Chapter 12

Aria dove into her work with a vengeance. Reading that ominous message made something snap inside of her. She knew of only one person who could have sent it. Riku. Her first response was fear. She had only been working with the team for less than an hour, and he already knew about it. How was that even possible? Was the Kaiba Corp building bugged? But that seemed very unlikely. Kaiba must have protocols to prevent that from happening. Which led to the conclusion that Riku must have someone else on the inside, besides her. And since the message was sent so readily, it was most likely one of the other six programmers. But if that was true, then why get her involved?

Aria was dumbfounded by the level of underhandedness her stepfather seemed to be executing. She didn't think he was capable enough to implement something so complex. It was with that thought that Aria knew she couldn't make the mistake of underestimating her stepfather. He was obviously willing to risk everything to ensure that this deal goes through.

Which led to Aria's second response. Anger. She was fed up with Riku meddling with her life like a doll in a playhouse. She knew she needed to break free from his control, once and for all. But how? With his threats dangling over her head, not only was her future at stake, but possibly people's lives as well. Who knew what Riku was capable of at this point.

Aria finished up her work late Monday night, then headed home, her thoughts still in turmoil on how she was going to beat her stepfather at his own game. When she walked through the front door, she could see light spilling out from underneath the study door. Part of her wanted to go charging in yelling and screaming at her stepfather to get out of her life and to leave her alone. But she knew in the end it would serve no purpose. So instead, she slowly climbed the stairs, feet dragging behind her.

Going into her room, Aria threw her bag onto her bed then went over to her desk to check her messages on her computer. She stopped when she saw a small white envelope sitting on the top of her closed laptop. She didn't trust anything that may have come from Riku. Feeling the package, something firm and thick was on the inside. Curious, Aria slowly opened it. Inside was a wad of bills. Her eyes widened at the amount, probably a couple thousand dollars. There was a note stuck to the inside. For some support.

Renewed rage built up in Aria, she took the envelope and threw it across the room. Knowing that her stepfather was now entering her personal space, Aria knew it was time for her to get out and fast. But first she needed a plan. She began pacing around the room. She had no money and nowhere else to go. Not exactly a good start to going out on your own.

Aria's steps slowed, an idea forming in her head. She could go to Kaiba and share with him everything that was going on. Alone, Aria could do nothing but surely Kaiba was rich and powerful enough to protect Mokuba and his company? She let out a breath. It would be risky. If Riku ever got wind that she had told the very person of who he is trying to steal from…who knows what might happen.

But what other choice was there? If she did help carry out Riku's diabolical plans, her future would still be ruined, Kaiba would make sure of that. She'd much rather see Kaiba come out on top then her stepfather.

With her decision starting to firm up, Aria felt a little better. But now came the hard part. Approaching Riku and getting him to lay off. Otherwise, she couldn't go to Kaiba, not until it was safe to do so. She hoped Téa would be able to put her up for a few days.

You're stronger than you think.

Her mother's words echoing through her, Aria felt a new found boldness begin to fill her up. Walking over to where she had thrown the money, she picked it up and started to head back downstairs to her stepfather's study. Not bothering to knock, she barged in, guns ready to start blazing.

Riku didn't look up from his memo, almost as if he were expecting her. Aria marched right up to his desk and threw the envelope of cash onto the surface. "I don't need your bribery," she said acidly, "and it's time we sorted out a few other things as well." She crossed her arms, waiting for his response.

Finishing a sentence that he was writing, Riku put down his pen and looked up at her. "And what is it we need to discuss?" he asked calmly. "The money was simply to reimburse you for any…expenses you might have incurred."

Aria's eyes narrowed. "I want nothing to do with your money. That's why by the end of the week, I'm moving out. I'm done living under your thumb."

Now Riku's eyes narrowed until they were mere slits. "You have nowhere to go and no money. I thought that you were smarter than this Aria." He stood up from his desk. "But you'll always be that same pathetic little girl," he spat. "You'll come crawling back, just like your mother did."

"What do you mean 'like my mother'?" asked Aria.

Riku gave her a sickening grin. "Let's just say she wasn't as perfect as you thought her to be."

Aria bristled at the slander of her mother, but Riku obviously wasn't going to elaborate further. "I just don't want to be receiving any more sinister messages and to make sure I'm no longer followed. You'll get the plans for the technology by the end of the summer." Aria prayed that Riku wouldn't call her bluff. "I want to make sure I'm no longer around when Kaiba finds out what happened."

With a calculating glare, Riku slumped into his chair. "Fine, but know this Aria, if you fail me, there will be consequences. You do not want to find out what those will be." He smirked. "I'll be watching."

