[If Kaiba could have read her thoughts he would have scoffed, like he would ever need help from anyone else. The very idea. Besides, the fact that he'd asked should have been all the permission she needed to unload, though he wasn't one to divulge much information himself so he couldn't blame her for holding back]

Sounds familiar.

[His step father had been equally picky on that point. About the only people Kaiba interacted with were instructors or potentially useful business connections. He could still recall being paraded around at those stodgy social networking functions to make Gozaburo look good. Basically as one heir to another, it might have helped.

The last part made him consider her further. Although it still wasn't an uncommon practice to encourage a more secure match for a daughter, he wondered if there was more to it.]

It's practical, but it sounds like he's been too noticeably restrictive. [Ever the pragmatist, I mean- really.. you should aim higher. That had him briefly thinking to Ann and how she wasn't really in his league..........

cough.

Well- he was successful enough to choose whomever to spend his time with. Still, he straightened his posture and added the following:] Glad I'm no longer in a position to be ordered around like that. Being your own boss has endless advantages.