It was in Aria's thirteenth year when her mother passed away. By then she had been married to Riku for three years. And in those three years, Aria quickly learned that her new stepfather saw her as more of a nuisance than family. The only reason Aria could fathom for Riku marrying her mother was because of her undeniable beauty. With Fenrir beginning to rise in the corporate ranks, Riku needed a trophy wife to hang onto his arm to aid him in navigating the social standings of higher society.

Why her mother would marry a man of such shallowness was actually an easier question to answer. With her father dead, Aria's mother needed to ensure her only daughter was provided for. So, she became the sacrificial lamb, putting her daughter's happiness far above her own. By marrying into the Ito name, her mother saved them from being destitute and homeless.

About a year after marrying Riku, Aria's mother was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. Aria often wondered if her mother had known for a while, thus resulting in the drastic measures of marrying a man like Riku.

In just two short years, the cancer claimed her mother's life and then it was only Riku and Aria. With her mother no longer acting as a buffer between them, their relationship grew even more strenuous. She had hoped that by enrolling in a prestigious high school, things would improve. But when she didn't provide anything that Riku could gain from, she was seen only as a parasite. Always taking and never giving. And Riku never gave anything without expecting something back in return.

The moment that changed the outcome of her future, was the day that Aria met Yugi Muto. In her freshman year of high school, Aria registered into a computer programming class as an elective. What was supposed to just be a filler class, ended up becoming her favorite one. It was in that classroom lab that Aria discovered her aptitude for coding, as well as a new friendship.

It was Yugi who gave her the idea on how to become useful to Riku and all he had to say was "Wow, your stepfather must love having you around to help out with his software company." It was like a lightbulb had gone off in Aria's head. By offering her programming abilities to Riku, she had earned herself a place in his home while gaining herself valuable experience.

It was at that point that Aria realized she didn't have to accept her fate. She could instead choose the path in which to walk down. And so started her plan of getting out of Riku's life and leaving him behind forever. She knew that if it were up to him, he would forever exploit her at Fenrir and would never let her go as long as he benefited from her. It was because of that fact, that Aria had no qualms about deserting him. Obviously the last eight years of her living under his roof had meant nothing to him.

This was what Aria had told herself anytime she became doubtful of her plan. As she sat at Kaiba Corp, finishing up her assignment for Kaiba, a new determination set in. She was going to ace this project, get on the team for the new software development which will blow her applications for the scholarship out of the water, and then she can finally leave all this behind. And never look back.

She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes from staring at a screen so long. Aria knew it was time to submit the assignment for review, but she feared the feedback she would get from Kaiba. What if she didn't meet his expectations? Which she was sure were exceedingly high. But unless she wanted to be stuck doing novice work for the whole summer then she just needed to do it.

Aria closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she breathed out and opened her eyes she started consolidating the file for transfer. Before she could lose her nerve, she quickly hit submit and prayed it would be enough.

Rising from her chair, Aria strolled up to Langley's desk. To say things have been strained between them would be an understatement. Ever since their little tiff, Langley has resorted to acting like she didn't exist. Which was fine by her.

Approaching his desk Aria tried to ask as politely as she could, "Excuse me, Mr. Langley?"

He gave a quick glance up then went back to looking at his computer. "What do you need now Miss Ito? Discovered another glitch in a layer?"

Aria chose to ignore the jab, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her. "I just wanted to inform you that I submitted my assignment for Mr. Kaiba."

Langley let out an irritated sigh and clicked a few times with his computer mouse. "I'll transfer it to Mr. Kaiba for review. You can go back to your seat now, I'll send over some tasks to keep you busy."

Though Aria knew she was dismissed, she didn't move to go back to her station.

Langley gave her an annoyed look. "Was there something else?" he asked suspiciously.

Probably expecting another outburst, Aria kept a cool and collected demeanor. "I was wondering when to expect a response from Kai- um, Mr. Kaiba." She hoped her slip-up would be lost on Langley. She didn't need him thinking that her relationship with Kaiba was anything but professional.

