Chapter 9: Connections
A/N: Hey everyone! We're back with another chapter! So Lana's dream of moving up in the working world was ruined thanks to Vivian so now what is she going to do?
Just wanted to point out, I know in the past chapters, I referred to Rufus's pet as Dark Nation because that was his name in the original game and I believe in the Japanese version of Remake. But I guess they have changed it to be Dark Star as of Rebirth, so from now on, he is known as Dark Star (I'm too lazy to go back and edit his name lol)
Now let's get on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7: I just own my characters.
Enjoy!
/
"Tell me again how that girl ain't fired yet?" Same asked.
Lana groaned and held the bridge of her nose.
"That is one of the biggest mysteries of the universe" she said.
"But after this fuck up, Jeremy will have to do something. She almost got Scarlett super sick. If she had ate that lobster we wouldn't have to worry about our jobs, we'd be worried for our lives"
"Least you realized right away what was going on" Sam said.
"Doesn't matter. We all still got punished for Vivian's mess. Now Scarlett is going to go with someone else and I lost my chance to get a promotion"
"Something will come up, kid. You might have thought this was your big chance but something even better will come"
Lana made a noise and slumped against Sam.
"I had this in the bag too! I was the only one who didn't get a complaint about my food" she whined.
Sam chuckled and patted her head.
"I'd be shocked if she said anything bad about your cooking"
Lana groaned and buried her face into Sam's shirt. Fucking Vivian and her stupid head. And she was stupid cause if that bimbo had read her stolen notebook, she would have seen 'NO SEAFOOD!' written in bold letters near the top. But then again she didn't know how long lobster was good till so maybe this bitch couldn't read.
The train stopped at the Sector 6 station. Lana dragged her feet as she followed Sam. The Chocobo handler sighed when he saw how defeated she looked. This would have been a very good promotion. Anyone who worked with Shinra tended to make it big. He didn't like what the company did as whole but he didn't have room to talk considering who he had to work for.
"Don't beat yourself up over this, Lana. Least you still have a job" he pointed out.
"I know, I know. It just would have been nice to finally be noticed by someone big" Lana said.
"Haven't you already been noticed by someone big already? From what I hear, that Shinra boy has been seeing you almost every day"
Lana's face went bright red when she heard that. How did he know about Rufus?!
"Did Millie say something?!"
Sam just laughed.
"She might have mentioned something as she was passing by to go to work. From what I hear, he follows you around like a little puppy dog"
Lana made a face at the image. Being followed by a dog was cute. Rufus was not cute.
"I wouldn't say a dog…he's more like a cockroach. You could swat him away, spray bug killer, hell even try to crush his head with your shoe-doesn't matter what you do, he won't die and he just pesters you"
"You always have a way with words, kid" Sam joked.
"But if he's hanging around you, why don't you ask him to get you a job working for Shinra?"
Lana violently shook her head.
"No way! I don't want to be indebt to that prick! I worked my butt off getting to where I am right now and I plan to keep it that way. I've seen how Vivan's life is because she has her father do everything for her and I will not stoop to that level. I'll get a promotion and a better job because I worked for it!" she said.
"…but now that I'm thinking about it, maybe it's a good thing I didn't get that job with Scarlett. We would have had to work with Shinra nearly every day and that would mean I would have to see that prick even more than I have to now….maybe Vivian saved the day for me"
"Don't give that girl a bigger ego than she already has" Sam said.
They made it to his home on the outside of the Sector. The sound of Chocobo's Kewhing could be heard as they chilled in their stalls.
"Millie almost done with work?" Sam asked.
Lana looked at her phone to see what the time was.
"She should be done in an hour. You mind if I hang around here so I don't have to walk back to Sector 4 by myself?"
Sam opened the door to his house and motioned for her to step inside.
"When Millie gets off of work, I'll have one of the boys give you girls a ride home so you don't have to deal with the goons hiding in the shortcuts"
Lana took a seat at his kitchen table and simply looked at the décor around his house. Much like his personality, everything about this place screamed cowboy. The furniture was old, the wallpaper had a southern touch to it. Even the lampshades had little Chocobos on it.
