Page 17 of Obsession

He sighed. Ananya Mehra had swept into his life like a storm, and had gone on to destroy him. He should have cut her out of his life a long time ago. Yet, years later, by holding on to their marriage, he was holding on toher.

He ought to have moved on from her. But the desire to seek revenge from her had held him back all this time. However, life had dealt him a different set of cards, and he could no longer exact that revenge from her. In hurting her, he would only end up hurting the people dearest to him. So, he had to forget about his revenge and sever their connection once and for all. He had to forget her.

They said time healed all wounds, but his were still bleeding, thanks to her.

5

Ananya checked the time on her watch. He was late. At least some things hadn’t changed in the years. Here she was, years later, at yet another café, waiting for Mihir to arrive.

She opened her phone camera and studied her reflection. She looked fine. Her big gold studs were fine. Her makeup was perfect. She moved the phone a little further, scrutinizing her outfit. She’d chosen this white and brown striped shirt dress, which was cinched at the waist with a slim gold chain belt because she knew it looked good on her. She tapped her phone camera off.

God, what was she doing? She was sonotchecking how she looked. She hadn’t dressed nicely for him. No, she hadn’t.

Annoyed at herself, she switched to her messaging app and reread the texts he’d sent her.

I want to meet, Anna

Her heart had pounded heavily after reading this first communication from him in years.

She’d taken a minute to gather herself, then she had replied.

Who is this?

Is there anyone else who calls you Anna?

Maybe. What do you want?

Did you not read my first message? I want to meet

Why?

Tomo, Black Bean Café at Ibn Batuta @10:30 am

If we are going to meet, then it won’t be at some random café, at the furthest point of Dubai. Meet me at the La Grange in Jumeirah @11:30

Still bossy as ever, Anna?

See you tomorrow

He’d sent these texts late last night after she’d reached home from that damn warehouse. Her heart had been beating hard ever since she had left that compound. Seeing Mihir in his cold, ruthless, dangerous avatar had shaken her up.

She sipped her cold coffee. The world wasn’t fully aware of the true threat within the Oshnov trio. While Armaan commanded the most attention and Vedant fronted all their business deals, Mihir was the silent force—the real danger lurking in the shadows. She’d witnessed first-hand how deadly, cold, and unfeeling he was toward his enemies. She’d been terrified when she’d heard that man threaten to hurt Mihir.And Ivan had put a bounty on Mihir?Fuck, even thinking about it made her feel sick. But Mihir hadn’t even blinked. He’d dealt with those men without a hint of fear.

By now, she knew enough about the Oshnovs’ issues with their adopted cousin Ivan. Because of Navya and Reina, she’d witnessed all the trauma that one man had caused the Oshnovs in the last few months.

She played with the straw in her glass, her mind back on Mihir. She’d always known he was dangerous, but last night, she had witnessed it for the first time. And it had scared her. That’s why, once she was satisfied that the other men wouldn’t hurt him, she had escaped from there and rushed home.

She hadn’t wanted to face Mihir when he was in that avatar. In any case, he was behaving rather adamant, and he wouldn’t have agreed to anything she’d said. So, what was the point of waiting for him to return to her? They’d have only argued, and he’d have said something nasty that would have hurt her, and she’d have retorted with something equally vile. This negativity had been the constant tone of all their conversations in the recent past.

She sighed. The years had changed him so much. When she thought of the first time she’d met him in London, she could never have imagined that he would end up becoming the brutal, hardened, and emotionless man he was now. A man who took pleasure in wounding her with his cruel words.

He’d been so different then. That first time her eyes had met his, it had felt like her world had stood still, and her whole axis had shifted and aligned itself tohim. A delicious warmth had spread under her skin. For years, she hadn’t allowed herself to think about that evening and him. But today, suddenly, everything came rushing back. Her chest heavy, she sank back in her seat and allowed her mind to rewind to the beginning. To where it all started.

The past

This gorgeous man had assumed her name was Anna. She liked how he pronounced it in that slightly accented voice of his. She smiled as she looked at him, unwilling to even correct him. Her phone rang in her hand. She shifted her eyes to her friends, who were beckoning her furiously. What was wrong with them? Couldn’t they see she wanted to stay here, and talk to this man more? Who was he? Where was he from? Was he from India or UK, or from some place else? She was fascinated by him and so curious to know more. Her phone rang again.

Giving him a final smile, she returned to her friends.

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