Chapter 7
7
One week later…
Midnight rendezvous, covert assignations with #wasitthemafia? What secrets is this Russian billionaire hiding? Worry not, readers. Our Miss Butterfly is here to uncover every tiny detail.
B loody fucking hell. She’d done it again. But why was he even surprised? Anna had witnessed him meeting those men. After he’d refused to talk to her about it, he ought to have known that she’d never let it go. True to her style, she’d retaliated by posting about it on Noir’s socials—just to provoke him.
This had been going on for months now. All this while, she’d regularly published petty gossip about him, but this? This was taking it too far.
As of now, no one was openly pointing a finger at him, but sooner or later, she would post something that might point straight at him, and this piece of news would come to bite him back. Gossip of this sort could destroy his carefully built credibility. And while he kept telling her that he didn’t care what she posted about him, trash news items like this one specifically, did make him care. Especially now, when he was on the brink of closing a major deal that his board had been skeptical about.
He sighed, dropping his phone onto the coffee table next to him. She finally had managed to get a reaction out of him, exactly as she wanted. Bloody fucking hell. He had to talk to her today and put some more rules in place. That is, if she did turn up at all. His last message to her had gone unanswered.
I’ve organized a pool party at my house tomorrow evening. Come by 6. We’ll show our siblings that all is well between us.
He’d sent this text last evening. The least she could’ve done was acknowledge his message. But no. Anna had to behave as contrary as possible.
He looked around the massive Olympic-size pool in the lawns of his mansion. The water shimmered gold under the sun. A barbeque grill was set in one corner. Soft music played in the background. A light breeze ruffled his hair. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon for a pool party.
His brothers and sisters-in-law hadn’t yet turned up. But they would. If nothing else, Armaan would make sure of that. Armaan had become the self-appointed mediator between Vedant and him ever since Vedant vehemently refused to talk to Mihir.
“I still can’t believe that you planned a party,” Rajiv Mehra said, handing Mihir a glass of vodka. “I know how much you dislike social dos.”
Like him, Rajiv was dressed in swimming shorts and a loose linen shirt, with sleeves rolled up. Rajiv and Sheena had come early so their kids had enough time to play in the water before it was their bedtime.
Mihir took a sip of his vodka, rattling the ice in his glass. “Everyone’s always over at your place. Plus it seemed like a good day for a barbeque.”
Rajiv studied him. “I’m glad you did this. I hate that you keep isolating yourself from all of us. The rest of us are together all the time. In fact, I’d love to introduce you to my friends, the Rajpoot brothers and Dev Luthra.”
“Maybe once my situation changes a bit,” Mihir replied. “Your family and you are already in danger thanks to your association with us.”
“A danger I willingly accepted because of my sisters falling in love with your brothers.” Rajiv clutched his shoulder. “All of my friends are very powerful in their own right, Mihir. It wouldn’t hurt you to include more people in your life. I’m sure they would welcome you in their midst. It will only make you stronger.”
“Perhaps, soon then,” Mihir said.
He was aware of the deep bond Rajiv shared with his friends. Rajiv had been telling him for months to meet them, but considering the looming threat to his family, Mihir had kept delaying it. Besides, Mihir found it extremely hard to trust people and let outsiders into his close circle. Rajiv was the only exception to this. They’d first started communicating on safety protocols when Navya had fallen for Armaan. Over time, Rajiv had become an integral part of his life. They met regularly in Rajiv’s sports club, where they sparred in the boxing ring and spoke daily on the phone. Rajiv had become one of his closest friends, and the one person Mihir could discuss everything with.
Well, not exactly everything.
Mihir truly dreaded Rajiv finding out about his marriage to Anna.
He exhaled. That’s why he was doing all this. He’d prove to his siblings that he and Anna had gotten over their differences. They’d get a divorce, and no one would know any different.
A splash to the side distracted them. Rajiv’s four-year-old son, Shiven, had jumped into the water and was now bouncing in the ripples, laughing loudly, while his mother cheered him on as he swam toward her. Sheena was seated at the shallow end of the pool, her two-year-old daughter Nia standing at the ledge beside her.
“Shiven’s swimming well,” Mihir told Rajiv. “I see those lessons have come in good use, da ?”
Rajiv smiled. “He swims daily. I’m afraid he will soon outgrow the pool in our house.”