This place still looked the same from the first time she came to Sam's house.
Back when her mother abandoned her.
/
11 years ago: Lana age 14
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Lana sniffled and looked at the old worn out table in Sam's kitchen. She couldn't wrap her head around what just happened. Why would her mother do this?! Did she do something wrong? Did her mother not love her anymore?
Why would she just leave her?
Sam came over and placed a cup of tea in front of her.
"This'll calm you down" he said.
Lana carefully took the tea and drank it. She didn't say anything and just held the mug in her hands while she stared off into space.
Sam sighed and sat next to her at the table.
"I don't know what she was thinking. She shouldn't have put that on you just now" he said.
"I thought I'd seen everything working for the Don but I think tonight took the cake"
Lana sunk further into her seat and tried to make herself small. Sam looked at her sadly and patted her shoulder.
"I know right now is tough. And I know it'll be hard getting past this but you can't let this get to you"
Lana gave the older man a nasty look.
"My mom just left me! You can't get over that" she spat.
"Didn't say to do it right away" Sam countered.
"What I'm saying is from now on, you're going to deal with tough situations like this. You might think there's no way to get past this and that might be true in some cases, but you gotta remember that when you get past the bad moments there's going to be good moments coming your way. When you've reached the bottom the only other place to venture is going up"
"And what if I can't find a way up? What if the only way to reach it is gone?" Lana asked.
"Then you create another way to reach up there. There's no one way road to life. Sometimes you need to take shortcuts or longer routes to get where you're going. Doesn't matter how long it takes you, just as long as you reach that final destination" Sam said.
Lana looked at her tea and watched the steam float up in the air. She was at rock bottom right now. She couldn't find a way to get herself out of the hole her mother threw her in but she would have to figure a way out of it. If she didn't have a ladder, she would have to climb. If she couldn't climb she would just have to build herself a ramp. It might take her a while to reach the top but she would be ok. She would get out of this.
Sam ruffled her hair and gave her a small smile.
"You'll find a way to a better life kid. Just remember that there are many ways to reach it"
/
Lana never forgot Sam's words. Life was pretty rough shortly after her mom left her but she found ways to get herself out of that hole.
After loosing her only home, she was able to find her way to Reeve and lived with him and his mother for a while. When she had to figure out how to make a living, she master the skills she was good at and cooked. When she honed that skill, she decided to find work that would let her be a chef. When she couldn't find anything in the Slums that were safe, she forced herself to climb even higher in this hole called life and found a job on the Upper plate.
And much like this who situation with Vivian and Scarlett. That path to getting a promotion was blocked off so now she needed to find another route.
She would get where she needed to go eventually. It would just require to take a few detours every now and then.
Scarlett thought her cooking was good. Maybe someone from another big company would be interested in her work? And if Midgar had nothing to offer, she still had the whole world of Gaia to try out. There was Kalm, Junon, Costa Del Sol, there were a million places.
She would reach the top.
"Lan, I'm back" Millie said.
The raven haired woman stepped into Sam's house and looked at her roommate. She was surprised that she was out of work so early.
"So how did the meeting with Scarlett go?"
Lana put on a forced smile and went up to her roommate.
"Let's get takeout on the way home"
Millie frowned when she heard that. Lana never wanted takeout unless she was upset. It took a lot to put her off of cooking.
"That bad?"
Lana just patted Millie on the shoulder and ushered her out of Sam's house.
"It's a long story" she sighed.
Sam watched the two girls leave. He could see that Lana was still down about how the day went. She would bounce back but she probably would be weary of asking for a promotion again.
Going back into his house, he went for his house phone and looked for a number that was on his list of people. Dailing the number, he hope this person would be able to help out.
After two rings, someone on the other end answered.
"It's Sam. It's been a while" he said.
If this person couldn't help Lana out, then no one could.
"I know this may seem random…but is that boy of yours still working in Shinra?"
/
Two days later
Lana's phone buzzed by her bedstand. Looking at her clock, she saw it was 7 in the morning. Who could want her on her day off? Groaning, she grabbed her phone and answered it.
