She was pacing the room restlessly while her husband was on the call once again. It was quite apparent that she was angry at him and only waiting for him to put the phone down.

"What do you mean you have a daughter?" She demanded soon as he disconnected the call, her blue eyes blazing furiously.

"Janet, we can talk in peace..."

"To hell with peace," she fumed, "when were you going to tell me about it, huh? Never? Who's her mother? You tell me right now what woman you cheated on me with!"

Jack Drake was stuck in a trialing situation, "I did not cheat on you, would you stay still for a second and just listen to me..."

"I knew there was someone. I knew you were going behind my back," her anger was turning into frustration as she sank down on the chair, holding her head in her hands, "and here I was trying everything I could to make this marriage work. While you were out there cheating on me!"

"For the hundredth time, Janet, I did not cheat on you!" He too was losing his calm, "and I had no idea about Sayuri before today either. I met her mother way before we even got married."

She paused, his words slowly sinking in, "wait what?"

"It's been six years since I last saw Nuriko," he explained, "I met her on a business trip to Japan but that was it. We never kept in contact, it was nothing serious and I never knew she had a child. And this girl, she could not even be my daughter for all we know. I married you, for God's sake, and here you are doubting me due to a woman who's not even alive anymore!"

Janet had gone silent but she was still dubious. They had been married for three years by then but it was no wonder that their relationship was crumbling down.

Both of them were always fighting with each other due to all those little reasons that drove Janet to jealousy. For some reason, she was certain that Jack was having an affair and so when she heard he had a daughter, she didn't take it well.

"Janet, believe me, I have never cheated on you," he took her hands in his, "I love you, dear. Why would I do anything to hurt you?"

She sighed wearily, exhausted by the angry confrontation as well, "and that girl..."

"She's coming to Gotham but if she's not my daughter, we will send her back," he tried to assure her.

But that if was a huge possibility lying in between. And Janet picked up on it.

"And if she is your daughter... What will you do then?"

"Then I can't cast her out. She's only five years old," he remarked, "and her mother died in a car crash which she survived. I can't be so cruel to her."

"Jack, she better not be your child," she stood up, still seething, "because I won't tolerate her in my house."

He knew that she was angry so she wouldn't listen to anything he would say at the moment. So he let her leave, thinking about what to do next.

The girl was supposed to be coming to Gotham with her uncle the next day. If she was really his daughter, he would have to keep her despite Janet's refusal.

He would have to do something to convince her.

But right then he was too tired of it all. He had had a rough day at work and coming home to find his wife in a temper had made his day even worse.

He too hoped that the girl coming to Gotham the next day would not turn out to be his daughter so that she could be sent back and he wouldn't have to take the responsibility.

But deep down he wasn't so sure about it.

There was a high chance he could be the father. The only way to make sure of that was the paternity test that he had scheduled for the next day right after her arrival.

***

Sayuri hadn't wanted to leave the base. She had just started to get better and softened towards Kaiko who she almost thought of as a mother figure.

But it was decided that she had to be sent to her father for her safety so despite everything she said to Kaiko, she had to leave.

Ichiro Haga was put in charge of taking Sayuri to Gotham and entrusting her to Jack Drake. She was very silent throughout the journey, clutching the pouch of peanuts Ryuu had packed for her. 

She knew she was being sent very far away from all of them and there was no knowing if she would ever get to see them again. She held the pouch close to her, taking out a few peanuts that she peeled by herself, thinking about Ryuu.

She hadn't gotten to say goodbye to him either because he was attending his lessons. She had only been able to bid farewell to Kaiko and asked her to tell Ryuu on her behalf. 

Right then as she followed Ichiro to the car that was supposed to take them to her father, she looked out the window to see an entirely different word envelop them. Nothing all around was in the least like the city she had known, indicating that she had reached Gotham.

Dark gloomy buildings towered all around and it seemed a very terrifying place to her for some reason.

"Uncle," she spoke up, "I want to go back."

"I'm sorry, we can't," he replied indifferently, "your father is waiting for you."

"I don't have a father," she mumbled in a low voice.

For as long as she had known, the only family member she had was her mother. And with her death, she was not sure of going to stay with her father whom she had never heard of before.

"Don't be petulant, child. You will meet him soon and you will be safe with him," he remarked and shortly after, the car came to a halt in front of the tall building of Drake Corporate.

The two of them were led in and took the elevator taking them to the floor where the CEO's suite was located. Ichiro knocked on the door and a secretary opened it, letting them step in.

Sayuri was looking around at everything in a mixture of surprise and confusion. She didn't want to stay there, she wanted to go back to where she belonged.

"Mister Drake, I have been sent to bring your daughter to you," Ichiro spoke up and she was surprised to hear him talk in a foreign language, making her look at the man in front of them at last.

Jack stared at the girl, taking in those grey eyes that were exactly like his own. One look at her was enough for him to know that she was indeed his daughter.

"He is your father," Ichiro turned to her and gestured her to step forward, "greet him."

She was looking at him with just as much disbelief but she stepped forward and bowed her head in the traditional way of greeting elders.

"Ohayo, Otosan," she spoke up and Jack had left his seat, coming closer to her.

"She doesn't know English," Ichiro explained, "we would have taught her if we had any idea of the circumstances."

But Jack put his worries aside, "that's okay. I can understand."

There would be no need for the paternity test, Jack thought, her eyes were enough proof. But he knew Janet wouldn't believe it until there was proof in front of her so he had to go through with the formalities.

"Ohayo," he replied, taking her by surprise as he spoke her language, "my name is Jack. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you before. But now that you're here, I will see to it that you stay safe."

She nodded her head, feeling slightly relaxed that she could communicate with him. He had spoken in a soft tone and he didn't look as scary as the dark buildings and gargoyles she had seen on her way.

"I must take my leave," Ichiro bowed his head and then with a last farewell to Sayuri, he left.

Jack looked down at the child who still seemed scared and confused. Her features were a lot like Nuriko's but her eyes were identical to his own and the most striking aspect of her.

"Sayuri, is it? Come, let's go home."

He held his hand out towards her and she hesitated at first but then reminding herself that Ichiro had told her that the man in front of them was her father, she placed her hand in his.

Jack did not know what she had been through but he could feel that her mother's death must have affected her young mind a lot. He should have been worried about Janet's reaction but at the moment, he decided to work on getting Sayuri to grow comfortable in her new environment.

The upcoming days were going to be hell for him but he knew there was no other option but to put up with it. He couldn't cast out his daughter after all. As Nuriko was no longer alive, she was his responsibility.

***