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SAKURA

I found myself across the street from where Mr. Uchiha lived. I looked at the monumental house with amazement and maybe a little bit of envy. I could only dream of such a house. I thought to myself as I admired the wealth that had fallen into the lap of such a mean guy. The world was not fair. His house was a clear reflection of himself; darker glass with dark grey curtains that made it impossible to see inside, concrete walls, a bulky house with a doorman at the front gate. Cold, distant, unreachable.

The sight made my stomach clench. All the way here, I had to remind myself that it was no big deal, that it was a business meeting with managers who knew my boss, and I would just be on hand. Or at least I wanted to believe that. What other reason would he have for wanting me to come to his house? I've definitely excluded the inappropriate suggestions option, it's Mr. Uchiha after all.

It wasn't even a 20-minute walk from aunty Tsunade's nursing facility to his house, so I was right on time. Today's visit to my aunt's nursing house didn't go well because my aunt was cranky and didn't want to talk to me much or eat anything. I don't like to force her into anything and she won't let me anyway, so I left earlier than usual. I was disappointed, but her condition wasn't her fault after all.

She was cheerful all week, playing cards like her life was on the line, and I hoped today would be the same. I was hoping to talk to her like the good old days when her dementia wasn't so severe. My aunt, although she looked stunningly young for her age, was in the advanced stages of dementia. Her memory was now functioning in such a way that one moment she knew who I was, and the next moment she didn't recognize me and talked about little 6 year old Sakura running around in the garden at her house.

Even though I was used to it by now, it still always made my heart ache to see the look in her eyes as she looked as if through me. She didn't recognize me, and since my aunt is the only family I have, it hurt even more. And today it added even more stress than I already had because of this "thing" with my boss. I left my aunt's house dejected and also full of uncertainty as to why I should go visit my boss.

My boss, Uchiha Sasuke.

He confused me with his request that I come to his house tonight. For the rest of the day, his behavior seemed equally confusing. When he returned to his office after the meeting, he asked me for more coffee. He asked! He didn't order, he didn't stab me with his eyes, he didn't slam the door, he asked. Then, after an hour, he simply walked over to my desk and politely asked for lunch. And he thanked me in advance. He thanked!

He didn't leave his office until the end of working hours, and as he was heading home, he stopped by my desk again and asked if I had a business card with his address on it. As soon as I mumbled a silent "Yes," he nodded and left.

My nerves were on edge and my stomach was churning with nervousness. I had no idea what I was even doing outside his house, much less why I was here. To calm myself, I took a deep breath and let it out. There was only one way to find out. I straightened my shoulders, puffed out my chest, and stepped across the street with my right foot, right toward the devil's house.

A porter was sitting in a small shed by the gate. This guy has a doorman? There was no doubt that my boss had plenty of money. The porter was just reading some book when he saw me from the window and came out. I was surprised to see young guy he was. Maybe he was only 2-3 years older than me. But from the look of him, he seemed likeable. He had longer grey hair, round glasses and a kind smile. The tag pinned to his chest read Kabuto Yagushi.

Mr. Kabuto knew from Mr. Uchiha that I would arrive, and he used the phone in his cubicle to announce me. He escorted me to the front door, where my boss was already there to pick me up personally. I hadn't expected this ostentatious greeting, and more importantly, it was completely foreign and not very comfortable.

Mr. Uchiha opened the door, and I had a hard time not staring at him with my mouth open. I've never seen him in his home clothes before. He wasn't wearing his tailored suits or his polished loafers. Instead, he was in casual, comfortable clothes. He wore a black clingy t-shirt, plain grey sweatpants and was completely barefoot. On one hand, I wanted to laugh when I saw how long his toes were, but I suppressed my inner self and maintained my decorum.

He stepped aside so I could pass and motioned for me to come in. I took off my coat in the hallway as a courtesy and he took it from me. I watched in surprise as he carefully hung my coat on the coat rack. It was a gesture of a gentleman that I didn't think he was capable of. Then we stood there looking at each other. And there it is, the awkward silence... I scanned the look on his face and it was obvious that I wasn't the only one anxious about today's encounter. It seemed to me that he was embarrassed about something. Certainly not of me, but of something for sure.

He scratched the back of his neck with his hand and looked away. "I'm having dinner right now..." he paused, and my first thought was whether he was going to ask me to do his dishes, or leave and come back later, or something. He'd be capable of it, knowing him as I do. I was prepared for the humiliating order that was to come.

"Do you want some?"

That's not exactly what I expected to come out of his mouth. "What? No... I'm not hungry, but thank you."

Unfortunately for me, my empty stomach echoed and Mr. Uchiha smirked at that. I instinctively wanted to cover my stomach with my hands, but not even my hands were soundproof. I was so embarrassed like I hadn't been in a long time. In the mirror behind him, I saw my face, red as a tomato, and my humiliation deepened. I had to lower my head because I couldn't look at his face. Of all times, it had to happen now!

