There is always some madness, in love.
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Ria's pov:-
"And your next meeting is with Mr. Ryan at twelve. That would be it until four," my assistant said.
"Anything else?" I asked, today is a very busy day.
"Nothing as of now," she answered and I nodded.
"Ok. Leave then."
"May I ask you something?"
Raising an eyebrow at her I nod, silently telling her to proceed.
"Who was the guy who dropped you off this morning?"
"Did I ever question you about your fuck-budy, miss whoever you are,"
"No ma'am. I apologise, I shouldn't have asked."
"Hmm, now leave," I ordered her.
Just as she was about to open the door, I stopped her. "What is your name?"
"Stella Wilson, ma'am," she answered.
"Well Stella, stop thinking about him. The guy is off-limits."
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"That was so rude, Ria! Apologise when he returns," Paige said.
"Never," I answered in a bored tone.
"You were being rude when all he did was help you guys out."
"I don't see how someone is helping me out by stealing away my damn housekeeper!"
"He was requesting you to let him spend some time with his mother! And you said no to that! How cruel of you."
"I don't see how that helps me or Miranda in that case," I shrugged and brushed off the glare she was directing at me.
"Ria!"
"Stop yelling, idiot. And think about this, if a guy that pops out of nowhere claims to be your housekeeper's son, would you ever let the her go with the guy? The doctor said that Miranda is in shock right now. If we put her around strangers, it might not be good for her. Why the hell don't you guys understand that?!"
"Ria, I understand you only want her to get better, but he is not a stranger, he is her son. Her own flesh and blood! Nothing will happen to her. Plus, do you think she would want to go back to the house where she was attacked?"
"He is the same bloody son she didn't speak a word about in the last eleven years! He wants to take her back to Canada with him?! A different continent altogether! And if she isn't comfortable in the house, we can always buy a new one."
"You're impossible," she leaned back on the chair and rubbed her temples lightly.
"I am just being reasonable," I shrugged and ate the last bite of my chocolate pastry. "This is so good, I can have one more," I sighed, as the rich chocolate melted on my tongue, coating my mouth with a blissful flavour.
"Nope. One is more than enough. You should actually keep a check on your calorie intake," Paige said and pulled my empty plate towards her.
I raised an eyebrow and stared at her.
"You are saying that it is wrong when I enjoy a single slice of chocolate cake after eating a sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes with no cheese, while you had a burger with fries and then had two scoops of ice-cream."
"Th-that is not what I meant," she tried to explain.
"Oh really?! Kindly explain what the fuck did you mean then!"
"Stop using bad words! I was trying to warn you about your sugar intake."
"And I am trying to show you the reality! Your calorie intake was way more than my sugar consumption."
"You can't compare them," she protested.
"I can and I did. You know what you get for being such a hypocrite? A hole in the pocket," I smiled as her face paled slightly.
"Ria, this is not fair!" she whined.
"Oh darling, it is! Today's lunch is on you and that includes the second slice of my dessert," I said and flashed her an evil grin and the called the waiter.
"Yes miss?"
"Can I please have one double chocolate cake pastry?"
"Sure ma'am. Anything else?" he asked.
"Paige you want something sweet?" I asked, "You look quite bitter to me," I added when she glared at me.
"No," she said through gritted teeth.
"That would be all then," I smiled at the old man and waved him off.
After a few minutes of silence, I could see the waiter returning with a plate in his hands and I was almost jumping in happiness.
"Your pastry miss."
"Thank you!"
"It's delicious! Doesn't it look yummy to you Paige?"
She didn't say anything.
"Hey! Stop being so moody. Tell me, doesn't it look yummy?"
"It does."
"Then order one for yourself," I grin mischievously at her.
"Shut up!" she hissed in anger and I wink at her in return.
After five minutes I managed to finish my cake. "I'm done! We can leave now. Mr. Waiter!" I waved at the old man who had seeved us before.
"Yes miss?"
"We're done. Can we get the bill?"
"Right away, miss."
"He is a good waiter. You should tip him," I told Paige and she glared at me.
"Your bill, miss."
As the waiter left, I pushed it towards Paige. She took it but not before shooting me a hideous glare.
"Oh fuck!"
"No bad words, Paige," I said in a sing-song voice.
"169. 58£. It's bloody 170£, Ria!"
"Language," I chimed in response.
"Fuck that shit! I am so not paying 170 pounds for a tiny burger and some soggy fries," she grumbled.
"You're the wife of a multi millionare, Paige. Pull out the cash," I smiled at her furious expression.
"You're a fucking billionare. Your grandpa was a billionare and your boyfriend is a billionare! It would make more sense if you pull out the cash."
"This one's on you," I said.
"Fine," she said as she slammed the bills on the table, "But, you better watch your back."
