Title: Inc-Chapter 3
Author: MarshAngel
e-mail:watsonma@hotmail.com
webpage: http://www.crosswinds.net/~marshangel/angelmoon.htm


"Hi girls," Serena greeted her friends. She walked over to the front of 
the restaurant from the front of the pizza parlor where she had parked her 
car. Standing in front of the restaurant all dressed casually, were her 
friends, Mina, Rei, Lita, and Ami.

She walked over to Ami, a petite girl with dark blue-black hair and 
gave her a hug. It had been a while since she had last seen her. Ami, the 
genius among them had been to a medical seminar in Germany and had 
only come back two days ago. She was a doctor at the best hospital in San 
Francisco and the youngest one on staff.

She thanked Lita for the dinner she had brought her. Lita always took 
care of her. The tall brunette was in the middle of expanding her chain of 
restaurants. She already had two within the San Francisco area and she 
was opening two more in Los Angeles and another in Palm Springs. 
Together they made an odd group of successful women. Rei and 
Mina although born into wealthy families like Serena's, had taken 
command of their own wealth in a rather subtle manner. Both had taken 
their inheritance and invested it in a variety of successful ventures, leaving 
their days almost completely free, although they were permanently 
attached to their global access cell phones. 

"Where is Andrew?" Serena asked Mina.

"He's not here yet. I think he's meeting Darien and then they'll be 
coming here."

"Hey he's your fiancée," Rei began teasingly, "Shouldn't you know 
where he is?"

Serena chose to ignore the question, as it didn't require an answer. 
"So his name's Darien."

"Yeah, didn't Andrew tell you?" Mina asked.

"He refused to tell me. He knows I don't like suspense so he decided 
to have a little fun. I'll get him back though."

"Since when did you and Andrew get this playful?" Lita asked.

"Yeah Serena," Rei questioned, "What's changed? You seem happier."

"I wouldn't say happier. I still have that Memorial Day picnic to worry 
about. Things are better for me though, my father finally agreed with 
something I said despite Davis' disagreement."

"That is quite an accomplishment. I don't know why you put up with 
that job," Rei said. "If you're not being respected you really should quit and 
join us investors," she said smilingly, gesturing to Mina and herself.

"I like my job thank you very much. I like working for my money 
rather than the other way around. I feel like I'm accomplishing something."

"I know what you mean, Lita said to her. "I would never give up 
working at the restaurant even though I could appoint a head chef to take 
my place. I like handling the food and the business. It's what I do."

"Oh come on it's not like we don't have anything to do," Mina 
defended, we simply like having a bit more time to enjoy the pleasures in 
life."

Their conversation was cut short when Ami drew their attention to 
the approaching black Mercedes. 

"I hate that car," Serena said.

"Does Andrew know that?" Rei asked.

"Of course he does. He loves it though. I simply think he's too 
handsome and too young to be driving around a car that looks like it 
belongs to his dad."

The other girls smiled and watched the car park in front of the 
restaurant.

"Whoa!" Lita said as she watched two men get out of the car. She was 
taking in the view of the really tall dark and handsome guy that got out of 
the passenger side of Andrew's car. He was wearing blue jeans and a white 
shirt but the way he carried himself on him managed to look businesslike 
and formal. He had on sunglasses over which fell a few locks of black hair. 

"He doesn't look like any old boyfriend I've ever had."

"No he definitely does not. I've met male models that weren't that 
gorgeous," Rei said in a low tone as she pushed her sunglasses down her 
nose to get a better look.

Even Ami who was usually reserved gazed at the tall dark-haired 
stranger approaching them. Mina simply smiled at the other girl's 
reactions. Having met him before, her sense of awe at the approaching 
perfect male specimen was somewhat reduced although not by much.
Mina glanced over to see Serena's reaction. Serena simply pushed a 
blonde curl out of her eyes and frowned. Something about the man 
unnerved her. Even at this distance she got a sense of danger coming from 
him.  It was the sort of danger that attracted rather than repelled.
Mina was amazed.

