Chapter 4: Annoying Prick

A/N: Hey everyone! We're back with another chapter! Last time we saw Lana, she gave Tseng a slap to the face when tried to bribe her with money to keep quiet. Now that's made Rufus even more curious about her. Wonder what's gonna happen now?

I was also thinking of doing a few art pieces for this story. If you guys are interested in seeing drawings for this series let me know!

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7; I just own my oc's.

Enjoy!

/

After her little run in with Tseng, the rest of Lana's day was uneventful. Vivian kept being a bitch during work and belittling her, so it was just a normal day. Before she left for the day, Jeremy reminded all the cooks to come up with ideas for the menu for Madame Scarlett's banquet. They were supposed to have a meeting with the head of Weapons Development in a few weeks, so they needed to be prepared.

"I can't stress enough how important this banquet is going to be. This is Shinra's top brass, so we need the best of the best. Whatever you specialize in, perfect it. Now's not the time to come up with experimental dishes. If this banquet doesn't go well because of us, then our café will be in ruins."

Lana wasn't too worried about her dishes. She specialized in a lot of categories when it came to cooking. From making pasta to prepping a roast, there was no dish that she couldn't tackle. All she had to worry about is what Madame Scarlett was looking for.

'That woman is super picky. The café will be lucky is she even picks one dish from us.

She got on the train and took a seat. Leaning her head against the cushion, she let the day's events replay in her mind. She wondered if she went too far with slapping Tseng in the face. He really didn't do anything wrong; he was just following orders from his boss. However, the fact that he thought he could bribe her with money so easily really pissed her off. Did people on the upper plate really think people from the Slums would do anything for money? That check Rufus wrote had such a ridiculous amount on it that she wondered how could he throw it away so easily?

'He could have used that money for something more productive like putting it towards charities.

When the train reached the Sector 4 station, she got off. Looking around at her scrappy town, she knew she made the right choice by declining that money. Sure, it would have covered a few months rent for her apartment, but it was the principle of the matter. Money didn't buy happiness.

She reached her apartment and unlocked the door. She decided not to tell Millie about what happened today. She just knew her best friend would have a heart attack if she knew that someone like Rufus Shinra was offering her money.

Opening the door, she kicked off her shoes and pulled her coat off.

"I'm back, Millie. How was your day at- "?

She stopped herself short when she saw none other than Tseng sitting at her kitchen table. Millie sat next to the Turk, wearing the fakest smile Lana had ever seen.

"Lana! Welcome home! Your buddy, Tseng dropped by to see you. Isn't that sweet?" Millie said through clenched teeth.

Lana scowled as she dropped her messenger bag on the floor.

"I wouldn't call us friends" she said.

Tseng rose from his seat and approached her.

"Miss. Denbrough" he greeted.

Lana narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I thought I told you to never bother me again" she snapped.

Tseng being the stoic man that he was kept calm.

"You did…as well as other things."

The traces of where she slapped him were still visible on his face.

"However, I'm afraid the Vice-President is persistent that he repay you for your kindness for the other day. He won't take no for an answer."

Millie raised an eyebrow as she looked between the two.

"Lana, what is he talking about?"

Lana ignored her best friend and continued to glare at Tseng.

"And I told you his money means jack shit to me. Like I said, I was doing a nice thing, so can we leave it at that?"

"I'm afraid I can't. This is a serious issue that needs to be resolved."

"No, it doesn't. I helped him out and said I would keep quiet. Issue resolved. Now will you please get out of my house?"

Tseng sighed as he held the bridge of his nose. Why did Rufus order him to visit her again? Shouldn't he have been happy that she wasn't blackmailing him?

"Miss. Denbrough, will you please just accept the Vice-President's gift? I know you're probably embarrassed by this, but I assure you that- "

"No, you don't get it! It's the fact that rich people like yourself can just solve anything by throwing money around and expect those who are less fortunate will jump at it. Not everyone does things for money."

