When Akira arrived at the Yamazaki mansion, she had a sense of déjà vu. The vehicles outside were quite familiar. In simple terms, they were the same ones there during the last event when she was asked to forgive 'poor, crazy Hanae'.

She smiled sarcastically before she went into the house.

As expected, when she stepped into the living room, she found the usual suspects. Her mother, Hanae, Kaoru, Kazuo and Chiharu were settled on the couches and were looking at her with a mixture of judgement, disappointment and some malicious glee.

She lifted her eyebrows when she noticed that the two people she was told would be there were distinctly missing.

"Where are Dad and Brother?" She asked Sayaka as she sat down on a seat apart from them.

She did not feel or show any discomfort as she crossed her legs and leaned back more comfortably. Her attitude was so casual that it angered the people before her.

"I thought it would be best if we came up with a plan for dealing with the situation before they came. I know you treasure your relationship with your father and brother a lot, so I am protecting you from their anger and disappointment." Sayaka said.

"If you can face them with a clear plan, they will be less likely to react badly. I am already disappointed, but I am a woman so I know things can get out of control. But their reaction might not be so calm. Do you understand what I am saying, Akira?" Sayaka asked.

Akira looked at her mother with narrowed eyes. There was distinct anger in her, especially when she heard her using the words 'the situation'. She did not keep up pretences with this biological mother anymore.

"So, your solution for protecting me is to call these people who dislike me? I thought that you were just a little gullible and maybe a bit foolish, but I am starting to suspect that you hate me."

She did not understand Sayaka because the woman acted kind and motherly sometimes. And in other occasions, Sayaka would behave like she was set on going against her. The contradiction made her unable to understand Sayaka's true stance.

"How can you say that?" Kazuo spoke up angrily. "Even though you do not want to take responsibility for your actions, you should respect your mother."

Akira looked coldly at Kazuo. "When did I refuse to take responsibility for my actions?"

"Are you denying that you are pregnant? Are you saying that you were buying that test for someone else?" Kazuo asked.

Akira smiled. "I am indeed pregnant. But I find it strange that none of you asked if the test belonged to my friend. MR Circle is known to sensationalise news about major families. How comes none of you doubted the validity of the post?"

There was a little awkwardness in the room before Sayaka spoke up.

"One of Hanae's friends was at the pharmacy at the time. She told Hanae about the conversation she heard, and Hanae told me so that we could get ahead of the situation. Do not blame her. She was just acting in the best interest of the family, to minimise the damage." She explained.

Akira looked at Hanae. "You are kind and broad-minded."

"I am sorry about all this. I thought telling Auntie was the best solution." Hanae said simply.

"Is that so?" There was a subtle threat in the voice.

"We should not keep discussing the origin of this matter. We should think about the best solution for handling the situation." Kaoru mediated.

Akira looked at each of the people in the room and realised something was strange about their expressions. She was not a greenhorn when it came to reading people, so she understood a nefarious plot was brewing.

"Don't you already have a plan?" She asked.

The awkwardness in the room doubled.

"We thought it would be best if we put our heads together and think of the best path for everyone," Sayaka said. "At first, I thought we could pay your friend to say she was the one who was pregnant. But I realised that she is a prominent doctor, and the burden of fatherhood would probably fall on your brother."

Akira laughed at the words. She felt like she was living in a strange drama. It seemed that people did not understand her capabilities at all. Did her mother think that she would allow these ridiculous things to happen?

"So, what did you decide to do?" Akira still asked after her laughter died off.

"Your aunt thought it would be best if we came up with a plan that protects both the Yamazaki reputation while keeping the baby. With the news out, abortion is not a viable solution anymore. People will look down on our family." Sayaka added.

Akira felt like the situation was getting more incredulous. Did these people understand that a pregnancy test could also be negative? If it turned out she was not pregnant, what would they have done with their plan? Would they have forced her to get a public ultrasound?

"And what did 'Aunt' suggest?"

Kaoru did not want to speak up directly, but she had made a deal with Chiharu. She could not simply ignore the woman because her plots were quite deep. If she refused to speak up about the intentions, Chiharu might strike back.

"It is not a complicated issue, and you will be able to see your baby growing up in a good environment." She started. "I was thinking since your eldest brother and sister-in-law have not been blessed with a child yet, they could help you out."

Akira felt a chill in her body as she looked at the group. "And how exactly would they help me out?"

Kaoru felt hesitant about continuing and looked at Sayaka for help. She did not know why, but the oppressive pressure from Akira was greater than that of anyone she met in the past. It even exceeded that of the woman who had convinced her to let her take Akira so that her unborn daughter could be the new Yamazaki princess.

"Akira, you have to be realistic about your situation." Sayaka stepped in. "You do not have a firm foothold in the upper-class society in Mountain Ridge. It will be difficult for you to get married as things are. How much harder will it be if you have a child out of wedlock?"