Love and Rivalry

Chapter 6

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.