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-o-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-o-

CHAPTER TWENTY - FOUR

-o-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-o-

-o-(HER SIDE)-o-

Shoko Fuuyumi woke up earlier than she expected. Given her previous feverish state the day before and the little event they had the previous night; she was quite impress that she manage to wake up at this hour.

"Hello? Good morning. This is Shoko speaking. How may I help you?" Shoko answered, automatically modulating her tone to be as polite and cheerful with an unmistakable hint of authority as she could manage in her current sleepily state. With the number of times she did it and not to mention the constant reminders from the higher- ups in the family, it wasn't much of a surprise if she managed to sound a few times better than she expected in her mind and much better than she originally felt. However, unknown to her, the tone she used was very similar to what her cousin used every time he answered the phone as well.

Well, in her defense, it was what the grown-ups taught them; at the start of a phone call, put up an act of humility and politeness with a hint of power laced with a professional air for one cannot know for sure who will be calling.

However, she was greeted with a rather unfamiliar response; a chuckle - a rather familiar chuckle in her opinion. Then immediately it was followed by a statement she was least expecting at that moment; effectively jolting her out of her sleepiness. "Good morning too, Princess."

Shoko felt her stomach did a somersault at the sound of his voice. Truly, she wasn't expecting to hear from him this soon considering the difference in time and his busy schedule. Well, whatever the reason behind the phone call, it must be important if he could somehow allot some time for it.

But instead of saying something worthwhile, she ended up saying the first thing that was stuck in her mind before she had the chance to rethink about it, "Suichiro-kun?"

Upon realizing what she just uttered, Shoko bit her lower lip and began to mentally scold herself for acting foolishly; stating something that was completely obvious. If only her Aunt Chichi was there, she would certainly receive an earful of lectures with a punishment ready for such an act.

At the other end she heard the de Faunte heir chuckle once again; obviously finding her reaction amusing. Shoko could imagine his reaction already and yet somehow she can't make herself feel offended; if anything it made her feel flustered.

"The one and only," he answered, amusement still present in his tone, "Did you miss me princess?"

Despite of the fact that she couldn't see him (something that she was quite thankful for at that moment); she could still find herself blushing at his question. And of course, being who she is, she doesn't know how to respond correctly to that inquiry.

"You didn't even miss me? I'm hurt princess," Stephen said, his tone obviously feigning disappointment. Shoko could even imagine him dramatically placing a hand over his heart to act the part. The thought made her giggle. The reaction must be enough of an answer to the de Faunte heir for he gave a short yet amused laugh, "You are cruel, my fair princess."

Shoko managed to stop her giggles and sheepishly uttered an apology; something that made Stephen chuckle once again.

But then the de Faunte heir's tone changed slightly as it was now laced a hint of concern, "So How's my princess? Your cousin told me you caught a fever yesterday. How are you feeling now?"

Shoko's eyebrows met. Her cousin? As in Ryoma? When did the two of them talked? How did they even know each other?

Shoko became slightly worried. Knowing her cousin, he surely did something she wouldn't supervise or worse, something embarrassing for her part. She certainly hoped he didn't threaten the de Faunte heir. True she finds her cousin's protective nature kind of sweet but sometimes it was bit much; sometimes people thought he was her boyfriend. Pushing those thoughts aside, making a mental tone to ask her dear cousin about it later when she is done with the call, she focused herself on the conversation at the moment.

"I'm fine, now" she answered, trying to sound reassuring as she could, "Thank you for asking, Suichiro-kun"

"That's good to hear," she heard him mutter to himself then reverting back to his usual tone, he asked, "How did you catch that fever anyway? It's not like you stayed out in the cold all night,"

That's when Shoko made the mistake of not answering right away.

The young clarinetist thoughts were immediately brought back to the night little Reiko ran away. Without meaning to, another blush dusted her cheek. Of course she was thankful of her friend; she could imagine how will she manage to find her nephew if he didn't arrive. However, remembering her state and predicament that time, she can't help but feel slightly embarrassed by it. It was a good thing Shimizu never brought that incident up; it was as if he temporarily forgot about it. But even so, Shoko was not sure what the young cellist thought of her back then.

She must have looked so pathetic back then. How embarrassing.

"You did, didn't you," she heard Stephen say from the other end. In her silence, she just confirmed what the de Faunte heir stated. Even though she couldn't see him, she could imagine his disapproving look as if she disobeyed a direct rule on purpose; like a child scolded by her parents.

Shoko Fuuyumi, even though she was already fretting slightly at the response for some reason, managed to answer back without stammering, "Oh….uhm…W...well sort of- but not all night. I just stayed outside longer than needed to sort some family issue and -"

"Hai, hai. I didn't mean to pry Princess." Stephen cut her explanation off. Then with a gentler tone he added, "You just had me worried."