"I highly doubt it..." He said, still with that nerve-wracking smirk, and before I could say anything to him, he put his hands in his pockets and walked off towards the kitchen, as assumed. After a few steps, he stopped and turned back around when he noticed that I was still standing like a pillar in the hallway. "You want to stand there the whole time?" He uttered calmly and walked on, with me at his heels. We reached the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. "Take a seat." He told me, pointing to the high upholstered stools.

I had enough sense not to argue with him, so I silently obeyed. He went into the kitchen while I surveyed the vast open space of his living room. Dark wood floors, two large sofas made of navy blue leather, and white walls highlighted how spacious his house was. Except for the giant television hanging over the fireplace, the walls were bare. No childhood photos or handiwork, no paintings or other trinkets. Even the furniture was bare, and I spotted a single cabinet and a small table. There was nothing anywhere that would turn the living room into a cozy room. Not a single cushion or blanket.

It was a big room, but it was absolutely remote and cold. The whole room felt impersonal, as if it was going to be used for a magazine shoot with modern furniture. Simply equipped, immaculate and no signs of habitability. It didn't feel like home. His house said nothing at all about the kind of the person living in it. I also spotted a long hallway and an elegant spiral staircase that led up to the bedroom, most likely.

I turned back to the kitchen, which was decorated in exactly the same style and also had the same look. The design was a combination of dark and light, black and white. The kitchen was also devoid of any personal style and I had no choice but to suppress a shudder.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the clink of a plate against the marble countertop of the bar, where Mr. Uchiha had just placed the plate in front of me and opened the lid of the pizza box. "Is this your dinner?" I couldn't help the surprise and silent question in that moment. He looked at me with a look that literally screamed 'What's it to you?' but he answered after a moment anyway.

"I usually cook something, today is an exception." He explained a little annoyed. Yes, we all love pizza. I just didn't think my boss would ever eat such an ordinary meal either. It was too normal. But it contained his favorite food, tomatoes. So in a way, it made sense.

I hadn't had pizza in a very long time and just looking at it made my stomach growl again. Without comment, he took one slice out of the box and put it on my plate. "Help yourself." I was very hungry, so I started eating and didn't let him prompt me a second time. With my eyes lowered to my plate, I ate in silence, hoping my nerves wouldn't betray me and drop something somewhere.

Mr. Uchiha ate too, and ate all the rest, except for the last piece, which he placed in front of me. I didn't even object to the glass of wine he slipped me from somewhere. I sipped and savored the smoothness of the J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016 vintage. At least that's what it said on the bottle, and I preferred not to even question its price.

When we were done with our weird dining experience half an hour later, my boss got up to go to the trash can to dump the empty pizza box. He was right back, grabbed his glass of wine and drank it down. I swallowed nervously as he stared intently into my eyes. "Miss Haruno, as I said earlier today, this is a private matter."

I nodded in understanding since I didn't know what to say to him. He seemed to be looking at me strangely. Surely he must be thinking that I'm completely useless, or I have ketchup somewhere, but still he continued on. "I'm leaving ROOT Inc."

My jaw dropped at that statement. Why would he leave the company? After all, he's disgustingly successful and makes our company the most money. Danzo often relied on him and he was his favourite, even though it often didn't seem that way. Well, right after Neji Hyuga, but I would never say that out loud to my boss, because I still want to keep my life.

"Why?" I asked, wide-eyed in utter surprise.

"The details are none of your business, but one of the reasons is that Danzo screwed me over and didn't make me a Vice President of the company." He said in frustration, but thankfully not towards me. It was a relatively petty reason to leave, but I preferred to keep my doubts to myself.

"Maybe next time it will work out..." I replied optimistically, as it is proper and fitting. Inside, however, I felt worried about what would happen to me. If he left, I would end up without a job. There is no manager at ROOT Inc. right now who lacks a secretary, nor is there anyone going on maternity leave or retirement. Even if CEO Danzo somehow miraculously found me a new job, my pay would be cut. Either way, I was screwed.

"There won't be a next time." He said firmly. "I'm considering another option."

"Excuse me, but why are you telling this to me?" I jumped in before he could continue. It was rude, but both Mr. Uchiha and I knew my question was justified. We weren't privately close, not at all, and it wasn't even about work. It was about his personal life and his thoughts and plans for the future. I didn't know why he was telling this to me of all people. Is this why he invited me to his house?

"Because I need your help." He answered immediately.

"My help?" I tentatively managed a question. It confused me even more. He never wanted to involve me in anything that involved his privacy and his personal life outside of work. Sometimes he didn't even involve me in work matters.

Mr. Uchiha got up from the counter where we were sitting and walked around it until he was standing right in front of me. "I want to employ you."

Employ me? He wants to start his own company? He hates me and reminds me every day how annoying I am, like I could forget. I was under the impression that if he quit ROOT Inc., he wouldn't want to be associated with the company in any way. I thought he'd want to start his new job with a clean slate.

I cleared my throat. "Do you want me to be your secretary in your new job after you leave?"

"No." My boss had such a serious look and determination in his eyes that it made me nervous and fascinated at the same time. He paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about how to phrase his next statement. Then, after a little tense silence, he spoke what was really on his mind. And I could only stare at him in astonishment, unable to move or speak.

"I want to employ you as my fiancée."

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End of Chapter 8