The moment I stepped into the large conference room with the floor-to-ceiling windows along two sides of the room and saw how many people were there, I wanted to slam the door shut and run back towards the elevators.
But it was either back in that room, filled with people who made as much in one month as I did in an entire year, or back into the hallway with the security guards, hot in pursuit right behind me.
I recognized most of the people sitting at one end of a long glass table. Chairman Hamazaki, his bald head shining underneath the lights, the financial manager, the head of HR, and a few other people whom I only knew by appearance and their group of assistants.
At the other end, sitting all by himself, wearing a crisp blue buttoned shirt, his dark hair slicked back to expose the sharp, clean lines of his face, glasses perched on the end of his nose, looking every inch the consummate professional was Nobuki Miyano.
They all turned to stare at me, with varying degrees of surprise and shock, the head of HR standing, her narrow mouth flopping open in horror.
Of course, Nobuki, the excellent poker player, could never let something so gauche as astonishment show on his handsome face.
No, he chose to show his surprise with an eyebrow raised a quarter of an inch.
He looked polished and formidable, while I was breathing hard, bent over from a stitch in my side, hair straggling around my red, damp face.
Without another thought, I bent ninety degrees from the waist, staring at the gray and white patterned carpet.
"Please don't fire Mr. Miyano!" I shouted. "He is an exemplary and valuable employee to Shokogan Publishing. If anyone should be fired, it should be me!"
There. I said it.
The door burst open with an ear-splitting thud behind me.
"What is the meaning of this?" shrieked the head of the financial department, Director Fukushima. "What's she doing here?"
"Much apologies, Director Fukushima," stammered the security guard. He yanked hard on my arm and another guard's hand tightened painfully on my other arm. "She slipped past the security scanners, and we had some trouble with employees who tried to interfere with our duties."
With a grunt, he almost wrenched me clean off my feet, but I leaned forward, struggling to stay in place.
"Don't make us use excessive force," he muttered, for my ears only. Harada, I think his name was. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You're going to have to," I spat back, "because that's the only way you're getting me out of here."
But no matter how hard I tried, I felt my body moving backwards, and in one desperate movement, I lunged with one hand, latching onto the doorway, my nails biting into the wood.
"Please!" My throat felt like it was going to burst. "Don't fire Mr. Miyano. He's the most hard-working employee you have! He comes in before I do, and leaves late at night. You'll never get another employee like him again!"
"What the hell are you doing? Get her out of here!" shouted one of the men sitting at the end, rising to his feet. His eyes narrowed behind his thick-rimmed glasses and spittle flew from his mouth. "What the hell do we pay you idiots for? You can't even remove a single woman between the three of you?"
Desperation fueled me, made me stronger, and when the security guards managed to pry my fingers off the doorframe, I wrenched away and dove back into the room.
But my feet got tangled up, and I fell hard on my chin.
I bit my tongue hard and blood filled my mouth as black spots sparked in the corners of my vision.
It was deathly quiet in the room as Nobuki rose from his chair, no longer expressionless.
I'd seen that same look once before, in Los Angeles.
In the convention hall parking lot, underneath the trees when the memories of a certain horror authoress, trying to choke me to death, because she saw me as a perceived threat to her relationship with Nobuki.
His placid porcelain mask cracked, and I witnessed the true emotions roiling just below the placid surface.
I knew I could no longer call him a cold bastard anymore. If possible, I think he ran hotter than anyone else.
Tears rolled down my face as the security guards hauled me up to my feet and proceeded to drag me out of the room.
God, I was so tired.
And I had failed.
Sobs stuck in my throat, and I couldn't see straight for all the tears swarming into my vision.
"Please," I said, around a mouthful of blood trickling down my chin. "Please don't fire Nobuki. This is all my fault. I tempted him. Everything is my fault."
Someone stopped in front of me, tall, lean, smelling faintly of pine needles and tangerines.
"Let her go."
The threat was implicit in Nobuki's voice, and the guards let go in a hurry, leaving me staggering from the sudden lack of support.
And then his shoulder was under mine, keeping me upright, something soft against my chin.
I rolled my head into the space between his neck and shoulders, wetting it instantly with my tears.
"I'm sorry," I sobbed, hating myself utterly. "I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen."