"Yeah?" she said in a tired voice.
"Hey, Lana. It's Reeve"
Lana raised an eyebrow when she heard his voice. Why was Reeve calling her?
"Ummm, hey Reeve. Is everything ok?"
Reeve laughed nervously on the other end.
"Kind of but I'm kind of embarrassed by what just happened and I was wondering if you could help me"
"….Ok?"
"So, when I coming into work I was half asleep and left my lunch on the train. I can't ask my mom to bring something cause she's out of town visiting family and I'm scared to go to the Golden Rose on your days off cause of Vivian….is there…anyway you can bring me something? Please?"
Lana was quiet as she tried to process what Reeve said.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" she spat.
"I know! I know! I'm asking for a huge favor but I could really use your help! I have a big meeting to go to later today and I won't have time to grab something. Could you please just do me this one favor?"
"This is a big favor Reeve! You're asking me to go into your work and bring you food!"
"I'll give you my mom's cookbook. The one you've been begging for that has been in the family for generations"
Lana's eyes narrowed at the offer. He knew she couldn't say no to a good cookbook. Especially family ones.
"And her recipe cards. What you're asking for is ridiculous"
"Ok, ok. Her family cook book and the recipe cards she's made over the years-even the ones that are family secret. Deal?"
Lana grumbled and thought it over. What Reeve was asking for was crazy and she should just say no…but on the other hand she had been begging his mom for her cookbooks and this might be the chance she finally got them.
Which was more important? Sticking to her guns? Or selling her soul for a book?
"What do you have a taste for?" she said flatly.
/
The Shinra building was massive but it dawned on Lana how massive it was. Staring at the intimidating building, she felt like even the place was judging her.
This was the first time she was stepping foot inside the famous building of Midgar. This was the heart of the city. The place that made everything run.
Gripping her messenger bag, she sighed and squared her shoulders back. She was just going to drop off Reeve his lunch and then go back home. No need to freak out over this. It's not like she was going to come back here.
She forced herself to go up the steps and enter the building. The inside was as amazing at the outside. Everything just screamed rich and high tech. She quickly shook her head. Focus! Just drop the food off and go home.
She went to the front desk where the secretary was busy typing away at something.
"Um, excuse me?" Lana said.
The secretary stopped typing and looked up at her. She examined Lana's outfit and made a slight face.
"Can I help you?" she said in a snooty tone.
Lana held up her phone to show the message Reeve sent her to get inside.
"I had something to drop off for Reeve Tuesti. From Lana Denbrough"
The secretary typed into her computer again.
"It does show that he's expecting you" she said.
She printed out a guest keycard and handed it to her.
"This will take you up to the Urban Development level"
Lana looked at the woman puzzled.
"I'm not dropping this off?" she asked as she held her bag.
"It shows here that he's expecting you for a meeting of some kind" the secretary shrugged.
Lana raised an eyebrow. Why would Reeve go out of the way to give her access to the upper floors?
"Wait! Maybe he has the cookbook and recipe cards! He wants to do a trade off!" she thought.
She thanked the secretary and hurried to the elevator. Scanning the card, it brought her up to the level of Reeve's office. She smiled as she thought about those recipes she was going to get her hands on.
"I can't wait to try making her pasta dish! I can finally find out how she made everything taste so good! This is going to be the best day off ever!"
The elevator reached the Urban Development level. Stepping out, she slowly walked down the hallway trying to find Reeve's office. She finally reached a door the read 'Director of Urban Development' and figured she found the right place.
Knocking on the door, she waited for Reeve to answer. The door opened moments later with Reeve on the other side. The man had a big smile on his face and he looked at his friend.
"Lana! You made it!" he said.
"Yeah, yeah. Special Delivery" she said sarcastically.
She pulled out the box of food she made and gave it to him.
"Enjoy. Now if you could give me those recipe cards and book, I'll be on my merry way"
"Now hold on a sec! It's been a while since we've had lunch together so why don't you join me?" Reeve said.
"…I only made enough for you" Lana said flatly.
