Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Inc. ❯ Chapter 5

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Title: Inc-Chapter 5
Author: MarshAngel
e-mail:watsonma@hotmail.com
webpage: http://www.crosswinds.net/~marshangel/angelmoon.htm

"Susa come in here, I want to talk to you." Darien's voice came over
the intercom, in soft Japanese. Setsuna responded to the friendly
command quickly. He obviously wanted personal friendly attention or he
wouldn't have called her the nickname he'd been using over the years or
spoken her native language, the language of his mother and hers.

Their mothers had been friends for quite a while, though the two had
met only after Darien had returned from an entire year in college in Tokyo.
He suspected Setsuna's mother had wanted him to marry her daughter.

Setsuna wasn't his type however; she was far too much like him, if a bit
quieter and more mysterious, though few would believe that possible. He'd
used the time in Tokyo to become more familiar with the language and
culture of his mother and grandparents. He'd also spent a semester in
France with his father's parents; his father had only thought it fair and
Darien was happy to oblige. It had certainly been an original experience.
Unfortunately it had forced him to be away from his father at the time of
his death.

Darien was staring out the windows over the city. It was a beautiful
day; unfortunately there was no way to enjoy it from inside the skyscraper.
"Is something the matter Darien?"

"I'm considering a business agreement that would change
everything. I'm not quite sure if I want to do this however.

"You've always followed your gut instinct and it has rarely failed. Why
do you hesitate now?"

"It's a merger. With Kyler Inc. In the end I come out on top. I inherit
the fruit of the labor of the Kyler family."

Setsuna was surprised though the only expression on her beautiful
face was the raising of one very neatly angled eyebrow. "Where's the
catch?"

"I'm waiting to see it. Kyler's no fool. I can't see him merely giving
his company away to me of all people without gaining something for all the
years of hard work he and his predecessors have put into this company. I
think most likely my answer will be no.

"Technically this is a rescue operation. A merger with Kyler Inc.
makes them feel less like a sitting duck waiting to be eaten up by the first
predator who happens to pass along the way. In this case that predator is
one J.T. Montgomery who no one trusts for good reasons. I would get a
reward for my heroic attempts though, and enormous profit potential and
an international success of a company that is mine to do with as I wish. It's
an enormously tempting reward. Too tempting to let slide by. I'm still
waiting for Kyler to slip in that catch though. I think he knows that I'm
tempted, he's just waiting until I say I'm willing to tell me exactly what his
plan is."

"Well it seems there is little else to do but wait." Setsuna said.

"Mina get over here and if you can bring tall blonde and handsome
with you that would be great. I need help!"

"What's going on Serena?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain when you get here. The short version of
it is I'm supposed to seduce a gorgeous male into marrying me, whose
usual female escort is the American standard of beauty and it's all
happening tonight."

"What!" Mina screeched confused.

"Just get over here okay!"

It was a relief to know that she had two people she could count on to
bolster her confidence. She had related the entire story to Andrew and
Mina the night after she'd had dinner with her father. Mina had been
disappointed not to have gained her as a sister but she had been mildly
surprised when Andrew had frowned and said he didn't think it was the
greatest idea but if she felt she should do it, it was up to her. Even more
surprising however, was that he'd given Darien a stunning
recommendation.

She had assumed he wouldn't approve at all but it was apparent he
was a new member of the Darien Derencourt fan club. Mina had pouted
and complained that she got all the good guys but Serena easily realized
she didn't have him yet.

Serena hung up the phone. She'd had a week to think about it and
she'd grown more nervous with each passing moment.
Her father had informed her this morning that he'd be meeting
Darien for dinner and that he wanted her to accompany him. He hadn't left
her much time to panic, which is more than she had been all week. She
had been a nervous wreck all week wondering what her father possibly saw
in her that he thought she could get Derencourt to propose to her before
they signed the documents necessary to complete the merger, if there
would even be a merger. She wasn't as convinced as her father was that
Darien would agree to the merger when he discovered that she was a part
of the package.

She was equally worried about the possibility that he would agree
and then where would she be? She had lost sleep imagining herself married
to him and grown more upset with the realization that it was far too easy
for her to do so.

