Page 16 of Obsession

So typical of Armaan to first scan the crowd for good-looking women. His brothers had taken to their new station in life immediately. Over the last couple of years, Armaan had developed a reputation as a playboy. He loved women, and they loved him. Vedant, on the other hand, was the calm and quiet one in their trio. He, too, attracted attention from the women, but like Mihir, he was quite discreet in his affairs. All of them never dated the same woman twice, their focus clear on working hard and being successful. None of them needed the distraction of a relationship.

Armaan tipped his head at Ananya’s table. “The dark-haired girl in the center of that group is gorgeous. She looks Indian. Do you know who she is?”

Irritation buzzed through Mihir. He didn’t like Armaan looking at her. He didn’t like Armaan even talking about her.

“So, Mihir, do you know her?” Armaan probed. “I definitely don’t mind getting to know her. In fact, let me go say hello.”

“Armaan, not her,” Mihir said, his tone dead serious.

Armaan’s brows shot up. He shared a surprised look with Vedant.

“But…” Armaan began, but their father put a hand on Armaan’s shoulder.

“Not her,” Alexander repeated.

His family wouldn’t prod. They knew him well enough to know that he would share with them only when he was ready to. And right now, there was nothing to share. It was just that he did not want Armaan hitting on Ananya. Twice, she’d tried to tell him her name, and both times, she’d only managed to say Ana before being interrupted. Anna in Russian meant grace, and Ananya Mehra was extremely graceful, so elegant. Anna—the name suited her perfectly.

“Oh!” Armaan leaned back in his chair. “It’s like that, huh?”

“Armaan, behave,” Alexander said.

Mihir gave his father a grateful nod. Alexander had always shared a special bond with him. His father knew what he was thinking even before he voiced it out loud. Mihir had met him when he was merely fourteen years of age. Alexander had adopted the boys four years later, changing their lives forever. Six years had passed since then. The six best years of his life. His only sadness was her… Karina, their sister, who had betrayed them. He shook his head, refusing to think of her.

“For how long are you all here?” Mihir asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“Just the weekend,” Alexander replied. “We all have to get back to work.”

“Why?” Mihir looked at his brothers. “I thought you both would stay longer and that we’d go to our country home.”

Alexander owned a massive estate in the countryside. It was like a medieval castle. Mihir and his brothers loved going there whenever they were together.

“We wanted to,” Vedant said. “But there is an important board meeting that Papa wants us to prepare for.”

After graduating with a degree in chemical engineering, Mihir had taken a year off to work at O-Corp, before doing his MBA. On the other hand, both Armaan and Vedant had already completed their MBAs a year earlier, which meant they were now working full time at O-Corp. Post his MBA, he, too, would return to work at O-Corp.

“Tell me about college, Mihir,” Alexander said. “We all miss you. Home is not the same without you.”

Home was in Moscow. It still felt strange referring to Moscow as home. It was so far away and starkly different from Rishikesh and the orphanage where he and his brothers had lived in at one time.

“College is good. I really like the course,” Mihir said.

“And the women, it seems,” Armaan teased. “No, wait, a particular woman.”

“Can you behave for once?” Alexander said.

Vedant snorted. “He doesn’t know how to.”

Ignoring them, Mihir focused on Anna. She was lifting her purse from the floor. She stood. Her eyes met his, and then her lips tipped in a smile. His own lips curved in response.

With a last look at him, she left the café.

The present

Mihir’s phone beeped with a text, bringing him back to the present. It was Anton.

“She’s home, boss.”

Relief filtered through him. He stopped his car at a signal. So many years had passed since that moment in the coffee shop when Anna had first seen him. That evening, after she had left, he had spent time with his father and brothers. They’d left the café and gone to his apartment, where they drank vodka, ordered takeaway, and talked about everything under the sun. And while spending that awesome weekend with his family, he hadn’t realized how much his world was going to change.

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