Shoko blinked a couple of times as she felt her cheeks grew warm again. But, of course, the de Faunte heir was completely oblivious to this. Shoko was thankful the conversation was done on the phone; for he cannot see her reaction.

"You should have been more careful. Like everybody close to you, I can't help but worry." Stephen added, unknowingly making her blush even more, "I'm just concerned of your well-being, Princess."

"Oh," was all Shoko could say at that moment. The way he said it, his tone evident of genuine worry and care, Shoko felt her stomach do another flip; the sensation making her feel uneasy but not unpleasantly. A smile made its way to the clarinetist's lips and with a sincere tone she added, "I'm sorry for making you worry, Suichiro-kun. I'm so sorry,"

Stephen gave chuckle, "There's no need to be sorry for Princess. It's normal for someone to worry when the person is special,"

"Oh...uhm," she was not sure how to respond to that, even if she was entirely sure that he meant it as a friend. So she did the only thing she could think of to brush it off: evading the topic.

"How about you Suichiro-kun? Is everything fine there?"

Again Stephen chuckled.

"Everything is fine even though I'm a bit tired and a little bored but what else is new?" He obviously noticed the sudden shift in the conversation but didn't bother to point it out. Instead he just went on with the flow and added, "Unlike you though, you guys seem to have quite an event there last night,"

"It was nothing big. We just ate, watched some movies, exchanged some gifts and took some pictures." Shoko answered truthfully, "Me and Shimizu-kun slept earlier than our sempais though so I don't know what else they did,"

"That's better than here," Stephen answered, "All we do is hard work and deadlines." Shoko heard someone say something on the other line then followed by the sound by the sound of a vehicle driving off.

After a couple of seconds, Stephen spoke again, "So what gift did you receive?"

"A snow globe that plays a tune whenever I shake it," Shoko answered without hesitation.

"Hmmm….quite thoughtful." Stephen commented. Shoko heard a 'ding' from what she presumed was an elevator on the other line, "Who gave it to you?"

"Shimizu-kun did," Shoko answered, sitting on a high stool near the counter. On the other line she could hear several muffled voices, all talking at the same time. She heard another 'ding' from the elevator and few shuffling, followed by a distant 'Good evening Sir,' from a lady.

Shoko scrunched her eyebrows as she asked, "Uhm...Suichiro-kun?"

"Hmmm?" came the reply but the de Faunte heir immediately added, "Oh, sorry Shoko-san. I was….uh, for the lack of better term….distracted,"

Shoko's eyebrows met again in bewilderment but decided not to ask. It wasn't a big deal anyway. Judging by the sounds she could hear in the background just a while ago, Stephen was inside a building. If she were given a chance to guess, she would say that he was there for business. That's how things usually go in the business world; it is rare to stay in a place where there is less or no profit.

"Uhm...Suichiro-kun, are you...working...I mean...off to work?" Shoko asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" Stephen answered, seemingly surprised by the question, "It's nearly quarter to eleven in the evening here. Work ended a few hours ago, Shoko-san."

Before Shoko could say another word, the sound of a door closing reached her ears, and then it was followed by the sound of someone playing a trumpet. The tune was distant yet she can still distinguish it; the Christmas song, Jingle Bells. Though she was curious, making her eyebrows rise a little bit, Shoko decided not to inquire about it.

The playing stopped then it was immediately followed by a cheerful call from a guy, "Step! Finally you're here!"

"Hey Step! Uncle's secretary dropped this earlier. Apparently they need your help with the company in Ireland," another one said, then it was followed by some noise that Shoko can't tell what it was, "Poor you,"

"Hey, don't piss him off. You know how scary he is when he is in a bad mood." Shoko heard someone say in a teasing manner.

A brief moment of silence was heard on the other end; Shoko thought the call ended. However, she was immediately proved wrong when she heard some shuffling sounds and then it was followed by some noises as if the phone is being moved about. After that, Shoko heard a few shouts and grunts. Shoko bit her lip as she subconsciously began tapping the table in front of her.

"Oh you are no fun, Step!" someone yelled from the other line.

"Uhm….S…Sui..chiro-k…kun?" She asked hesitantly

But instead of Stephen's voice, she heard someone say, "Hey there, sweetie"

Shoko's eyes widen as the same noises were heard once again. In a slightly muffled tone, she heard Stephen say something in a language she wasn't familiar of - but it sounded European. And though he sounded calm and collected Shoko felt as if Stephen was threatening whoever he was talking to. Whatever he said, it was effective enough for the noises on the other end seems to die down.

"Are you still there, Shoko-san?" Stephen asked.

"Hai,"

Stephen sighed, "I'm sorry about that Shoko-san. My cousins are acting a little stupid."

Shoko giggled.