 "Serena you can't possibly be that devoted to 
Andrew that you don't see how absolutely gorgeous this guy is!" She said 
very surprised.

"My reaction has nothing to do with Andrew. This guy she paused. "I 
don't know, even from here I almost feel like I should be wary around him. 
Didn't I see him at that Charity Ball a while back?"

"Probably," Amy replied. "He's dangerous alright," Ami said. "That's 
Darien Derencourt, the infamous CEO of NGT. He's a corporate raider, and 
one of the best and the most feared. Everyone's been making a big deal out 
of him; in fact he's listed on the sexiest bachelors in America list. 
Unfortunately for all those husband-seeking women, he's apparently 
determined to remain single. He's always with a different woman."

"You seem to know a lot about him Ami, Lita teased." Ami blushed.

"I read the papers, besides just because I'm engaged doesn't mean I 
can't look."  Ami had been engaged to a computer engineer Greg Vermeer 
for about a year and everyone was just waiting for the two to set a date.

"You know Serena, I heard he had a meeting with your father the 
other day. They were seen at Gerard's having what appeared to be a 
business dinner. Is there something wrong at Kyler Inc.?" Rei asked. "You 
know Derencourt isn't exactly someone I would expect your father to be 
friends with. The only time Derencourt has dealings with other CEOs is 
when they're in trouble, and usually he's the cause."

Serena's eyes clouded over. He father hadn't mentioned any 
meetings with Derencourt, not that he would have said anything to her of 
all people. Could it possibly be that he was the one who had bought the 
stock as the beginning of a hostile takeover? The very thought made her 
blood run cold. 

"I certainly hope not," Serena remarked absently.

The very idea of some playboy CEO destroying the company that had 
been in her family for generations made her stomach feel like jelly. It made 
her instantly build up a shield against this man. Darien Derencourt was not 
a man to be trusted.

Her reverie was shattered by the appearance of Andrew and Darien. 
Andrew introduced all the girls before getting to Serena. He looked at 
her meeting her eyes as he made the decision whether or not to introduce 
her as his fiancée. The look in Serena's eyes allowed him to make the 
decision. Darien didn't miss the look between them and the moment of 
hesitation as Andrew said, "…and this is Serena, my fiancée."

Serena shook his hand but the cool expression on her face never 
changed. He stared at her and saw in her crystal clear blue eyes, 
something that told him she was not going to trip over herself for him and 
even more she did not appear to like him. He smiled his usual smile at her, 
the same sly half smile that made women shiver; its effect was completely 
lost on her however.

Her lack of a reaction towards him intrigued him, as did the blonde 
curls that were now spilling over her shoulder, and a mouth that any other 
woman, unless she had one just like it, should be jealous about. She was 
significantly more attractive in person than she had been in that magazine. 
Having a woman react to him negatively was not something he was used to. 
He wondered if he could give her reason to change her mind. He just might 
try; it would be a nice challenge.

They all proceeded into the restaurant. With her back turned to him 
he got a perfect view of Serena's tiny waist and flaring hips that was 
perfectly emphasized by her form fitting sweater and jeans. Andrew was a 
very lucky man. Those were hips he'd like to feel the sway of in his own 
large hands.

A few moments later after entering the restaurant, Ami's fiancé Greg, 
and Ken, a good friend of Lita's joined the group. They all shared about 
three large pizzas as they talked and laughed together in a friendly 
manner. Darien and Serena seemed to have other things on their minds 
however. Neither added much to the conversation. Darien simply watched 
the way Serena and her friends interacted with each other and most 
importantly the way Serena interacted with her fiancé. Far more important 
than that; he watched her.

Her every move was somehow sensual. She didn't say much but what 
she did say in her honeyed voice he paid attention to every rise, fall and 
inflection. He found himself brooding over his reaction to her and 
disappointed in her lack of reaction towards him. 