"Hush." His voice was infinitely gentle. It only made the tears come faster. "Here, a tissue. You're bleeding all over yourself."
"And you."
He muttered, "I don't care about that."
"What're you doing?" A woman screeched in outrage. It sounded like the head of HR. God, she was such a bitch. "Get her out of here!"
Someone approached from behind. "Right away, Mrs. Katsura."
Nobuki's arms tensed around me. "Don't touch her."
A softer, older voice interceded, cutting through all the shouts, like a cool, calm breeze sliding into a maelstrom of sharp leaves.
"Now, there is no need for this kind of violence."
Chairman Hamazaki rose from his seat, clapping to get everyone's attention.
He nodded in our direction. Nobuki's arm tightened around my shoulder, hard enough to make me squeak in protest.
"Are you hurt?" asked the old man.
I clapped a hand over my bleeding mouth to keep from dripping onto the pristine, white carpet. "I'm fine, Chairman Hamazaki."
"Very well." He sat back down, motioning to the opposite side of the table. "Please, sit down. Let's discuss the situation.,
Mrs. Katsura adjusted her glasses. "Chairman Hamazaki, this is most irregular!"
"I've taken your complaint to heart, Mrs. Katsura." He gave her a sunny smile that made her falter, her stern expression flicker. "Harada, you may leave."
The head of security snapped a salute and retreated with the rest of the guards, closing the door securely behind them.
The room went painfully silent, and I followed Nobuki to the other chairs opposite from the higherups, keeping my gaze down. Meeting the disapproving stares coming from across the table was more than I could handle at the moment.
Nobuki poured a glass of water for me, and I used it to wet tissues to swipe away the drying blood on my chin.
My eyes felt swollen and hot. No doubt I looked even worse next to Nobuki, but at least I didn't feel like I was going to die of a heart attack as my pulse returned to normal.
Making sounds of disapproval, Mrs. Katsura sat back down.
Pointedly ignoring her, Chairman Hamazaki looked at me. "I'm sorry for your treatment, Miss Hasegawa. We were informed by Mr. Miyano of your illness, and that is why you could not make it to the hearing."
Surprised, I flicked a glance at Nobuki, not sure how I was supposed to respond.
The mask was back in place as he faced the committee with an implacable expression. "I did not think it necessary for Miss Hasegawa to attend."
Chairman Hamazaki's lips twisted up in an amiable smile. "Always a consummate gentleman."
Nobuki inclined his head to one side. "Thank you, sir."
The questioning started up then in earnest, and while Nobuki answered all the questions concisely, I felt like an idiot, mumbling, my tongue tingling from the deep bite.
As the hearing stretched on, I realized why Nobuki hadn't told me about it, why he tried to spare me from this agonizing meeting.
Mrs. Katsura adjusted her glasses for the umpteenth time and closed her file with a disturbing finality. "I don't think there's anything more to discuss. You have both violated the terms of your contracts. There shouldn't be any question as to whether your employment ought to be terminated. Why are we still discussing this? If we did not react accordingly, what kind of message are we sending to the other employees? We can't afford to resort to favoritism, certainly not!"
Head of Marketing, Mr. Shimatani jumped at her words, his mouth falling open. After all, his was the department that would have to take on the extra work should the foreign marketing department close.
"No, wait just one second. Exactly what is it that you're proposing? I thought we were here to ascertain the truth."
"Have we not ascertained the truth?" countered Mrs. Katsura. "These two have violated the terms of their employment, indeed a special clause we put in after that distasteful debacle involving Mr. Abe and his secretary."
"Well, apparently it didn't help, because we've got the same situation on our hands," said a tall, spare man sitting at the far end to her right. "So much for that so-called special clause you fought so hard to put in, Maeko."
"Don't call me by my first name," she snapped, whirling on him like an enraged tabby. "Don't think I'm not looking very closely at the work your department is putting in, Saito."
He shrugged, an amused tilt to his thin brows as though the entire situation interested him. It probably did.
"Just as you say."
I bit my lip, wanting very much to shout this was nothing like Mr. Abe and Aimi.
But saying "It was just that one time" wouldn't go over well with the company executives.
Chairman Hamazaki sighed, shaking his head. "Indeed, it is in the terms of employment. Nobuki Miyano, do you remember seeing such clause in your contract?"
