Monachopsis

Chapter 4

The song referenced in this chapter, "Ain't About the Money" performed by Jussie Smollett and Yazz comes from the show Empire. Empire and the songs from the show are property of the FOX network and I claim no ownership. And, as always:

Disclaimer: I do not Own Yu-Gi-Oh or any characters created by Kazuki Takahashi. I only own my OCs, this fic is purely for entertainment.

Chapter 4

I should have known to keep my damn mouth shut.

After my day spent at the Kaiba estate things had gotten a little – Well really a LOT - hectic. Most people use a party planner to handle the affairs of a corporate function like we were hosting; but I hated leaving things up to someone else. I'm the tiniest bit of a control freak and prefer to do things myself so that I know they're done correctly. So not only was I still trying to snare the mole in the company, but I was also juggling all the party planning and domestic issues that had risen up in the last week. Needless to say, it was a true test of my abilities to get everything running smoothly.

Add onto that the fact that my uncle thought it would be a good idea to have my cousin and I perform a song as a duo, to show that not only can we promote talent but that we ourselves are talented. At first I was against the idea, but Hojo was so eager to perform that I didn't have the heart to keep up the argument against the idea. Hojo rarely asked me for anything and denying him this only little thing seemed cruel to me. Plus the jerk had actually begged me with puppy eyes on at full force and my argument had died out before it could really go anywhere. Thus began the process of choosing a song, practicing and getting a stage area set up. Although we invited some of our better known artists to corporate events, we generally didn't have them perform as they were attending as guests, not entertainment. We had an orchestra and may commission a singer but our artists were not expected to perform.

The problem was choosing the right song. Everything about the song needed to fit the informal theme of the party, so it was crucial that the song make an impact and deliver the right message. The party was two weeks away, and I still hadn't settled on what to perform; nothing I had written recently would do at all. I was sitting on my bed, surrounded by sheet music and practically pulling my hair out in frustration when Hojo came into my room, a magazine in hand.

"I don't know what you did to piss off Royalty, but they've started a slander campaign against us." He said, tossing the magazine onto the bed. There on the cover was a photo that had been taken the day that I had been at Domino City of Kaiji and I talking, and the title promised an "exclusive interview with Arisu Watanabe". I snorted and opened the magazine to the page I needed, scanning it briefly.

"So the best that they can come up with is I'm purposely targeting them to take their artists and that I'm roping Kaiba Corp. into the mix by using him to influence her teachers into giving her bad marks. Oh, and let's not forget her bragging about how much wealthier Royalty Records is." I said, rolling my eyes. "This has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. And I notice that they went to a trashy tabloid magazine instead of a reputable one; no one with half a brain cell believes what they read in these things." I handed the magazine back to him. "As for pissing them off, they probably know that we're watching them closely and this is their idea of trying to strike a blow against us. Amateurs." I frowned as I looked back at the sheet music, because honestly this didn't even register on my "Need to Care" meter.

"Careful Reila, you know as well as I do just how harmful a bad rumor can be." Hojo said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You work tirelessly to maintain a good public image for our company, I'd hate to see all your hard work thrown down the drain because you're not taking this seriously."