"Don't worry, I can share! Besides this is your first time inside the Shinra building, so I can give you a tour" Reeve offered.
"Yeaaaaaah, I'm good. I'm sure you're busy anyway"
"Please Lana? Mom has been wondering about you and I know she'd want to hear how you're doing" Reeve pleaded.
Lana deflated at the mention of Reeve's mom. She was such a sweet lady and she took her in after that whole fiasco with her mom. How dare Reeve use one of her weaknesses.
"Ok, ok. I suppose I can catch up. Plus I tweaked your lunch so I want to know how this recipe turned out"
"Great! Follow me, I'll show you to the break room" Reeve said as he ushered her down the hall.
"Don't you want to eat in your office?" Lana asked.
"I need to stretch my legs. Besides my coworkers will want to steal my lunch when they smell what you made" Reeve joked.
Lana rolled her eyes. They went back to the elevator where Reeve pushed a button. Instead of going down, they went up. Lana was confused but figured the directors of the company had their own breakroom away from the rest of the staff.
They reached another floor where Reeve lead her down a few hallways. She caught a glimpse of a sign that read 'Weapons Development'.
"Reeve….where are we going?" she asked slowly.
"Don't worry. We're almost there" Reeve said.
He reached a door and knocked on it.
"What?" was their reply.
Reeve opened the door and ushered Lana inside. She almost dropped her bag when she saw who was sitting at the desk. Scarlett look up from her tablet and frowned when she saw Reeve and the girl from the café.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm wondering the same thing, ma'am" Lana said.
She turned to Reeve and had an angry smile on her face.
"What are we doing here, Reeve?" she said through her teeth.
Reeve quickly closed the door and dragged Lana further into the room.
"Just hear me out on this, Scarlett" he said.
"I know you refused to have the Golden Rose cater for your banquet but please reconsider. Lana is the best of the best when it comes to all the restaurants on the Upper Plates. You'd be a fool not to have her cook for you"
Lana's eyes bugged out the more Reeve talked.
"Reeve! What are you-"
Reeve quickly covered her mouth and kept staring at Scarlett.
"Just please give her another chance" he pleaded.
Scarlet scowled and glared at Reeve.
"This is a pretty pathetic way to gain my favor. I thought that blonde brat from the café was pathetic but this is taking it to the next level"
Lana shoved Reeve's hand away and stepped forward.
"I agree! I had no part in this! I wouldn't want to waste your time, let alone waste my only day off being here-no offense"
Scarlett waved her off showing she wasn't offended and continued to look at Reeve.
"I refused the Golden Rose because it had lousy staff. Not only did one of their chefs try to serve me expired food but the rest of them couldn't handle basic criticism. If they can't handle that, they can't handle the pressure of catering to one of the biggest companies in the world. I'm trying to strike business deals with a bunch of raw material companies and manufacturers. I need to impress them"
"Lana impressed you, didn't she? You were talking about that Lamb cutlet she made even though you're not a fan of lamb. She had to have done something great for you to talk about it" Reeve pointed out.
Lana raised an eyebrow. Scarlett talked about her dish? Scarlett just scoffed and leaned back in her chair.
"Beg me all you want, Reeve. It won't change my mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do"
Reeve balled his hand into a fist. He had a feeling Scarlett was going to act this way so he had an ace up his sleeve. Time to hit it where it hurt.
"Today's our monthly budget meeting, right? I noticed that the weapon's development budget was up rather high. More so than normal. I also noticed some of the expenses went towards questionable things. Didn't know you needed designer clothes to make weapons and materia"
Scarlett's eyes widen.
"How did you-"
"If you give Lana one more chance, the President won't hear it from me" Reeve said.
Scarlett glared at him and drummed her manicured nails against her desk.
"Very sneaky"
She sighed and held the bridge of her nose.
"Very well. Since this girl spared me from eating that rotten lobster, I suppose I can show my thanks. I'll give her one more chance"
She looked Lana square in the eye.
"If I don't like what you make, that's the end of it. You will leave and never bother me again. Understood?"
Lana was flabbergasted. She didn't think it was possible to get a second chance with someone like Scarlett. She didn't know if she should be jumping for joy or tremble with fear.