Aria felt a cold chill travel up her spine at Riku's words. He probably wanted her to know that he had another insider at Kaiba Corp, hence the menacing message.

All Aria wanted to do was get out of that room as fast as possible. Without another word, she turned around and almost ran back up to her room. She had done it! She had stood up to her stepfather and she was getting out of this miserable house.

Reaching her room, she stopped to catch her breath. Her heart was palpitating and sweat was trickling down her neck, and it wasn't from climbing the stairs too fast. Her demeanor grew somber however, as she remembered Riku's words about her mother. She couldn't recall her mother ever leaving. What could Riku have meant?

Aria shook her head in abandon. She couldn't trust anything Riku said. For all she knew, he was just trying to mess around with her head, make her doubt herself.

At the prospect of leaving, Aria was elevated beyond measure. First though, she needed to contact Téa and see if she could give her a place to crash for a few days. She also might need to look for a part-time job in the evenings to help pay for expenses. There was no way she was going to Kaiba to ask to make her internship a paying one. He'd probably laugh and then throw her out on the street. She huffed at the obstacles ahead, but if there was one thing Aria loved, it was a challenge.

Her phone buzzed on her desk, grabbing Aria's attention. It was a text from Yugi. Everyone is planning on meeting up this Wednesday at Bartini's for dinner.

Perfect! Aria could talk to Téa then about putting her up and maybe her friends would have some leads on a job. Aria texted back, I'll be there!

The next few days flew by in a blur. Aria only saw Kaiba once on Tuesday as he handed out their deadlines. She didn't know how she was going to handle another job as her current one kept her way past working hours. She may be brilliant at coding, but she didn't have near the years of experience as the other programmers.

By Wednesday night, Aria tried to get through her work as quickly as possible, so she could arrive a little early for pizza night with the gang. She just hoped Riku hadn't yet cut off her credit card.

Arriving by taxi (thank goodness her credit card worked, or that would have been awkward), Aria walked up the stone steps and into the pizzeria. Immediately the smells of fresh baked dough and pizza filled her senses. This place definitely had the best pizza in all of Domino City. Unfortunately, it also made the place extremely busy. And as Aria looked around the cramped space, it didn't look like there was going to be a free table tonight.

Walking past a lineup of people, Aria went up to Luigi who was playing host tonight. "How long is the wait for a table of four Luigi?" she asked.

"Oh, Miss Aria," Luigi said in his thick Italian accent, "your friend Yugi called ahead and made reservations for a table of six."

Six? Aria thought confusedly, who else could be joining them tonight? "Oh, ok," she answered awkwardly, following Luigi to the back where an empty table sat. Taking a seat, Aria couldn't help but smile at the memory of being here last time. She had felt so surprised at seeing Kaiba, she swore she could feel his eyes shoot icy daggers into her back.

"Hey, you beat us here for once!"

Coming back to reality, Aria looked up at Joey's greeting. He was followed by Yugi, Téa and Tristan. Aria moved over into the middle seat to make room. "Did you guys walk here together?" she asked.

"Yup, we all met up after work," replied Joey, grabbing one of the chairs beside her.

"Lucky you got here early to get us a table," said Tristan.

"Actually," began Aria, "Yugi called ahead and reserved a table for six."

"Eh?" said Joey, turning to Yugi, "Why'd you do that?"

"Well…" began Yugi apprehensively, "I invited a couple of friends to join us."

"That's nice Yug," said Téa, smiling reassuringly. "Who'd you invite?"

"Well…"

"Oh look," said Joey derisively, "here comes rich boy. I thought you already told him off Aria. Is he still followin' you?"

Aria stared, paralyzed. She could not believe this was happening again. Then the pieces fell together. "Yugi…" she said rebukingly, giving him a hard stare.

Yugi squirmed in his seat. "Technically, it was the Pharaoh who invited him," he defended.

But before anyone could protest further, Kaiba and Mokuba had approached the table.

"Oh, look Mokuba, nerdfest, we must be at the right place," Kaiba said, grabbing a seat beside Aria. His arm brushed against hers for a second, sending currents of electricity racing up. She tried to hide her reaction but didn't know if she succeeded.

Ignoring Kaiba's quip, Aria looked at Mokuba. "How you doin' Moki?"

"I'm great! Thanks for inviting us out! The pizza is absolutely the bomb here."

"You can say that again!" interjected Joey.

"Wasn't there a 'no dogs allowed' sign out front?" Kaiba asked mockingly.

"Watch it moneybags," Joey replied with a sneer. But it was soon replaced with a smirk. Throwing his arm around Aria's shoulders, Joey leaned in and said loudly enough for Kaiba to hear, "How do you work for someone who's so stuck up?"