I could've been sitting next to a statue for all the emotion he showed.
He nodded once. "I did."
"And you remember what the punishment was?"
Another nod. "Immediate termination of employment."
My hands curled into fists in my lap.
This was unfair, so unfair. I was helpless, unable to do anything but get buffeted by the waves of fate, trying desperately to draw in a breath before the water closed over my head again.
The old man opened a file folder, riffling through a few papers. "And yet, your work here has been exemplary. I have glowing recommendations from several other department heads. And if I dissolved the foreign marketing department, where would that leave you and your employees, Mr. Shimatani?"
The person in question coughed nervously, adjusting his tie, even though it was already quite loosened. "There's no denying the extra workload would be quite taxing. Not to mention, we don't have the man power or the employees with the appropriate abilities. In a few months, we might be prepared if we hired the right people, but if you were to toss the foreign marketing department's workload on us, it would be quite…" He licked his lips, shifting in his seat. "Worrying."
Chairman Hamazaki nodded, his gaze steady on Nobuki. "I see. That is unfortunate news."
"Chairman Hamazaki, I hope you will not take this as presumptuous, but it's important we make an example out of these two," said Mrs. Katsura who looked angry enough to spit nails. "Why, the rumors floating around the company, it's incredibly bad for morale and you know what that does for productivity."
"Indeed, Mrs. Katsura." He tapped on the file folder in front of him. "Productivity is important, is it not? As is employee morale. Don't worry, Mr. Shimatani, I have no intentions of dropping the foreign marketing work into your lap. Not right away." His gaze sharpened. "But there must be some kind of example. You are correct, Mrs. Katsura. We cannot allow this transgression to go by without the due consequences."
Oh God. My throat swelled.
Someone was going to get fired.
A heaviness in the pit of my stomach, I stood up, the chair legs scraping harshly against the carpet.
"Please fire me," I said steadily, jaw tight. "I assume full responsibility for my actions. My presence with the company is negligible, but Mr. Miyano sacrificed much of his time and himself to advance the company."
There was a thick, choking silence, and I fought not to shrink as Chairman Hamazaki's piercing gaze went right through me.
Nobuki cleared his throat. "She's wrong. This is not her fault. I coerced her."
Momentarily forgetting where I was, who I was standing in front of, what was at stake, I glowered at him, mouth almost on the floor. "Are you joking? You didn't coerce me."
He kept his gaze straight, staring down the table, his face that perfect poker mask. "I used my position as her superior to press her. I assume all responsibility."
This started up a firestorm of whispers with the people on the other end of the table, while Chairman Hamazaki's brows furrowed.
"No!" My shout stopped all action in the room. I resisted the urge to haul Nobuki up by his perfectly starched shirt collar and shake some sense into him. Didn't he see what I was trying to do? Why the hell did he have to be so stubborn, especially at such a crucial time like this? "He's lying."
Which started up the whispers all over again.
I dropped into my seat and glared at Nobuki. "What are you doing? I'm trying to save your job, you stubborn bastard."
"Wasn't it your dream to work at this company?" he said, keeping his gaze forward. Damn it, what I wouldn't give to know what was going through his mind. "I can work at any other company I wanted. But working for Shokogan has been your dream. If you get fired from here, what're the chances of finding another job with another publisher? Minimal, I would think. It makes more sense to fight for your job than mine. I'm doing the logical thing."
His words hit me like a hammer to the chest. For a moment, I even forgot to breathe.
Unexpectedly, heat rose in the back of my nose, and I thought I was going to start bawling right there again.
The handsome devil was trying to save me.
But this time, I had to return the favor. I didn't want to be the princess in the high tower. I wanted to be the princess in shining armor on a white steed, galloping to save her lover.
"If you're not going to fire them both," said Mrs. Katsura, adjusting the corner of her glasses with her fingertips again. "Then might I suggest you fire one of them? It must be shown we are not free and loose with our rules, Chairman Hamazaki."
The man she called Saito laughed out loud. "Looks like we've got both of them volunteering. Should we make them play rock-paper-scissors? That's fair, isn't it?"
Mrs. Katsura glared at him. If looks could kill, he'd be halfway to the funeral home.
