Page 37 of Obsession

He said it with so much conviction and possessiveness that her heart stuttered.

“And guess what, Anna?” he said. “You are going to go out to dinner with me, because there is something between us. I feel it, and I know you feel it too.”

“Now I feel like saying no just to put you in your place.”

“But you won’t,” he said, his tone full of confidence.

She looked at him for a long moment, deciding whether to take a chance on this bold, self-assured man who made her heart flutter like a caged bird longing to be set free—to soar and fly.

“Fine,” she breathed out. “I’ll choose the restaurant. And you should know that I’ll be texting my brother where I’ll be going for dinner. So, if he doesn’t hear from me, he’ll come after you with an axe.”

He laughed. “You’re cute.”

“I’m careful.” She pointed a finger at him. “I don’t know you, Mihir Oshnov, but I am willing to take a chance on you. You better not disappoint.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

The present

Ananya exhaled, calming her still rapidly beating heart. That night, she had chosen a restaurant right next to the gallery. They’d laughed and chatted, staying until the restaurant had closed. Mihir had dropped her home, extracting a promise from her to meet him again the next day.

That had been the beginning of her doomed love affair with Mihir Oshnov. She’d fallen hard and fast for him, and he… he’d broken his promise to her. He’d disappointed her. He’d hurt her in the worst way possible.

What really upset her was how much of his life he’d kept hidden from her. He’d fed her only the basic details of his life, and like a besotted fool, she’d never questioned him for more. She’d naïvely revealed everything about herself and her family to him, without knowing much about him at all.

Fingers snapped in front of her face. Ananya looked up into the faces of her closest friends. Sheena and Avantika were watching her carefully.

Sheena took a seat in front of her while Avi sat next to her.

Avi touched Ananya’s hand. “Are you okay?”

“Hey, I’m fine.”

“You looked lost,” Sheena said. “We called your name so many times.”

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” Ananya replied. She addressed Sheena, “Why did you call us here? You said you wanted to talk.”

“Yes, but first, let’s order!” Sheena signaled the waitress for the menu. “I don’t have much time. I have to pick up Nia from playschool in less than two hours, then drop her home and return to work.”

Sheena was now the Chief HR Officer for Poseidon—their family’s massive shipping empire. Thanks to her, Poseidon ranked as one of the best organizations to work for in the Middle East.

Avantika waved at the hostess. Her family owned this restaurant, and, as usual,La Soireewas packed to the brim. It was a fab place and served delicious food. Ananya always loved coming here.

Once done with placing their orders, Avi asked, “So, what’s going on Sheena?”

“We’re here because of her.” Sheena pointed at Ananya.

Ananya scowled. “What? Why?”

Sheena glared at her before speaking to Avi. “Mihir hosted a pool party yesterday afternoon at his house. At first, we thought it was because he wanted to spend time with everyone since he never comes to our place, and you know why. But then, guess what?”

“What?” Avi asked, her eyes widening.

Ananya rolled hers. “It’s not a big deal.”

“You be quiet,” Sheena commanded. “Your turn to talk will come in just a moment.”

Avi looked from one to the other. “What happened?”

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