Page 49 of Fixation

He smiled. “They think I’m calm, cold even. They rely on me to handle the most challenging negotiations because I can easily leave all emotions out and thus get the best outcome for us.”

Someone knocked on the door. Reina immediately retracted her hand. His staff entered, this time to clear the plates. Reina refused his offer of dessert and chose to sip water instead.

“So about us being dangerous,” he continued, “Of course, we are dangerous. We have a vast business empire to run, and we’dnever be able to run it successfully if people weren’t scared of us and our reputation. You must have noticed the security we have around us. Being as rich as we are makes us the target of some not-so-nice people. It doesn’t hurt to be careful. Besides, Mihir is too rigid about our security, as you must have determined by now.”

“Then how the hell were you attacked?” she blurted out. “Don’t you know how to fight?”

Pain constricted his chest. “That was all my stupidity and my belief that I was invincible. I had found out days before the attack that our enemy was working with some bad guys to have us eliminated. Despite that and Mihir warning me not to, I went out for a meeting without Tyrion—my main bodyguard—when four men attacked me. I fought them all, but they kept coming at me with rods and chains. I was injured and hence getting tired. Although he was unwell, Tyrion followed me and reached just in time. He helped me fight those men. We killed three of them until I was shot, and then… You know the rest.”

“You actually fought off four men by yourself?”

He quirked a brow. “Is that really the question you want to ask me? Aren’t you going to ask about the three men I killed instead?”

“You didn’t have a choice, did you?”

“No.”

She shrugged. “Then answer my question. Did you fight four men by yourself before Tyrion arrived?”

He stared at her, unable to believe how it didn’t bother her in the least to know that she was sitting in front of someone who had killed.

“Are you going to answer my question, Mr. Oshnov?” she probed.

“Mr. Osh…” He rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe that you’re still trying to put a wall between us.”

She arched a brow.

“Fine, have it your way,” he huffed. “I know how to fight, very well, actually. We all do. Our father was very clever. He knew that in order to navigate his world, we had to be well prepared and well trained. He forced us to learn Russian, ensured we received a world-class education and, more importantly, insisted that each one of was trained in various forms of martial arts. Karate, Taekwondo, street fighting, boxing—we’ve learned it all. Our world is harsh, but we know how to protect ourselves and those who we love.”

She frowned. “Meaning?”

“Armaan is in love with this lovely girl from Dubai. It was hard for him to come to terms with bringing her into our world, but he couldn’t live without her. He knows we can protect her. Wewillprotect her, always.”

She gave him a warm smile. Just before he’d stepped in for a shower, Armaan had messaged him that Navya and he had resolved everything, and Vedant was delighted for him. His brother was happy and on the road to settling down.

“My turn now,” he said. “Why are you in disguise?”

This was the one question he desperately needed to know the answer to.

She looked away from him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He cupped a cheek and turned her face to his. “Please tell me why you hide all your beauty behind a severe hairdo and glasses you don’t need.”

“Being pretty and intelligent is a very tough combination for women to navigate. No one takes you seriously,” she scorned. “I’ve been getting hit on because of my looks ever since I started medical school. Even then, some professors and classmates wouldn’t take me seriously because I was pretty. A few months ago, I decided to change my appearance to stop getting the wrong kind of attention.”

“Not simply pretty, you are stunning. But what happened a few months ago that made you decide to do this?”

She looked at her hands. “A few months back, Dr. Williams, my senior doctor…”

“Wait, is he the same one that Dr. Jones told me you have a problem with?”

“Laila shouldn’t have told you anything.”

“That’s irrelevant right now,” Vedant stared at her. “Is he the same one?”

Reina nodded. One look at her wounded expression, and he guessed what she was going to say next.

He lifted her jaw, his clasp firm. “Did he hurt you, Reina?”

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