Kawaii-Cherri: Is that a good thing or not? xD Reading your review was funny but confusing. You're going to love Chapter 25. Won't be long until I post it! I love it and i know what happens!

Chapter 23: Spin my head

She had allowed herself the journey down to the lobby to wallow in self-pity before knowing that she was just going to have to suck this all up and hope it wasn't going to be too weird from now on. Sebastian must have known that she loved him. Of course, she did, he was her best friend. That doesn't come without love. Just not the actual love that she really felt. Hearing him say it back to her was heart-breaking and yet, she gave herself a moment to enjoy the fantasy. Ugh, I'm pathetic, she thought to herself as she stepped out of the lift only to be caught by the two men she was trying to escape from.

'Mr Davies, Mr Elijhan?' She questioned. They were both out of breath and it was clear that they had taken the stairs in a desperate attempt to catch her.

Mr Davies was the first to be able to speak while Mr Elijhan wheezed and held onto his knees. 'We've sent Sebastian in with Mr Yogima but it's just upset him more. You said that you used to be in the same circles. Please, for the future of this company…' he breathed in deeply trying to centre himself. 'For the future of this company and your husband's career, could you please give us some advice?' He asks.

Rina raised a brow; it was very clear that they were desperate. Helping them could mean that when the truth came out about the "marriage", Sebastian would have some leverage. Rina inhales deeply and tilts her head. 'I think what's gone wrong is that Mr Yogima would have expected a gift. It's part of their culture, a thank you, for taking the time to come see you,' she said trying to give a genuine smile.

'Oh, Yoba,' Mr Davies swore. He ran his hand over his hair, 'we can run out and get something, say it arrived late?' He suggested to Mr Elijhan who looked just as worried.

Rina mentally cursed. 'As you know I used to… interact with Mr Yogima. I could explain to him what's happened and perhaps ease the situation?' She said honestly. 'Don't worry about the gift, I'll be able to correct that,' she added, causing relief to appear before her.

'Would you? That's so kind, thank you!' Mr Elijhan took Rina's hands and shook them in delight. 'Thank you so much, you are a blessing on our day,' he smiles. Rina returns his with a bright one of her own and wondered if it was too late to reset the morning.

Mr Davies pressed the button for the lift and motioned for Rina to step in first. 'We're very grateful for your help,' he said simply.

She tenses and holds onto her bag tightly. 'Think nothing of it. I'm happy to help Sebastian,' she said telling the truth. 'I do have a meeting that I can't miss though so I will have to make this quick,' she points out. Mr Davies assures her that they won't keep her longer than necessary. Rina was taken to meeting room to find Sebastian outside looking at his phone in desperation.

'Pheebs!' He said in shock. 'You're back… with my… employers,' he added, trying not to make a scene.

Rina smiled awkwardly. 'They've asked me for some advice in regards to this… mess,' she said trying to ignore the tension between them. 'They've promised that it won't take long. I've asked for a couple of things to be brought in and I'll be out of your hair in no time,' she said in apology. Her apology was brushed aside as Sebastian pulled her into a hug, tightly embracing her and not caring who was around to see.

'Thank you, Pheebs,' he whispers. Rina buried her head into his shoulder and nods, enjoying the moment.

'Okay, this is what's going to happen,' Rina said to all three of the men as she pulled away from him. She explained what to do and what she was going to do. It should be simple enough and help mend any bridges, temporarily at least. With a deep breath she opened the door and walked into the room, beside Sebastian.

Mr Yogima looked over from where he had been looking out the window. Sebastian bowed and Rina did the same before her hands were grabbed in a tight embrace. He had walked over to them quickly when he spotted her. 'Miss Ophelia!' He said in a thick accent as he smiled. Rina nods and tries not to giggle as her hands are enthusiastically held tight as Mr Yogima shakes them. He had always had a soft spot for her and they had shared a few lovely conversations at previous social gatherings. Her presence seemed to do wonders and the atmosphere lightened. She greeted him in his native tongue and asked how he was, earning another beaming smile from him.

