out a chuckle at their behaviour and dialed a number, all the while hiding the number pad. He didn't want any of them to get her number. He turned the phone on speaker so everyone could hear his conversation. Seto's heartbeat increased tenfold, making him feel like it the only sound in the room.
"Hello." Her voice rang through the deadly silent boardroom. Seto felt his heart stop beating.
"Guess who?" Mokuba said playfully. A giggle was heard on the other line.
"Hey Mokuba, how are you?" Mokuba smiled widely.
"Same as yesterday, smart and sexy." Tea's giggle was heard again, followed by a masculine voice.
"Who is it?" Everyone raised a curious eyebrow at the newcomer.
"It's Mokuba. Want to say hi?" Tea said and the voice came out louder.
"Hey man. You're so lucky you aren't here. Steven and I had to drag out the grill for her highness." A smack and a feminine laugh.
"You're a strong man Joshua. Stop whining." Mokuba said.
"It's damn heavy first of all." Joshua countered. "And she purposely made us take it upstairs to the balcony, then to the backyard, then to the front yard, then to the front of the porch, and then to the backyard again."
"I was looking for the perfect spot." Tea said in an annoyed voice and Joshua huffed.
"Perfect spot, my ass." Joshua scoffed. "Anywhere would have been good. You just wanted to torture me for what I did last night." Almost everyone in the room felt their curiosity rise. Seto, however, felt his jealousy rise with curiosity. What was that man doing with Tea at night?
"Even if I did, you deserved it." Tea said.
"Come on, it was funny." Joshua said and Tea huffed.
"Maybe if I do it to you tonight, you'll know if it is funny or not." She challenged.
"But it was funny. Hey Steven, wasn't it funny?" A far away voice came through the phone.
"Keep me out of this."
"See, even he thinks it is funny." Joshua said and Mokuba chuckled.
"God, you guys are like an old couple, always fighting." He commented teasingly.
"But we love each other too." Joshua cooed on the other line and Tea yelled.
"Get off me." There was a masculine laugh, Joshua everyone presumed, and then Tea spoke.
"So what's the purpose of this call? Last I checked, you were supposed to be here in half an hour for lunch." She inquired and all the men in the room shot a longing glance at Mokuba. They all wished to be in Mokuba's place, but not Seto of course. His eyes moved to the floor.
"Yeah. But something came up." Mokuba said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What?" Her voice held worry, and Mokuba smiled.
"I'm at Kaiba Corp. Some executives want me to ask you if you want to be a part of our campaign for the new duel disk that's coming out."
"Hmm." Tea's thoughtful voice came. "And they think you can convince me?"
"I'm quite persuasive if I do say." Mokuba joked in a boastful voice as he read a piece of paper passed by Shinn. "And apparently, Kaiba Corp. is willing to pay you whatever you want."
"I don't care about money." Her attitude was careless. All men in the room lost hope.
"So, you refuse?" Mokuba said, shooting the men a sorry glance.
"I didn't say that." She was playing with them, Seto knew it. She was well aware of his executives strategy, and was taking advantage of it. She had smartened up and Seto couldn't help but be proud of her.
"I'll do it as a favor to you." She said in the same careless tone. "But in return, you have to do me a favor." Everyone exchanged looks. Before Mokuba could inquire, Joshua's voice came.
"So you're going to sucker him into stripping? Awesome."
"Sucker me into stripping?" Mokuba repeated in a confused voice.
"Shut up Joshua. Go bother Steven for once." Tea said in an annoyed tone.
"Save yourself if you can Mokuba." Joshua yelled. "She's opening a strip joint and needs male strippers."
"JOSHUAAAA." Tea's yell tore over the airwaves and Mokuba had to move the phone away to protect his eardrums.
"Tea, are you okay?" Mokuba asked hesitantly.
"Ugh. That Joshua pisses me off." She muttered angrily. "And no. I'm not opening a strip joint, even though Joshua has suggested it many times. Actually, I'm planning to-." Mokuba cut her off before she revealed anything.
"You know what, I'm going to see you in half hour. You can tell me then." Mokuba hurriedly said. "And I'll bring the contract too."
"Okay. See you soon then." Tea said before hanging up. Mokuba turned to the other occupants of the room.
"Well guys, you're work is done, and I need to leave soon so draft up the contract and send it to me as soon as you can." With that, he left, leaving some very joyous men, and a sulking man behind.
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Mai yelled, walking towards her phone. "Hello."
"Hey Mai, it's Serenity." Mai breathed in relief.
