6. Naina
Chapter Six
NAINA
I was on my second bowl of paneer tikka and we were watching a superhero movie when Samira released an annoyed breath and paused the movie.
I put another spoon full of the dish in my mouth, raising my eyebrows at her. Samira huffed again with all the impatience of a teenager.
“Are you going to tell me what he said or not?”
“Not,” I said.
“Didi, come on,” Samira whined. She grabbed my hand, stopping me from eating and looked at me with wide, excited eyes. “Did he ask you out?”
I almost snorted at the idea of Kash asking me out. The thought had probably never occurred to him. No, Mr. Sutherland just thought he could buy me off.
I stood up, walking into our kitchen to clean the bowl. I set it on the drying mat, wondering what to tell my sister.
Samira knew our financial situation. She owned 50% of the business. Hence why she suggested I seduce Kash into marrying me so he could pay off our debt and pay for the renovations. Had the universe heard her say the words and that was why this was happening? Because what an absurd notion.
Since I had already graduated college, it was easier for me to waste away my Harvard law degree here than in New York. Even the idea of practicing law again made me sick to the stomach. Samira still had a chance. She could have the future I had once dreamt of. She could get student loans, apply for scholarships. I would find a way for us to survive and keep our family’s legacy.
Sometimes, I wondered if Samira was even old enough to understand the gravity of our situation. We’d never been rich, but up until dad died and we discovered this massive amount of debt he had, we’d lived a comfortable life.
I turned to face her. She had an arm resting on the back of the sofa, her body turned towards me. I saw a younger version of myself in her, which made me even more determined to make sure she didn’t make the same mistakes I had.
“Kash offered to give us money for the renovation and five million dollars if I agreed to marry him for six months to a year,” I said.
Distantly, I wondered what Kat would say if I sent her a voice note about this. Kat was up, and down, for most things. Even if she didn’t know our financial struggles, I had a feeling my best friend’s response would be ecstasy followed by worry.
Samira's mouth dropped open and for a breadth of a moment, I thought she was going to jump with joy. What kind of an idiot turned down five million dollars? As things stood, I was never going to see that kind of money in my life.
If we were careful with it, we would be set for life.
Recovering from her shock, Samira scoffed. “I know I said you should seduce him into a marriage, but the idea is suddenly off-putting. I thought he was one of the good ones. I hope you told him no.”
“Oh, I told him no.”
“And what did he say?”
“He said to call him when I changed my mind.”
“ When? ” Samira was incredulous. “Like he’s so sure you will.”
Well, I’d considered using that number about fifty times today, so maybe he did have a point.
“He’s rich and handsome, I’m sure not many people tell him no. It’s probably going to take him time to comprehend.”
Samira hummed, her eyes going a little dreamy.
“Still, it would have been nice if he asked you out. He does look at you like he wants to do dirty things to you, and you two banter a lot.”
I turned, picking up the kitchen towel to furiously wipe the counter, in an effort to hide my blush.
“Honestly, I don’t know where you’re picking up these things. College has ruined your mind.”
Her delighted laughter was the best sound in the world. My heart squeezed in my chest.
“If that’s true then why are you hiding your blush, didi?”
“It’s time for bed,” I said.
Samira turned off the TV and we both made our way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As we brushed our teeth, our eyes met in the mirror above the sink.
Our initial reaction was to say no because it was a ridiculous idea. And yet… five million dollars. Not even OnlyFans was going to make me that kind of money in six months to a year. Not that I was seriously entertaining doing OnlyFans. I wouldn’t know the first thing about it.
I spit in the sink and rinsed my mouth.
It was too late, anyway.
By tomorrow morning, Kash would have forgotten about his offer or moved on to another willing victim. One thing I could be sure of with Kash was his ability to forget me.