Aria elbowed Joey in the ribs, resulting in him removing his arm. Aria saw what he was trying to do. She peeked over at Kaiba beside her to see if it was working. Kaiba looked as stoic as ever, arms crossed looking the other way. A tiny smile played on Aria's lips. Finally, a server came over to take their order before any more shots could be fired.

"Are things any better at home for you?" Téa asked Aria. That brought Kaiba's attention back.

Aria wished she didn't have to talk about this with her boss right beside her, but she guessed he was going to find out sooner or later anyway. She gave a half shrug, "Yes and no, I haven't decided yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tristan.

"Well, I kind of told my stepfather off on Monday and said I was moving out."

"Woah, you did that Ari?" Joey asked impressively, "But where you gonna go?"

"That's where I was hoping you guys could help me out. Not only do I need a place to stay for the summer, but I also need a part-time job in the evenings since Riku is cutting me off."

"Actually, you're in luck," Téa said with a sly smile. "It just so happens that me, Joey and Tristan just rented out an apartment together. It's only a three bedroom, but you could crash on the couch since it would only be for a few weeks."

"Are you sure?" asked Aria tentatively.

"Of course!" Joey said in support. "What are friends for?"

Kaiba snorted. "If you call sleeping on a moldy couch for three weeks friendship."

Aria nudged him with her shoulder. "Lighten up. You're here with us, so that makes you a part of the geek squad. At least for tonight."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Never. I'm only here because Mokuba was invited."

"Sure you are Kaiba," Joey said snickering.

Kaiba glared over at him. "Got something to say Wheeler?"

Joey smirked back. "Nah, you're saying enough on your own."

Aria shot him a look to keep his big mouth shut. Fortunately, their food arrived before anything more could be said. The rest of the meal went by uneventfully. With Mokuba's effortless chatter, the conversation flowed easily, with Kaiba mostly sitting quietly to himself.

When the bills were delivered, Aria handed her credit card to the server who carried a portable machine. Swiping it, the machine let out a deep buzz. The server shook her head. "I'm sorry Miss, but I'm afraid your credit card has been declined."

Aria's face blanched. But before she could even offer up apologies, Kaiba had his card already shoved at the server. "Put hers on mine," he ordered.

The server nodded and took his card.

Aria crossed her arms at Kaiba. "You know I can't accept that."

"Pay it back in your layers of coding," he replied.

Aria let out a huff but didn't press the issue. There was no point when it came to Kaiba.

With everyone having paid their bill, they all got up to head outside. "When do you guys move into your new apartment?" Aria asked Téa.

"This Friday," Téa replied. "You might as well move in on the same day."

"You have no idea how much this means to me," Aria said gratefully. "It'll be like having my own life again."

Téa smiled in understanding. "How are you getting home by the way?"

"I'll just walk, it's a beautiful night to be out."

"Let us walk ya Ari," Joey piped in, "It's too late for you to be out by yourself."

"But it's in the totally opposite direction," responded Aria. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Kaiba let out an annoyed sigh. "You know I have a limo sitting right here. Mutts aren't allowed though," he said, shooting a glare over at Joey.

"You've done enough," said Aria. She didn't know if she could handle being alone with Kaiba again. "I'm stuck in an office all day and could really use the fresh air."

Kaiba walked over to his driver and said through the passenger window. "Take Mokuba home then swing back around and get me at the Ito residence." Mokuba raised his eyebrows at his brother but said nothing as he waved goodbye to everyone and got into the limo. After it had driven away, Kaiba walked back over to Aria. "Shall we?"

Kaiba could tell Aria was not happy, but he couldn't tell if it was because she didn't want to be around him or because of his highhandedness. He hoped it was the latter.

She gave him an icy glare but said nothing as she walked over to her friends to say goodbye, albeit grudgingly. Kaiba stood to the side waiting for her. He could see that dog Wheeler ask if she was okay walking home alone with Kaiba. He was starting to get annoyed with Joey's interference. It had been bad enough having to watch him drape himself all over Aria.

Kaiba saw Aria shake her head then wave goodbye as she walked away. "Let's go," she said, walking straight past him and down the street. With his long legs, it took him about three long strides to catch up with her.

Kaiba put both hands in his pockets and matched his gait to Aria's. Now that he had gotten her alone, he couldn't think of a single thing to say. He was never one for small talk. "How do you like the new office floor?" Immediately after asking, he inwardly kicked himself. Asking about work would only remind her that he was her boss. The one thing apparently keeping her from seeing him.