“Oh yeah, about that. What’s happening to the new home you bought from KeyStone? Has the work started?”
Rajiv had recently purchased a new and bigger home in Arabian Greens from Aryan Rajpoot’s company KeyStone Corp.
Rajiv sipped his beer. “The construction will take another year. But now that Shiven is swimming so well, I want to ensure we have a bigger pool in the new house. I hope Nia also takes to it. Which means it’s back to the drawing board.”
“Nice,” Mihir replied.
From the entrance of the lawns, he could see his brothers arriving. His brothers made their way toward him, their girls following behind. Armaan gave him a happy wave, while Vedant refused to even look at him.
Mihir took a sip of his drink. The previous week had been one of the worst in his life. Vedant barely acknowledged him, and now, everyone at home was privy to this rift between them. Reina and Navya steered clear of the topic, and Armaan refused to take sides. Mihir hated it. The few times he’d tried to talk to Vedant had been a disaster. His youngest brother was pissed, and he made no qualms about showing exactly how much. He walked out of any room Mihir was in, and he refused to look Mihir in the eye. It sucked; the whole situation sucked. But at least Armaan had gotten him to come here. Hopefully, the next few hours would change everything.
A small hand tapped Mihir’s knee. He smiled at Rajiv’s little daughter as she stared up at him, water dripping down her wet eyelashes. Dressed in a tiny orange swimsuit, her hair tied in two wet ponies on her head, her lips curled into a pout, Nia was the picture of adorable.
He had met Rajiv’s kids on the few occasions he’d gone out for dinner or coffee with Rajiv and Sheena. They were cute kids, and Rajiv and Sheena doted on them.
He leaned down to talk to her. “What’s up, little princess? You look angry.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I want to jump like Shiven in the water. Mom won’t let me.”
He gave Rajiv a confused look.
Rajiv laughed. “She’s refusing to wear her arm floats, so Sheena’s banned her from jumping in the pool. Now, she’s trying to act all cute with you, hoping you will side with her.”
The little girl patted Mihir’s knee again, holding her arms up in the air. Mihir lifted her up.
He gave her a soft smile. “You know I cannot go against your mom, sweetheart.”
He looked to the side again and saw Vedant and Armaan nearing them.
Nia put her cold hands on both his cheeks, turning him to face her. “Do something.”
He chuckled. “What makes you think I can do something?”
“Because you look like a prince, big and strong.”
He threw his head back and laughed out loud. He bounced the little girl in his arms, still laughing. He glanced at his brothers; both of them had halted and were staring at him.
Nia pulled his cheeks again.
“Okay, here’s what we will do,” he told her. “If you promise to wear those arm floats your mom wants you to, then I will help you jump into the pool—not just once, but many times. We will need to ask your mom first. What do you say?”
She gave him a delighted smile and tumbled out of his arms, running to her mother. She lifted her arm floats and pointed at him. Sheena helped her put them on, then looked at him over Nia’s head and mouthed a thank you.
Both his brothers were standing in front of him now.
“Hey,” he greeted them.
Armaan gave him a wide grin. “I haven’t seen you laugh in way too long, brother. I like seeing you happy.”
“Kids always bring out the bright side of anyone.” Mihir looked at Vedant. He stood silently next to Armaan, not saying anything. But he was here, and that felt good.
“Hi, Vedant…” Mihir tilted his head toward his youngest brother. “Are you ever going to forgive me?”
Something tugged at his chest. Mihir looked to the side and found Anna standing at the entrance, watching him. His heart kicked inside his ribcage. Dressed in an oversized white shirt, sleeves folded, teamed with denim shorts, and a straw hat on her head, she looked… She looked pretty and very chic.
His butler, Dmitri, spoke a few words to her, and she made her way further inside. Both his brothers appeared in front of her. He hadn’t even noticed them leave his side. He studied the three of them. They looked to be… arguing. Mihir frowned.
In sheer Anna fashion, she gave them a haughty look each, lifted her nose in the air and glided past them, making her way straight to him.
A different kind of energy buzzed inside him. His stomach swooped. Memories of their previous encounter, how she had been pressed against him, flashed through him. And then, she was there, standing in front of him, looking fresh as a flower, her skin glowing and a bright smile on her lips.
