"Ms. Arison. . ." She was pale, my assistant. It's not as if she wasn't expecting me today. Even after what happened at the press conference, we still have a lot of things to do. The concert was merely days from now and we're neck deep with work that needs immediate attention. But the look on her face gave me the idea that she didn't want me there.

"What's the problem, Kaori?" Her eyes watered by my mere question and she handed me a piece of paper. I quickly read what it says and my hand involuntarily crumpled it. I left her without saying a word and went straight to the top floor of the building.

Johnny Kitagawa's secretary was right in her spot when the elevator dinged at the penthouse. The office of Johnny's Entertainment's President and CEO occupies the whole floor. "Ohayo, Ms. Arison." She greeted politely.

"I came to see Johnny. I know he's in." I added the second sentence when she opened maybe to send me away. I know I was being rude but I was certainly not in the mood to observe pleasantries.

"Choto matte kudasai." She entered the anteroom and came out again after a minute or so. "He will see you, Miss."

"Arigatou." I didn't wait for her to usher me in. I entered the office and locked the door. The room was too eerie, I can hear my own heart hammering from controlled anger.

The high-backed swivel chair spinned from looking outside the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. I came face to face with a slight man in his mid-fifties with a warm eyes that disappears when he smiles. But that smile was nowhere to be seen at the moment. "Allison. Please sit down." He gestured for the chair in front of his massive work desk. I ignored it.

"Can you tell me what's happening?" I asked in a calm voice. I pressed the bridge of my nose tightly to prevent a possible migraine attack.

He didn't pretend that he didn't know what I was talking about but it took him a long time to respond. He heaved a deep sigh. "Allison, I'm so sorry. I don't think we can push through with the concert. The same letter was sent to the boys so you won't have the burden of telling them."

"B-but why?" I can feel the blood rushing out of my face. I struggled to steady myself when I swayed a bit from shock.

"The sponsors pulled out. The international company was just starting to get noticed here in Japan and they said they can't afford a bad publicity at this time." Bad publicity? It couldn't be that BAD, right?

"All of them?" I croaked. I closed my eyes shut; I didn't want to see his expression when he breaks the worse of the news to me.

"Only two didn't but we can't pursue with it. We can't afford all the expenses alone and you know that. And by the rate the tickets are selling, looks like we can't count on it either." He pulled a stack of newspapers and magazines from a drawer and pushed it towards me. "Here, see for yourself."

Then I saw all the malicious articles that revolved around me, my family and NewS. It broke my heart that I wasn't even given the chance to defend myself. And as if on queue, my phone started ringing and it was my mother. "Sumimasen." I excused myself and took the call in one corner of the vast room.

"Hello, Mom?" I kept my voice normal or my mother would freak out in a slightest hint of tears.

"Allison Patricia, will you head home this second and stay here for good before I do something I may regret?"

"Mom, I am currently in a meeting. I'll call you right back, alright?" I dropped the call without waiting for her response and turned it off so nobody would call me. I faced the old man again and in much determined voice, "I want to know how my identity came out. You're the only person in whole JE that knows about me apart from the boys. And they wouldn't sell me." I gritted my teeth.

Johnny's forehead creased. "Are you sure?" Then it hit me. Tackey.

"No." I intended for it to be scream but it came out as a mere whisper. No no no no nooooo! He can't do that to me. Not MY Tackey.

"Allie, you've helped JE and NewS a lot. You're such a hard worker but I can't say no to him. When he asked me to stage this, I refused but he threatened to jump ship and I can't afford that. I really like you and you're the daughter that I never had but I am a businessman."

"He won't do this to me. You're lying!" I yelled and before I knew it, I was crying. I fell onto the carpeted floor and cried to my heart's content and Johnny let me. When I was calm enough, he spoke,

"He wanted you to quit before you start a family but he knows you can't leave the boys unless you have to so he thought of this." That's the only reason? It was too lame for my ears that I couldn't take it. I rushed out of the room, my hands balled into fists.

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I found his own dressing room with a slightly opened door that says 'Takizawa Hideaki' in brass. I didn't bother to knock. I banged the door open and the noise startled the person sitting in front of the dressing table, reading a magazine. He looked at me and the initial surprise that registered on his beautiful face was replaced by worry when he took in my appearance. I didn't care. Not a bit.

"Sweetheart! I didn't know you're here." He walked towards me and gave a peck on the lips before tactically closing the door behind me.

"I work here." I said.

"Of course. But what happened to you?" He guided me to sit in a couch and opened a fridge in the corner. "What would you have?" He asked. As one of the most bankable artists in JE, he was rewarded with his own space. The cozy dressing room doubles as a sleeping quarters too if he can't go home because of a long day of work.