Then she heard it again. The sound of someone playing an instrument but this time it wasn't composed of a single sound; it was composed of an ensemble and it was playing a tune that was familiar yet different to Shoko. As a musician she was highly intrigued by the melody. From there, it sounded entirely different from the classical pieces they play and yet they seem to be using classical instruments; the trumpet alone is a proof of that.

As she was definitely curious, she can't help but ask, "Is someone playing there?"

Shoko heard a chuckle from the other end. "You heard them huh? It's my cousins and my friend Josiah. It's kind of a tradition in the de Faunte family that every member would perform a musical piece in a company Christmas Ball. So here they are, practicing their hands off,"

"Are you going to play too, Suichiro-kun?" she asked without any second thoughts, but then she bit her lip once she realized what she just said.

There was a long pause, the music in the background stopped also. Shoko was about to apologize for asking when Stephen decided to answer her question.

"No. I'm afraid not. I don't play anymore, remember?" he answered calmly, but even so, since she can't see his expression, Shoko felt bad for asking; as she intruded on an uncomfortable topic, "Josiah is filling up for me and besides, they'll do perfectly without me,"

"I'm so sorry. I apologize if i said something that is clearly out of my line. I didn't mean to -"

"It's alright, Shoko-san. You didn't offend me in anyway. No need to apologize," Stephen cut her apology off. This is time Shoko wished she could see his expression; she had this nagging feeling that the de Faunte heir is mad at her.

Shoko mentally sighed.

"I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't have but...well...I'm really curious," Shoko's lips formed a small smile at that thought. Well, it was true, she really is curious, "Whenever I think about it I can't help but wonder. I'd really like to hear your music, Suichiro-kun. Even if it's just a short while,"

There was a brief moment of silence and Shoko lost her self-esteem immediately. She must have said too much. "But I'm not forcing you Suichiro-kun….It's just that….well…I…oh no….I'm sorry, I went a little too far in speaking. Please don't be angry with me, I -"

"Shoko-san," Stephen said, effectively stopping the young clarinetist from her rant, "I'm not angry with you. In fact, I'm a little happy. I really appreciate it but sadly, no, I'm still not performing. But thank you for saying so,"

"Oh, I see," was her only reply.

Stephen gave a chuckle, "But even so, thank you, Princess."

Shoko was about to ask why he was thanking her when someone from the other line shouted: "You call her Princess? Geez, Step, how sappy can you get?"

Stephen cleared his throat, "Anyway, the reason I called -"

"He's going to confess his undying love for you!" the same person from earlier yelled once again. Then Shoko heard a soft thud on the other end, "Shoko-san! Your darling Stephen is so mean to me!"

"Eh?" Shoko said before she could even stop herself. Instantly, she clamped her hand over her mouth.

The same noises were heard then came silence. Shoko heard a sigh on the other end, "Finally, some peace and quiet. Anyway, as I was saying - "

That's when Shoko felt someone poke on the sides of her waist; effectively surprising her to the point that she let out a squeal. Instantly, she turned around and smacked the culprit's arm. But instead of complaint, the culprit just laughed heartily.

"Ryoma, that wasn't funny." Shoko reprimanded - or at least tried to, with her cousin laughing like that, it was hard to keep the facade up.

"Hey there," Ryoma shouted near the phone. Shoko immediately pushed him away. Thankfully, he just laughed and walked away.

"I'm sorry about that, Suichiro-kun," Shoko said in her best apologetic tone.

"Don't worry I understand the feeling," came Stephen's answer, a few chuckles can be heard. "You have a cute squeal, do you know that?"

Shoko could feel a blush form on her cheeks again. As to evade the teasing that will surely come later, Shoko forced herself to sound indifferent and change the subject - failing almost immediately but continued anyway.

"What were you suppose to say, Suichiro-kun?"

"Oh that," Stephen answered, but this time he didn't sound so amused anymore, "Well, as I was saying, it's about the Christmas concert. I'm so sorry Shoko-san. I told you I'd come but Grandfather already made some unchangeable plans for the week, the date of the concert included. I'm so sorry Shoko-san,"

Shoko was silent for a moment as she allowed the de Faunte heir's words to sink in. When it finally did, Shoko felt slightly different but can't really grasp the exact feeling.

"I understand Suichiro-kun," she answered, "And there is nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault,"

"Do I hear a hint of disappointment in your tone, Princess?" Stephen said rather teasingly, "Awww, you really do miss me?"

Though she knew he was just teasing, Shoko blushed immediately and went to defensive mode, "I….It's -"

"I'm just joking. But still, I feel bad about it." Stephen answered back

Shoko gave a small smile, even though the de Faunte heir could see it. Her tone sounded reassuring enough, "Like I said before Suichiro-kun, I understand."

