Page 112 of Fixation

“I think we all misjudged him,” Vedant said. “He was the head of our security, and we trusted him immensely. He betrayed our trust and belief in him.”

Reina squeezed Su Min’s fingers. “I know it’s hard right now, but one day, it will get better. Know that you’re better off without a dangerous man like him in your life.”

Su Min nodded.

“I’m so sorry, Su Min,” Reina said softly. “You’ve been a good friend, and I cut all contact with you thinking that you may have been working with Vasily. But you were just trying to protect me and keep me safe. Thank you for that.”

“Earlier, in the restaurant,” Su Min began. “How did you guess it was Laila working for that man and not me?”

“Laila came a half an hour earlier than when I had asked her to. She kept looking at her phone slyly, and her tone was off, like she was trying to be cheerful but finding it hard to do so. Besides, amongst the four of us working for Vedant, she was the one always going on about money. It just made sense that she’d do just about anything for money, including pretending to be nice to me when I knew she disliked me right from the beginning.” Reina smiled at her. “You’ve always been telling me how I should be more aware of everything around me. Well, I finally listened, and see, it worked.”

Vedant put an arm around Reina. “That was quite clever.”

“Thank you, Reina, for believing in me,” Su Min said. “I could never hurt anyone like Vasily did.”

“I know that now,” Reina said. “Are you going to stay a few days? I’d like to catch up.”

“I’d like that as well.” Su Min looked beyond Reina and Vedant. “I think they need to ask me some questions.”

Reina gave her a hug before she left. Both Vedant and she watched her return inside the restaurant from the side door.

“I’m glad it didn’t turn out to be her,” Reina said. “At least there are some good people left in the world.”

She looked at Vedant. “Can we go somewhere and be alone? Or do your brothers need you with them to question that scumbag?”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight ever again,” he said.

Reina looked in the distance while Vedant spoke quickly to his brothers. The van that was parked ahead was no longer there.

Returning to her, Vedant kissed her hand and whisked her out of the alley and into a waiting car. She put her head on his shoulder, her heart at peace now.

40

Reina woke up sometime later, wrapped in Vedant’s arms, his fabulous scent all over her. God, she had missed him. He’d taken her straight home to his bedroom, where he’d spent the next several hours making slow and leisurely love to her. She studied his sleeping form. Her chest welled with love. He was snuggled into her, holding her tightly, as if he couldn’t bear the thought of being away from her. She smiled. She felt exactly the same.

She looked outside the window. Darkness had set in. The time on her wristwatch showed it was a little past seven in the evening. She gently shifted out of his hold and wore her clothes. She looked around his very masculine room. The walls were painted a dark green, and the furniture was mahogany wood. Spying a terrace, she opened the doors and let herself outside. She leaned against the railing, taking in the fabulous view of the waves crashing a short distance below her. Illuminated with various lights, the lawns of this house looked beautiful.

She inhaled and exhaled, her heart feeling free for the first time in weeks. She was finally where she belonged. Strong handscaught her waist and Vedant rested his chin on top of her head, enfolding her in his arms.

“Hi!” He snuggled into her neck, breathing her in.

“Umm, hi.”

They stood like this for several long moments, watching the rumbling sea in the distance. He kissed her cheek. “Marry me, Reina.”

She whirled. “What?”

“I never imagined I’d be lucky to find someone like you to love. You make me so happy. Will you spend the rest of your life loving me and allowing me to love you back?”

“But… But you still don’t know everything about me. There is a huge part of my past that you don’t know anything about.”

“We all have a past,” he said. “But I love you, and I want to be with you despite that. Nothing you say will make me change my mind. Marry me, Reina.”

She studied him for a long moment and saw the sincerity shining in his eyes. “Yes, yes, I will marry you.”

He took his ring off his pinkie finger. “Will this do for now until you buy a ring of your own choosing?”

He slipped the ring on her right-hand ring finger. Reina studied her hand; the blue diamond glittered beautifully. “I want a diamond of this exact same colour for my engagement ring.”

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