"I will, don't forget the tip. And, I ain't got no boyfriend."
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The rest of the day was pretty much boring; meetings and the piled up paperwork.
It was around five in the evening and I was busy wrapping up for the day when someone knocked on my door.
"Come in," I called out.
"Ma'am there is a certain Mr. Jason Jacobs who is insisting on meeting you," my assistant said.
"Jacobs? Let him in."
A few seconds later, a light knock was heard and the door was pushed open.
"Hello Miss. Khanna," he greeted me as he took a seat.
"State your purpose," I said still shuffling around with the papers.
"I want to take my mom back with me."
"Give me one damn reason to let you take her away," I said and he looked surprised.
"She is my mom. It's our family decision, you got no say in this," he answered.
"Family? Last I remember, she didn't have a husband and her son was too busy to visit her."
"I had some problems."
"Problems? You had problems for seven freaking years?! Not a single message, no festive greeting, no gifts, nothing! And now you pop out of nowhere and expect me to let her go with you. Who gave you the news about her health anyways?"
"I am not here to answer your questions, Miss Khanna."
"I am not here to tolerate your bullshit. You've wasted enough of my time. If you're done, get lost."
"I will go to the police!" he threatened.
"Go ahead," I smirked at his shocked face, "You are threatening the wrong person. I am not scared of anybody."
"That's good to know."
I frowned at his answer.
"Glad that we're on the same page; now leave," I ordered.
"I will take her back at any cost," he said.
"I will only let her go with you if she wants to. I don't care if you have the damn world on your side, if she doesn't want to go, then she fucking won't."
I noticed the way his jaw clenched and his hand shook. He shoved it in his pocket quickly and turned to leave.
Just as he pulled the semi- transparent glass door open, he turned towards me and said, "I'll definitely win."
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"Pasta?"
"Not today," I said dismissing Zeeve and turned back to my macbook.
"Is something wrong, kitkat?"
"Nope. Just a lot of work."
"Stop lying," he chided.
"I am not," I said not meeting his eyes.
"Kitkat," his tone was strict like he was scolding a naughty school child.
"I. . . to-today is the day they changed."
"Changed? Who darling?"
"My parents," I amswer, my voice barely above a whisper.
Walking over to me, he quietly lifted me and took my place on the chair, before placing me back on his lap, sideways.
I leaned against him, my hands around his waist and my head on his shoulder.
"You want to talk about it?"
Taking in a deep breath, I tried to gather all my courage before speaking.
"It was roughly three months after I had left London," I began and he immediately tensed up, remembering what caused me to take such a hasty and harsh decision.
"Everything was normal, well except my life. My parents offered mixed reactions on my sudden return. The people in school always made fun of me, I was Miss. Loser for them. It was difficult to face so many things and nurse a broken heart at the same time. I had lost control over my emotions. Everything was just too much for me."
I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block out the memories.
"You don't have to, love."
"I want to."
All of this is weighing me down.
"There was no place I could find peace at. My mom used to taunt me at home and my dad avoided talking to me. I was almost used to their behaviour. One day, we got a call from a distant relative, informing us about my paternal grandfather's death."
"We immediately went there and my grandmom refused to let us in. After hurling a hell lot of insults at us, we left. The atmosphere in the house was very disturbed. That night during dinner, when I asked my dad to pass rice, hell broke loose."
I just laid my head on his chest listening to the regular beating of his heart.
"What did he do?"
"He blamed me for everything. His failed relationship with his family, his bad performance at work, his lack of interest in his family, I was suddenly the cause of it all. That night my parents told me that they didn't want me anymore. I was so confused Zeeve. I did not understand what I had done that had caused them to react this way. I was scared."
I never realised that I was crying till I noticed the wet patch on his tee-shirt. His grip around me was tight as he kissed my forehead and rubbed my back.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I did. I told Miranda about it. She and grandpa had decided to come to India and take me back. But two days, later Miranda called back and told me that he had passed away. Using up all my savings, I booked a ticket to London and came back here. . .forever."
It was silent as I finished talking. His hands were tight around me as he contiued comforting me.
"I am sorry you had to go through all of that," he said and kissed the top of my head.
"Don't be. It's all over."
"Let's make dinner together."
A little nod from me was all the motivation he needed and soon I was in his arms on our way to the kitchen.
As he whipped us a meal, I sat on the counter watching him and munching on the small slices of carrot he had cut for me.
Quite often, he would tap my nose or steal a kiss and flash me a beautiful smile.
"If you eat all of this, we can have a nice movie night," he said and I smiled liking the offer.
And that's just how we spent the entire night, cuddling under the warm blanket with some chocolates and James Bond in the background.
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Hello! *waves*
Do you think Ria should let Miranda go?
See you later!
Bye!