Tseng actually looked remorseful as Lana spoke. He understood perfectly what she was saying. However, he also knew that people like Rufus wouldn't understand the way Lana did. He grew up under President Shinra. Like it or not, he did take after his father in a few ways.

"Believe me. I understand completely where you're coming from" he said quietly.

"But listen to me when I say you don't want to refuse someone like the Vice-President. He doesn't do this willingly, so please accept this."

He held out the check that he had offered her earlier.

Lana clenched her hands into tight fists. She hated people who looked down on her. Be it Vivian who treated her like trash for being raised in the Slums to the Turks of Shinra thinking she needed the money because she was less fortunate. Why wouldn't people see past that?"

Millie noticed how angry Lana was getting and decided to step in.

"Ok, I've heard enough."

She stepped in between the two so there was some distance between them.

"I don't know what the hell is going on, but she told you no. Take that check of yours and shove it up your ass. She told you to leave, now leave."

Tseng wanted to argue some more but he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with these two. Looks like he was going to go back to an annoyed boss.

"Please take what I said to heart, Miss. Denbrough" he sighed.

"It's never wise to refuse Shinra."

"I'll take my chances" Lana snapped.

"Now please leave."

The Turk left without saying another word. When it was just the two girls left, Millie rounded on Lana and grabbed her shoulders.

"What the fuck was that just now?!"

Lana knew she got caught and decided to come clean to her friend. She told her about her run-in with Rufus Shinra, how she saved him and how he was trying to bribe her by staying quiet.

When she finished her tale, Millie looked on in horror. She smacked her friend's arm in frustration.

"You idiot! Do realize how dangerous that could have been? I told you to stay away from guys like him!"

Lana glared at her best friend as she rubbed her arm. She knew Millie would react this way, which was why she kept quiet about meeting Rufus.

"I didn't even know it was him until he told me his name! And I couldn't just leave him bleeding out in the alleyway. Think of how much trouble I would be if I let President Shinra's son die".

Millie held the bridge of her nose and groaned.

"God, this is such a mess. I don't get why he's persistent with paying you. You would think he would be jumping for joy that someone from the Slums wasn't begging for money."

Lana just rubbed her face. It was supposed to be another normal, boring day. Why did it turn out like this?

"I don't care for his reasoning behind it. Hopefully now he gets the message and will leave me alone."

"Too bad you didn't take the check. That could have paid our rent for a few months" Millie said.

"That's not the point, Millie. It's the principle of the matter" Lana sighed.

Millie just rolled her eyes and walked back into the kitchen.

"Well, I'm sure we won't be bothered by him again, so things can go back to normal…like you getting that promotion at work so we can afford a better place to live in."

Lana rolled her eyes at Millie. Hopefully now that she declined Rufus's money twice, he would finally take the hint and go away.

Oh, if only that were easy. Whenever dad had his mind set on something, he didn't stop until he got the results he wanted. It was one of the traits mom both loved and hated about him.

/

If Lana was hoping for things to go back to normal after that day, she was sadly mistaken. Since then, the Turks would follow her and tried to make her accept the check. Every time she refused; the amount would get higher. Tseng even roped in his two companions, Reno and Rude into this. He was probably afraid that she would hit him again, so he thought it would be better if his friends became her punching bags.

They tried everything from meeting her at her work to mailing her the check. Every time they did, she would rip the check into little pieces.

This went on for two weeks now and it seemed like neither party was giving up any time soon.

"Why don't you just accept the money? If you do, then they'll leave you alone" Millie pointed out.

"It's not the point. It's a battle of wits now. If I give in, that means that prick won, and there's no way I'm going to lose to that rich boy. He's bound to run out of checks soon so I just gotta take my time."

Grabbing her messenger bag, she braced herself for another long day. Stepping out into the streets, she made her way towards the train station.

She spotted the all too familiar black suits that belonged to the Turks and tried her best to ignore them. Today's poor candidate was Reno. The red head leaned against the stations vending machine with his baton lazily held in his hand. Lana tried to act like she didn't see him and made her way past him. When she started to walk past him, Reno held his baton out, causing her to stop.

