Arnav told Khushi, "The woman whom I was talking to was Payal - Akaash's ex-fianc. And the girl whom you saw, was their daughter" "What?" Khushi's mouth formed a perfect O. Akaash was married? But why did Arnav say ex-fiance? Maybe he had a daughter out of wedlock! But why would he abandon his own child? Why did Arnav have negativity against Payal? "You heard it right. She was his fianc. They had been in a relationship for quite a few years. She was a simple girl from a simple background. Her mother had died when she was little and her father raised her with good principles. She was all that he had. She took over the responsibilities of the family, standing on her own feet, even if she seemed quite young to do it. That was what Akaash appreciated and loved in her. He had decided that she was the one with whom he would spend the rest of his life with. But one fine day, all of a sudden, Akaash broke off the engagement and cancelled the wedding. Payal, too, left the city for several days and no one ever heard of her. It was like she had vanished in thin air. Akaash almost went into depression and never spoke of her since that day. When I tried talking to him, he just told me that he had found out she was a gold-digger, and was interested in him only for the money. He refused to talk anything further. And I respected his decision. But when I saw Payal today, she looked lost. Her eyes seemed to be empty, as though she was broken completely. Maybe it was because her father died three days ago. If she was gold-digging, she would have been bitter. But she had that genuine concern on her face." Arnav paused and looked at Khushi, who looked at him with a meek smile.
Khushi heard every word what Arnav spoke. It seemed as though a different Arnav stood in front of her. This Arnav looked so concerned and emotional about his brother, whereas the Arnav whom she knew all this while was a conceited and an arrogant bas***d. And it did not require any words to say that she liked this soft Arnav. She walked up to him, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "What do you think, Arnav?" she asked softly. He placed his hand on hers. "What do I think? I really don't know. I really liked Payal as she seemed to be perfect for Akaash. Akaash seemed so happy with her. And genuinely speaking, I have never seen Akaash smile genuinely ever since Payal walked away." Suddenly Arnav turned a bit serious. "It is not my business to know about them, as well. I would reckon we drop the subject and leave it to them to decide. " Sheesh, the conceited bas***d was back! Khushi tried convincing him that he should at least try finding out the truth, but as always, he refused to listen. "Khushi, we have come on a lunch date" he said, stressing on the words Lunch Date. "So, let's just do what we are here for, okay?" She heaved a sigh and nodded her head. She was not in a mood to pick a bone with him, and begin a fight. Moreover, Payal-Akaash's story left her emotionally drained. She knew there was more to what met the eye. But as Arnav said, that was to be sorted between the two of them. She walked to the table to have food, after Arnav ushered her. He encouraged her to have her food, but it seemed like her appetite just jumped out of the window. He just sighed in silence and decided that the surprise enclosed in the velvet box, which was lying in his pocket, would have to wait for some time. Once they were done eating, he gave Khushi some privacy of the room downstairs to change back into her office clothes. The drive back to the office was in silence.
When they entered the building, she saw Akaash passing by. He seemed to have certain calmness about himself, unlike Arnav who acted on impulses. She recalled Payal's face. How nice the two of them would have looked with each other. And then there was the little girl- Akaash and Payal's daughter. Suddenly her heart ached thinking about the little girl. Arnav patted Khushi's arm and asked her to snap out of her thoughts. "Don't mention Payal or the little one to Akaash." She nodded her head. She might have been the chatter-box that she was, but she knew where to draw the line. She smiled at Akaash when he saw her with Arnav, and he simply nodded his head, acknowledging the two of them. Of course, the sly wink that he gave to Arnav was unseen by her.
Khushi and Arnav reached their floor and they were pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Antonio Paulos waiting there. The moment he saw Khushi, he stood up and went ahead to her. Khushi was relieved that his evil sister wasn't there to run her hands over Arnav. He took her hand and kissed the back of her hand, saying, "Good Noon, Gorgeous" Khushi blushed to his compliment. Arnav clenched his jaws and cleared his throat. Antonio smiled and greeted Arnav, with a formal hand shake, of course. Both men then walked into Arnav's cabin, and Khushi resumed her seat at the desk.