She'd researched his entire life, at least whatever she could find on
print. It hadn't gotten her any closer to thinking of herself as his wife. In
fact the more she learned about him, the more she felt he wouldn't take
well to the idea of having a wife. The man changed women like other men
changed shirts! And from what she could tell he didn't leave any of them
dissatisfied. She had tried to take it in stride and convince herself that if
she ever managed to get him to out a ring on her finger she'd at least be
guaranteed a good time in bed. That had caused her to blush until she felt
she'd explode from the heat. She was ashamed of herself for first
considering him on such a basic level, it was the same way men looked and
treated women: sex first IQ later.

"It was hard not to think of him on that level. The little time she had
spent in his presence, even in silence, not so subtle sexuality rolled off the
man in waves. It made it difficult to imagine him committing to a
relationship with her not so spectacular self. He'd be bored with her long
before the ink on the marriage license was dry.

She sucked in a deep breath as she took into consideration that she
had to approach this carefully. Should she manage to complete the
monumental task of getting him to marry her, she realized it would be
forever. There would be no divorce.

She sank down on the floor before her full-length mirror and let out a
sigh of frustration. She could hardly believe she was seriously considering
marriage so soon after breaking her engagement to Andrew. This shouldn't
feel at all normal. She should be angry with her father and somewhere
inside she was but she should not actually be hoping this would work out.
She could not possibly actually want to marry Darien Derencourt.
Less than half an hour later Mina, and Andrew burst in through her
front door.

"Serena you wound me!" Andrew began dramatically. "No sooner
than you crushed my poor heart in those beautiful hands than you've found
another more wonderful and dear to you to take my place. My heart
breaks," he moaned reaching the climax of his overacted dramatics.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Stop while you're ahead and don't quit your
day job because there's no Oscar in the future for you."

"I can't believe you guys aren't engaged any more, I thought you
were perfect together," Mina said almost mournfully. "I was actually
looking forward to making a decent sister out of you," Mina added
frowning.

"See what you've done Serena!" Andrew accused.

"Oh cut it out! I have a crisis on my hands. Well sort of. I don't know.
My dad's going out to dinner with Darien to see if he will agree to the
merger and he invited me to come along. "

"To sweeten the deal? Or for temptation?" Andrew asked.

"A little of both, I suspect, though I doubt it will work!" Serena
muttered under her breath. Andrew rolled his eyes. Unfortunately she
wasn't being coy and fishing for compliments. He'd certainly spent enough
time with her to know she was completely unaware of her own beauty in
spite of the many times he'd reminded her of it.

"So what's the problem?" Mina asked.

"I don't know what to wear!"
Andrew sank into a couch and picked up a magazine. "I can't believe
you dragged me over hear to help you get dressed. Undressed I'd
understand after all I know you miss me, you have to." He managed to
duck before the pillow she threw at him could hit him in the head.

"She won't be missing you for long. I hear Darien's more than
capable of undressing women."

"Don't remind me," Serena muttered. "I needed a man's opinion
too."

"I don't see what the problem is, it's just a business dinner," Andrew
said.

"It's a dinner with the man who may or may not be my husband. My
entire future is being decided in one night! We dated for almost three years
before we even considered getting engaged and now what some man I
barely know says will decide whether or not I spend the rest of my life for
him."

"Well there's no getting out of it now. Besides if he says no, life goes
back to normal for you. So let's see your choices," Mina announced.
Serena went to her closet and pulled out the three dresses she'd
narrowed her choices to and prepared to bring them out.

"Just try them on and let's see what they look like and we'll make
our choice," Mina yelled from the living room.

The first one was a clingy black stretch cotton dress with a low wide
neckline that emphasized her bust and her lithe female form all the way to
mid-calf. To that she got a nod of approval but no rave reviews. Fortunately
she'd expected as much.

The second was a pale blue that showed off her eyes. It was soft
delicate cashmere and silk sleeveless dress with a droopy mock turtleneck.
It skimmed her finger and made its stop at her knees. She received
delighted smiles and sly winks from the pair of siblings.

The last was a crème colored long sleeved crochet dress that
stopped directly below the knees with a plunging v-neck so low the rose
petals of her tattoo found it's way around the curve of her full breast and
far out of reach of any of the delicate material of the dress. The back of the
dress rivaled it's front by plunging so low the curve of her back was
enticingly visible. It was one she'd never had reason to wear before. It was
the one Mina insisted she wear. Andrew raised his eyebrows unable to stop
his eyes from admiring her figure, and pointed out rather objectively that if
she was going to seduce a man that was certainly the dress to wear. For
the sake of her father's sanity however, he suggested a shawl, a rather
large shawl.