There was a moment of silence in the lines. But the silence was immediately broken by an amused hum then it was followed by a sigh that turned into a chuckle.

"I'm positive that I can attend the company ball you are asked to perform though, it's ours after all, so you will still get to see me," he said, tone now laced with amusement that she could imagine him grinning.

"Yours?" Shoko repeated. Then finally, everything fell into realization; the concert's sponsor - the one Yunoki Azuma went during that time when they found the mute girl. In an instant, Shoko turned from flustered to panicky. She had a good reason to, anyway. They were going to perform in front of all of those big business personnel, some might even know her. "Oh you mean -"

"You sound so shocked, I thought you knew." Stephen interrupted the start of her nervous breakdown, clearly unaware of it, "Honestly, I think the only reason Grandfather allowed you guys to perform with him funding everything is because he wants to let his pals know that you're my fiancée. He rarely does things for free, you know. I just thought of saying this to you in advance, in case he decided to inform you about that matter personally,"

That didn't help in making herself calm about the matter. The said event is about a couple of days away and she was already feeling nervous; she would want to imagine how nervous she'll be at the said day.

Stephen continued, breaking her musings, "But fear not, for I will be there as your escort for the night so don't agree if anyone asked you to be their date for the night because I will be extremely jealous if you did,"

It took a moment for Shoko to register what the de Faunte heir just said, and when it did, all she could say was, "Eh?"

"Anyway, I'll be looking forward to see your costume, Princess." Stephen said rather cheerfully; clearly oblivious to the now flustered girl on the other line. She then heard someone say something but unlike the previous, the person who spoke said it in a low tone so the statement sounded like someone muttering. With a sigh he continued, "Well, Princess, that's my cue. I need to get going or else my uncle will give me a lengthy sermon."

"Oh…uhm…Okay," Shoko answered, not knowing what else to say, "Take care, Suichiro-kun."

Stephen gave a chuckle, "I should be saying that to you, Princess."

"I'll take care of myself, Suichiro-kun," Shoko answered reassuringly with a smile to match, "Don't worry,"

"That's what you said last time," the de Faunte heir reminded in a playful scolding tone. Then his tone turned serious as if he just remembered something of great importance, "I guess I just have to see you at the Christmas Ball. I have something important to discuss to you. I think it has something to do with the engagement,"

"Stephen!" came a shout.

"I'm coming," Stephen immediately answered back, then with another sigh, he said to the young clarinetist, "Bye, Shoko-san."

With nothing else left to say, she just answered a simple "Bye," in return

And the call ended.

-o-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-o-

-o-(HIS SIDE)-o-

Stephen Randolph Suichiro von Dylan Kanade de Faunte, heir to one of the biggest companies in the economic world, gave an exhausted sigh while watching the busy streets of London, England as they drove by. His driver was humming along with the song that was on the car's music player; the young de Faunte heir had a vague guess that it was something from the 1970s or lower. Growing tired of the monotonous sight of cars, stores and lamps, Stephen closed his eyes and slumped on the seat; a sigh escaping his lips once again.

It had been a really tiring day for him. Half of the day he was working at the main office, taking care of the paper works for the reports and finances as well as the new deals and new branches then after that, he went to several social gatherings hosted by some business acquaintances on behalf of his Grandfather and last but not the least, an emergency meeting with one of their sister companies.

It was even a surprise he didn't have a headache after all that. Of course, he blames it on the regularity of such happenings; if ever there was a work day wherein he would just spend it sitting in his office doing close to nothing - that would either mean that their business is bankrupt or a miracle just happened.

"Oh, sir, I just remembered. You instructed me to remind you of a phone call you are to make," the driver said as he turned down the volume of what he was listening.

Stephen opened his eyes and looked at the man through the rear view mirror with a bewildered expression, "A phone call you say? To whom?"

"A Miss Shoko Fuuyumi, if I recall." The driver answered politely.

Stephen stared at the mirror for a moment before letting out a silent yet exasperated groan of annoyance as he remembered. He must have been thinking way too much to even forget that he was supposed to call his 'fiancée' to tell her that he couldn't make it to their charity concert.

"Stupid," muttered to himself as he fished out his phone.

Unfortunately, his driver took his outburst differently. To him, it sounded as if the young de Faunte heir was scolding him for it. During his years of servitude to the de Faunte family, he knew by experience that the young heir was far more lenient than the current head of the family but he also learned that, there were times (blame it on the pressure) wherein he would just lose his temper and vent it on whoever was unfortunate enough to catch his attention.

"I'm sorry if I forgot it myself. I'm not as young I used to be. Forgive me young sir," he apologized in his best sincere tone; already hoping that it was enough to appease the wrath of the young heir.

Hearing the apology, Stephen looked up at the rear view mirror again as he held the mobile phone beside his ear, waiting for someone on the other end to pick up the call. Seeing the troubled look on his driver's face, he instantly recalled his actions and realization struck him.

