Page 39 of My Sinner

“Please call me Avantika.” She sneaked a glance at Dev before gracing the older man with a smile. “Butterflies and roses mean life, freedom, destiny, and new beginnings. The vines mean strength and survival.”

The symbolism of the tattoo wasn’t lost on him. At that moment, he was so proud of Avantika and her siblings. They had seen the worst of times, and survived and flourished. They all were true warriors.

“Your explanation is beautiful,” Dev said in a soft tone.

“Forgive me, my dear,” Mr. Fayadi said. “My family is much too conservative for such a bold design to be etched on skin. But you carry it very well.”

“Shukran,” she said.

“You speak Arabic?” their host asked, surprised.

Avantika replied to him in a string of fluent Arabic sentences. She gave Dev a naughty smile before she translated. “I speak Arabic perfectly well. In fact, I work as a translator for the Indian Embassy in Dubai, and I am an independent consultant as well.”

Her response blew his mind. Each time he thought she’d managed to captivate him enough, Avantika said or did something that raised his respect for her yet another notch. She truly was something else.

“I’m impressed,” Dev said.

She shrugged, focusing on their host, who was now speaking to her in rapid Arabic.

A waiter placed her drink in front of her, and she accepted it with a calm smile, her attention rapt on the older gent. She replied to him in quick sentences while Dev watched, mesmerized by her. The two of them conversed through the various courses of their meal while Dev only focused on the lyrical quality of Avantika’s voice as she spoke in a foreign language. From time to time, she’d translate bits of their conversation for Dev to follow and answer before she once again charmed the older man with her Arabic skills.

Mr. Fayadi laughed before facing him. “Avantika says your business sense is unrivaled, and I shouldn’t lose an opportunity to do business with you.”

His heart sped at her indirect praise, and Dev accepted the words with a quiet nod.

“I suppose we ought to meet in Dubai soon to discuss the next steps of your proposal,” Mr. Fayadi added. “Does the beginning of next month suit you?”

Dev had to force himself to not look shocked.

“Absolutely,” he accepted. “I’ll get my assistant to find a slot that suits you.”

The older man smiled, going back to interact with Avantika.

Dev was quite taken aback by the sudden change in the man. While earlier, he hadn’t shown any inkling that he wished to continue their business discussion further, Avantika, with her knowledge of Arabic, had changed the tide. Getting Mr. Fayadi as an importer would be a huge step forward for his marble business.

A few minutes later, their host stood. “Unfortunately, the hour grows late and I have to leave for a family function.”

Both Dev and Avantika rose. The older gent held Avantika’s hands and spoke warmly to her, “It was a pleasure meeting you, my dear.”

He faced Dev. “I look forward to meeting you in the next month to take our business ahead. Please stay, both of you, and enjoy the rest of the evening. It’s on the house, of course.”

“Thank you for convincing him,” Dev told her the second they were alone again. “He’s been quite reluctant to conduct business with India. I’m glad you changed his mind.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “I was glad I could help.”

“Why did you help, though?” he asked, curious to know her reasons. “It’s not like you think highly of me. So why then?”

“I thought I owed you one. You not only looked after me, but you even saved my life yesterday. Besides, I knew my knowledge of the language would come in handy. A lot of business transactions change direction once someone speaks in the local language.”

While all that was definitely true, he still didn’t believe her.

A kernel of hope whispered through him. “Have you had a change of heart toward me? Am I not enemy number one anymore?”

She scowled. “The thing is, Mr. Luthra, that after our time is up and once you uphold your end of the bargain, all your mines will be back with my brothers as they rightfully ought to be, which means I am helping them, not you.”

Sadness drenched his skin, dashing his hopes once again. Of course, that’s why she’d helped him. There wasn’t any other reason.

No matter what he did or how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to get her to like him for himself. He’d created that monster image of himself in the past, and shedding it now was so bloody hard. If only she gave him a chance…

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