He returned her glare with a wide, toothy grin, waggling his fingers in an insolent fashion.
The head of HR's face went red, and I thought I saw steam coming out from her ears.
Mr. Hamazaki coughed unobtrusively. "Please, let's not jump down each other's throats. We are deciding the fate of two people, after all. That should be our priority."
Mrs. Katsura huffed and crossed her arms, turning around so her back was to her amused counterpart.
Nobuki took a deep breath, shifting in his seat. "I realize that I am asking for much, but I would—"
He paused, as did everyone else as we heard a commotion that was going on just outside the door.
A woman shouted out loud, and someone shouted back at her. It sounded like Harada…and…Ayaka?
Mrs. Katsura rose from her seat, her mouth open. "What in heaven's name is—"
The door thumped once before it was pushed open with such force that Mr. Shimatani's cup of water fell over, creating a flood of water down the table.
Mr. Shimatani jumped up, cursing softly, swiping at the moisture forming on his dark charcoal pants, but he was the only person who cared about the spilled water.
Everyone else was gawking at the chaos playing out in the doorway.
Harada stood in the doorway, using his body as a barricade as Ayaka tried to force her way in, shoving her heel into his instep.
"Return to your stations!"
"Hell, no!"
He yelped as she pressed down harder, her face creased in concentration.
"Jesus, woman, what the hell are you doing?"
Her gaze met mine and a triumphant smile blossomed on her lips. "Rika!"
With a vicious elbow into his side that left the security guard crumpled over, she paraded into the room, casually adjusting her hair as though she hadn't beaten up a hapless security guard.
She positioned herself next to me and put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently.
But it wasn't only her.
I watched, stunned, as Tadashi Murai sauntered in, followed by Sakurako from HR, and Haru, as always with her group of fan girls, although none of them looked particularly happy to be there.
And there were more. Some people I knew by name, some I saw in the cafeteria, some who stood in the same lines with me waiting to get past the security scanners in the mornings.
It seemed like half the company was standing in that room and Mrs. Katsura frantically scrubbed her glasses on the hem of her blouse.
"What is the meaning of this?" Her screech echoed in the room that no longer seemed so large and intimidating anymore. "Why aren't you at your desks?"
Ayaka tossed her head, her jaw squared. "We're employees of Shokogan, valued employees, and we will not stand for the mistreatment of Rika Hasegawa and Nobuki Miyano."
I gaped at her, all thought gone from my mind.
Mistreatment of…what?
"Mistreatment?" echoed Mrs. Katsura weakly, her face going white. "I don't—"
Saito began to laugh, a deep, belly laugh that was infectious and even though I was aware of the gravity of the situation, I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing along. "So much for your termination of employment, Maeko."
"I told you not to call me that!"
"Chairman Hamazaki," said Ayaka, her hand tightening on my shoulder. "If you fire either of these two employees, I'm afraid you'll have to fire us all."
The bottom dropped out of my stomach at her words.
What the hell was she saying?
Bewildered, I stood up and stared at the group collected behind me, all of them grim faced, as though ready to plunge into battle.
For someone as insignificant as me.
Hotness prickled the corners of my eyes. "Why are you doing this? I'm not worth it, you guys. What're you going to do if they fire all of you?"
Haru cocked a hand on her hip, giving me that typical Haru sneer. "I'd like to see them try. I'm the best damn thing that's ever happened to this company. You know how often I get headhunted?"
Tadashi winked at me. "Besides, if they fired everyone here, can you imagine the trouble HR's going to go through to replace all of us? Not to mention, we have Ayaka, the darling of the Financial department and Saku here, who's second in command in HR. The old battle-axe would rather cut off her own fingers before she even thought about firing Saku."
Next to him, Sakurako smiled ruefully, pink blossoming high on her round cheeks. "I think he's overestimating my importance to Mrs. Katsura, but I would bet they wouldn't dare fire us all." Her smile turned into a grimace. "I hope, anyways."
Nobuki said nothing as he turned to face the other side of the table. "There you have it, Chairman Hamazaki."
Mrs. Katsura was sputtering with rage while the other heads of department merely seemed shocked and horrified.
Meanwhile, I was still trying to come into grasps with what was going on.
All these people…
I sat back down and reached up, putting my hand over Ayaka.