"Oh, I didn't mean you, Mr. Jimmy." he told him, "I was referring to myself. I apologize for my actions,"

Hearing the apology from his employer, the driver immediately answered, "I am in no position for you to apologize, young sir, for I am just a humble servant -"

"Hold that thought," Stephen said upon hearing that someone picked the phone up on the other side.

"Hello? Good morning. This is Shoko speaking. How may I help you?" a female voice answered using the same tone as the one he called the previous morning (or night, in their case); the tone of her voice was obviously modulated to sound humble and polite with a hint of power laced with a professional air of something akin to authority.

It's amazing how her voice sounded authoritative when she wants it to be; a deep contrast to her sweet and shy nature. For some reason, Stephen emitted an amused chuckle; quite informal, he knew, but he just could help himself.

"Good morning too, Princess." He greeted with a smile on his face, despite of the fact that she can't see him.

"Suichiro-kun?" came a rather hesitant answer. Obviously she wasn't expecting him to call at all, that thought made Stephen chuckle once again.

"The one and only," he answered, amusement evident in his tone as he teased her, "Did you miss me princess?"

There was a moment of silence in the other end; the call did not end so Stephen assumed that the young clarinetist was caught off guard with what he just said. He wouldn't be surprised if she would be blushing at that moment; that made him laugh inwardly.

It was typical of Shoko to do so.

"You didn't even miss me? I'm hurt princess," Stephen said, making his tone sound like he was feigning disappointment, subconsciously placing a hand over his heart to act the part though she couldn't see him. With that answer, he heard her giggle and that was enough to make Stephen let loose of a short yet amused laugh. At least, at that moment, she didn't sound like a fake upper-class person answering a call as if she were talking about business negotiations, "You are cruel, my fair princess."

Shoko managed to stop her giggles and sheepishly uttered an apology; something that made Stephen chuckle once again. It was good to call someone that is not related to the business world every once in a while. He looked outside the car window once again just in time to see that it was snowing once again. Watching as the small white thing floated down from the skies to the earth below made him remember something; something that was rather troubling in his opinion.

"So how is my princess? Your cousin told me you caught a fever yesterday. How are you feeling now?" he asked suddenly, his tone changing almost automatically from teasing to worry.

It took a moment for the girl on the other line to answer.

"I'm fine, now" she answered, trying to sound reassuring as she could, "Thank you for asking, Suichiro-kun"

"That's good to hear," he muttered to himself as he slumped back to his seat, looking up and finding great interest in the roof of the car, "How did you catch that fever anyway? It's not like you stayed out in the cold all night,"

Again, there was silence on the other end and the young de Faunte heir has no idea what is going on inside the clarinetist's mind or what her expression is at his inquiry; for some reason he found it unsettling. If anything, her silence just confirmed his thoughts that she did stay out in the cold all night.

"You did, didn't you," he deadpanned, obviously disapproving her actions.

Almost immediately, Shoko began to explain, "Oh….uhm…W...well sort of- but not all night. I just stayed outside longer than needed to sort some family issue and -"

"Hai, hai. I didn't mean to pry Princess." Stephen cut her explanation off then with a gentler tone he added, "You just had me worried."

Shoko was silent for a moment and the young de Faunte heir could only assume that she was again caught off guard with the statement and he was positively sure that she was blushing. Without meaning to, he smiled. He doesn't know why but there is something amusing in seeing her flustered about something so little, though she was trying hard to fight it and act normal.

"You should have been more careful. Like everybody close to you, I can't help but worry." he added, that smile didn't leave his features, "I'm just concerned of your well-being, Princess."

"Oh," was all Shoko could say at that moment as the line fell silent once again. Then with a sincere tone she added, "I'm sorry for making you worry, Suichiro-kun. I'm so sorry,"

Stephen gave chuckle, "There's no need to be sorry for Princess. It's normal for someone to worry when the person is special,"

"Oh...uhm," and again the girl on the other line was not sure how to respond to that. Then she did something that he clearly was expecting her to do in a situation like this: evade the topic, "How about you Suichiro-kun? Is everything fine there?"

Stephen chuckled

"Everything is fine even though I'm a bit tired and a little bored but what else is new?" he answered, obviously letting her know that he noticed the sudden shift in the conversation. Going on with the flow he added, "Unlike you though, you guys seem to have quite an event there last night,"

"It was nothing big. We just ate, watched some movies, exchanged some gifts and took some pictures." Shoko answered truthfully on the other end. He, on the other hand, just arrived at his destination. The young clarinetist continued, "Me and Shimizu-kun slept earlier than our sempais though so I don't know what else they did,"

"That's better than here," Stephen answered as his driver opened the car door for him. He stepped out of the vehicle with the authority of a de Faunte heir that has nothing to do with the casualness of his conversation, "All we do is hard work and deadlines."

