Sold #1 - The Secret Keeper

Chapter 18

Walking into the office later that morning, was a little strange for Michael as he stepped out of the elevator only to walk into a surprised looking Amanda. He avoided her warm hello, kept his head down and managed to make it to his office without being stopped. He was well aware that the young intern knew of what his father had arranged as his birthday 'surprise', but he wasn't in the mood to talk about it with her, especially when talking about it would only make him wish Darcy was there with him. It was entirely unexpected but he knew that no matter what anyone said, it felt right to be with her. There was an extraordinary feeling that came with each kiss, each touch and smile she gave him, almost as if he had known them from a dream long ago and every time she let him share them with her, he felt as though he had missed them for so long that all he wanted was to bask in them forever. He knew that no-one would understand the feeling, without having experienced it themselves, but he wasn't about to let it go just because they couldn't understand how he felt. And as he settled in his chair, resting his feet wearily in the edge of his desk as he lifted the mail from that morning and flicked through it, he couldn't help but hope that Tai was going to keep his opinion about their relationship to himself and not upset Darcy on the day when the entire goal was to make her feel at home with them.

Michael knew it was typical of Tai to object to something that he'd once thought was a great idea, and he was only doing it because he was probably jealous that, although he had spent his entirely life working his ass off for the kind of happiness Darcy gave him, Tai probably felt he hadn't earned the relationship, and he was jealous because he didn't have Natasha. But as Michael saw it, he had worked hard, harder than anyone for the good things he had and the good feelings Darcy gave him with just a smile, and his little brother didn't deserve a girlfriend like Natasha wanted to be for him because he always thought a relationship should be easy. Hopefully, he'd learn his lesson because there was no way he was going to let his little pipsqueak of a brother stop him from being happy. He'd waited too long and worked too damned hard for him to take it away from him now. "Mr Kiyoshi..." Amanda's quiet voice cut in suddenly, making Michael swear inwardly to himself, having been unaware of the door opening.

"Yes Amanda, what is it?" He sighed in frustration, trying not to take it out on her.

"You're late in today...how did it go with your father?" She asked excitedly, crossing over to the seat in front of his desk with a broad smile, eagerly awaiting the recount of details she obviously expected to hear from him. But it wasn't any of her business and if she had stopped there, taking his silence to rightfully mean the topic wasn't open for discussion, then it would have been fine, but no, she had to go on and make it worse, provoking the temper Tai had brought to a boiling point already that morning. "So? Did you get a girl...what's she like? Is she pretty...of course she's pretty. Is she quiet or outspoken, is she tall or short...come on Michael, please tell me." She begged impatiently.

"It's none of your business Amanda." His voice bellowed across the room unintentionally, wiping the smile from her lips in an instant as she sat back in her seat awkwardly, chewing her lower lip in a way that infuriated him. "What I do with my time is no-one's business and you would be the last person I would tell about anything that passed between myself and my father. It's entirely unprofessional...as is you calling me Michael. Now if you have no more to talk about concerning the firm, then I suggest you leave and let me get back to my work. I've got a lot to do and being late isn't helping matters." Michael dictated angrily, as Amanda scurried out of his office in tears though he was unable to see it, his head filled with thoughts of returning home that night to find Darcy already wake, at whatever ungodly hour it was, crying her heart out because of Tai's unfair view of their relationship and her capability to make her own choices. And that thought, the mental image of Darcy crying all alone in the dark, haunted him for the next few hours as he worked tirelessly through the documents sprawled across his desk, trying to do as much as he could without those tearful eyes distracting him too much.