Time skip; to a hotel in San Francisco...
Julia and Seto shared a hotel room with her son and Mokuba as well, while Tristan, Tea and Joey got a different room across the hall. Mokuba helped Julia take her bags including Preston's and placed them on the bed.
"Thank you, Mokuba." She said, lightly hugging the younger Kaiba.
She then looked over to see Seto take out his laptop and set it on the desk beside the bed.
"Seto, we have to go save Yugi. Why work now?" He scoffed with his back facing her, which made her face soften.
"I did this for the dweebs. Pegasus can wait for me." Seto gave her some attitude, and she didn't like it very much. She sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes.
Julia turned her back to him and placed Preston on the bed, and grabbed the diaper bag. She placed her diaper changing mat under him so Preston can get changed.
"Oh, Bubba." He giggled as Julia tickled his belly a little before changing him.
"Mama?" Preston asked while looking at Seto.
"No, he's busy right now." He gave off a small whine, then yawned. "Ah, you want him to hold you for your nap?" Preston cheesed, making Julia smile at him. "Okay, let's finish you up first."
Right after Julia got done changing her son, Seto looked over to see Preston reaching for him.
"I can't hold him right now, I have a Zoom meeting in 5 minutes."
"Seto, please? He sleeps the best when you hold-"
"I said no!" He yelled at her, which made Preston begin to cry and Julia not very happy.
"Fine, have it your way. We're hitting the city, call me when you're done being a dick." Julia said with tears in her eyes while grabbing her purse and Preston's diaper bag. Seto just watched her walk out the door and he leaned back in his chair; sighing.
"Way to go, Seto." Mokuba said angrily, only earning a scoff from his older brother.
"Sometimes, my job's more important."
"No, it's not." Mokuba started. "Money is never more important than family; especially since you say Preston's your son now." The younger brother was not happy. "You didn't even fully adopted him, so he's not even a Kaiba." Seto turned around and gave his brother a glare.
"You don't think I know that? We we're adopted, Mokuba. I know how this shit works."
"If you love Julia, then talk to her about adopting her son." Seto chuckled a little, then he faced his computer screen, waiting for the call.
"It's going to take more than words, little brother."
Meanwhile, in the city....
"Mama." Preston said as Julia buckled him in the rental.
"What is it, Preston?" She sighed, clearly not the happiest from the events that happened just a few moments ago.
"Daddy, he was mad." He sounded so worried which made Julia gently caress his face.
"He's just cranky, Bubba." The toddler giggled, then started to talk again.
"Daddy needs a nap." Julia laughed out loud a little, agreeing with her son with a nod.
"You're right, he does need a nap, huh?"
"Yeah!" Preston cheered, which made Julia laugh.
"Well, let's go for a ride." Julia closed his door and she ran around to the driver's side, getting in, starting it, and buckling herself in.
Julia put on the radio and started to drive, even though it was her first time in the city, she enjoyed the view.
Meanwhile in the hotel room..
"Seto, you can't be serious!" Mokuba yelled at his brother.
"I am, Mokuba. I have no time for her, Preston being an heir for my company is perfect. He's a 2 year old boy and can already speak in sentences!" Seto exclaimed.
"But, Preston looks like Julia!" Seto took aback to his brother's tone. "Every time you look at him, you'll see her, Seto! Your plan is insane, I can't believe you would just use Julia for her son, someone that means the whole world to her, when you shot Preston's father!" Seto stood up which made Mokuba flinch.
"Please, Mokuba. I got her to trust me, now I need to finish the job." Mokuba shook his head in disappointment, with tears filling up. "Don't get emotional, you're stronger than that." Seto said as he sat back down.
"I thought Julia turned you into a better person, and not so cold-hearted. I thought Preston calling you his dad would make you think about the future, as a real family." Mokuba choked out. "But, no. You don't want a real family, Seto. You just care about the company." Mokuba walked out of the room, leaving Seto in silence.
Mokuba then knocked on the door to the room where the 3 friends were staying, which Joey answered almost immediately.
"Heya, Mokuba." Joey said, welcoming him in the room.
"Hey.." He said, clearly without a smile on his face. The 3 then looked at him with worry.
"What's wrong, bud? Everything okay?" Joey asked him as Mokuba sat down on the edge of one of the beds.
"My big brother, he's being a jerk to Julia." He told them, as Tea wrapped one arm around him as he wiped a tear from running down his cheek.
"What? Why?" Tristan asked as him and Joey stood in front of him.
"Well." Mokuba sighed. "Julia moved here with Preston because Seto hired her, through a Zoom interview when they lived in America. She moved here to make a better life for her and Preston, and I thought Seto loved that about her. It made him remind him of when we were kids, when he won at a game of chess, and getting us adopted so I could have somewhat of a life, while he sacrificed his own becoming the CEO of Kaiba Corp." A little tear fell down his cheek, then another one followed. "Julia sacrificed her own life working for my brother, so she could make Preston's life better." He choked out, which made Tea hold him tighter. "But, Seto customized her office, made for her and her son, and bought things out of his own pocket for her and Preston."
"What?!" Joey and Tristan said at the same time.
"Kaiba really did that?" Tea asked him nicely, which her response was a nod from the younger Kaiba.
"Yup, and at first I thought he really liked her. Even the other day, we left Kaiba Corp so he could drop me off at home and go see her, and it seemed like an emergency." Mokuba's face was downward, and he began to play with his fingers. "Then, next thing I knew, Seto was moving her into our mansion. I really thought he liked her enough to do that, or even loved her." Mokuba sniffled between each tear that poured down his red face. "Also, late yesterday, Julia texted me to bring Preston to Kaiba Corp, and I see my brother dueling against someone named Joshua Ingram, who I'm guessing was Preston's father before Seto was in the picture."
"Ah, ya. Preston also thinks a Kaiba as his own Dad, right?" Joey asked, which he got another nod out of the younger Kaiba brother.
"That's right, and when the duel was in my brother's favor and Joshua was defeated, he grabbed Julia and pressed a knife to her neck, then my brother shot and killed him."
"WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!" The 3 screeched in disbelief.
"It's true, guys." Mokuba admitted, clearing his face of tears. "He yelled at her earlier, because Preston wanted to take a nap, and he sleeps so good when Seto holds him, and he yelled at her saying no." He kept his head down, letting another tear out. "Julia left and took Preston with her, and it seemed like he didn't care, but now he's saying that he doesn't have time for Julia, and he wants to adopted Preston so he could be an heir to Kaiba Corp, and leave Julia in the dust!!!" Mokuba cried out as Tea held him close and the 2 boys were infuriated.
"You've got to be kidding?!" Tristan stated, earning a head shake from Mokuba.
"I wish I was!" He cried out to him. "I like watching Preston, and I can't believe I was dumb enough to think that my big brother changed..." Mokuba sniffled. "Julia even calls me Uncle Mokie to Preston! He calls my brother dad! Imagine how broken Julia would be, knowing my brother just wants to use her for her son, it would destroy her!!!" The young Kaiba cried out, making Joey and Tristan even more mad than they already were. "He even promised to her that he would protect both of them! It's not fair, guys!"
Mokuba continued to break down into tears, as Tristan and Joey ran out of the room and the banging on the other hotel room could be heard from a mile away.
"Open up, Kaiba!" They both screamed.
UPDATE.
I'm sorry if the chapters seem shorter, I'm trying to stretch them out a bit. Rescuing Yugi is coming!
Thanks for reading!