I didn't answer him while I tried to read his face in silence.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" He's such a good actor. His face didn't even give him away.

"How could you do this to me, Tackey? To your friends?" Even my own voice tasted bitter.

"What do you mean?" Again, without batting an eyelash. I cringed. How far can this man go if he wants something?

"Quit playing this game Hideaki! How dare you sell me away just because you wanted me to quit?!"

"Allie. . ."

"You know how important this is to them! Especially for Massu! His mother's sick for God's sake, Tackey! Now," I removed the engagement ring in my finger and approached him. I placed the ring on his hand. "Let's just forget about the wedding."

"NO!"

"You can't expect me to marry someone I don't trust anymore. I hope you're happy while you watch your friends' careers that you singlehandedly flushed down the toilet." And then I left him. My whole body was numb from the pain.

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I reread Allie's farewell letter for the nth time while I rock the swing slowly. I went home to Chiba after the concert was called off and Allie left JE. I didn't have much to do aside from thinking and rethinking. She didn't even say goodbye personally. She just sent everybody handwritten letters. She was a separation freak and can't handle partings very well.

I hated the fact that I wasn't able to tell her how I really feel before she left. Even if she won't return my feelings, I just wanted her to know so I won't have regrets later on. But as always, I was too late. Before I get ahold of her letter, she was already nowhere to be found. I used my family's influence to know if she's in the Philippines but she's not. I guess she didn't want to be found. Not after the whole fiasco.

Tackey admitted to the public that he and Allie were an item and apologized to her. He even talked to me and told me that he didn't want Allie back. He just wanted to do the right thing. He said he was able to assess himself and he knew that he don't deserve Allie at all. He apologized for what happened. He left JE too and was now managing his family's business.

It had been two months and I miss her so much. I wonder how she's doing. Was she over the pain already? Was she doing okay?

"You really are the dumbest person I know." My head swung to where the voice was coming from and my eyes narrowed when I saw my mortal enemy. Now, I know that was too harsh but still!

"What are you doing here?" I asked sharply. She can't just insult me in my own house! Naya wasn't a bit intimidated though. And how did she find me? She occupied the other swing nonchalantly.

"I came to fulfill a promise I made to someone." I noticed her bandaged right hand. My eyes widened in comprehension. Did she really beat him up?! She looked at me and rolled her eyes. "I didn't kill him." She raised both of her hands, a sign of surrender. "But I think he'll be in crutches for quite sometime." She beamed.

I shook my head. "So, are you here to hurt me too?"

"Au contraire, I am here to help you."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know the reason why Allie stayed here for good?" She asked instead, her face nostalgic. I shook my head. "She just finished her MBA from Harvard and was supposed to help with the business. But before that, she asked for a vacation here in Japan. She practically grew up here, her mother being the former ambassador and she knows her way around. She stalked you. She's your biggest fan, I'm telling you. And she was deeply infatuated with the Yamaa Tomohisa in pictures and posters and stuff. It was unnerving really." She looked like she was disgusted. "But she can't let her inner fangirl show. It would humiliate her mother. And then she spotted the opportunity to know you guys for real and forgot about the business. And the rest, as they say, is history. She's still not in speaking terms with her brother." I was literally gaping at her. She looked at me when I didn't say anything.

"See? That's how dumb you are. You let her fall for another person when you're in love with her too all this time."

"How did you know about that?" I croaked.

"You wear your heart on your sleeves, Yamaa. You were glaring at the Moron Tackey all the time when you thought he wasn't looking. She gave herself a year to make you fall for her but she thought she didn't succeed and Tackey was there for her. Oh, if she only knew." She chuckled.

"A-are you telling the truth?"

"Nothing but the truth. Here," She handed me an envelope from her purse.

"What's this?"

"That's your German visa and plane ticket. And I think the plane leaves in two hours." She glanced at her watch to confirm. I didn't know what got into me but I hugged her.

"Arigatou! Arigatou gozaimasu!" I ran towards the parking garage. I'll make my car fly if I need to.

"Pi-chan!" She called and I looked back. "Make her happy!"

"I will, I promise!" I winked and a second later, I was in a race with destiny.

THE END

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A/N: Finally! Gosh! I never thought I was able to finish this in a few chapters. I was used to writing long stories. For those who read, you know who you are. Duomo arigatou gozaimasu! I hope you will support my future stories too.:)

By the way, I have a new story. Check it out if you can:)

www.winglin.net/fanfic/dolce05