"Not so fast, little lady"

Lana groaned and looked tiredly at the Turk.

"Don't you have anything better to do than play messenger?"

Reno smirked as he pushed himself off the vending machine and sauntered over to her.

"I do, and I'll get to them as soon as you take this."

He held up the check and waved it in her face. Lana scowled and swatted the piece of paper away.

"How about you just pretend that you gave it to me and spend it on yourself? You get a nice bonus and I get left alone and everyone is happy."

Reno laughed and propped his baton on his shoulder.

"Temping but no go, sweet cheeks. Just be a good girl and take the check. It's been two weeks now. Surely you're getting tired of this."

Lana crossed her arms. If Reno kept this up, she was going to miss her train and be late for work.

"I am getting tired of this. If he's so determined to pay me, why doesn't he do it himself instead of making his lapdogs do it?"

"What can I say? The Vice-President is a very busy man, sweet cheeks" Reno replied.

"Now be a good girl and just take the money. I got things to do and don't have time standing here all day."

Lana was about to yell at him when she suddenly came up with an idea. If Rufus was going to play dirty games, then so was she.

"Tell you what, I'll accept the money on one condition: since he's the one who wants to give me this, then he should give it to me in person. If he won't do it, then I won't take it."

Reno raised an eyebrow. He knew was she was doing. She was hoping that Rufus wouldn't show up so she could get out of this situation. It was a bold idea, but a dangerous one. Clearly, she didn't know what kind of person Rufus was.

This was going to be fun.

"If that's what you want, I'll let Tseng know. Can't make any promises though."

"Don't push yourself too hard" Lana said sarcastically.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to work. Something you should be doing too."

She pushed past Reno and made it to the train before it left the station.

Reno wore a shit eating grin as he watched the train leave. Pulling out his phone, he texted Tseng the situation. Boy, was Lana in for a rude awakening. When he finished talking to Tseng, he pulled up Rude's number.

"Yo, Rude. Get some popcorn made. We're gonna have quite the show later today."

/

Work was peaceful for once. It was Vivian's day off so that meant Lana could do her cooking in peace. Lunch time wasn't hectic, and she didn't have to rush getting dishes made. Not only that, but she also thought of a few ideas of what she wanted to present at Scarlett's banquet.

'My salmon en papillote and boeuf bourguignon are fan favorites. Hopefully that's fancy enough for someone like Madame Scarlett.'

She just went about with her cooking, not caring what was going on around her.

"LANA!"

One of the waitresses burst into the kitchen and rushed over to her. The poor girl looked like saw a ghost as she gripped her arms tightly.

"You have to go out there! Someone wants to talk to you, and you won't believe who it is!"

Lana raised an eyebrow. She had a lot of customers wanting to speak to her cause they enjoyed the meal she made for them. Who could it possibly be that would cause such a reaction?

Taking off her messy apron, she followed the waitress to the main lobby of the café. Who she saw when she entered the room was someone she did not expect?

There, sitting in the empty café was none other than Rufus Shinra. The rich bastard must have paid Jeremy to kick everyone out, so he had the place to himself. When the Vice-President saw her, he wore a shit eating grin. Lana felt the color leave her face. When she told Reno, she would accept the money if Rufus gave it to her in person, she didn't expect him to actually tell his boss!

Spinning on her heel, she went to head back into the kitchen, but Jeremy stopped her.

"He's paid us a lot of money to keep the café empty. Whatever he wants, you better talk to him."

He gave her a shove and blocked her only exit. Scowling, Lana fixed her uniform and walked over to Rufus. Now that she got a better look at him, she could understand why all the women in town went crazy over him. He was a very handsome man, something that he used to his advantage. But she wasn't going to be swayed by his looks. She just had to talk to him and then she could get on with her day.

"You're a really stubborn man, you know that?" she said dryly.

Rufus chuckled a little.

"So, I've been told. Though I can say the same about you"

He gestured for her to sit down. She was about to refuse but one look from Jeremy made her rethink that decision. Folding her hands in her lap, she willed herself to stay calm.

