This was going to be tougher than he had thought. He drove in silence the rest of the way and parked in front of her house.
As soon as the car stopped, she unbuckled her seat belt and started to open her door.
He caught her arm and she turned to look at him.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Her eyes widened with rage. “No. There is nothing I want to hear from you, especially after the way you spoke to me earlier.”
Her arrogant and overbearing behavior enraged him. But he needed to remain calm to have this conversation.
“Look, Natasha. I apologize for what happened earlier. But over the past few weeks and especially tonight I’ve come to the conclusion that you and I, we are just poles apart. We want different things in life and this...” he gestured with his hand pointing to the two of them, “...is not working out as it should be.”
Her eyes snapped to his, blazing with rage. “I can’t believe how badly you’ve treated me today. You let your brother be rude to me, you ignored me for most of the evening because you couldn’t get your eyes off Raashi and now this. I only wanted to spend time with you and this is what I get in return. Thanks a lot, Sameer. You sure know how to make a woman feel special!”
Exasperated, Sameer scraped a hand down his jaw.
“You’re not listening, Natasha. This has nothing to do with my brother or Raashi or with tonight. We had a history and I thought because of that we would be able to make a go at a relationship again. I was wrong. We were done years back and to even think we could resurrect something that was long over was a mistake.”
“Fine, Sameer. Have it your way for now. When you get bored of that waitress, you’ll know where to find me. It’s not like I don’t know how marrying me will be the best thing for you and your business.”
Saying that, she got out of the car and opened the gate of her house. She hurried away without a second glance.
Sameer watched her as she walked away. He went over their conversation in his mind and realized there was nothing more he could have said to make his position clearer to her. The only thing left was to speak to Jiten Arya directly. He drove home feeling more content than he had in days.
13
“So you’re telling me that the plans will be finalized latest by Thursday next?” Sameer confirmed.
He was in a meeting with his architects. The solution for the land issue had come to him out of the blue and now that he had given it enough thought, he realized it might just be perfect. However, he wanted something concrete to present to Raashi.
They had poured over the land and villa layout for hours, discussing various nuances and he had exactly what he wanted beyond a doubt. He thanked the team and decided to wait patiently for the new plans he had authorized. In the meantime, he had to gather enough ammunition to back up his plan.
Sameer watched the rain beating on the floor to ceiling window of his top floor office for a few moments, smiling to himself and then left to meet the only person who could influence Raashi.
Raashi checkedthe time on her watch again. They were late. She was sitting here in Sameer’s office waiting for him and Janak to make an appearance. She had arrived on time, but was alittle annoyed to have been informed by Sameer’s assistant that he and Janak were in a meeting with the board and would be delayed by a few minutes. But now, half an hour later, there was still no sign of them. She switched on the TV and tried to watch the news, but her mind was bubbling restlessly and she turned it off. Standing up, she started pacing the length of his office. If it hadn’t been for Janak, she would never have agreed to this meeting in the first place. But Sameer very cunningly had used Janak to get her here because he knew she could never say no to Janak.
Janak had promised that this would be the last time this land matter would be discussed. He had also assured her that he wouldn’t influence her in anyway. Thus, out of respect for Janak, she was waiting here to get this discussion over with, once and for all.
She looked around Sameer’s office impressed with what she saw. Sameer’s office had an understated elegance that was so like him. Black and metal dominated the theme. Colorful paintings lined the walls and added to the vibrancy of the place. She walked towards the glass windows and stood silently observing the view of the now darkening city.
Sameer entered his office and found Raashi standing by his window, lost in thought. She turned when he shut the door behind him.
“Hi,” he said, unable to stop himself from staring at her.
It had been a week since he had seen her. And he had thought of her every single day, every single moment. She looked breathtaking in a pale pink and white full-length dress, her hair loose around her.
“Where is Janak?”
“Should be here any moment. I’m sorry for the delay,” he pressed a tired hand on the back of his neck.
Observing him Raashi felt a pang in her heart. He had lines around his eyes and he looked worn-out. She watched as he took off his jacket and flung it on the sofa.
She couldn’t help herself as she walked towards him and asked warmly, “Bad day, huh?”
“Oh! You can’t imagine. First, I had to deal with some labor problems at a construction site and then this board meeting came up where all of us were at odds. I mean, Kabier, Rishi, grandfather and I, none of us could agree on anything. And worst of all, I’ve just been informed of another incident in my hotel.”
“Oh, no! What’s happened now?” she asked.
