A writer's Contract

Rumors

"*sigh*"

"Twenty-three," Jun said not lifting his head from the papers he was reading.

"Pardon?" Iori inquired

"That was the twenty-third sigh you made since we started this meeting an hour ago. Do you hate working with me that much?" Jun said with a smile looking up at her and Iori fought the urge to say some witty comeback that would throw them into an eternal word spare that will never end unless one of their editors tried came along.

Iori sighed again and then realizing what she did she looked up at him,

"Twenty-four..." He said

"Ugh, stop counting my sighs, will you? It's unnerving,"

"Well, it's better than suffering through them for another two hours without having any alternative to divert me from your clear disinterest in what we're doing..."Jun retorted

"I am not disinterested," Iori said defensively

"Oh? Could've fooled me..."

"I really am not. I'm actually looking forward to starting this project. I just..." Iori stopped not wanting to disclose anything to her annoying partner.

She had been like this since she talked with her brother about her contract the previous day. When they went over it again, they discovered that the contract she signed had this very disturbing clause to it.

It entailed that she had no say about the marketing means the company uses to promote her book. and gives them the liberty to promote her image as they see fit. Her brother had told her in no uncertain way that the president had the right to spread a rumor that she was dating Jun Kamokoi if it was going to promote her book. The only relief she'd felt back then was when Haruki had assured her that the president didn't have the right to force her to live with anyone of she doesn't wish to.

Back when she'd first signed the contract with the president, she had her own conditions that he had unconditionally accepted and respected so she'd overlooked the weird cause in the contract. Giving him full reign with marketing had been the smartest choice because the amount of work he had to do in order to reshape her image and bring her back to life in the publishing world had been tremendous.

Iori had nothing left back then and he was the one who gave her back the most important thing in her life. Her writing. She knew that this clause was there solely for her because it was the only way to help her back then. But, she didn't put it past that old man to use it to his own advantage now. In fact, she was sure that he was already planning something in the shadows.

Usually, Iori didn't fear rumors, she was beyond that, really. But, she did not like the idea of being manipulated into posing as a lover to the infamous playboy Casanova of the century. Rather than not wanting to be misunderstood, the was a question of pride, and her pride is very close to the edge when it came to this one.

"Say, Jun. Do you dislike rumors?" She asked wondering what he would think of president Satoru's scheme.

"Not particularly..." He answered looking back up from the plotline he had been reading, "Speaking of rumors, did you hear what the little birds are saying about us?" He said with a crooked smile clearly amused.

"Don't tell. Let me guess!" Iori said making a show out of it, "Oh!" she exclaimed with a wry smile

"Yepp, apparently the wedding is around the corner..."

"Wow, we got that far,"

"And to think that we didn't even realize it ourselves, how interesting."

"As expected from Satoru-san he works fast..."