Reeve gave her a gentle look and patted her shoulder.
"What do you say, Lana?"
Lana looked at Reeve then back at Scarlett. This was another route to reach the top. Sighing, she composed herself and gave Scarlett a professional look.
"I only have one question: are there any food allergies I need to be made aware of?"
/
Rufus dug his nails into his palm as he heard his father talk during their meeting. It took everything in him not to make any snarky remarks every time the President boasted about the company or himself. He hated these meetings. They were just a way for his father to shape him into becoming a mini version on himself. He wanted to drill into Rufus's head that this company was his future and he wanted his son to run it the way he had. He didn't want anything to change.
These meetings were also a reminder to him that he was only the Vice-President because he needed to look good. He didn't earn this title. His father just slapped it onto him so everyone could see that he was 'important' to him.
When he finally became the President of this company, he was going to undo everything his father had worked for. All the companies that had deals with him? Gone. All the new projects he was funding? Gone. All the slimy deals he made under hand? Gone. It would be the ultimate middle finger to the old man to ruin everything he spent his whole life on.
I'm sure in the beginning, when Dad planned on taking over the company from Grandpa, he was going to drive it in the ground and rebuild it the way he envisioned it. He wanted to hurt him the way grandpa hurt him growing up as a child. But when I came into the picture, that all changed. Instead, he wanted to change the company so if I ever wanted to follow in his footsteps and take over, I wouldn't have any messes to clean up. He didn't want to burden his daughter with the mistakes his father made. This just showed what his priorities were with Shinra.
Finally, at long last the meeting was over. Everyone got up from their seats and started leaving the conference room. Rufus got up and signaled for Dark Star to follow him.
"Just a moment, Rufus" his father said.
Rufus scowled and looked over his shoulder.
"Yes?"
The president put out the cigar he was smoking into his ashtray. He wasn't a big fan of smoking but he liked to show off to everyone that he could buy luxury products whenever he wanted.
"About that banquet Scarlett is hosting in a few weeks. I'd like you to attend it. There is a company near Corel that owns a few Mythril mines. That would look good if we got our hands on precious raw material. It'd make our products last longer. The owner of those mines has a daughter your age. Since you're an expert with flirting with women this should be an easy job for you"
Rufus scowled and balled his hand into a fist.
"Sorry, I have plans that day. I won't be able to go" he said tartly.
"Don't give me that bullshit boy. You go out of your way finding the sluttiest girls in the city to piss me off, but the minute I throw one right in your lap, that's when you draw the line?"
"Considering this is something you want, yes it is"
"Damnit, Rufus!" his father barked.
"You have been in a better these last couple of months. Haven't see you acting up or causing drama in the papers. I try to reward you for it and this is the thanks I get?!"
Rufus scoffed.
"I haven't caused a scene lately to impress you. I've just had other things on my mind"
He didn't want to say that the reason he wasn't 'acting up' was because he was spending his free time, bugging Lana at her workplace. For some reason, he didn't want his father to know about her. It could be because his last girlfriend was found in bed with his father and he didn't want a repeat of that. He highly doubted Lana would do something like that since she seemed to be repulsed by him in general when he bugged her. But the real reason was he knew his father would make snide remarks about her being from the Slums and thought she was beneath him.
He didn't want to admit that he was trying to protect her from his pig-minded father.
"I don't see how having me flirt with someone's daughter is considered a 'reward'. If anything, this is just you finding a use out of my bad habits" he spat.
The President shot up from his desk and slammed his hands on the surface.
"Damnit Rufus! Why do you always have to cause me trouble?"
"I don't have to. You just draw it towards you" Rufus said.
"Now if you have nothing else to say, I'm going home"
He motioned for Dark Star to follow him out of the office.
"And stop bringing that thing into the building! One of these days it's going to bite someone" The president called out.
Dark Star growled and bared his fangs at the old man, causing him to jump. Rufus just smirked and patted the hound's head.