Davies and Elijhan had entered the room after them and Mr Elijhan stepped forward, 'actually, Mr Yogima, this is Mrs Rina Vance,' Mr Elijhan supplied, thinking that it was a case of mistaken identity.

He frowned, looking at Rina who had gupped like a fish before clearing her throat. 'Uh, Mr Elijhan, my first name is Ophelia, Mr Yogima is quite correct,' she clarified before looking back at the older man who wore a gleeful expression.

He grinned and shook her hands warmly again before placing a hand on her shoulder and leading her to the table, 'ah, you married now? Shame my son did not pull his act together and have you as a wife,' he said with a chuckle, making Sebastian stiffen as he followed Rina. Sebastian didn't like hearing that type of talk, he didn't realise how strong those feelings were regarding the subject.

Rina nodded at Sebastian who held out a large jar of honey for the older man, 'here, a gift, thank you for taking the time to visit us,' he said with a bow, 'my apologies for our earlier rudeness.' Mr Yogima looked at him and smiled as he took the jar. His eyes flickered over to Rina and he knew that this was her doing, it seemed to amuse him.

'Ah, honey, a beautiful, and appropriate gift,' he said as he places it on the table and invited them to sit down with him. All five of them sat down, Rina was between Sebastian and Mr Elijhan and opposite Mr Yogima. Not her favourite place to have chosen but it would do for this short meeting.

'I produced it on my farm this past season, using orchid flowers,' Rina said conversationally as another staff member brought in a teapot and some teacups. 'A particular bloom that is… tricky to care for unless you have the right patience and love for it,' she said softly. Sebastian looked over at her but it was clear that the pink tinge to her cheeks and the way that she refused to catch his eye said it all.

Mr Yogima nodded and listened as she began to pour and warm the teacups, 'So many talents, I should have spoken to your father regarding marriage,' he teases, watching her pour carefully. She knew what she was doing and he appreciated the effort she was going through.

Rina smiled though Sebastian could tell it was forced, 'Mr Yogima, you were the one that told me that your son wasn't good enough. Besides, Sebastian, he's… my best friend, my… everything' she said in almost a whisper as she concentrated on pouring the tea, making sure to give Mr Yogima the third teacup she served. She heard a sharp intake of breath from Sebastian and Mr Davies let out a little amused snorting noise to which she claimed ignorance to. 'Here, Mr Yogima, and please,' she said as she took out a smaller jar from her bag, 'indulge my curiosity,' she smiles, 'I wouldn't want you to have to open such a large jar for a tasting with your tea,' she explained.

'Mrs Vance, you are too kind to such an old man,' he chuckles. With a twist, he removes the lid and smells the rich, amber contents. 'Beautiful,' he confirms as he picks up a teaspoon to add some.

A phone began to beep and Rina looked horrified. She dove into her bag as she heard it and quickly looked at the screen before shoving it under the table. 'I'm so sorry, Mr Yogima,' she apologised. 'I have to take this,' she said as she stood up and looked at Sebastian, 'it's the magazine,' she whispered in a hiss.

Sebastian went to stand up as Rina ran out the room but Mr Davies placed a hand on his shoulder, 'don't worry,' he said softly. 'Excuse me, Mr Yogima,' he said with a slight bow before he followed her.

He found Rina trying to talk desperately into her phone, '-please, I'm sorry, I've just been held up. I can be there in half an hour… no please, I wasn't trying to waste your time-'

Mr Davies walked past her and simply took the phone out of her hand, 'hello, which magazine do you work for?... Ah, hello, Isabella,' he said holding out a finger to Rina who desperately tried to get her phone back. 'Hello, darling, yes, it's me, Leon. Hello, baby girl, how are you?... Yes, it's been too long since our last drink. Now, I understand that you were supposed to be meeting Rina today, but the thing is, I may have stolen her to help with a teeny tiny little meeting I have. Turns out she speaks the language and has a previous relationship with him, it's really helped grease the wheels.'

