Sold #2 - A Desperate Love

Chapter 6

When Tai dragged his girlfriend out of the room, Michael knew that his father was about to come out and say something about his choice of girlfriend that he probably wasn't going to like. But instead, he urged him into sharing the details of the case that would take him out of the office, and that as he was loathed to admit, but that his father had dragged out of him, disturbed him so much that he couldn't stand being a part of it. Asato didn't understand and was willing to admit as much until Michael sank into his seat behind his desk and showed him the photograph that sat there in a silver frame. He didn't see the significance of that fact that he had a photograph of his girlfriend on his desk until Michael went ahead and took out the fax from Greg from his desk drawer, showing his father the picture that lay inside. "I see..." Asato sighed, stepping back to sit in one of the two seats before his son's desk. "Well, that does make quite the impact. You haven't told her of course...why would you?" He thought to himself, surprised to see the challenging arch of eyebrows his son showed him, as though he disagreed.

"I told her because I love her." Michael stated it as calmly and as clearly as he could so that his father would understand exactly how he felt and that he wasn't about to lie to the girl he loved, no matter how much the truth hurt her. "I told her because I wanted her to be able to meet the people I work with without thinking that they were staring at her because they didn't approve of us being together. And that was exactly what happened this morning." He explained, having already shared a few of the details about Tai's ever changing opinion and how upset Darcy had been on more than one occasion due to the many emotional situations she had dealt with. He told him about how upset she had been with her friends leaving as they had, he told him about Marcus and how cruel Tai had been, making her cry on her shopping trip and even with how scared she had been just to walk into the firm. He felt that if he really wanted to approve of their relationship, then he should know how much she had suffered just to be with him so he could be as proud of her and her strength as Michael was. "She walked in and everyone froze but she didn't get upset and she didn't feel like she was being judged, because I told her the truth. And she knew that for it to bother me so much, it had to be a pretty bloody good similarity."

"I understand that Michiaki and I understand that you have feelings for her..." Asato heaved a sigh, able to see that when he said he loved her, he really meant it and believed that he meant it. He could see that if he made up his mind to break them up, it was going to be much harder than he had thought and much more heartbreaking for his son if he succeeded. "But do you think it is wise to allow her to have such a hold over you?" He asked, a smile reaching Michael's lips as Tai walked into the room, quietly followed by the girl in question, only for him to stifle his laughter at the answer someone else gave his father.

"I think it's bloody terrible, if you ask me." Tai winked at his brother to show his support before walking over to the desk and hovering at the side, his hands buried in his pockets. "You're gonna ruin your bloody career for a girl? I don't think so." He joked, making Asato frown at the two brothers, loathed to speak as he had intended to as Darcy crossed over to his eldest son, letting him take her hand and kiss it as she sat on his lap and lay her head on his shoulder. He was confused by the frown Michael had as she then stood up and offered a smile to Tai. And before he could make sense of it, Michael stood up and nodded his brother over to the corner of his office behind his desk.

*****

Michael had to admit, he'd been intrigued when Darcy sat on his lap just to whisper in his ear that Tai needed his advice, but the tone of her voice had let him know that it was a serious matter that neither wanted his father to know about. So he took Tai to the side of the room to talk, subjecting his sweet girl to his father's company, which he was surprised, he gave her with little protest. But Asato was aware that there was something going on that he wasn't supposed to know about, which was fine for now because he had his own private conversations to think about. And as Darcy sat on the sofa and asked him how he was coping with all the free time Michael had given him, by taking over the firm, he decided that there was no time like the present. "My dear, now that we have a moment alone, there was something I was wishing to discuss with you." Asato began, crossing from his seat in front of Michael's desk to sit beside her on the sofa, laying his hand on hers. "How are you coping without your friends, first of all? It must have been quite the transition for you, being used to having so much female company and then only having my two sons." He mentioned, sounding rather more considerate than she had ever given him credit for.