The Ball (Part one)

Megumi's side

"I see, thank you Mr. Suzumiya enjoy the night" he said and bows to the old man he's been talking to,

"How long is it before the ball ends? I'm getting bored already" she hissed, Atobe is her partner for the whole night and as what she have said he's not talking to her and that makes her night more miserable

"If Mizu is only here I won't have to feel so dumb right now" she told herself and got Atobe's attention, now he's looking at her and she looks so sad and that makes him feel a sudden pain seeing her like that

"Oh! Good evening!" An old man wearing an elegant black suit "it's nice to see the Heir of one of the biggest company to come in my party"

"Of course Mr. Yamamoto, how can I deny your invitation aside of being business partners you were a good friend of my family" Atobe smiled at the old man, Megumi is not expecting him to interfere with their conversation and grabs a glass of juice at the waiter who passes by her when the old man who happened to be Mr. Yamamoto notice her

"And may I know who this lovely lady is?"

"Mr. Yamamoto, she is my date for tonight, she is Megumi Ohta, and the daughter of the business tycoons here is Japan"

"Nice to meet you Mr. Yamamoto" she smile as sweetly as she can

"Oh! Yes, I remember, your parents were have good business minds, they are one of my shareholders in my company, well enjoy the night the program was about to start" and he wave his good bye to the two

"The program was about to start? Tell me, what is this party all about?" she asked Atobe

"…."

"Hey! I'm asking you" and she pouts because he was snobs her, when he didn't answer at all she step on his foot with the heels of her stiletto making him awe for the pain

"What is your problem?" he hissed

"I'm asking you!"

"Tss… this party is for the only granddaughter of Mr. Yamamoto who just came back from America, he's doing this for her to meet the most eligible bachelors and rich guy in the whole business industry as well as for them to meet the heiress of one of the biggest company in the whole Asia" he explains

"The heiress? Do you know her?" she got curious of the heiress

"She is a childhood acquaintance, we're not friends, I even remember sending flowers and gifts to her even when I'm in England…"

"Flowers and gifts? Don't tell me you got this sort of a crush thingy at her"

"Sort of… but it was a long time ago and it was my parents who told me to do that to have a good touch with her grandfather…"

"And now that she's back, you would continue your plan to… sue her?" she paused at the thought for a moment but she doesn't know why. Atobe look at her blankly

"No… besides when I met her, I think she's in good hands already…" She can see that he is somehow dismayed that the girl he likes has someone special already. Imagine Atobe Keigo the King of Hyotei Gakuen and often said to be awed by his prowess failed to have the girl he like for years

"What's with her that makes you like her?" she asked out of the blue, then covered her mouth for she didn't mean to ask it anyway, while Atobe looks confused, it makes him smile

"Nothing in particular, maybe because she is the only girl who doesn't get awed by my handsomeness… You'll meet her soon, and I know that you know her much better than me…" she was puzzled at the last statement of Atobe she would like to ask again but he lead her to their seats as the lights turned off and the program starts

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Now the highlight of this party has arrived. We all know that Mr. Yamamoto is very extravagant at such parties. Especially this night, for the one and only heiress of Yamamoto Group of Companies has finally arrived." The emcee said, the crowd makes a applause as the spotlight is turned on at the center ladder and a young lady in light pink evening gown that curves her petite built make her way down to the stage, her hair is tight in a loose bun showing her bright oval face, simple makeup and a light pink lipstick made her glow and simple pearl earrings and a pearl necklace around her neck, the men really got awed by her looks from the bright complexion of her skin showed from her tube evening gown and the simplicity of her beauty.

Megumi now understand why Atobe adores this girl that much, but what surprises her is that this girl seems so familiar and it make her even more shock when the emcee begin to speak again

"Please give a round of applause, for the heiress of Yamamoto Group of companies, Miss Yuuki Yamada"

....

"I never thought that I would meet you here" she said to her buchou who is not quite comfortable

"hehehe, me too, Megumi… I never thought that your family is one of our business partner" Yuuki replied, as she was introduced by the emcee, she saw the figure of the two people in the crowd as she realized that it was Atobe and her team mate. Megumi gave her a talk-to-me-later look and that makes her quite uncomfortable, she never wanted attending business party like this but since she was the only family of her grandfather she have too

"We both dislike attending parties, since you are the maid of honor, why won't you end this party now?" Megu teases her

"How I wish I could, but I'm afraid that grandpa will disagree" since they discover each other's secret identity as future business heiress they get well at each other already

"Why are you with Keigo-san?" Yuuki asked, Megu was surprised that Yuuki mentioned Atobe's first name. Does it mean that they are that close?

"Ah.. uhm.. it's that I was just forced to attend this party and it happened that he is my partner… " she explains "How about you? Who's your partner tonight? Didn't you invite Tezuka or Fuji?" she asked she knows that Yuuki is in good terms with those two

"Uh no… that's a big no… grandpa does not want that, and besides the guest list is under his control, I know what is his motive for bringing up such a party like this…"

"What do you mean?"

"He wants me to have a fixed marriage and he wants me to find one in this crowd, which is such a sick idea…" her face frowns at the thought; she needs to be careful because she doesn't want to spill her secret relationship with Tezuka

"I know that… that's why brother run away from us…" it is a very sad tone from Megumi

"You have a brother?"

"Yes, he is five years older than me…"

"What happened?"

"He was forced to marry one of our family friends' daughter, but at that time he had a girlfriend in College, my brother was forced to break up with her… he didn't want to because he loves her girl so much, she was carrying their baby already…" Yuuki gasped as she heard the story, she felt so sorry for Megumi, and to her brother

"What did your parents tell your brother?"