Rina looked at him in utter disbelief and he winked at her making her frown as she glared back at him, she didn't understand why he was doing this and for what gain but at the same time she didn't want to upset Sebastian's boss. 'Tell you what, Isabella, my little cupcake, why don't I send for the company car to pick you up and bring you here. You can have your interview with Rina and her wonderful husband, and then I'll give you the down low on our new business venture,' he said with grin. 'That's right and then we can go out for another little drink, you and me, your perfect wingman,' he teased. 'That's right. Get yourself ready, the car will be there in about twenty minutes.'

He hung up and smiled at Rina who just stared at him, 'what… the hell was that?' She asked, all professionalism out the window.

Mr Davies looked at her with a grin, 'that was me paying you back for pulling our asses out the fire. Ophelia… Tyrell,' he said with a smirk.

Rina clears her throat and shrugs a shoulder. 'So, you know my maiden name,' she said simply, it's not something she had to be worried about. Realistically many people knew her real name. 'Thank you for helping me out with the magazine, though it wasn't needed, it was appreciated.'

'Apart from the fact that it was needed,' he corrected making Rina sigh lightly, 'But, you're welcome. It seems that your presence alone for Mr Yogima has increased our chances of potential investment,' he said honestly. He was a little impressed by her blank facial expression when he dropped her name. He had called along to reception to find out what name she had signed in with, he was curious to find out about this "wife" that Sebastian hadn't ever mentioned, not even in passing. " " was what had been written, so he did some mental deduction, he knew the city's upper crust pretty well and it wasn't hard once he heard Mr Yogima call her, Ophelia.

She nodded and held out her hand for her phone, 'You're welcome. I wanted to help Sebastian,' she said honestly. 'Well, I suppose that we should arrange a room for the interviews?' She said as she shouldered her bag up a little more to be comfortable. 'Thank you, Mr Davies,' she added with a light nod. He grinned and passed back her phone and then led her to another room that would give sufficient privacy. 'Please, let me know how the meeting goes with Mr Yogima,' she adds as she takes off her bag and places it under the table.

'Of course, I'll let Mr Vance know where you are,' he added with another cheeky wink. 'Congratulations on your recent nuptials, so recent in fact, you've not changed your I.D yet,' he pointed out. Rina rolled her eyes and gave him a look, 'alright that was a cheap shot,' he laughed lightly.

'Yes, and a weak one at that,' Rina replied simply. 'Is there something that you wish to specifically say? I would rather not have to delve into all the little dirty tricks and things that I know and possibly ruin Sebastian's job here. If there is something you want, I'd rather you come out and say it,' she said simply. Rina knew his type, a small shark attempting to grow larger in the vast ocean so he targeted any weakness his found.

He nodded and sat on the edge of the table, 'I'm not surprised by your sudden marriage, I have expected it. Though rumours that were going around were that you were going to be marrying Zachery Hacklery, the little brother of the man you upset when you left your family home. What with your grandfather's stipulations and all,' he said with a shrugged shoulder.

Rina narrowed her eyes, this wasn't news to her in a way, though the last part of his sentence worried her a little. 'My grandfather's stipulations? What do you mean?' She asked bluntly and got a raised brow in return. Leon took out his phone and after a quick browse, he brought up a document to give to her to read. Rina's heart quickened. 'The fuck?' She whispered.

"If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So, I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.

Ophelia, my grandchild. There are so many things I wish for you to experience in life but I wish for you to go through what everyone must do. Struggle. I want you to earn the gift that I have left for you and hopefully, your children, should you decide you want any. I have gifted you my farm land in hopes that you can become your own woman.