"I don't see anything wrong with him being here"
Dark stopped snarling when he caught a scent in the air. Turning around, he smelled the air. He had smelled the scent coming from his master recently. It was pleasant and had a calming, gentle vibe to it. He liked this scent because it made his master happy which made him happy.
When he found where the scent was coming from, his ears perked up. Barking, he bolted down the hallway, surprising Rufus and his father.
"See, what did I say?" the president said.
Rufus was beyond confused why his pet acted like that. Dark Star never ran off unless he was commanded.
Seconds later, he heard someone scream followed by a crash.
"Fuck!"
He bolted down the hallway, wondering who Dark Star attacked.
/
"I will admit, that dish you made for Reeve was excellent. A lot better than the slop they serve here" Scarlett admitted.
They had left her office and were heading towards the lobby.
Reeve offered Scarlett the lunch he tricked Lana into making for her to try. The picky woman seemed to enjoyed it since she ate the whole thing, leaving not even a crumb. She was nitpicky on a few things here and there but Lana could live with it. She was just relieved that Scarlett liked her food period.
"So, does this mean you'll give Lana a chance?" Reeve asked.
Scarlett stopped walking and looked at Lana. She studied the young woman and crossed her arms. She didn't think the chef's cooking was the best of the best, but it was better than what she had tasted from all the places she tried out for catering. This girl didn't seem to mind that she was a bit harsh with her comments and took them in stride, knowing that everyone had different tastes. And she wasn't a pushover with her comments but wasn't rude with her responses.
That's something she looked for when working with people.
"Fine, I suppose she's better than nothing. I've run out of options for people to cater my banquet anyway and I have to resort to using the kitchen staff here. I'd rather have my guests eat something edible"
She came off as rude but Lana didn't let it get to her. One of the top brass of Shinra was giving her a chance to cook for one of her parties. This was a win for her.
"So, this means I'm hired?"
Scarlett smirked.
"I suppose so"
Lana's face brightened as she smiled big. She was finally getting her big shot! Things were finally looking up!
"Thank you so much ma'am!"
Scarlett chuckled. Clearly she found something funny.
"Don't be thanking me just yet, girl. There is one catch to this position"
"Oh don't worry, I can handle any crazy thing that is thrown at me" Lana promised.
No sooner had she said that, the sound of a hound barking could be heard as Dark Star bolted towards them. Scarlett and Reeve were confused when they saw Rufus's pet while Lana was alarmed. Her eyes bugged put when she realized the strange looking beast was heading right for her!
"What the fuck?!"
Dark Star jumped on her and caused the both of them to crash into the fountain that was in the lobby. The hound barked and wagged his nubby tail when he found the source of the scent he smelled earlier. Lana thrashed in the water as she tried to get up, but kept getting pushed under due to Dark Star's weight. The hound forgot how big he was as he sat on the poor woman.
"Lana!" Reeve cried.
He jumped into the fountain and tired to pull Dark Star off of her, but the beast was too big and strong for him. Scarlett didn't do anything and just watched the crazy scene unfold.
Rufus finally made it into the lobby and saw Reeve trying to pull his pet off of someone who was thrashing in the water. He could tell it was a woman by how petite the person was. He brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly.
"D! Come!" he ordered.
Dark Star didn't listen and just barked as he made sure Lana didn't get away. Swearing under his breath, he hurried over to the fountain and tried to get his pet away from whoever it was in the fountain. He went to grab D's collar when at that moment Lana's hand shot out and grabbed his arm by accident, causing him to get pulled into the water. Now there were three people in the fountain as they tried to wrestle with the huge dog like creature. Lana tried pushing D off of her, but she was struggling as water kept going up her nose. Rufus eventually had to push himself in between Lana and Dark Star so he would take the dog's weight instead. He glare at his pet, pissed off that he caused such a scene.
"DOWN!" he roared.
Dark Star stopped at his master's sudden command. Ears pressed back, the hound did as he was told and backed away. Finally freed, Lana shot up gasping for air. She coughed as she spit up water that got in her mouth. Rufus was shocked and surprised when he saw her. What was she doing here?!
"What the hell just happened?!" she cried.