"Oh good. I thought it was some annoying reporter asking me for juicy gossip." Ever since the Mayor's formal welcome party for Tea and Mai's humiliating defeat, she had gotten calls upon calls to explain her "feud" with Tea. She was so sick of it all. "So, what's new?" She asked Serenity. Serenity hesitated on the other line before speaking.
"Mai, I got bad news." Mai frowned.
"For the past few days, that's all I have been getting. So go ahead, make my day."
"Kaiba Corp. hired Tea for the Duel disk VX campaign."
"WHAT?" Mai couldn't help but yell out in anger. "They hired her instead of me? That spot was promised to me."
"I went to talk to them, but they said a lot of stuff I didn't understand." Mai let out a sarcastic laugh at Serenity's words, but let her continue. "Then I went to Seto to convince him, but he said he wasn't going to. He said that Tea was more suitable since she defeated you in a duel."
"So that bitch wins one lousy duel and all of sudden, she is a master duelist?" Mai said incredulously. "That's ridiculous."
"I know." Serenity agreed. "But they are not changing it. They said that the contract is signed and everything is finalized. Oh Mai, I'm worried. I think she is doing all this on purpose."
"You think?" Mai grumbled sarcastically. Anyone with a pea sized brain could figure that out.
"I think she is trying to steal Seto from me." Mai felt her anger rise. "I think she is trying to get close to Seto and ruin my perfect life. She is out to get me. She's-."
"Oh shut up." Mai yelled in frustration. "You are such a self-centered bitch. You think it's all about you? Well news flash, no one cares about you. Not Tea, and definitely not Kaiba. You are worried about your happy life? You don't have a happy life, and whatever you have is all because of me. If it wasn't for me, you won't even be living such a lavish life. It's all because of me, and what have you done for me in return? Nothing. Nothing at all. I ask you to secure me the spot in the campaign and you just watch as it's given to the one bitch who deserves it the least. Well thank you miss. Thank you very much." With a final scream, she slammed the phone down.
She couldn't believe it. The nerve of that bitch. How dare she do this to her? At that point, she wasn't sure if she was angry at Serenity or Tea. Both, she concluded; Serenity for being so damn useless, and Tea for being so… useful. But in the end, Tea was the one who was on the receiving end of most of her anger.
Ever since she had returned from hiding, she had ruined her life. She had taken away her reputation as the best female duelist, and her credibility in the dueling industry. She was the laughing stock of the dueling community and Domino. The same magazines that once begged for a meeting with her, now published embarrassing articles about her skills.
And that bitch Serenity, who was the root of all this mess, was sitting scratch-free. She was the reason of Mai's embarrassment, the reason Tea had humiliated Mai, and she had done nothing to help her. Nothing at all, even after everything Mai had done for her in the past.
(Flashback)
"Joey, baby, I want to talk to you." Mai cooed as she entered the living room. Joey immediately turned off the TV and turned to face her. Living with Mai, he had learned that paying attention to her when she wanted was the best way to avoid an angry Mai, and he definitely wanted to avoid an angry Mai.
"Sure babe. Speak away."
"It's… about Serenity."
"What happened to her? Is she hurt? Did someone say something to her? Did Duke or Tristan do something stupid? I'll beat the shit out of those losers. Those lousy bastards-." Joey had gone into his over-protective-brother-mode. Mai sighed and placed a hand over his mouth to stop him.
"She's fine." She assured the angry male. "She's just… in love."
"WHAT?" Joey's response indicated that she should have used a softer word.
"Joey, she likes someone."
"Who?" A murderous look shone in his eyes.
"Kaiba." Utter silence was Joey's brilliant response, not something Mai was expecting.
"Wh… who?" His voice quivered as he asked again.
"Seto Kaiba." Mai said slowly and carefully. She knew Joey was going to blow. After all, his sister was in love with his nemesis.
"How could she?" Joey yelled. "Kaiba is a jerk. He is an asshole. He hates me and all Wheelers. And he is with Tea. How did she? How could she?"
"Joey, calm down." Mai said in a loud and commanding voice, immediately getting the man to be quiet. "Now listen to me. Serenity likes Kaiba and he likes her back."
"He can't like her. He likes Tea. She's his girlfriend." Joey pointed out.