"I would be surprised if Mr. Kaiba got back to you at all concerning your assignment," said Langley. "I think you are forgetting your place. Now please return to your seat," he said with a sneer.

Aria's back stiffened at his tone. Knowing it would only make matters worse if she talked back to him, she simply turned on her heel and went back to her chair. She hated having to let him get the last word in, but she was walking on a thin enough line as it was.

She rubbed her hands over her thighs, trying to dispel the tension that was radiating off her. If today was Friday, then that gave Kaiba the weekend to look over her assignment. Then she would hear back Monday, she was sure. And hopefully that will wipe off some of the smugness that Langley had been projecting at her.

But when Monday came and went, Aria's hope deflated a bit. On Tuesday, she constantly glanced out the lab window, hoping to catch a sight of purple walking by, but nothing came. Even at school, Kaiba remained aloof and gave no indication of having examined her work. She tried to stay as late as she could, but when 7 p.m. rolled around she knew that she needed to go and couldn't wait any longer.

Maybe Langley was right, that she wasn't going to hear anything from Kaiba and would just be stuck in the lab for the rest of the summer.

On Wednesday, Aria had given up expecting Kaiba to come for her and boredly looked on at her screen, trying to find some interest in the work that she was doing. She wondered if it would be enough to grant her the scholarship. She should be hearing any day now whether or not she got accepted into her college program. At least she would be able to check that off her list.

When Aria heard Langley's phone ring at the front of the room, her body couldn't help but perk up. She tried to slow back down her heartbeat, chastising herself for her anxiousness. A phone call could be anything, hardly something to get excited over.

"Miss Ito."

Aria's head whipped around, looking for the source of her name. When her eyes rested on Langley, she realized it was him who had called it. Trying not to act too eager, Aria slowly rose from her seat and attempted to walk nonchalantly to the front of the room. She stopped in front of Langley's desk, hands clasped in front of her to stop herself from shaking. "Yes, Mr. Langley?"

He gave her a long, hard stare. She wondered if he was going to say anything at all. Then finally "Mr. Kaiba would like to see you up in his office."

Aria looked at him incredulously. He wanted her to go to his office? She wasn't expecting that. Still trying to wrap her head around it all, she realized she hadn't moved and Langley was looking more and more impatient.

"Ri-Right, I will go see him right away then," she stammered.

Langley didn't respond and simply went back to his work.

Aria slowly walked out of the lab and towards the elevators. Upon entering, she became aware that she wasn't sure which floor his office was on. But then she remembered that she had seen him press the button when they last rode the elevator together.

She swiped her key card and pressed the button for the top floor. She snorted to herself at the fact that Kaiba's office was on the highest level. Where else would it be for the pretentious CEO?

When the doors opened moments later, Aria had to do a double take at the number above to make sure she was on the right level. The elevator doors had opened up into what looked like a boardroom. There was an oblong table in the middle of a rectangular room. Five empty executive chairs sat on either side, with one more at the head. What made the room unusual however, were the three closed doors along either side of the room.

Aria stepped into the room and went along the left side, reading the name plates on the doors as she went by. The first one said Chief Engineer, the second Chief Financial Officer, and the last Vice-President of Operations. She guessed the opposite wall had similar titles on their doors.

Reaching the far end of the room, she noticed there was one more door that stood alone. On it read;

S. Kaiba

President

She was surprised he would share a floor with so many other offices, wouldn't he want a floor all to himself? It wasn't like he couldn't afford it. Standing at the door, she was unsure what to do. He was expecting her, but did she knock first? She decided to rap lightly on the door, but instead of hearing Kaiba's husky voice, a soft female one bid her to enter.

Puzzled, Aria opened the door and saw that it opened into a smaller room. It was smaller in length, but the same width as the board room. Windows covered both sides of the wall, letting in a great deal of natural light.