Antonio took a seat opposite to Arnav, while congratulating him and the Raizada Industries on the success of their auction. Arnav thanked him and owed it all to the entire staff who had contributed to the huge success of the event. After certain talks of general issues, Antonio brought up Khushi's name. "Well, is she single?" He asked, and Arnav had to ball his fists in rage. "Well... I..." "Actually..." Paulos cut off Arnav's stuttered statement. "She seems to be quite interesting... And extremely beautiful as well. Greece would love to have her on the Grecian Land" He said, his lips curling into a soft smile. Who could be blamed? Khushi was beautiful and had that effect on any man. The fact that she did not acknowledge her beauty added to the charm. "She's my fianc." Arnav was surprised to hear his own mouth utter those words. Antonio looked stunned. "Oh, pardon me Mr. Raizada, I meant no offence. It's just that she is so pretty" He said. Arnav pursed his lips into a smile. He had no freaking clue why he termed her as his own fianc. Antonio deviated from her topic and spoke other things in general, whereas Arnav was still stuck on the thought - why the hell did I call her as my fianc. Moments later, Antonio rose up to take Arnav's leave. He had an early flight to Greece, and he had to be back at the hotel where he and his sister were staying so that he would be done packing.
He stepped out of the cabin, followed by Arnav. And much to Arnav's disappointment and annoyance, Antonio walked straight to Khushi's desk. She rose up when she saw him approach her table. He curtly nodded his head, saying, "It's been a pleasure knowing you, young lady. Greece would be honoured to have you over there" She blushed slightly, oblivious to Arnav's irritation. "Well, that is, if your fianc doesn't mind bringing you along with him, the next time he comes to Greece" Antonio said. Silence fell between the three of them, and Khushi was too stunned to say anything apart from "Huh?" Antonio looked at Arnav and said, "Next time you are in Greece, make sure you bring her" he said pointing towards Khushi. Khushi looked at Arnav. What the hell was happening? Her eyes widened when Arnav nodded to his statement in agreement. Firstly, she wasn't his fianc. Secondly, she wasn't going to Greece with him. She opened her mouth to tell Antonio, but kept quiet when she saw Arnav signalling her not to say a word. Antonio frowned slightly when he took Khushi's hand in a hand shake. He suddenly turned to Arnav and spoke in Greek, to which Arnav too replied in the same language, not a word that she understood. "She has no ring on her finger" Antonio told Arnav, to which he replied, "Ring, or no ring. She's mine, Antonio. We may not be engaged now. But we will be soon" Antonio seemed to accept that explanation and he smiled. He had not failed to notice the way Arnav looked at Khushi. Arnav however wondered why he lied for the second time. There could be only one reason. He loved Khushi way too much to let another man eye on her. She was his, and only his. End of self-discussion.
Khushi looked on as Arnav and Antonio walked to the elevator to go downstairs, so that Antonio could say his goodbyes to Akaash. Khushi was still looking at the door of the elevator closing, when Arnav winked an eye at her. She was taken by surprise at his gesture. However that did not dismiss the thought of him lying to Antonio that she was his fianc. She decided to confront Arnav when he would be back.
Arnav was back to the floor in less than ten minutes and he saw Khushi at her desk, turned red in anger as she dug her nails into the rich mahogany of the table, waiting to attack the prey. And most definitely, Arnav was the prey in the given context. She saw him march towards his cabin, turning a blind eye to her. "What the hell, Arnav?" she exclaimed as he was about to step into his cabin. He simply turned around, walked to her and dragged her inside the cabin. She opened her mouth to talk, but one glare from him silenced her. "Khushi, first of all, watch your tone. I do not like anyone talking to me in that manner, and this is the last time I would be warning you with regard to that. Secondly, if you're going to ask me about why I called you my fianc, then let me tell you that I do not regret doing so, since I have every intention of turning that true." Khushi gasped at his statement. "You are doing what?" she asked him again, not sure of what he just heard. Arnav asked her to take a seat, and he himself occupied the executive chair. He looked up at her and spoke in a softer tone. "You heard me right. I plan on getting betrothed to you, and soon I will ask your Dad to give your hand to me in marriage" Khushi pinched herself, "You'll wake up any moment, Khushi. It's just a dream", she thought, trying hard to awake herself from what was happening.