"Have a pleasant evening young sir," the driver said with a respectful bow. Stephen nodded curtly and stood there as his driver drove off.

Returning to the conversation, Stephen asked "So what gift did you receive?"

"A snow globe that plays a tune whenever I shake it," Shoko answered without hesitation.

"Hmmm….quite thoughtful." Stephen commented as he tried to imagine what the said item looked like as he entered the building and made a beeline to the elevator. It wasn't long before a 'ding' was heard and he stepped in the compartment, pushing the right buttons so that he'll arrive at the right floor. "Who gave it to you?"

"Shimizu-kun did," Shoko answered as the elevator 'ding'ed open and a couple of people entered. Stephen's eyebrows met slightly; clearly uneasy of something. It only took a few seconds till Stephen reached his floor. As soon as he heard the 'ding', he immediately stepped outside the said compartment.

"Good Evening, Sir." came an immediate greeting from one of his cousin's secretary with a few papers in hand.

"Uhm...Suichiro-kun?"

"Hmmm?" came his reply rather distractedly as he signed the said papers almost robotically. He made it as quick as possible and once it was done, Stephen immediately added, "Oh, sorry Shoko-san. I was….uh, for the lack of better term…distracted,"

"Uhm...Suichiro-kun, are you...working...I mean...off to work?" Shoko asked hesitantly.

"Huh?" was his answer, seemingly surprised by the question, "It's nearly quarter to eleven in the evening here. Work ended a few hours ago, Shoko-san."

Well, that was half a lie. True it was quarter to eleven in the evening but as always his work is not time bound. He will be called whenever he is need in whatever time of the day.

Stephen went to the room where he knew his cousins were at and closed the door behind him. As expected, they were practicing for the Christmas Ball - well, at least they used to be practicing. At that moment, they were just goofing around, playing the song Jingle Bells just for fun. Leonard was not there, surprisingly since he was so set on playing the violin for this performance.

The trumpet player among the de Faunte cousins, Ethan, noticed his presence in the room and immediately stopped only to greet him - rather loudly if he may add, "Step! Finally you're here!"

That made everyone turn their heads towards him and earned a lot of reactions but one of the reactions stood out about the rest; the statement from his cousin Gregory.

"Hey Step! Uncle's secretary dropped this earlier. Apparently they need your help with the company in Ireland," he said as he made his way towards him, mockingly patting him on the head, "Poor you,"

At that, Stephen shot him a glare.

"Hey, don't piss him off. You know how scary he is when he is in a bad mood." Philip, the youngest in the room, said, having witnessed the glare Stephen gave Gregory.

That's when Gregory noticed the phone near Stephen's ear. Being around each other for quite some time, it was quite easy to read each of their expressions; especially during phone calls. A serious and authoritative façade was present whenever the call was related to their business, a sarcastic with a hint of slight annoyance and playfulness when it comes to the de Faunte cousins, politeness when it comes to the higher-ups and friendliness when it comes to close, well, friends. The expression on Stephen's face however, as he is clearly oblivious about it, was a mixture of friendliness and something else.

It has to be a girl.

And unfortunately, Gregory wasn't the one who noticed it.

In one swift motion, Gregory snagged the phone out of Stephen's hand and looked at the caller ID and his grin just got bigger. As Stephen was about to snag it back, Gregory tossed it to the nearest person to him and well that was the start of the pass-the-phone-to everyone game; a few whistles and catcalls was automatically heard upon reading who their cousin was calling to. There was an unfortunate scene wherein Stephen had to throw a pillow at one of his cousins to stop him from catching his phone.

"Oh you are no fun, Step!" his cousin yelled as he proceeded to playfully tackle Stephen on the couch. Seeing that he was distracted, Ethan took his chance and snagged the phone out of Stephen's hands and held it near his ear; just in time to hear a rather hesitant yet sweet voice of one unsuspecting Shoko Fuuyumi.

"Uhm….S…Sui..chiro-k…kun?"

Immediately, Ethan went to playboy mode, "Hey there, sweetie"

Stephen once again made a grab for the phone but Ethan tossed it the nearest person to him that time, which happened to be Josiah. Having caught it on pure reflex, clearly unaware of the commotion or why was Stephen was heading towards him in such speed, Josiah tossed it to Philip; the person on his right. And well, being the youngest, thus the smallest (though he was around twelve), he was easy to subdue so once again the phone was returned to it rightful owner.

Stephen sighed at his cousin's antics; he can't be mad at them for there was a time wherein he was part of the phone-tossing game when Leonard was still courting his fiancée. Well, he guessed it was just pay back. But even so, he wasn't totally amused by it. He looked at his cousins and threatened them in a way only he could do in fluent Russian; the language everyone in the room could understand. Unbelievingly, it was effective enough for they seem to grumble and went back to whatever they were doing before.