At the beginning of your third year living on the land, an evaluator will assess what you've done and will award you points in regards to the wellbeing. Evaluation is directly related to the number of candles that will be lit up around the shrine (there are 4 candles, I know it's not the usual but allow your old grandpappy his frivolities even after he's gone). This is determined by a point system based on various milestones that were reached in the first two years. If you manage to accomplish at least twelve points then I will allow the trust-fund that I have set aside for you to become accessible. If not, then the deal that I have made with your father will subsequently become void and you will return to living under his care and…"

Rina couldn't read anymore and her eyes welled up in tears. So, this is how he did it, this is how he managed to keep her father truly away all this time. She inhaled deeply, 'can you send this to me please?' She asked in a whisper. Leon nodded and sent it over to the email address that she gave him. 'How… did you get this?' She asked quietly.

'It's public record, my dear,' he said softly, all ulterior motives out the window. This woman was kind and sweet, also he saw the colour drain from her face as she read the will. All thoughts of gaining something from her had dwindled. For the time being at least. 'By the sounds of it though, you have at least twelve points, especially with your marriage to Sebastian,' Leon pointed out making her nod weakly. 'So, no worries.'

She laughed bitterly, 'yeah, no… no worries there,' she whispered. Oh, fuck me, she thought. I'm in serious fucking trouble now.

The interview went about as well as she thought it could and after a while, she was able to catch up with Sebastian. As for her grandfather's stipulations, she would have to intently go through the list and find somewhere else to gain points. Perhaps she could increase her profit margin, there was almost half a year left at least… though the easiest way would to be literally married.

She would talk to Sebastian and see if he had any ideas about what to do. She found him in the kitchen of the office and there was a woman talking to him, a little too close for Rina's liking but she knew she had no right at all to be upset about it. She walked over and he beamed as he saw her. 'Pheebs!' He said in joy as he gently moved the other woman to one side so that he could hug her. 'Thank you so much, thanks to you, Mr Yogima is definitely going to invest,' he explained making Rina gasp and clap her hands in happiness as he let her go.

'Bastian! That's amazing! Well done, I'm so proud of you,' she said honestly and shared a smile with him.

The woman cleared her throat, 'as I was saying, Seb; we really should go over the logistics together soon,' she said to return his attention back to herself.

Sebastian inhaled deeply, though subtly and smiled at Rina. 'Rina, this is Madison, Madison, this is Rina,' he said getting introductions out the way. 'Rina, Madison is the digital designer and will be headlining the new investment with me as I code,' he tried to explain. Rina tried to understand but technology wasn't her strong point.

'Super cool,' Rina said giving Madison a smile as she held out her hand for her to shake. There was a brief, albeit limp attempt on Madison's part. 'Oh, here, have some honey for like, the communal kitchen or something,' she adds, pulling out a large jar.

Madison barely hid the smirk, 'oh, honey. Well, how… quaint,' she said.

Sebastian tilted his head at her comment and took the jar with a smile, placing it on the kitchen side. 'Thanks, Pheebs. I'll let you know what everyone thinks of it,' he promises. He bluntly ignores Madison who rolls her eyes in annoyance.

'Well, I've finished my interview and Leon… Mr Davies has brought something to my attention that I've gotta look over. Uh, not sure if I'm going back to the farm tonight but I'll let you know?' Rina said to Sebastian who nodded. 'Okay. I'll talk to you later, regardless, right?'

'Of course,' Sebastian said as they shared a goodbye hug and a kiss on the cheek. He waved at her as she walked over to the elevator and only when she was out of sight did, he return his gaze back to Madison, whom looked miffed.

'I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend,' she said bluntly.

'I don't,' Sebastian replied simply and then turned back to his coffee mug. 'So, as for the proposal, we need a decent layout, something that's easy to navigate and simple but elegant at the same time. We don't want it looking like it's cheap because it's going to be anything but.'

Somehow, Madison had managed to wrangle herself into an after-work brainstorming session. Sebastian wasn't really in the mood but she didn't take no for an answer and reminded him a lot of Abigail and how she used to just appear in his room. He tried to get the meeting to be in a place like a bar so he would have an excuse to leave after an hour but she twisted it around and said that at his place it would be more comfortable. Sebastian seriously doubted that but he hoped that Rina would come over and Madison would have to take the hint and leave.

