Page 2 of Marriage Bargain With Her Brazilian Boss (Billion-Dollar Fairy Tales)

“Promise you won’t laugh at me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“I was always too fond of fairy tales.”

“Why would I laugh at that?”

“Mama used to tell me that life’s too important to bury my head in outdated tales.”

He opened his mouth and then closed it. And Nush knew he’d swallowed away his own cynical opinion so that he didn’t corrupt hers. That little, innate kindness instantly made her like him a little more. Now she could say she liked Caio for more than his looks.

“What do you like about them?” he asked with a genuine tone.

“That there’s always a happy ending, whatever the affliction the princesses have. That there’s always someone right for them. It doesn’t matter if they’re too quiet, or shy or even strange. I do agree that some of them feel outdated but then I just rewrite them in my head the way I want them.”

“As long as you don’t forget that real life doesn’t work like that, Princesa. Sometimes, there’s no happy ending. There’s only crushing disappointment, dealt both by circumstance and people. Love is sometimes not enough.”

“That’s your opinion,” she said, tilting her chin up.

He shrugged and the gesture pulled her attention to the breadth of his shoulders. “I never answered your question, did I? Your grandfather wanted to come, as did Mira and Yana,” he said, mentioning her sisters. “But your grandmother had an asthma episode recently, and as I was making this trip anyway,” he said softly, “I offered to pick you up.”

“Is Nanamma okay now?”

“She is.”

“Are you and Yana still dating?” Nush wanted to disappear the moment she heard her question.

Caio was her first official crush and she was already finding this whole thing painful. Not for a second could she betray her thoughts. Not especially now, when she was moving to California and would see him on a regular basis.

Not that she’d been able to stop thinking of him and Yana since she’d realized their visitor was Caio. She adored both her sisters. To see him with Yana—who was so stunningly gorgeous that, at nineteen, she was already highly sought after as a model—would’ve felt awkward and weird. There was that word again.

She stole a look from under her lashes, and was relieved that he didn’t look irritated. “Sorry, it’s none of my business,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, Princesa. Honest curiosity never bothers me.” He drummed his fingers on the table between them. “Yana and I are not dating anymore. We realized it would hurt your grandparents and Mira and now you immensely, if we killed each other as a result of all that proximity. Which turned to be a distinct possibility.”

Nush burst out laughing. It had been clear, even to her, that they really weren’t suited to each other. She instantly sobered up as another worrying thought struck. “You and Yana are still friends now that you’ve broken up, right?”

“And why does the thought that we might not be put such a frown here, Anushka?” he said, pointing a finger at her forehead.

She pushed the glasses up the bridge of her slightly too large nose. “I don’t want to have to take sides, that’s all.”

His thick brows drawing together, he looked thunderstruck. “Take sides? How do you come to that, Princesa?”

“I know how much Thaata values you. As high-maintenance as Yana can be—that’s what Nanamma says about her—I wouldn’t want to be caught between you two when I finally have a full family.”

The shock in his eyes deepened until slowly, another smile warmed them and they glowed brightly. “I see why your grandfather thinks you’re precious.”

Heat swarmed Nush’s cheeks. Damn it, why had she opened her mouth at all? “It’s not like I like you like you...that would just be ewww...because you’re like really old,” she added, with extra affectation she’d seen in teen movies.

His raucous laughter enveloped her. The man was really beautiful and his presence did things to her insides—specifically her lower belly and lower, where she’d never felt such things before. Intellectually, she knew what it was but still, it threw her, this feverish fascination. And it scared her a bit too.

“I appreciate your consideration, Princesa. And your generosity in considering me family.” His gaze gentled. “Are you looking forward to the summer?”

She smiled. “I’ve always wanted to be part of a big family. Living with Mama is an adventure but it can also get very lonely.” She swallowed at the sudden ache that lodged in her throat. “She was very upset today. Sometimes, she can’t help herself. Please don’t be angry at her for that.”

He tapped at her tightly laced fingers and shook his head. “Not at all, Anushka. She was upset, yes, but I have enough sense to know that it was her grief at having to send you away.” His tone was so gentle that it made the ache turn into a hard lump. “Your mother’s a very strong woman to make such hard choices for your well-being. All I took from her reaction today is that she loves you very much. Not every mother could do what she did.”

Tears threatened at his kind words and Nush blinked them back. “Do you think it’s wrong that I’m so excited about being with Mira and Yana?”

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