A blonde woman sat at a desk near the far end of the room. Another closed door sat behind her. Approaching her desk, Aria noticed that the woman barely looked in her thirties, with her beach blonde hair and immaculate makeup. She looked more suited for a career in modelling then as a secretary. Aria tried to hide her derision at Kaiba employing such an obviously attractive woman for an assistant. It just seemed too cliché.

When the secretary looked up at her approach, she gave what seemed like a genuine smile. "You must be Miss Ito. Mr. Kaiba is expecting you, you can go right on in."

Aria returned a tight smile and then looked at the door. This is it she thought to herself as she grabbed the door handle and opened it.

Aria was surprised by the last two rooms she walked into, but it was nothing compared to the shock she felt when her eyes took in Kaiba's office. There was not one wall space, paneled windows covered the whole perimeter of the room. A few potted plants that looked like mini palm trees were stuffed into the corners, and it looked like the floor was made from the same type of wood. The room had a very airy atmosphere to it, like that if she just focused on the blue sky through the windows, she could pretend she was on the beach instead of the top floor of a skyscraper.

Having nothing left to appraise, her focus finally went to the desk at the center of the room but was pushed back to the far wall. Kaiba sat behind a glass workspace, with an iMac sitting on the corner. He wore an amused expression on his face, like he found her assessment entertaining. When she found the courage to move, she timidly strode forward. That was when she noticed a white, baby grand piano on her left. She couldn't imagine Kaiba playing it, was it just there to give an illusion of luxury? He obviously didn't need the help.

When she stopped a few feet away, Aria tried to discreetly rub her sweaty palms onto her pants. Kaiba leaned forward and planted his elbows on his desk. She pushed down the desire to instinctively take a step back.

"Thank you for coming to see me Miss Ito," Kaiba said. "Please take a seat."

Aria slowly lowered herself onto the edge of one of the ivory backed chairs, too nervous to relax into it.

"I can see you're anxious to hear about the assignment you submitted," he said with a smirk. "So let's just cut to the chase, shall we?" he said offhandedly.

Aria was taken aback by his directness, but at the same time appreciated skipping over the formalities. She had been on edge for the last five days and didn't know if her nerves could take waiting any longer. She gave him a curt nod for him to continue.

"Overall, I was very impressed by the work you handed in."

Aria's body relaxed in relief.

"However," Kaiba held up a finger to indicate he wasn't finished. "You have a lot of room for improvement. Believe it or not there were a lot of rookie mistakes. But you were able to complete the goal I wanted to achieve." He leaned back in his chair and studied her, awaiting her response.

"Thank you Kaiba, I appreciate the feedback. After all, I am here to improve my programming abilities."

A small smile formed on Kaiba's lips and then he let out a soft chuckle.

Aria looked at him, confused. "I don't see what's so funny."

He shook his head. "I don't think I've ever seen you this laidback before, or this well-behaved, in my presence at least," he said with a smirk. "You even left out the Mr."

Aria flushed at having addressed him so informally at work, but also at the implication that she wasn't usually well-behaved around him. Crossing her arms with a scowl on her face she said "Well, you do know how to bring the best out in people."

There was a gleam in Kaiba's eyes and then he threw his head back and laughed. He actually laughed! Aria didn't think he was capable of the action. But a warm feeling spread through her chest at the thought that she made him laugh. That was when she heard the door open and close behind her.

"Hey Seto, what's so funny?"

+++

Kaiba immediately stopped laughing and directed his gaze at Mokuba who had just walked into the room. It was times like these that he wished his secretary would be stricter about letting his little brother just walk into his office whenever he wanted.

"Sorry Mokuba, but I'm in the middle of a meeting. Can you give us a minute?" he said pointedly.

Kaiba watched as Mokuba focused his attention on Aria, who had swiveled around her chair to see who had spoken. Kaiba then inwardly groaned when he saw recognition light up on Mokuba's face.