Throughout the evening neither Serena nor Andrew had touched each 
other much nor shared any intimate moments that were usual between 
engaged couples. To Darien they seemed like two very good friends and 
nothing more, a piece of information he stored away in the back of his 
mind for future reference.  He admitted to himself he could be wrong 
however; after all he was no expert on relationships, having never had a 
long-term relationship himself.

Serena found herself ignoring Darien and brooding over what Rei had 
said earlier. Knowing the possible danger he posed had set a dark shadow 
on her evening. She was making a significant effort to enjoy the rest of the 
evening but her mind kept straying back to the possibility of losing Kyler 
Inc. to the man sitting across from her.  

He was very difficult to ignore. Raye and Mina couldn't be accused of 
trying. They flirted playfully with him and he gave them small encouraging 
smiles but said little. Despite her resolve to pay no attention to him, she 
kept taking small glances at him and couldn't help admiring the breadth of 
his chest and shoulders and his strong jaw line. She couldn't lie to herself 
about one fact: the man was beautiful.  


*****************************************************

"You didn't like him did you?" Andrew asked as he drove himself and 
Serena up to her family home for the yearly picnic.

"Who?" Serena asked confused as to whom he was referring. 

"Derencourt. You didn't say much to him, the other night."

"As I recall he didn't say much to anyone."

"What can I say? He seems to be a loner. He's very reserved," Andrew 
attempted to defend the honor of a man he liked, who wasn't there to 
defend himself. He and Darien had bumped shoulders a while back at the 
country club they visited on the occasion that either had the time. They had 
played a game of racquetball that Darien had lost, but not easily. They had 
developed a liking for each other and Andrew somehow had this feeling that 
they'd be friends for a long while.

"Except in his choice of women," Serena added. "Did you see that 
blonde floozy he took to the museum opening? I saw the picture of them 
both in Fortune Magazine under an article praising his business skill and 
his liking for beautiful women in large numbers.

" She's a super model."

"I wonder what number Clairol she uses. That platinum does not 
occur naturally."

"You really don't like him do you?"

"I read a bit about him after we had dinner the other night. He's cold 
and distant, and his business tactics should be investigated. No one should 
be able to buy and sell companies so fast without regard for people's jobs."

"They've tried investigating him already; they of course found no 
evidence of unethical business practices."

"Naturally," she said sarcastically.

Andrew smiled and continued. "Also any workers are often well 
compensated when he buys a company and liquidates it. If he keeps it, few 
workers lose jobs. It's mostly people in management positions that need to 
worry. If anything, the workers as well as the consumers benefit from 
company splits."

"Whatever."

"You seem to be taking this personally. Did he say something to you?"

"No. He didn't say anything. Rei said he had a private meeting with 
my father and I've seen evidence at the company that makes me wonder if 
he's thinking he can do to Kyler Inc. what he's done to the other companies 
he's ruined." 

Andrew frowned. "Your father didn't mention anything about it?"

"No, not that he would, at least not to me."

"Well I'm sure if something that important was happening, he would 
tell you and all the members of the board."

"My father wouldn't tell me anything. But even if it's not a hostile 
takeover, what business could he possibly have with Derencourt? It just 
doesn't make any sense."

"I'm sure everything will work out just fine, Sere." 

"Serena gave Andrew a sarcastic smirk as his black Mercedes pulled 
up in front of the immense mansion. She was building herself up for a long 
day. This picnic was not what she had in mind for an enjoyable weekend, 
but she had her obligations and so they were here.

"If you leave me alone with that woman, I'll kill you."
Andrew grinned, amused at Serena's obvious displeasure at having 
to attend this family function.

As if on cue her mother emerged from the front between the two 
Roman-style pillars that decorated the front of the Kyler mansion. She was 
dressed in an elegant but casual lavender pantsuit. Everything about her 
was perfect, not even a strand of her pale shoulder-length blonde hair was 
out of place as she glided down the front steps towards them.

"Speaking of 'that woman' here she comes now."

 They both got out of the car. Andrew was looking perfect as usual, 
sunglasses, wind-blown hair, the vision of a movie star. Serena had dressed 
to please her mother. She was wearing a white sundress and had brushed 
her shiny curls to perfection.