She rose on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. His throat dried.
“Hello, husband ,” she whispered in his ear, before dropping to her feet.
She gave him a naughty wink. He felt the world pause around him. It took him a moment to realize that the world had actually gone still. He looked around and found all their siblings staring at them, jaws dropped and eyes wide.
Fuck. She was unbelievable. His jaw clenched at her sheer audacity. Minutes ago, he’d read the trash she’d published about him on her magazine’s socials, and now here she was, kissing his cheek, pretending everything was fine between them. It wasn’t. Today was just a farce—a beginning of many such performances for the sake of their siblings. But kissing his cheek was taking things a bit too far.
“Why did you do that? Now everyone’s watching us, Anna,” he gritted out.
“Wasn’t that the plan, husband ?” She flicked a hand through her hair, glancing around them quickly. “Right now, they’re all waiting and wondering whether you’re going to push me into the water or if we’re going to get into a fight. It’s fun to keep them guessing.”
Their siblings indeed looked comical, standing at various places around the pool, not talking, simply watching them carefully.
He focused back on Anna. The heat from her lips still lingered on his cheek. Her bold scent wrapped around him, making him feel hot and bothered. He grimaced, annoyed by everything she made him feel.
Her mouth curved into a naughty smile. “Please tell me that you’re really not thinking of pushing me into the water. It would ruin everything.”
His lips tipped. She was still so damn sassy.
“Both your brothers tried to stop me from entering, you know!” she pouted. “Vedant was rather rude. I’m mad at him.”
“Vedant was rude? To you ?”
“Yeah. It was rather strange. He’s never like that. He didn’t want me to spoil your happy mood.”
Happiness buzzed through him. “Vedant said that?”
“Yeah, I wonder what’s gotten into him today.” She made a face. “As if either of them could stop me from doing what I wanted. Fools.”
Nia came running toward them, arm floats on, her face expectant. Anna’s face split into a wide smile. She lifted the girl into her arms, kissing her cheek.
“Hi, my sweet baby,” Anna cooed. “You ready to swim?”
“Ready to jump,” Nia said. She leaned towards Mihir, holding out her arms. Smiling, Mihir took her from Anna.
Nia looked at the scar on his face, then back at Anna and whispered, “Anna, see… he’s the prince from your story.”
Mihir blinked. “She calls you Anna?”
“Both the kids do.”
His lips curled. Anna was not his. She didn’t belong to him. Therefore, it shouldn’t matter what her nephew and niece called her. Yet, he didn’t like it. Not one bit. Fuck, he was being ridiculous.
Nia stretched his lips with her fingers, distracting him from his thoughts.
“Anna, see,” Nia said brightly. “Now he has a sunshine smile. Just like that prince.”
Mihir looked at Anna. “What stories are you filling her head with?”
“None of your business,” she replied.
“You are telling Nia stories about a scarred prince who looks like me? Seems like obsession to me, Anna.”
“Seems like you think no end of yourself. It’s just a story, and it’s not about you.” She put a hand on Nia’s back. “Come on, baby. Let’s go swim.”
Nia dropped her head on Mihir’s shoulder. “He’s going to make me jump into the pool.”
Anna gave the little girl a soft smile before her eyes fell on him. His heart leapt. At one time, he’d dreamt of just this—of Anna and him with a little baby girl of their own. He breathed out slowly. That dream was shattered a long time ago. Resentment filled him. His anger with Anna returned in full force. Without another word, he turned around and left, taking Nia with him.
He sat Nia on a lounger and began to unbutton his shirt, feeling restless. This thing with Anna wasn’t supposed to affect him. It was a means to an end. It was to see his brothers happy, and for him to get out of that accursed marriage with her.
Then why did his heart feel like he had run a marathon? Why were his eyes still seeking her out? Why did he know that she was still standing where he had left her? That she hadn’t moved an inch and was still staring at him.
Enough , he scolded himself. Nothing good would come from getting entangled with Anna again. He wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of his past ever again. She was his past. For the future of his brothers, he had to close that door on his past once and for all.
Hence, right now, in the present, he would put up with her, but he’d make it absolutely clear that she would not be coming close to him or touching him again.
Yes, some more rules definitely had to be put in place, the second they were alone.
But first, he had to keep his promise to the excited little girl waiting for him.