"I know you! You're that cute girl from the pizza parlour Kaiba told me about."

Kaiba pinched the bridge of his nose, embarrassed by Mokuba's candidness. If he wasn't blushing right now, he was sure Aria was.

"Yes, I remember you too. You're Kaiba's little brother, right?"

Kaiba was surprised that she replied in such an even tone.

"That's me!" Mokuba said, proudly pointing at his chest.

"I'm Aria, it's nice to meet you."

"Mokuba," Kaiba said warningly, "Miss Ito and I still have some things we need to discuss."

"Oh, gotcha. I'll just sit over here until you're done." Mokuba flashed Kaiba an innocent smile.

Kaiba shot him an irritated look. He saw right through Mokuba's little charade. His conniving brother was purposely trying to linger to corner him about Aria. Kaiba had no doubt.

With a huff he brought his attention back to Aria who was now facing him again. He could still detect a slight color to her cheeks. "Sorry for the interruption." Kaiba shot another glare over to Mokuba. "He's pretty used to having free reign around here."

Aria let out a soft chuckle. "No worries, I think he's cute." She looked over her shoulder and gave Mokuba a small wink. Mokuba rewarded her with a big smile in return.

Kaiba never thought he would be envious of his brother, or anyone for that matter. But watching Mokuba interact so easily with Aria, made Kaiba wish he sometimes had that ability to make people more relaxed around him. Okay, maybe not people, just one particular person.

Kaiba cleared his throat to gain back Aria's attention. "Getting back to your work assignment. Although you completed your objectives, there is still much you have to learn. So, I have a proposition for you."

Aria sat up straighter. Kaiba noticed that her hands were clenched together in her lap. A sign, he was learning, that meant she was nervous.

"If in the next few weeks you show significant enough improvement, I'll put you on my development team. That way school will be done, and you can focus your full attention on the project for the summer. Sounds fair?"

Kaiba eyed her as she took in a deep breath and pursed her lips but ended up silently nodding.

"Good. I'll have Langley send me your reports for review, which I will return to you with written feedback. That will be all Miss Ito."

Aria nodded again and then stood up to leave. As she walked by Mokuba who was still sitting quietly on a couch, she sent him a small wave as she passed by.

Kaiba let out a huge breath of relief when the door finally closed behind her. "Your timing is impeccable, you know that?"

Mokuba came bounding over to his desk, a cocky look on his face. "I knew you liked her," he said, crossing his arms smugly.

Kaiba crossed his arms as well and glowered at his brother. "You're coming to irrational conclusions Mokuba. We were simply having a business meeting."

Mokuba's face suddenly went somber. "She made you laugh, Seto. People never make you laugh." He gave a sad smile. "Not even me."

Kaiba returned his smile with a grim one of his own. "What do you want me to do Mokuba?" he said, holding out his hands in defeat. "She is an employee of Kaiba Corp. I don't think you realize how inappropriate it would be for me to...pursue her."

"But...you do want to pursue her, don't you?" Mokuba asked tentatively.

Kaiba rubbed his hand over his face. That was exactly the question he had been avoiding, knowing that the answer would only be a losing one. "It doesn't matter Mokuba. It would be seen as a very exploitative relationship, especially with me being the president of the company. The last thing I need is a lawsuit on my hands."

"Well, technically she is only a temporary employee. She's just an intern, right? So, when the summer is over she's no longer your employee." Mokuba said brightly.

Something flickered in Kaiba's chest, but he squashed it before it could grow into anything more. "That may be, but for now she is an employee and I refuse to get myself involved. It's bad for business."

"Sometimes Seto," Mokuba said. "It's not always what's best for your company. Maybe you need to start looking at what's best for you."

Kaiba stared in surprise at his brother's reproach but tried to dispel the tension by laughing it off. "Since when did my brother become the serious Kaiba?"

Mokuba smirked. "Since my brother needed some serious dating advice."