Page 93 of Obsession

“Alexander was very clever. Unbeknownst to us, he was already planning to make us his heirs. He adopted us as soon as we landed and gave us his name. But he didn’t announce it to the world because we weren’t ready yet to take on his massive empire. He needed to prepare us. He needed us to be independent of one another. We didn’t realize it back then, but sending us away from each other was the best thing to happen to us. He sat with each of us individually, learned our strengths and weaknesses, suggested which courses we each ought to take, and then sent us to colleges across the world.

He sent me to London to study chemical engineering. Armaan went to Michigan to study mining, followed by a course in gemology. And Vedant stayed in Russia to study mechanical engineering. He also insisted we all do a master’s in business management. That’s when you and I met, at the London Business School.”

She gulped but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t yet ready to touch the topic of their combined past. She wasn’t ready for their time together to end, and looking at him, she was fairly certain neither was he.

He continued with his story, “Initially, we fucking hated being parted, but, like I said, it was the best thing to happen to us. We learned to survive, to live, to learn, and to be independent. Apart from this, Alexander made two things mandatory: that each of us had to learn Russian, and we had to learn to fight.”

“Did you speak Russian fluently when we met?” she asked.

“Not as well as I do now; I was still learning,” he answered. “Anyway, we did everything he told us to do. We worked hard, we studied, we learned how to interact with people from everywhere, and slowly, our lives began to transform. We began to evolve. We realized that we could dream and hope because, for the first time in life, we had the ability and backing to achieve anything, to do anything. With time, we came into our own and became the individuals we are today. And we owe it all to the brilliance and foresight of one kind and generous man, who not only gave us a place in his life, but also made space for us in his heart. Most importantly, he taught us to make our place in the world.”

She reached up and wiped a tear from his eye. Her heart went out to him—to the lonely boy who’d found a family among orphans. Thanks to his bravery and generosity of heart, he’d saved a stranger from harm, and that one act of kindness had given him and his brothers a life beyond imagination.

Mihir exhaled. “When all of us finally returned to Russia, we were ready to take on the world. Alexander announced that he’d adopted us, and the media went crazy. Overnight, we became the most sought-after men in Moscow, if not the whole of Russia. After what happened in London, between you and me…”

Her hand shook on his chest. Still, she remained silent and didn’t ask the obvious questions.

He twirled a strand of her hair as he spoke. “Well, I didn’t want to be in the media, and Vedant also didn’t like the spotlight much, so Armaan stepped up and became the focus of their attention. Anyway, we all started working under Alexander in our respective businesses. He was training Armaan to take over O-Diamonds, Vedant for O-Oil, and me for O-Energy. He started us from the bottom and encouraged us to climb the ranks. But he forced me specifically to look into the other businesses as well. What I didn’t know at the time was that he was training me to become the MD. We all followed him and learned from him. But even then, we never anticipated inheriting his wealth. It was only when he passed away...”

Another tear slipped down his eye. He wiped it away quickly. “Fuck. One minute, he was hale and hearty, and the next, he was gone. We went to his will reading, not expecting anything. It was shocking to learn he’d left it all to us—every fucking thing he owned, including the majority of O-Corp’s shares. It was so bloody unbelievable. Overnight, three orphans from a small city in India became some of the richest men on the planet. The news of Alexander Oshnov bequeathing everything to his adopted sons sent shockwaves through Russia. Obviously, we didn’t just inherit his wealth; we inherited his enemies too.”

She gasped. “Oh my God.”

He tightened his arm around her. “Rich people have enemies, Anna. And Alexander had several. But he had trained us to handle them, to eliminate them, and ensure we survived. Once the news of our inheritance spread, the predators began circling us—media, businessmen, politicians, government officials, mafia, women. What they didn’t know was that Alexander had taught us to navigate through them all. We befriended the mafia, won over the important politicians and government officials, and ruthlessly dealt with anyone who dared stand in our way.”

“I suppose that’s why everyone thinks you are dangerous. That you may have links to the mafia.”

“We are dangerous. We can, and will, eliminate anyone who tries to hurt us or those we love. We are not connected to the mafia but we do know them.”

“You told me once, long back, before we…” She gulped. “Before we got married, that your businesses are all legal and legitimate. Is that still true?”

“Yes. I never lied to you, Anna.”

“Lying by omission is still a lie, don’t you think?” She shrugged out of his arms, finally having no choice but to start dealing with things head-on. “I didn’t know anything about you apart from the fact that you have a father and two brothers. I didn’t even know your father’s name.” She shook her head. “I’m not getting into the past right now. But we will talk about it soon. Right now, I need you to finish your story. What made you move to Dubai?”

Mihir studied her for a long moment before continuing, “Because it was taxing and draining dealing with everything and everyone in Russia. The vultures kept circling, and it kept our focus away from work. So, I suggested the move to Dubai. It is a tax haven and close enough to Moscow. It also supports our luxurious lifestyle. Once we shifted, the pressure on us reduced, and we could concentrate more on work. It was a good decision. It also proved that we could live anywhere as long as the three of us were together.”

“Is that the only reason you moved to Dubai?”

A tiny part of her had hoped that he’d moved to Dubai because she lived there. But his silence broke her heart all over again. God, how many more rejections would she accept from this one man?

“This is my story, Anna,” he deflected. “My brothers and I… we were so damn lucky. We were given a precious opportunity, and we didn’t waste it. O-Corp continues to be a huge success because of all our hard work. Our story is very personal. We haven’t told the world about how we reached here. But now, we want to share it with everyone. We want you to write it and tell it in the best way you can.”

“I will do my best. Thank you for sharing your incredible and wonderful story with me. I’m so glad you’re telling the world. I hope you find Karina because of this.”

She needed to ask him more. But she didn’t know how to ask those questions now, when they were still naked in bed. When his scent was still all over her.

Her stomach growled, giving her the perfect excuse. “Sorry, I’m hungry. If you recall, we didn’t eat anything last night.”

Laughing, he stepped out of bed and quickly wore his clothes. “I’ll meet you for breakfast?”

Planting a kiss on her forehead, he turned to leave. She held his hand, stopping him.

“Mihir…” She had to be brave for her own sake. “We need to talk about the past. About you and me.”

She felt the change in his mood and body language. His body stiffened; his shoulders bunched. Lowering his chin, he left her room.

Heaviness filled her heart. She couldn’t avoid this conversation any more, even though she knew that once they were through with it, it would end them forever. But hadn’t that always been the plan?

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