A girl could not ask for better allies, better friends.
I wouldn't cry now. When I was alone, I'd let the waterworks flow. But for now, I wanted to show that their collected support gave me strength.
Ayaka's hand flexed under mine.
"Do you think we won't terminate all your employment?" screeched Mrs. Katsura. "How dare you underestimate us!"
"Uh-oh," whispered Tadashi. "That wily witch with a B is calling our bluff. Did anyone see that one coming?"
"Now, just one minute!" The head of the Financial Department and Ayaka's immediate boss stood up, hands braced on the table. "I think we're being too hasty here. You can't suggest we fire everyone. Do you have any idea what that would do to the company? It would cripple Shokogan!"
"Shokogan will rise again." Mrs. Katsura's nostrils flared. "It has faced worse disasters. World War Two, for one thing."
"Yes, I can see how this mutiny could be comparable to having our building bombed," said Saito wryly.
She whirled on him, pointing a shaking finger at him. "Didn't I tell you to shut up?"
He raised a brow at her. "Actually, no. You just told me to stop calling you Maeko." His lips spread in a slow smile. "You never told me to stop talking…Maeko."
Mrs. Katsura's eyes widened behind her glasses, and I thought she was going to suffer an aneurysm right then and there. Which would've been the perfect end to this absolutely horrendous day.
Chairman Hamazaki clapped his fingers to get the attention back again. "I think we've wasted enough time."
The breath caught in my throat.
Oh God. Was it going to happen now?
Who was he going to fire?
He looked around the room, blinkingly owlishly. "Except for Mr. Miyano and Ms. Hasegawa, would everyone please get back to their job?"
"Chairman Hama—" started Mrs. Katsura, swelling with anger.
"Mrs. Katsura," interrupted the older man. "Please attend to your duties. I'm sure you have many things to attend to."
She deflated visibly. "But—"
His eyes narrowed. "Are you implying I cannot fulfill my duties as the CEO of this company?"
"No, that's not what I—"
"Please," he said and nodded to the security staff clustered around the doorway, looking terribly unsure of themselves. "Escort everyone out of this room. I will speak alone to the two parties involved."
Ayaka lifted her chin. "You can't fire them. Shokogan needs them."
"I shall take that under consideration, Miss Sono. I believe you have a job to do?"
"But—"
"It's okay." I squeezed her hand. "Go."
"I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone," she hissed. "He can't fire you."
Nobuki cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. "I don't believe that will happen."
Ayaka turned startled eyes to him. "Are you serious?"
He slid her a glance before turning back to Chairman Hamazaki. "I'm always serious when it comes to matters like this, Miss Sono."
"Ayaka, it's fine, I promise," I insisted. "You can go."
She sighed and withdrew. "Okay. We'll all be outside."
The rest of the room left with mutters and glances in our direction, until Harada closed the door and left us alone with the chairman.
A few seconds passed and the old man sighed, tugging loose his tie at the knot. "My, my, such a fuss. I'm not sure if my heart can take this kind of stress."
"My deepest apologies," murmured Nobuki, casting his eyes down.
Mr. Hamazaki leaned back in his seat and looked at me, a rueful tilt to his bushy eyebrows. "You know, he's always been that way with me. I've never once had to tell him off for being an impudent brat. I don't know if I ought to commend his mother or condemn her. But no matter what I say, I'm sure she will just tell me to put it where the sun doesn't shine." He winced. "Then again, Yuuko always had such a way with words."
I blinked, not comprehending. It sounded a lot like he knew Nobuki as a child.
"I'm sorry, I don't…" I began hesitantly, looking first at the Chairman, then at Nobuki whose face was a stone wall as usual.
"I'm saying that Nobuki has never once given me any kind of trouble, not even as a child. I suppose he's making up for lost time."
I held up a hand, trying to stop the conversation before it got truly out of hand. "Wait, wait. I'm sorry. I don't understand."
"I mean, my grandson has never had a day of trouble in his life." The old man's eyes twinkled. "You must be a truly exceptional young woman, Miss Hasegawa, to elicit such a reaction from him and the other members of this company."
My jaw hit the floor. "Grand…son?"
Nobuki coughed.
"Chairman Hamazaki is my grandfather."