"They said that they will support the child, but brother still must marry the family friend's daughter"

"Did he say yes?"

"No, instead he runs away with his girlfriend and marries her in civil…"

"Oh, that's a good grief, it is true love that he chose" Yuuki smiled at Megu

"Yes, you're right… but he suffers from that day he married the girl coz dad cuts all his allowance and bank accounts, he did stop on college too"

"What? So where is your brother and his family now? How are they?"

"They're at Osaka, it's a secret but I've been sending half the money I earned from modeling to my brother, my nephew is now one year old, and they are somehow stable with their mini food business"

"I see… you're such a good sibling Megu…" she smiled to her friend; they were talking about more when a guy approached them

"Good evening ladies…" the man who is just quite a year older than them "Let me introduce myself, I am Hiro Garnett, the son of Garnett publishing industry"

"Good evening too…" Megumi greets back the equally handsome guy who looks like Ikuta Toma only that he is quite darker and his hair is in clean cut. Yuuki who knows where it will lead doesn't greet back instead she makes an excuse to get out and leave It to Megumi but she was stopped by Garnett

"Uhm.. I'll get straight to the point, I am here to invite you Miss Yamada to dance on the floor? I would like to invite Miss Ohta too, but it is quite embarrassing coz I see that she's with Atobe" he said still smiling and his eyes locked at Yuuki that makes her somehow uncomfortable

"Hey, Yuuki… he's asking you to dance, don't refuse, he's quite good looking and he looks like he's kind too…" she whispered to her friend, luckily, Yuuki got an excuse when her phone rings

"Ahm.. excuse me I just have to answer this call so I'll leave you guys…" ans she makes her way out of the ball room

"Oh, I'm sorry Mister Garnett, I think it is quite an important call" Megumi tries to cool down Garnett as she can see the pissed look at him, she saw Atobe who was talking with the other girls instead of her, somehow she felt sad at the thought she is his date but he is quite busy dating somebody else.

"I see… Would you mind if I invite you for the dance?" Garnett turn to her.

"Me? But I thought that you don't have any plan of asking me, and besides my date is just around he might see us" she tries to refuse in the kindest way she can but.

"Why are you girls trying so hard to get? If I know you're just a one kiss away and you are all willing to come with me…" he gave a perverted smile and that makes her blood rises to top of her head Megumi narrows her eyes, she doesn't want to make a scene and was about to leave without saying anything but Garnett grabs her hand.

"Com'on babe I know that you like me too, I'll give you the best night it you like to" that gives her creeps and she steps on his foot that makes him scream from pain and not only that she slaps him on the face catching the attention of the crowd.

"B*tch!" he called.

"What did you say!?" She was about to turn on him again but to her surprise there is a sculpture-like built of a person in front of her and in one swift movement it release a punch that makes Garnett fall onto the floor.

"Don't you ever call her a bitch, you don't even know her" it was Atobe, she was amazed by what he did, since the crowd is getting intense he put his coat around Megumi to cover her lucky that paparazzi are outside the ballroom, he knows that some might caught them in the camera. Mr. Yamamoto was about to talk to him.

"I'm sorry sir to destroy your party, but my girl is being harassed and I don't like it…" *My girl?*

"I know Keigo, sorry for the trouble let me fix this for you" he nods.

"Thank you and goodbye sir" he bows and he carries Megumi out of the crowd, he wraps his arm around her and protecting her from the camera flashes once they step out of the Yamamoto residence, he hurriedly opens the car door for her.

It was minutes before Atobe starts to break the silence between them.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't there to protect you…" she looks at him as he is massaging his temple, she is confused why?

"You didn't do anything… it's my fault, I just let my emotions overcome my wits that I made a scene… sorry" she was so shy of what she has done… I'm sure that her dad will be mad once that this news came to him.

"No it's not… it's my fault, it I was there---" he didn't finish what he's saying.

"No it's me…"

"Me…"

"…"

And they both start to laugh.

"Alright we both have faults here" Megumi said while laughing.

"Yeah, but hell, what you did was so cool, can you imagine his shocked face when you slap him, God I can't help laughing" they were like that for a moment when Atobe stops and look at the beauty of the girl giggling in front of him, no secrets, just free and happy.

"Hey, what is it? Do I have dirt on my face?" Megu asked when she realized that Atobe was just staring at her.

"Nothing, it's just you're even more beautiful when smiling" he said sincerely at her.

"Uh.. ah… Thanks'' she somehow feels uncomfortable and heat flows to heat cheeks, somehow her hand get cold, she bits her lower lip and she felt so nervous.

"hey… don't do that" he warns her.

"Do wh---?" before she finish her sentence Atobe was near her and covered he lips with his, it electrifies her whole body she tries to move but she can't the heat of his kisses makes her even weaker when he wrap his hands around her waist and the other cupping the back of her head, she would like to protest but her body betrays her, she likes it, later on she find herself kissing him back, their tongues intertwined and the kiss got deeper and even more. Her hands feeling the specs of his chest while his is touching the skin of her bare back his hand was about to slip her gown when the car stops and they were almost fall down the floor.

"Tss!!!" he hissed as he combs his hand through his hair, he saw that they were already in front of Megumi's residence, Megumi on the other hand, can't look at Atobe, she can't believe that she let him kiss her like that and the worst of it she returned his kisses too! She's covering her face with her palm when Atobe speaks.

"Megumi… I know that this is not the last time that we'll met, it's just the beginning" he smiled while wiping the lipstick mark at the side of his lips with his tongue, her face flushes and hurriedly make her way out of Atobe's car she was about to enter the mansion when he called her.

"Next time, let's go on a date! I'll promise that we won't get cut again" and he winks at her leaving her dumbfounded while her face turns out red.