"Are you still there, Shoko-san?" Stephen asked.

"Hai,"

Stephen sighed, "I'm sorry about that Shoko-san. My cousins are acting a little stupid."

Shoko giggled. That made Stephen smile as he sat on the counter, waiting for the water he just placed to boil; nothing like a cup of tea to calm his nerves. With nothing else to do - or annoy - the rest of the occupants of the room reverted back to practicing the piece they were going to play for the concert; a modernized version of the 12 days of Christmas.

"Is someone playing there?" was her answer.

Stephen chuckled. Of course, she would ask something about the music; she is a musician after all. "You heard them huh? It's my cousins and my friend Josiah. It's kind of a tradition in the de Faunte family that every member would perform a musical piece in a company Christmas Ball. So here they are, practicing their hands off,"

"Are you going to play too, Suichiro-kun?" she asked rather straightforward, no second thoughts.

Stephen nearly dropped the mug he was holding. For some reason, his cousins and Josiah stopped playing but when he looked they were sorting something from their music sheets. The kettle whistled. Regaining his composure, Stephen decided to answer as he pour the water on his cup.

"No. I'm afraid not. I don't play anymore, remember?" he answered calmly as he could, careful not to let any more emotion leak out, "Josiah is filling up for me and besides, they'll do perfectly without me,"

And she went to apologetic mode, "I'm so sorry. I apologize if i said something that is clearly out of my line. I didn't mean to -"

"It's alright, Shoko-san. You didn't offend me in anyway. No need to apologize," Stephen cut her apology off, a small smile making its way on his lips.

"I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't have but...well...I'm really curious," she said. For some reason he pictured her deep in thought, "Whenever I think about it I can't help but wonder. I'd really like to hear your music, Suichiro-kun. Even if it's just a short while,"

She'd like to hear his music. If she only knew, she wouldn't be so keen in hearing it anymore. Unlike her, unlike her companions, unlike his cousins, unlike his friend, his performance in music was not even scratching the surface of what they were doing. At first it was okay, wonderful, if he were to boast; like some first love of sorts. But after that night, the fateful night, everything changed. His music, as she puts it, became hollow; void of any emotion - empty. He just couldn't bring himself to do it again - not yet, not soon.

As he was drowned in his musings, the girl on the other end took it differently; her self-esteem diminishing fast. She must have said too much. "But I'm not forcing you Suichiro-kun….It's just that….well…I…oh no….I'm sorry, I went a little too far in speaking. Please don't be angry with me, I -"

"Shoko-san," Stephen said, effectively stopping the young clarinetist from her rant, "I'm not angry with you. In fact, I'm a little happy. I really appreciate it but sadly, no, I'm still not performing. But thank you for saying so,"

"Oh, I see," was her only reply.

Stephen gave a chuckle, "But even so, thank you, Princess."

And of course the moment was broken when Josiah suddenly shouted, "You call her Princess? Geez, Step, how sappy can you get?"

Stephen shot him a glare and Josiah immediately shut up, but a wide grin was still there. The de Faunte heir raised an eyebrow at his friend who just shrugged in return.

Mentally sighing in defeat, Stephen cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, the reason I called -"

"He's going to confess his undying love for you!" Josiah yelled once again. Without a word, Stephen grabbed a cook book on top of the counter and threw it at his friend, who just dodged it so it hit the wall. Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from his teasing, "Shoko-san! Your darling Stephen is so mean to me!"

"Eh?"

Sighing, Stephen grabbed his cup of tea and made his way towards the balcony. On his way, some of his cousin tried to restart the tossing game but this time Stephen evaded them effectively. He didn't even spill the contents of his cup. Once that he was safe in the cold winter night, he continued, "Finally, some peace and quiet. Anyway, as I was saying - "

And was interrupted by a surprised squeal at the other line. It made him blink for a moment before realizing that the source of such sound was the young clarinetist he was talking to. Then he heard a laugh from a guy on the other end that was immediately followed by a "Ryoma, that wasn't funny." from the girl.

Shoko almost sounded as if she was reprimanding the guy but instead, the laugh just got louder.

"Hey there," someone called to the phone. There was some shuffling then it was followed by a laugh.

"I'm sorry about that, Suichiro-kun," Shoko said in her best apologetic tone.

"Don't worry I understand the feeling," Stephen answered as he took a sip from his tea. Shoko chuckled on the other end, "You have a cute squeal, do you know that?"

He immediately pictured her blushing. It was just so hard not to tease her. And again, she tried to distract herself by changing the topic.

"What were you suppose to say, Suichiro-kun?"