She was a nice enough woman, with long brown hair, blue eyes and a sweet demeanour. There were red flags that made Sebastian wary of her, her dating history seemed to be full of… subservient, timid men who would dote hand and foot on her until she was bored. Sebastian didn't want to be egotistical but he was sure that because he had shown no interest in her at all she had become, determined to somehow change that. She had been pestering him since he started with slightly invasive questions. Sebastian knew that his social skills weren't great, so he wasn't sure if she was actually being invasive for a reason or she was just trying to be polite and get to know her co-worker. It was confusing.

He let them both into his apartment, it was nicely decorated and had everything he needed even it was a little more on the plain side. She looked around as he set a few things up, placing his phone into its dock. 'This will be recording,' he stated. 'That way anything, we discuss and don't make note of will be saved regardless,' he said as he fiddled with the settings so that the audio was clear. Madison replied an agreement while looking at a photo of himself and Rina; the one in the mines. A favourite.

'You're close to her,' she said bluntly as she put down the photo frame.

'She's… my everything,' he said simply not really wanting to talk about Rina to this woman.

'Uh-huh,' Madison said simply, wearing a small, petty smile.

'I'll get us a couple of drinks and we'll get started, I don't know what I'm doing for dinner yet, so I might end up with other plans' he said simply as he went to grab them a couple bottles of water.

-x-

Rina hummed to herself as she fiddled with the key she had been given; she hadn't even put it on her keyring yet. 'Damn new, stupid, fiddly, little bastard,' she muttered. She could hear music coming from inside Sebastian's place which probably explained why he hadn't heard his phone go off. He generally put music on when he was going for a shower but he wouldn't mind if she let herself in, that's why he gave her a key in the first place. Finally, she was able to get the key into the lock and she twisted it to open the door, 'hey Bastian, you didn't reply to my mess-… my, uh, my messages,' she said the last part in a whisper as she came face to face with Madison and Sebastian.

Kissing.

Madison was pressed against him, both leaning against the wall that was in front of the door, so Rina had a full, side portrait view. She inhaled sharply and blinked back tears quickly. 'Oh, Yoba!' She said quickly, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest and trying to hide her confusion. 'I um, I should have knocked or something, I didn't know you had company,' she squeaked.

'Pheebs,' Sebastian said as he moved Madison away from him, 'it's not-'

Rina moved back from him and placed the food she had brought for them both on the little table by the door. 'Oh, Yoba, there's, uh, no need to explain,' she said in a pitch that was too high and she spoke far too fast. 'I should have knocked or… or known that you were busy, you uh, you know,' she babbled.

'Pheebs-'

'I didn't mean to intrude, you uh, continue on. I'll just, just get this damn thing out the lock and uh,' Rina pulled the key out the door and refused to look at Sebastian. 'I, uh, I'll be going, I'll just… leave this here, so this… doesn't happen again,' she whispered as she put the key on the table. Finally, she glanced up and caught sight of his face, his expression wasn't something that she could confidently say she recognised or understood.

'Pheebs, please, just let me-' Sebastian said almost desperately, reaching out for her.

'No!' She replied sharply, forcing herself to smile at Madison in apology. Her tone was high and had an edge of amusement that she was faking, hard. She stepped out the doorway. 'There's nothing to explain!' She said in a completely masked pitch. 'It's… It's not like you owe me anything… Sebastian, I mean, I should have knocked, or like, known that you, you have a… a… uh…. It's not like, um. Well, uh, you're… not mine and uh…' Rina said trying to ignore her breaking voice. 'It's fine, this is fine. I'll get out of your hair,' she adds.

'Listen-' He began to move and she grabbed the door handle.

'No! It's fine, I should have knocked or waited for your reply instead of assuming,' she said. 'Please… there's no need. You don't need to follow me or explain,' she added as he took a step forward. Rina pulled the door shut quickly and, for the lack of a better word, ran.