He snapped his finger in front of her. "What are you so stunned at? Do you not plan on getting married?" he asked her in a tone as though he was speaking about the weather. "Uh-huh" she said, indicating a yes, unsure of the tone that left her mouth. "Good." He said, expecting her to say something further. She took a few moments to digest the new revelation. Composing herself, she asked him her initial question, "Why did you call me as your fianc, in front of Mr. Paulos?" He stopped whatever work he was doing, and look at her, straight in the eye. "He was interested in you. And wanted to know about your relationship status. And I said that you're engaged to me, indicating that you are off-limits" She was more confused now. "Why would you do that?" she cried out to him.
He ran his hand through his hair and wished he knew the answer as to what made him blurt that out to Antonio. "I have my reasons" he said, not looking at her in the eye. "Well, I'd like to know at least one, since I'm the one who was the topic of discussion?" He rose up from his seat and sat opposite to her, on the desk. He bent down to her, with his face merely a few inches from hers. "I have selfish tendencies where you're concerned Khushi. I know men like Antonio" Of course he did. He too used to be one. But ever since the realization of love dawned on him, he had changed. Of course, it would take time to convince Khushi about his change of behaviour. Khushi simply frowned at his statement, while he continued talking. "Antonio found you appealing. He knows a beautiful woman when he sees one. Your innocence is refreshing Khushi, and the fact that you are oblivious to the impact you leave on the male race acts like a fuel to the testosterone wave." Khushi blinked her eyes twice. She had absolutely no clue whether he was serious or was just pulling her leg. She knew she wasn't ugly, but she never considered herself to be termed "Beautiful" and "Appealing". Those terms were reserved for leggy lasses like Ananya or maybe, Heleena Paulos. But she had never considered herself to be called that way, especially by an alpha male like Arnav. She happened to look into his eyes. Gosh, those eyes would be the death of her. She had often heard the term "Bedroom Eyes" from a few friends and their escapades, but she never believed in such a thing until she was looking into his eyes. She felt warm in the pit of her tummy, as though tiny popcorns popped inside of her.
Arnav noticed the colour of her cheeks rise. He traced his finger on her cheek. "See, this is what I'm talking about. You blush at the slightest compliment, and your naivety adds to your charming spell" Her lips parted as she felt his finger brush her jaws and Arnav had a sudden rush to taste those full, lush lips. He had to control his thoughts that ran like wild horses. He gently pulled his hand away from her face, thanking the heavens for the blessings of self control that they had bestowed on him.
"When you said about getting betrothed to me... were you... ummm..." Khushi couldn't come to complete the sentence. Arnav smiled at her. "Of course, honey. Ever since I saw you for the first time, I knew that you belonged only to me. Especially when I saw you in your violet lace outfit" he winked at her. She wished that the ground would open up and swallow her. He still remembered that embarrassing incident. Of course, he did. The image, sort of, burned in his mind. Every time he saw her, he pictured her in the same avatar. He chuckled when he saw her blush furiously. Moments later, when she felt the courage to look him in the eye, she asked him, "Then why did you behave so badly with me?" His heart pained as his conscience pricked him. He took her hands in his and his expression mellowed down. It was as though a lion had just turned into a bunny rabbit.