Helen approached the young couple with a large smile on her face. 
She spread her arms and embraced Andrew. He leaned down an exchanged 
a kiss on the cheek with the woman who thought she was going to be his 
mother-in-law. 

"You two look wonderful," Helen sung, kissing her daughter on the 
cheek.

"It's nice to see you again Helen," Andrew said charmingly. Grinning 
almost flirtatiously.

Had she had the opportunity, Serena would have kicked him 
graciously in the shin. There was no point in warming up to her mother with 
the news she'd eventually have to deliver. 

Before they could think of further conversation, Helen launched into 
wedding plans as they all walked toward the house. For some reason 
Andrew seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing and was smiling 
brilliantly as they followed her mother into the house. Serena rolled her 
eyes and with her mother's back turned gave Andrew the pinch he 
deserved.

"Ouch." He glared at Serena.

"Is something the matter, Andrew" Helen said turning to look over 
her shoulder at him.

"No, nothing Helen, just a bite from an annoying insect."


Serena was just about at her breaking point. Her mother was 
yammering away to her Aunts and three of her cousins as they sat drinking 
coffee. She hadn't had any opportunity to be alone. Despite his promise, 
Andrew had been forced to leave Serena in this room, dreary now with the 
fading light of the setting sun, with her mother, two of her Aunts and three 
of her cousins ranging in ages from Twenty-two to twenty-eight. 

Now her Aunts and cousins were giving her input on what she should 
have at her wedding. Lila thought she should have Lilacs, Serena resisted 
the urge to snort at the redhead's annoying way of adding herself to a part 
of every equation. Tammy preferred a wide array of different flowers and 
there should definitely be doves. Serena didn't doubt that Tammy would 
have secretly hoped that one of the doves pooped on her head and 
scratched her eyes out. 

 Lila and Anissa were arguing, because Anissa thought there was 
nothing wrong with having sunflowers at a wedding. Her mother and her 
aunts were insisting she have traditional wedding cake and not the 
chocolate and vanilla marble she had chosen. Serena reached her breaking 
point when her mother started to tell her that the flower girls should toss 
potpourri instead of rose petals.

"That's it," she muttered. "Mother you might as well know, I'm not 
getting married! The room was hushed. "In fact after listening to you all, I 
may never get married, ever."

"Whatever are you saying dear? I know you're scared but don't you 
think you're being a bit irrational. We've been planning this wedding for 
months. Darling we can always postpone until later in the year if you feel 
this is all too soon."

"Mother you just don't get it. I'm not getting married. Andrew and I 
called off the engagement."

Her aunts and cousins gasped. Her mother was silent for a moment.

"I'm so sorry honey. Did you two have a fight? Are you two trying to 
work things out? I'm sure everything will be fine."

"No! Things won't be fine Mother. Andrew and I agreed to call off the 
engagement because we're not in love. I don't know that we ever were."

"I love him, but not the way I should. He's my best friend, but that's 
where it ends."

Serena's mother was silent.

"I'm sorry Mom, I knew you really wanted to see this happen, but it's 
just not going to work."

Serena could see the tears in her mother's eyes. She had really 
wanted this for her. She came up to Serena and kissed her on the cheek. 
She touched Serena's cheek brushing the tears from Serena's face, cried 
out of frustration, "I wasn't in love with your father either," she whispered.
Serena wasn't sure just how she felt as she watched her mother leave 
the room. Her feelings were a mass of confusing emotions that after careful 
sorting amounted to a large amount of guilt. She felt selfish; she probably 
shouldn't, but she did. Vivienne and Tammy shared a look and hid a tiny 
smirk. Serena felt even worse.



"I don't know what made me think that this would all feel better in 
the end. I feel like the lowest form of life on this planet. The least I could 
have done was waited until I was alone with her instead of blurting out my 
personal business in front of those spiteful bitches who are no doubt 
spreading some ill rumors around my family. Knowing my luck this will be 
the heading of all the society papers and you know how she feels about her 
image and that of the family. How could I possibly be this inconsiderate?"  
She rambled on and on as Andrew drove silently.

