Chapter 19
19
T wenty minutes later, Reina headed outside Vedant’s study, a contented smile on her face. She patted her hair as she climbed down the stairs. She went straight to the lounge and found the others there already.
They all looked up as she entered.
“You took a while,” Laila said.
“Yes, we had to discuss some things.”
Laila’s lips flattened. Before she could say anything, Su Min stood up. “So, what did he say?”
Reina smiled. “You can leave right away.”
Her friend pulled her in a hug. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” She faced the other two and explained everything to them. In the end, she said, “Laila, you can leave with Su Min.”
Laila shot to her feet. “I don’t want to leave.”
“Why?”
“Oh please, don’t pretend that you don’t know that I have a thing for Vedant.” Laila spread a hand out at the rest. “They all know it. Vedant is finally back on his feet, and he looks better than ever. He’s even better looking than in his pictures. Oh, what a dream boat,” she gushed, “I wouldn’t mind having his babies. And I can do that only if I stay back. So, I’m staying.”
Red hot jealousy slammed into Reina. She didn’t like the way Laila took his name so casually. She didn’t like the way Laila spoke of him like the only thing to be valued about him was the fact that he was hot and rich. Of course, he was all that. But he was much more than that. He was intelligent, caring, and fun to be with.
“Laila, please stop this loose talk about Mr. Oshnov. It doesn’t suit you,” Reina chided.
Laila made a face. “Don’t be a prude. I’m sure you’d bed him if he showed some interest in you. Not that he’d ever show interest in you. You are so dull and boring after all—a Plain Jane.”
“Sure, let’s resort to name calling now,” Reina fumed. “I can call you a whole lot of words too—words which accurately depict the way you are behaving and your character, but I won’t stoop to your level.”
Laila’s jaw dropped and her face turned red. “How dare you?”
“Ladies, that’s enough,” Stefan cut in. He looked at Reina. “I don’t mind staying back. I like Mr. Oshnov, and I definitely like the freedom I have here. Once we return, we will be back in the grind. So, thank you.”
Saying that, he left.
Laila pointed to Stefan’s departing back. “Also, what he said.”
Reina clenched her jaw, holding back her anger. “Please gather your things. You are leaving.”
“No, you leave,” Laila said. “You were anyway the most reluctant amongst us when this arrangement started. I want to stay back and care for him.”
Fresh anger rushed through Reina. “Why? Just so you can continue your plan of seducing him?”
“Since you already think so highly of me, why not?”
Reina lifted her nose. “Su Min and you will leave these premises as soon as you can collect your things.”
“On whose authority do you get to decide?”
“I’ll schedule a call with Dr. Williams as soon as I can.”
“Dr. Williams doesn’t like you,” Laila said. “Why will he approve of this?”
“While he may not like me, even he will understand that this makes perfect sense.”
Laila stood. “ You don’t get to decide on my behalf.”
She stormed out, leaving Su Min and her behind.
“That went badly,” Su Min said.
Reina sighed. “She’s behaving like a complete bitch.”
“Because she knows he’s into you.”
Reina gaped at her.
“Oh, come on, Reina,” Su Min scoffed. “I saw him stepping out of the corner with you. I saw him take your coffee mug and drink from it. I know it was yours because you were sipping from it earlier. You can deny it all you want, but I know there is something between you two.”
Reina stayed silent, her heart in turmoil.
“Look, your secret is safe with me. I’m not going to tell anyone anything. But you need to be careful of Laila,” Su Min said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her in the last month, and she can get vicious and vindictive. I have no doubt she will cause trouble for you with Dr. Williams. You cannot put anything past her. For all you know, she will use one of her daily allocated calls to speak to him instead of her family, just to complain about you.”
“I’ll have to deal with Dr. Williams at some point in the near future,” Reina said. “My hope is that once he sees Vedant’s recovery, he will take it easy on me.”
Su Min stared at her. “Reina, I don’t mean to pry, but I haven’t seen you making calls home. Mihir scheduled specific times in the morning and evening for us to talk to our families. Initially, we all waited our turn together. But recently, I’ve noticed you’re never there with us.”
Shit, her friend was really too damn observant. Of course, Reina hadn’t been going for the calls. Since she had her phone, she called her family at her convenience.
Reina kept her expression neutral, refusing to show the riot inside her. “I must have been with Vedant during those times.”
“Sure, not always, though. Are you having trouble with your family? Is that why you don’t speak to them? You can talk to me, you know.”
Unease curled through her. She couldn’t tell Su Min the truth, but she had to tell her something.
“To be honest, since my family resides in Dubai, the timings set by Mihir were not working for me, and so I requested them to allow me different time slots.”
Su Min’s eyes hardened. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have requested this as well. Between Vasily living in Dubai and my parents in Seoul, I’ve had such a tough time managing my calls with the time difference. This is not fair, Reina.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think of asking this for the rest of you.”
“You should have told me; you knew I was struggling too,” Su Min shook her head. “Anyway, since I’m leaving, it doesn’t matter. You take care.”
Saying that, Su Min rose and walked away. Reina rubbed her temples. This situation truly sucked. She and Su Min had grown closer over the last month, and now she was mad at her and was leaving as well. Fuck. Reina was exhausted by the mountain of lies she only kept adding to.
During the last month, all she had done was lie to the people around her, to her family, and to Vedant. And now it was overwhelming her. That’s it. Starting today, she was going to address some truths. The first one was of her identity. She was going to tell Vedant who she really was. He deserved to hear this from her.
Her nerves fluttered. If she could trust him to give herself to him, to want more from him, then she had to trust he wouldn’t react negatively to this information as well. While initially she’d been wary of his reaction to this announcement, now she felt… she felt more confident that he’d be fine with it. After all, it was neither of their fault that their families were so closely intertwined. The two of them needed to move forward without that lie between them. Yes, this was the right way forward.
A fire lit her chest. She and he had something between them, something she couldn’t and wouldn’t put a name on yet. Being with him, spending time with him, and making love to him had become the highlight of her days. He was warm, caring, and kind. He was also a whole lot of fun. She loved his laughter, his stories, and she especially loved how he made her feel cherished when they made love.
Vedant Oshnov was becoming important to her, and the more she thought of it, the more she yearned for more with him. Vedant made her truly happy.
She was… God, she was definitely falling for him. It was too quick, and it was happening too soon, but it was the truth. Her spirits soared, and happiness squeezed her chest tight. If Navya could make it work with Armaan, then perhaps she could also do the same with Vedant. Couldn’t she? She breathed out. She could. For the first time, she wanted to try making things work with a man. With him .
Fuck, she was actually falling for a man—and not just any man, but Vedant Oshnov.
Therefore, if she truly wanted to be with him, then she had to come out and be honest with him. She couldn’t keep him in the dark anymore. He deserved to know who she really was before things got any more serious between them.