"I know I behaved real badly, and no amount of apology would be enough. But I was scared, Khushi." Her eyes were as wide as saucers. "You were scared of me?" she asked in utter disbelief. "No, not scared of you" he eyed her with a frown in response to her silly question. "I knew I was attracted to you from the very first moment I saw you. And I also knew you were not the kind of girl I was used to- the one who would readily hop into my bed to keep me warm" Khushi blushed at his boldness, while he still continued talking, with her hands in his firm grasp. "I was not the guy who did flowers, chocolates, hearts and romance, Khushi. I have seen Akaash doing that, and I've seen him regret it as well. I was too scared to end up heartbroken like him, and I chose this meaningless lifestyle. But every time you came in front of me, I had to face a conflict between my heart and mind. My heart wanted to give a chance to know you better, to woo you, to love you. Unknowingly I started dreaming of fairy tale romance. That wasn't me. And it frustrated me beyond limit; how could a woman affect me so bad and make me question my own way of living. And to keep you away, I had to push you. Not to forget, the way you looked at me at your birthday, it seemed as though you were looking at some grade A steak" Khushi couldn't meet his eye. He knew that she was attracted to him since then. But at this moment, she had too much of information to process - the main one being that Arnav too was attracted to her in the same way she was attracted to him.
"The way you were staring at me seemed as though you were just screaming out to me to kiss you. And I feared that if I gave in, I would gradually fall for you, and one fine day, I would be head over heels in love with you" He looked at her and she seemed to be trying hard to digest the hell lot of things he poured in front of her. He squeezed her hand, drawing her attention. "Look, I'm sorry for whatever I did. I know it's hard to forgive me. But don't you think I could get another chance?" She was lost in his eyes. Hell, she could die happily if he had asked her to put a stake through her heart. She nodded her head in a Yes. Arnav seemed ecstatic about that. But his excitement dimmed down when he saw her frowning.
"What happened?" he asked her in apprehension. Did she already regret? "What next, Arnav?" she asked and he was taken by surprise. "What do you mean by that?" he said, not really getting the context in what she said it. "I mean, we start anew from now on, completely erasing the past. Now what?" she looked at him with question in her eyes. He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. "I want to know you. Of course, I'm attracted to you like moth to flame. And it increased more ever since you told me you loved me too" Khushi's brows furrowed. Of course, she loved him, but she did not recollect telling him that. He seemed to have understood her temporary amnesia, and said, "You told me yesterday, when you were tipsy." He flashed her one of his arrogant grins and her heart felt like it melted in her chest. She did love him, and she knew that there was a possibility that her heart would get crushed in the process. She knew that men like Arnav were dangerous predators. But she relished each moment spent in his presence. "Khushi, would I have the pleasure of getting to know you better, of wooing you, of making you fall in love with me, and finally, of making you mine?" She had never felt more alive earlier until she met him. She was never surer of her answer more than she was now. She had thought that he would never even look at an inexperienced and naive girl like her. And she had started to want him to a point of obsession since she could no longer ignore the things she felt when he was around. It was like an addiction. He was so male, so masculine and she thought he was a perfect image of what a man should look like. If she were going to give herself to someone, it had to be a man that she thought was perfect in her eyes. And to her, Arnav was perfect, despite his flaws. He was her imperfect perfection. "Yes" she answered, and her smile that reached her eyes caused a smile on Arnav's lips. He took the velvet box from his pocket. She was stunned and her gasp was audible when he opened it. It had a ring inside.
He took the ring and placed it on her delicate ring finger. "I love you, Khushi" he said, as he kissed her hand. It was all so sudden and she was overwhelmed. The ring was simple with a single diamond on it. "I love you too, Arnav" she said in a whisper, loud enough for him to hear. Akaash entered the cabin, and was shocked to see the two of them engaged in an intimate conversation. Moreover, he saw Arnav slipping the ring on Khushi's fingers. Akaash cleared his throat indicating his presence, and Khushi simply sprang away, unlike Arnav who sat calm and composed at his desk. She blushed and walked out, leaving behind the two brothers who exchanged a meaningful glance at each other. "We need to talk" Akaash said and Arnav sighed. This was going be a hell of a conversation, he thought.
CID
16