"Oh that," Stephen frowned, clearly not amused with what he was going to say. To be honest, talking to her in such a casual manner made him forget of the main reason why he called her, "Well, as I was saying, it's about the Christmas concert. I'm so sorry Shoko-san. I told you I'd come but Grandfather already made some unchangeable plans for the week, the date of the concert included. I'm so sorry Shoko-san,"

"I understand Suichiro-kun," she answered, after a moment of silence. Clearly she was trying to hide the slight disappointment she felt. "And there is nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault,"

And so, despite of the moment, Stephen teased her.

"Do I hear a hint of disappointment in your tone, Princess?" Stephen said, "Awww, you really do miss me?"

Though he knew that she was disappointed of him not coming because he would miss a chance to witness such a performance from her school and of course, not being to hear such a wonderful melody from their performance ( and not something especial, not that he was expecting it anyway, he added) he just couldn't resist teasing her.

Shoko immediately went to defensive mode, "I….It's -"

"I'm just joking. But still, I feel bad about it." Stephen answered back with a wide smile.

"Like I said before Suichiro-kun, I understand." The clarinetist answered reassuringly.

There was a moment of silence in the lines. But the silence was immediately broken when Stephen let out an amused hum that was followed by a sigh that turned into a chuckle.

"I'm positive that I can attend the company ball you are asked to perform though, it's ours after all, so you will still get to see me," he said with a hint of amusement as he grinned like a Cheshire cat, remembering the event.

"Yours?" Shoko repeated. She was silent for moment then she sounded panicky, "Oh you mean -"

"You sound so shocked, I thought you knew." Stephen interrupted the start of her rant, "Honestly, I think the only reason Grandfather allowed you guys to perform with him funding everything is because he wants to let his pals know that you're my fiancée. He rarely does things for free, you know. I just thought of saying this to you in advance, in case he decided to inform you about that matter personally,"

Oblivious to what the girl on the other line was thinking, Stephen continued, "But fear not, for I will be there as your escort for the night so don't agree if anyone asked you to be their date for the night because I will be extremely jealous if you did,"

That last part made him smile for no reason. He didn't exactly mean it for he doesn't want to control her decisions (she had enough of that from her family anyway) but he would be lying if he told himself that he was okay with it. Somehow, he found it unsettling. Oh, he would be jealous, alright - though only in the slightest. After all, they had agreed that they would just play the part until he found a way to break the engagement off.

Great, now he had a headache forming.

It took a moment for Shoko to answer and all she said was, "Eh?" making Stephen inwardly laugh.

"Anyway, I'll be looking forward to see your costume, Princess." Stephen said rather cheerfully

"Oi Stephen, Uncle Michael is looking for you. It's something about the Infratext Inc." Harry, the clarinetist of the de Faunte family, called from the balcony door frame.

'Wonderful' he thought.

"A car will pick you up after fifteen minutes,"

With a sigh he continued, "Well, Princess, that's my cue. I need to get going or else my uncle will give me a lengthy sermon."

"Oh…uhm…Okay," Shoko answered, not knowing what else to say, "Take care, Suichiro-kun."

Stephen gave a chuckle, "I should be saying that to you, Princess."

"I'll take care of myself, Suichiro-kun," Shoko answered, "Don't worry,"

"That's what you said last time," Stephen reminded with a playful scolding tone. It was then did he remember something important, "I guess I just have to see you at the Christmas Ball. I have something important to discuss to you. I think it has something to do with the engagement,"

"Stephen!" came a shout from the inside. If he had to guess, he would say that it was Gregory.

"I'm coming," Stephen immediately answered back, then with another sigh, he said to the young clarinetist, "Bye, Shoko-san."

With nothing else left to say, she just answered a simple "Bye," in return

And the call ended.

.

.

.

-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-

BACK AT THE VILLA:

Somewhere in the villa, someone couldn't help but grin at the small secret he overheard. True, there were rumors that the young de Faunte heir, the one person almost every business tycoon who had a daughter, granddaughter or a niece is after, is already engaged to someone but never it came into his mind that the lucky girl who get to be a part of the most powerful and influential family in the economic world would be someone like Shoko Fuuyumi.

It almost made him laugh.

And to think it was a secret.

Well, it was their mistake for using the landline.

Laughing to himself, Yunoki Azuma placed the receiver back to its place as a single word rose up from his mind: "Interesting,"

A/N:

Sorry for the late update. I'm not going to mention my excuses. Anyway, I'm off job hunting so I don't know when will I update next. But I'll try to do so as soon as possible. Sorry for the grammatical errors, I'll try to fix them as soon as I can get back to writing. Thank you for all your reviews also. It makes me super happy just to know that you are still reading this. Anyway, be a darling and tell me what you think. 'Kay?

Taaaaaa!

-juniperfalcon17