"No Joey, he doesn't feel anything for Tea." Joey gave her a confused look and she sighed. "I'll tell you if you promise to stay calm and quiet." He nodded his head. "Serenity has told me this herself. She told me weeks ago that she met Kaiba and he displayed his interest in her." Joey's hands tightened into fists, but he restrained himself from making any moves or saying anything. "Joey, she has liked Kaiba for the longest time, ever since battle city. But being the shy girl she is, she never said anything. Plus she was afraid of you." Mai lied as she had planned. Joey looked away.
"But keeping feelings in for too long takes its toll." Mai spoke in a soft voice. "You and I both know that." He slowly nodded his head.
"She kept it in for a long time. But when Kaiba showed his interest in her, she caved in to her feelings. I understand her feelings because I have been through what she's going through. I, too, kept my feelings hidden out of fear. It takes a lot of strength to admit your feelings and be vulnerable. I admire her courage and I support her, and I think you should too." Mai finished.
"But Kaiba? He's Tea's boyfriend." Joey argued. "How can he cheat on Tea?"
"Joey, he has no feelings for Tea. He likes Serenity. He has been secretly seeing her for the last 2 weeks, everyday." She kept their sexual adventures out, knowing the kind of effect it would have on Joey.
"But Mai, this is wrong. Serenity should have… she…" Joey seemed to be having trouble speaking. He knew his sister was morally wrong in the situation but it was difficult for him to admit it and place any blame on her. How he wished it wasn't so.
"She should have what?" Mai demanded in a loud voice. "Should have buried her feelings? Should have ignored her chance at happiness? Should have let the love of her life slip through her fingers? Should have what?" Joey had no answer.
"Joey, you love your sister. Please try to understand her feelings." Mai said kindly.
"But this is wrong to Tea." He said in a low voice.
"No it's not." Mai quickly said. "Tea already knows Kaiba doesn't like her. Haven't you seen how she's been complaining about him lately? Joey, their relationship is over. She had her chance and she blew it. It's Serenity's turn now." Joey didn't answer. He looked troubled. Mai knew he was having a hard time deciding. On one side was his best friend but on the other side was his baby sister who he loved more than life.
"Who will you support Joey? Your friend who is holding on to a broken relationship or your baby sister, who has waited years to be this happy? Tell me Joey."
"I want Serenity to be happy." Joey said, not meeting Mai's gaze. "I will support her if Kaiba also says he is interested in her. I don't want him to string along my baby sister." Mai nodded.
"I can have him talk to you right away." Mai said, dialing a number. A moment later, she gave the phone to Joey.
"Kaiba." Joey said in a cold voice.
"Wheeler." Kaiba's voice held venom.
"Do you really have feelings for my sister?" Joey got right to the point.
"You better have another reason to disturb me Wheeler, or you'll pay for wasting my time." Seto's threat only fueled the tension between them.
"Answer me you bastard." Joey demanded. "Tell me if you like my sister or Tea?" There was a long silence before Seto spoke.
"Wheeler, getting together with Tea was a mistake on my part. She's not the one I want." With that, Seto hung up. Joey turned to Mai.
"Got your answer?" She asked. Joey nodded his head. Mai placed her arms around her lover. "It makes Serenity happy, and that should be enough for us." Joey did not respond.
"Guys, Mai and Serenity have to talk to you." Joey said in a robotic voice. Everyone in the game shop turned their attention to the two females. Feeling their penetrating gazes, Serenity moved behind Mai.
"Guys." Mai said in her usual, loud voice. "This is serious, and I want all of you to be calm after hearing what we have to say."
"Sure." Tristan said, looking suspicious.
"Good." Mai said and took a deep breath. "Kaiba and Serenity are together." Loud yells of 'what' filled the room. Yugi was the first to recover and speak.
"How can that be? Kaiba is with Tea."
"Not anymore." Mai replied. "He plans to break-up with her to get together with Serenity. But Serenity wants to make sure you all understand everything before pointing fingers." Tristan opened his mouth to complain, but Duke shut him off with an elbow to the side. Mai shot him a grateful look and began talking.
"Serenity and Kaiba have been secretly seeing each other for about two weeks. And you probably noticed that during those weeks, Tea was complaining about him. Well, now you know why." The guys nodded their dumb heads and Mai continued her story. "I have already explained everything to Joey and I am not going to repeat myself. Long story short, Serenity and Kaiba like each other. Joey already spoke to Kaiba and Kaiba confirmed it. So, we don't have to worry about Kaiba playing Serenity. Kaiba has already decided to break-up with Tea so he can be with Serenity, and they have Joey's blessings. We are just letting you know so you don't blame Serenity for anything later on."