"I'm sure you know why I'm here?" Rufus asked.

Lana sighed wearily. This man wasn't giving up on this little game of theirs.

"I do, and I gotta say I'm getting really tired of this cat and mouse game you've been making me play with your bodyguards"

"If you're so tired of it, then why won't you accept the money?"

"Because I don't want it! I didn't help you to get a free hand out. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Because people in this town don't do things for free" Rufus said flatly.

"My father built this city through money. No one in their right mind would live here unless they were getting something out of it"

Lana wanted to argue but she bit her tongue. She wanted to get this conversation over and done with so the less she said the better.

"Look, I don't want your money. Can you just say, 'thanks for saving me' and call it a day?"

"Perhaps, but how can I be sure that you won't go tattling to the press over what happened?" Rufus countered.

Lana growled in frustration. Was the Vice-President really this thick headed?

"I haven't said anything for almost a month! If I was going to, I would have told someone about it already. But then again maybe I should so everyone will know what an annoying, prick you really are."

Rufus snorted at that.

"Please I've been called worse."

He pulled out a check from his jacket and laid it on the table.

"Let's just end this game, shall we? Just take the money and that'll be the end of it."

Lana eyed the check. Once again, it had a ridiculous amount on it. She was about to argue with him but then she came up with an idea.

Pretending to look innocent, she looked up at Rufus.

"If I accept it, will you promise to leave me alone then? No more Turks hounding me down?"

Rufus raised an eyebrow at her sudden mood change but nodded.

"That's right. Just take it and I'll leave you alone."

Lana pretended to think it over before finally sighing.

"Fine, you win. I'll take the money."

She picked up the check and looked it over. Rufus continued to wear that arrogant smirk of his. As usual, he was right. Lana was just like all the other women he met. All they wanted was money in the end.

He thought this was the end of it, but he was shocked when he saw the shit eating grin forming on the chief's face.

"Why, thank you Mr. Vice-President! What a lovely donation you made to the café!"

Rufus raised an eyebrow.

"What?!"

Lana ignored him and turned to Jeremy, waving the check in her hand.

"Jeremy, you won't believe this! The Vice-President made a lovely donation to our café! Isn't that so sweet of him?"

At the mention of money, the manager was all over the check as Lana handed it to him.

"Why thank you, Sir! This is most generous of you!"

Rufus was flabbergasted. That was a lot of money! Why would this woman give it away like that?!

"Wait, no! That wasn't for- "

"Oh, don't' be bashful, Sir. This will help keep the café running" Lana said as she gripped his hand rather tightly.

"Say, Jeremy. Why don't you tell the rest of the staff what Mr. Shinra did for us?"

Jeremy quickly ran into the back, leaving the two alone. Rufus glared at Lana while she wore a pleasant smirk on her face.

"You, wretched little- "

"I wouldn't finish that sentence unless you want to lose a few teeth" Lana said.

Rufus swatted her hand away in disgust.

"That wasn't a donation. That was for you" he said.

Lana shrugged and got up from her seat.

"Hey, you said if I took the money, you'd leave me alone. You never said how I was supposed to spend the money" she said.

She went over to him and gripped his shoulder.

"Well, this has been fun and all but a deals a deal. Now if you would be so kind as to never bother me again, that would be great."

She turned around without even looking at him and waved.

"Be sure to tell your little bodyguards they can go back to their real jobs now."

She went into the kitchen, leaving Rufus all alone.

He should have been pissed off that she threw away his money like that. He should have been happy that this little ordeal was over. He should have felt many things, but the only thing he felt at that moment was curiosity.

Just who was this woman?

He leaned his head on his hand as he smirked. Lana may have claimed that their little game was over, but quite frankly it was only beginning.

/

A/N: Poor Lana, you shouldn't play these kind of games with someone like Rufus. He always wins. What is he going to do now since he knows he can't win her over with money?

Hopefully this chapter was to your liking! Please review and tell me what you think!

Take care!