She pushed the hair out of her face to see who got D off of her. She found her face inches away from Rufus's. She felt her stomach drop. She forgot that he might be here! This was his father's building so of course he'd be!
Why fate why?! She thought good luck was on her side! Why did it have to take it away from her?!
Both of them quickly realized that they were a little to close for comfort. And that Rufus was touching her awkwardly. When he wedged himself between Dark Star and her, he accidentally touched her chest.
What was even more awkward was that his hand was still there. Both of them realized that at the same time. Lana's embarrassment quickly turned to anger.
"Asshole!"
She slapped him across the face and pushed him off. Rufus fell back in the water. Lana quickly stood up and tried to get away from him. Rufus got up and glared at her. His usually slicked back hair was glued to his face from the water.
"What was that for?!" he snapped.
"What do you mean what was that for? You grabbed my chest!" Lana barked.
"I was trying to help you!"
"By what? Seeing what cup size I wear?"
"Why are you even here?"
"Why do you care?"
Reeve and Scarlett watched curiously as the two of them bickered with one another. It was obvious they knew each other by how they talked to each other. The curious thing was how did they know each other.
Reeve went over to Lana and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you ok, Lana?"
"Aside getting grabbed, yeah" she replied dully.
When Rufus saw Reeve put his hand on Lana, something inside him stirred. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason he didn't like how physically close Reeve was to her.
The moment was interrupted as the President and the other top brass come into the lobby to find out what all the noise was.
"What the hell happened?" the president ordered.
He looked at Reeve, Rufus and Lana all soaked in the fountain then Dark Star sitting at the edge with water dripping water off his fur. He put two and two together and figured out what happened.
"Damnit, Rufus! This is what I meant when I said that thing would cause trouble! Now look at the mess we'll have to fix! I can just see the papers already"
Lana gave the president a dull look.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm fine" she said flatly.
Palmer looked at Lana and covered his mouth with his hands as he laughed.
"Oh my!"
Lana was wondering what caused butterball to giggle. She looked at her outfit and saw that when Dark Star pounced on her, he ripped her shirt letting everyone see her bra.
Yelping, she quickly tried to cover herself but it was no use since her shirt was soaked and sticking to her skin. Rufus quickly got in front of her and blocked everyone's view of her. Lana's face went beat red when she heard Palmer and Heidegger snicker crudely amongst themselves. Rufus saw how she was fighting off shaking with embarrassment. She accidentally got groped and gave the top brass a free show at the same time.
He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her to protect herself. Lana jumped but held onto the jacket for dear life. Reeve looked horrified. He was hoping to help Lana with her goal to get a promotion only for her to get humiliated. His mother was going to chew him out big time.
He went over to her and tried to usher her away from.
"Let's go back to my office. I'll see if one of my female staff has a spare outfit for you to wear"
Rufus felt something inside him snap when he saw Reeve grab Lana's hand. Much to everyone's shock, he swatted Reeve's hand away and pulled Lana to him.
"I'll take care of this since I caused this mess" he said.
He picked Lana up and carried her out of the fountain and walked away from the group. A few staff members who had come over to see what had happened looked at them curiously. He shot them a nasty glare and held Lana close.
"Nothing to see here!"
Everyone jumped and scurried away. He left the lobby with Dark Star hot on his heels. His father scoffed as he watched his son walk away.
"He'll just pick up any girl to embarrass me. Wonder how long this one will last" he spat.
Scarlett just hummed in thought.
"So she can make dinner and put on a show. Interesting"
Reeve looked at his coworkers with disgust. How could they treat someone like that? Especially when they were harmed?
I remember when Dad became the President he made everyone except for Reeve's lives a living hell. He never forgot how they embarrassed mom in the beginning and he made sure to remind them that she was their boss too. He needed them to run the company but he made sure they wouldn't last a day without him. He held no prisoners when it came to defending his wife's honor.
/
A/N: Do I detect a jealous Rufus? Kind of funny he would be jealous of Reeve of all people. That wasn't a great way to make a first impression with her future father-in-law but at least Lana made a memorable one.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter!
Please tell me what you think!
Take care!