Darien drove his own BMW sedan rather than use the chauffeur
driven limousine. He was prepared to tell Kyler that he was unwilling to
accept his offer. It was an excellent offer and he was sure he could work
around any catch Kyler had to offer.

The first time he'd been inside the Blue Lagoon he had been
surprised. The restaurant's décor, should have been tacky with most of its
walls covered in blue green wallpaper that simulated water, it was actually
quite beautiful. An entire wall was devoted to a rather large aquarium of
expensive tropical fish and another looked out over the city, shimmering
beautifully with all its bright colorful lights.

The last thing he expected when he entered the restaurant was to see
a woman about to sit at Kyler's table, a secluded table for three with a view
of the city. All he could see of her was her bare back where luxurious
blonde curls tumbled down the opening left by a crème-colored crochet
dress. Apparently, Kyler wasn't all business. Whoever that was, she wasn't
his wife. It just may prove to be a more interesting evening than he had
originally expected.

When he arrived at the table he couldn't contain his surprise when he
saw the beautiful woman sitting next to Kyler. Serena Kyler sat next to her
father looking even more attractive than the last time he'd seen her. If the
back of the dress she was wearing was impressive, the deep V down the
front was nothing short of spectacular. He couldn't recall seeing a better
view, although he was more than surprised to see the rose tattoo curling up
the side of one very smooth-skinned breast that flushed pink under his
gaze. She obviously had a side to her he hadn't yet seen. He admitted to
himself that he wouldn't mind seeing all her sides. Too bad she was taken.

As she felt his gaze wash over her, Serena couldn't help the blush
that made her temperature rise a few more degrees. She tried to remain
calm and collected without letting him know how hard her heart was
beating as he looked at her, he was too attractive to live. He looked like
he'd stepped off the runway of an Armani fashion show. His black suit
hugged his imposing torso, emphasizing the width of his chest. His pants…
she refused to look there in order to avoid turning a deeper shade of red.
His black hair still hung a little too long into his exotic almost Asian eyes
filled with pale icy blue orbs that were unnervingly soul piercing.
She was ashamed to find herself hesitating, trying to get a grip on
reality when it was time to greet the man. Her brain seemed to have frozen
momentarily.

"It's nice to see you again Ms. Kyler, Mr. Kyler," Darien greeted. "You
have a beautiful daughter Mr. Kyler, I thought we'd be alone this evening
but your daughter's presence indicates something far more pleasant than
business."

Kyler was pleased to see he was right. Derencourt was charming. His
daughter's cheeks seemed to be made of rose petals. It was a good sign.
She was obviously attracted to him.

"I'm happy to see you two have met, " Kyler said formally. "As soon
as we order, why don't we get down to business?"

"As you wish, Darien conceded."

The waiter appeared as if summoned by an unnatural force and took
their orders. None of the three had problems making up their mind. In
some ways they were all very much alike. As the restaurant's specialty was
gourmet seafood it was what made up the main course of their meal.

"I have changed my mind Derencourt," Kyler began. Darien's
eyebrows shot up. He couldn't believe Kyler would back out now. He had
seemed far more levelheaded than this.

"You are no longer considering the merger?" Darien questioned
calmly.

"Yes, of course I am. I wish to add just one condition, and if it suits
you, we can meet with our lawyers and have them draw up a contract."
Darien's blue eyes became coldly intense. Here was the catch. He
wondered what it would be."

"What condition is that sir?"

Serena glanced nervously at her father. If Darien accepted this offer
his life and hers would forever be changed. Suddenly she felt as if she were
being sold and it brought a bitter taste to her mouth. For the sake of her
family, she had agreed to be sold to a man she didn't really know. It was
like an eighteenth century romance novel except there was no guarantee of
a happy ending. In the real world, in this, enlightened, modern world, this
was not romantic, it was archaic and ridiculous. Yet here she was all
trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey waiting to see if Darien would accept
her as his wife. If she didn't stop thinking, she feared she'd ruin her make
up with tears.

"I have decided that I want a part of my family to continue on this
company. You see, my family depended on me to carry on this company,
especially since my father could not. He wanted to be a musician, my
grandfather disowned him and he later died in a car accident. My mother
was in no condition to raise me and so my grandfather raised me and
instilled in me family loyalty and values. My grandfather passed this
company on to me and I have thought it over and decided I'd like to see it
passed on to someone else in my family.