"You know you're absolutely right. You are the scum of the earth! The 
bane of human existence, the mistress of all that is evil."

"Andrew! You're not helping."

He smiled at her. "Well you were doing such a wonderful job of 
needlessly berating yourself, I felt it only fair that I join in on the fun."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."



Serena was eating herself into the misery that resulted from her 
deep-seated guilt. She sat slumped on her couch still in her pajamas 
surrounded by potato chips, chocolate, and cheese doodles. She couldn't 
seem to help being miserable. 

She had been arguing with herself all day. She had convinced herself 
she could have done a better job of explaining to her mother that all her 
wedding plans were for naught. She certainly shouldn't have done it before 
her Aunt and cousins. She certainly hadn't realized just how much this 
meant to her mother. She now realized it had been something of a dream 
for her mother to see her happily married, a dream she had callously 
ruined.

She wondered if her mother had recovered enough to inform her 
father. Did he even care? There was really only one way to find out. He 
deserved to hear it from her own mouth. She swallowed another potato 
chip and picked up the phone.

Arthur Kyler answered his cell phone in his usual gruff manner. His 
daughter's somewhat tentative voice came over. He frowned.
It wasn't that he didn't love the girl, she simply reminded him too 
much of her mother. He suspected that she carried too many Foster traits 
and that simply meant she was weak of mind and prone to excess 
emotions. The whole Foster clan, while all beautiful and aristocratic in 
appearance and bearing, carried those traits and he suspected the same in 
Serena.

It was unfortunate she hadn't been more like him. He had seen her 
do things that suggested that she might have some fighting spirit inside 
her but in his presence she always seemed nervous and expectant, just like 
her mother, as though she expected some kind of show of favoritism. He 
had made it a point to show he would not participate in any form of 
nepotism. He had deliberately placed her in a company position where she 
couldn't embarrass herself if she failed at the business; she had survived.
He had been slightly impressed by her intelligent display in the last 
board meeting but it hadn't been anything so special that anyone else, had 
they looked, couldn't have deduced the same. Still, maybe there was hope 
for her yet. Maybe when she got married she would stay home like her 
mother and be what she had been raised by her mother to be, a good wife. 
That would either be a waste of talent or a realization of her true purpose 
and talents.

"Daddy, I just wanted to let you know that Andrew and I have broken 
our engagement. We decided that it would be best for us both to separate 
before we headed down the wrong path. I didn't think the feelings we 
thought we had for each other were a sound basis on which to build a 
marriage. They just weren't strong enough. Mom is very disappointed but I 
just couldn't go through with it. It didn't feel right." 

The more he thought about the situation however the more he began 
to see that if the stage was set, this could quite turn out to be in his favor. 
Now was a good time to find out more about his only child. It could only 
benefit them all. He smiled.

He frowned. She was throwing a way a perfectly good man for a 
reason based solely on the lack of a certain idealistic and impractical 
emotion. Had he thought the argument worth it, he would have gladly 
informed her that love was hardly the sole basis for marriage. In many 
cases it was a convenient afterthought. Marriage was about compatibility, 
producing heirs, and improving one's financial and or social status. Love 
within a marriage, while convenient was hardly necessary. Andrew would 
have been the perfect husband.

 "Daddy, did you hear me?" Serena couldn't believe he was upset; a 
crimson red bunny was more likely to fly through her living room on a 
snowy day in July than her father showing any type of caring emotion 
towards her. Even if this mattered to him, he would hardly show it. She 
didn't expect any sympathy either.

"I'm sorry to hear that sweetheart. I hope you aren't too upset. Why 
don't I take you out to dinner? I bet you aren't feeling particularly grand 
about the situation. We can talk about it and you can tell me what 
happened. Does that sound good?"

Serena had to sit down for fear of fainting. Where was that bunny? It 
must be snowing outside. She couldn't believe her ears. She had to be 
dreaming.

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