Hello lovelies! I hope everyone has been having a nice weekend. Next chapter is below!
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Chapter 12
Geet, who had finally been able to figure out how to get down to her room relatively easily, washed her face and looked at herself in her bathroom mirror. Her hair was a bit straggly and there were bags under her eyes, and she hoped she would look decent enough for dinner.
Geet blinked and watched her reflection blink back at her. Wait. Why did she care what she would look like tonight? And why did Maan even want to dine with her, anyway? Wouldn’t Sameera highly oppose such an arrangement?
Geet pondered these questions as she left the bathroom, then noticed with a start that a stack of books had been placed on her desk. She furrowed her brow and saw that they were newly published novels by the same authors who had written the older, worn books in her tote bag. Had Pinky sent them?
Over the next few hours, Geet allowed herself to get lost in new stories. She hadn’t held a new book in ages, and relished in flipping the crisp pages. An outfit was eventually delivered to her door, as expected, and Geet changed into a long lavender dress cinched by a slim white belt at the waist. She could tell from the quality of the material that it was expensive and possibly designer, although it wasn’t as if she were sophisticated enough to identify luxury fashion.
At six o’clock sharp, one of Maan’s staff knocked on Geet’s door to lead her up to the dining room. Geet felt a fluttering in her stomach. What in the world would she and Maan talk about over a meal? From her vantage point, she could see that the dining room was a cavernous space. A chandelier, a smaller version of the one that was in the foyer, illuminated the walls.
When Geet stepped fully into the dining room, she struggled to keep her jaw from dropping. Maan was sitting at the head of a table that could seat at least a dozen people.
Sameera was sitting at his left.
“Our guest has arrived,” Sameera said, giving an almost pained looking smile.
Geet froze at the threshold. What was Sameera doing here? Maan hadn’t mentioned that earlier. Were Maan and Sameera having a *date* that Geet was sitting in on?
“Come in,” Maan ordered.
Awkwardly, Geet slid into a chair two seats down from Maan’s right.
“So, Geet,” said Sameera, taking a sip of what looked like wine. “I hear you’ve had quite an eventful day today. You met Neil and also the police? You did a splendid job in both roles.” Sameera placed a hand on Maan’s forearm. “My fiance and I both thank you.” Her tone was haughty and bordered on annoyed, like she was anything but thankful for Geet’s presence tonight.
“It's fine,” Geet said quietly. She smoothed down her new dress, which suddenly felt hot and uncomfortable.
One of Maan’s staff poured a glass of water for Geet; perfect timing since Geet’s mouth was suddenly parched. Geet reached for the glass eagerly, but her nervous fingers fumbled, and she accidentally tipped the glass over. Geet watched in horror as water streamed into her lap. She stood up at once, pulling the soaked dress away from her thighs.
“Watch it,” Sameera said snidely. “Wow, are you a little kid or what? You can’t even drink water properly?”
“Sameera.” Maan’s voice was sharp. “Behave.”
“I’m just going to go dry off,” Geet said in a strained voice. She dashed away, her face flushed from embarrassment. Geet blindly pushed open the door closest to the dining room, which ended up being an exterior door leading to the grounds of Maan’s vast estate.
Fearing that she would look even more foolish if she went back inside, Geet headed up a stone path toward the gazebo by the tennis courts. She couldn’t stay out here forever, of course, but at least she could take a breath and get her bearings.
Geet walked up the wooden steps of the gazebo and bunched the front of her dress between her fingers to wring it dry. She was saddened to see how the beautiful fabric had warped; she hadn’t even worn it for a full evening!
Geet was so focused on her dress that she jumped when she heard Maan’s footsteps approach. He had followed her out here?
“Hey,” Maan said, stopping at the steps of the structure. “Sameera didn’t mean that. Come back inside and eat.”
“Why did you even invite me to dinner, anyway?” Geet asked, perplexed. “And get me a new dress?”
“I wanted you to have a fine culinary experience in a designer outfit,” Maan explained bluntly. “Usually Sameera and I go out for dinner, but I knew she would be coming over tonight, and we always have a ton of food left over. You don’t seem like you have experienced the finer things in life. I wanted to show my appreciation for your time with Neil and for acting sensibly with the police officer. I don’t usually go out of my way to do things like this, so --”
“Wow,” Geet couldn’t help but say, letting go of her dress. Even though Maan’s statements had a ring of truth to them, Geet felt so humiliated that any fear she had of him had all but dissipated. “Leftovers? Haven’t experienced the finer things in life? Is that what people like you and Sameera do? Talk down to everyone like we’re beneath you? Big talk coming from a *killer.*” The words hung between them as Maan’s mouth turned into a firm line.
“You don’t know anything about me,” said Maan between gritted teeth. “I’ve never *killed* anyone.”
“Gotten one of your underlings to do it, then?”
“Enough!” Maan shouted. He grabbed Geet’s arm and tugged her close, eliciting a gasp from her. “You are the most disrespectful girl I have ever met! Do you have any idea what I do to people who even dare to look me in the eye?” The two were only inches apart, and in the space of a moment, Geet felt something like electricity spark through her veins. Maan dragged his gaze down her face to her lips, then back again to her eyes.
The sky was darkening and an insistent breeze was threading its way through the wooden slats of the gazebo. Geet shivered, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of the wind.
Maan’s grip on her skin was firm, but it didn’t hurt. Actually, despite Maan’s anger toward her, Geet felt as if nothing could hurt her in this moment. How could that possibly be?
Suddenly, Maan inhaled sharply and let go of Geet’s arm. He then took such a wide step backward that he hit the rail of the gazebo behind him. He didn’t so much as wince.
“Don’t you ever,” Maan began in a threatening whisper, “disrespect me. Or else I’ll --”
“Or else you’ll what?” The moment between them, whatever it was, had shattered. “Throw me out onto the street? That’s where I already was, so your threats don’t scare me at all. In fact, how about I just leave tonight?” Geet was surprised at the tears welling in her eyes. She was also shocked at how honest she had just been about her lack of a permanent home. What had gotten into her?
Maan furrowed his brow, then opened his mouth to speak. But before he could say anything, a cough sounded from behind them. Maan and Geet both spun around at the noise
Sameera was standing at the bottom of the gazebo steps, her arms crossed. “Am I interrupting something?” she asked, her eyes flashing with anger.
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Extra thank you for reading this long chapter lol!
Edited by kumari3 - 4 years ago