"As gifted as my daughter is, she is too young, and too
inexperienced," and too female Serena added. "Long ago I knew your
mother well," Kyler continued. "I never had the chance to meet your father,
but I suppose it is just as well, I may have killed him for marrying the
woman I loved." Richard chuckled lightly, more to himself than to the other
two people at the table.

Darien was forced to mull over that new piece of information. His
mother had once told him that she had loved once before his father. She
hadn't said much besides the fact that his father had been the one to
rescue her from what she called her "heart-wrenching well of despair." So
this was the man who had broken his mother's heart. A sudden sense of
loyalty welled up in his heart and he was forced to push down a bit of anger
towards this man who had caused one of only two women he could
honestly say he loved, so much pain. He was forced to recall the refrain
that had been the cause of his success, the one that reminded him that
emotions and business didn't belong in the same arena.

"I have no doubt your mother raised you well. It is one of the reasons
I am willing to entrust this company to you." Richard's face took on a look
of reflection. "I wronged your mother back then, I chose my family over her.
It is only right that I give to you what I couldn't give to her."
"There is no need to make amends for past deeds. My mother did
well enough on her own. She and my father were happy together." Richard
only nodded.

"I'm not exactly sure what you're proposing here," Darien said
somewhat annoyed with the delay.

"I'm proposing a marriage, between you and my daughter. Please
don't say no before you think about it," Richard said hurriedly raising his
palms in an attempt to quell any shocked outburst Darien might have had.
It was unnecessary. Darien remained calm, for the first time noticing
Serena's nervousness. "I want you to be a part of my family."

"It was brilliant of you to wait to spring this one on me until after I
thought over your attractive offer." Darien said coldly.

"Please, Mr. Derencourt," Serena began as she felt him closing
himself off. She could hardly believe she was actually going to make an
attempt to salvage this. "I want you to understand that this is not just a
business, it's a family, a highly profitable family, but a family all the same.
In my family we don't always get along, in fact in some ways we're very
dysfunctional, but we stick together and we're loyal to each other when it
counts. This business has been in our family for four generations and I
don't have to do this but I chose to offer myself up to save this family
because it is my family and I owe it to myself to do what is best for its
success."

"I can see how it benefits you, Ms. Kyler, but am I to offer myself as
the lamb upon the sacrificial altar of marriage to save your family? As you
said it is your family. I do not have any of the bonds you have to it. I don't
have to do this. I am not the one in need of help here. "

"There are people in this world who don't think of marriage as a
sacrifice, Mr. Derencourt. You have nothing to lose, the risk is almost
entirely mine isn't it?" Serena replied, gaining courage with her argument.

"A wife is not so terrible a thing, even for a man like yourself."

He could almost believe her. Her face held such conviction. For a
moment that seemed to last forever he stared at her. His roaming eyes
seemed fixed on her face, her big blue eyes that held just a touch of violet
framed by long silken dark lashes, her perfect, soft sweet pink lips, the
heated flush of her cheeks, and the faintest touch of freckles he hadn't
really noticed before across the bridge of her perfect aristocratic nose. He
closed his eyes momentarily to rid himself of the image but her face
seemed to have embedded itself on the insides of his eyelids.

"What about Andrew, your fiancée?" he asked. He was disturbed by
the idea that she'd toss aside her fiancée to marry a perfect stranger at the
will of her father. He felt sorry for her almost. He could hardly believe a
father would ask this of his own child.

"Andrew and I were never truly in love, we broke our engagement
almost two weeks ago."

"You did it quietly, it never made the society pages."
Serena smiled. "I find it hard to believe you read the society pages."

"I don't." Darien returned the smile. The smile left his face she had
broken her engagement because she hadn't been in love and yet here she
was suggesting a marriage of convenience, one without the love she was
obviously looking for. She was right. The sacrifice was hers. It was one he
wasn't sure he would have been able to make. He resented her father on
her behalf. He couldn't have done this to his own child.

Darien turned his attention back to Kyler. "Since you've made the
offer more complicated, I will have think about it. I'll get back to you."

It would occur to Darien later that he had had every intention of
saying no to the deal. Why was he thinking it over now?