"But Mai, what about Tea?" Yugi voiced his concern.
"I… I know what you are trying to say." Serenity spoke, just as Mai had explained her to do. "That's why… I kept my feelings hidden. But when Kaiba said… he … likes me… and he… I just couldn't help myself. I have liked him for so long." Her voice was meek and pathetic, enough to garner the sympathy of the occupants of the room. Realizing that their plan was working, Mai nudged Serenity forward so she could face them.
"I know this will be hard for Tea. And I know it all seems so wrong on my part. But I can't help whom I fall in love with. But… if you guys.. feel that…" Her voice broke down a bit. "I should… ignore my heart… then I… will do that. I won't see Kaiba ever again." Dramatically, she turned around and buried her sobbing face in Mai's shoulder. Immediately, Joey went to comfort his little sister.
"I support Serenity on this and I hate Kaiba." Joey said. "But I believe that she deserves a chance at happiness."
"But still, can't Serenity wait for a few months. If Kaiba breaks up with Tea now, she'll be devastated, and if Serenity gets together with Kaiba soon after, she'll obviously blame Serenity." Yugi reasoned.
"Why should Serenity have to wait? It's not her fault at all. And why should you care for a girl who left you for the next best thing?" Mai said in a venomous voice.
"What do you mean?" Yugi asked with discomfort.
"Come on Yugi." Mai scoffed at his innocence. "We all know how she claimed to love Yami. But when he left, we all assumed she would go to you. After all, it made sense. You were Yami. You had all of Yami's looks and qualities." Yugi looked away, not wanting to show how hurt he had been at Tea's decision to not date him. He had loved her for as long as he had known her but she hadn't returned his feelings, even when it was obvious that she should.
"She went to Kaiba, who, after Yami's departure, became the best." Mai pointed out. "After Yami, she went for the next best thing." All the guys in the room seemed uncomfortable. Mai knew this was the one issue that had bothered them for the longest, especially Yugi. At one point or another, each one of them had raised the same question after hearing of Tea's decision to date Kaiba. However, out of respect for Yugi's feelings, the topic was discarded. But she knew it was still present in their minds, and she was going to use it to her advantage.
"And she fought with you guys many times for Kaiba, even though he was rude to you. I'm not one to judge, but I think she likes Kaiba for his money and fame. Look at the expensive presents he gets her and how happy she is showing them off. She even lives in his mansion. From what I see, she's using him. But Kaiba is smart and he has figured it out. He wants to get rid of her, and do you know what she is going to do after she is dumped by Kaiba?" The guys looked in different directions, not wanting to meet Mai's gaze.
"She's going to come crying and bawling to you Yugi. She'll go for the next best thing, which is you. She'll use you next, and when you lose interest in her or vice versa, she'll probably go for Joey, or even Duke. Her past behavior shows that. I mean look at how she acts. She's friendliest with Yugi, then Joey, and then Tristan and Duke. We girls don't get along because we are different. I abandoned my glamorous life for Joey because I care about him, but she'll abandon everyone who cares about her for a glamorous life." She took a deep breath before continuing again.
"Serenity is different. She is shy. She is honest. She is friendly. She is the sweetest girl all of us know, and she deserves everything life has to offer. And I won't stand for you guys ruining it for her." Mai declared.
"What you said seems true." Duke said, twirling a lock of his hair. "I'm with you."
"Even though I'm very sad and angry at losing Serenity," Tristan said, "I'll support her because I really want her to be happy." Serenity shot them a loving glance through teary eyes. All eyes turned to Yugi. All knew that the topic of Tea rejecting him for Kaiba was a sensitive one for the young man.
"I'm with Joey." He finally said. Serenity let out a sob of joy and hugged her brother.
"Thank you guys." She said. "I really appreciate it." They all nodded.
(End flashback)
It had all been Mai's plan, every word… every action. She had done it all for Serenity. Sure she had reaped the benefits of putting Kaiba and Serenity together. The funds to open her business had come from Kaiba's account. But Serenity had gotten her share of the profits as well. But now that Tea had returned, who had taken all the blows from the revengeful bitch? Her, that's who.
But Mai wasn't one to sit back and let some wannabe duelist walk all over her. She would fight back… eye for an eye. Smirking, she picked up the phone and dialed a number, but not before blocking out her number.
"Hello, Domino Entertainment… yes, I hear you are looking for a story regarding Tea Gardner…. Well, I've got a juicy one for you." Her smirk widened.
"It's about Tea Gardner's secret love affair."
...
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