"It's fine," Aria replied, "but I find the whole glass-thing a little too much."

"People work more productively when they know someone could be watching."

"Then why is your office also transparent?" she asked.

Kaiba smirked. "Because if they know that I'm watching, then they really work hard."

Aria rolled her eyes. "They must be loving the reprieve."

Kaiba chuckled and kept walking. He found it so refreshing to be able to be relaxed around Aria. He could actually act like…himself. Maybe Mokuba was right.

Turning down a street, Kaiba glanced over at Aria. Her beauty still took his breath away. The streetlights above brought out the shine in her ebony hair. Although he could tell she was nervous by how hard she was gripping her purse, she still walked with her head held high. Kaiba smiled at her resilience. But then he frowned. "How is it that someone like you ended up with that group of dweebs?"

"Someone like me?" she asked amusedly. "I'm honoured to be their friend. They have been through so many incredible adventures together. I'm sorry to have missed it all."

"Just don't tell me you believe in all that Egyptian nonsense."

Aria tried to suppress a smile by biting her lower lip, but she failed.

"Figures," was all Kaiba muttered in response.

After walking for a few more minutes in silence, Kaiba turned back to Aria. "Isn't it your turn to ask me a question?"

Aria looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. "Is this supposed to be a game of twenty questions?"

"Call it whatever you like, it's better than walking in silence the whole way." In truth, Kaiba enjoyed the silence with Aria. It was comfortable but he wanted her to talk, to learn more about her. He also hoped it would make her more comfortable around him, allowing her to let down some of her guards.

"Okay, then," Aria said hesitantly, "Why did you come out tonight?"

"I already said why."

"Please," Aria said, "the little brother excuse, really?"

Kaiba went thoughtful. What was he supposed to say? The reason he came out was because of her. Surely she knew this. "Although I barely tolerate the nerd herd, I do consider you a…friend. And so does Mokuba."

"Is that what you want to be then, friends?" Aria asked doubtfully.

Kaiba gave a one shoulder shrug. "For now, or at least until the end of the summer." He had the audacity to wink at her.

Aria blushed prettily and quickly looked down at the street.

"I believe it's my turn to ask a question," Kaiba said. Aria said nothing, just nodded with her head still down.

Kaiba grew serious. "Why didn't you come to me when you needed a paying job?"

Aria's head snapped back up. Her eyes flashed to a dark emerald. "I wasn't interested in your pity money, I'm still not. I'm a big girl and can solve my own problems." She flipped back her hair in defiance. "I'm tired of having to depend on wealthy men for provision."

Kaiba hid his smirk. He loved that she had enough pride to not go grovelling to someone at the first sign of trouble. No, this woman had the strength to tackle her problems head on. But if he was going to offer to pay her for her internship, he was going to have to tread carefully.

"Look," he said, adding a little sharper tone to his words, "I get you want to be little Miss Independent, but not if it's going to cost me your quality of work. I'd rather pay you then having you come in the next day exhausted because you were working all night."

Aria gritted her teeth. Kaiba could see that she knew he was right. But she still wasn't conceding. He sighed out loud at her stubbornness. "I'll even pay you a pittance of what I normally give my programmers. Deal?"

This time Aria let out a sigh. "Deal," she said defeatedly.

Kaiba smiled at his victory but it was short-lived as he saw that they were now walking through Aria's neighbourhood.

"Maybe we should stop here," Aria said. "I don't need my stepfather asking questions about who I'm with."

"I'm curious to know what you would tell him if he asked," Kaiba said with a smirk.

Aria shot him a bemused look. "I would tell him that some arrogant prat wanted to walk me home, and I had no choice but to say yes."

Kaiba took a step forward, just so he was on the fringes of her personal space. "You forgot the part about enjoying his company, despite being an arrogant prat."

"I don't know if I would go that far," she said breathlessly.

Kaiba could feel the electricity thrumming between them, almost as if it was trying to pull them together. It was difficult for him to take a step back, snapping the tension in half. But when he saw the flash of disappointment in her eyes, a feeling of euphoria soared in his chest.

It was at that moment that Kaiba's limo pulled up behind him.

"Thank you for walking me home," Aria mumbled.

"What are friends for?" Kaiba said with a knowing smirk. He turned to open the limo door. "Until next time." Then he flashed her his signature arrogant smirk and got in. Leaving her exasperated on the sidewalk.

The whole drive home, Kaiba couldn't stop thinking about how well the evening went. Aria had not completely closed off herself to him, which meant that Kaiba had an opening in which to go through. Now that they were established as "friends", it should be easier for him to spend more time with her. I love it when I win! Kaiba couldn't help but think smugly to himself.