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Vihaan gave him a naughty wink.
“No,” Shaurya shook his head. “Not her, please. Not her. She’s—”
“—I know who she is,” Vihaan cut in. “And that’s why you know it makes perfect sense. I’ve delayed it long enough as it is because of you.”
Shaurya groaned. “Fuck! Myra is going to kill me when she finds out.”
But Vihaan wasn’t listening. His mind was fixed onher.
Her.
Tiya Sood. His hellcat.
Each time he thought of her, a strange spark of something went through him. Tiya Sood. There was no one like her. She was wild, naughty and had a mouth that could rattle anyone if they got on her wrong side. Without thinking, his lips began to tip up. But he halted the smile from forming. He’d left Tiya alone so far because she was Myra’s friend. However, if Dev Luthra was gunning for them then Vihaan would do anything to make him stop, including using Tiya Sood as a pawn. She was, after all, Jatin Sood’s only child. And a man would go to any lengths to make his only child happy.
Excitement buzzed through him. The more he thought of Tiya, the more he realized she could be the answer to everything. He could get Dev off their back if they bought her dad’s company and he could find out once and for all if Jatin Sood had a hand in his family’s downfall all those years ago. If only he could get her to date him for a while. As her boyfriend, he’d have direct access to her father.
But Tiya was not someone he could easily manage. She was sharp, intelligent and had an unshakable spirit. She was a firecracker. Making that hellcat fall for him was going to be a challenge. One that he was more than ready to take on.
2
Bad boys were not good for her.
Bad boys were dangerous.
Hewas danger spelt with a capital D.
She had to stay away…fromhim.
Tiya Sood repeated these lines like a mantra in her head as she enteredLa Soiree, Dubai’s most exclusive and premiere restaurant.Hisrestaurant. She looked around the place, searching for her mother. Brunch hour on a weekend was quite busy and it took her a moment to spot her mom, seated as she was at a table in the far corner. Her mom waved at her. Smiling, Tiya weaved her way through the tables to her.
Her heart began to thrum with the knowledge thathecould be here. That any moment, she’d end up bumping into him and that’d be it…she’d never be able to get him off her mind for days after that.
She exhaled. God! She was such a nutcase to be thinking of him all the time. She had to forget him. Hadn’t Myra, her best friend, warned her several times to stay away fromhim? Well, Myra was right. Tiya could and would stop thinking aboutthatbad boy.
Her mom stood up as she reached her, enveloping her in a hug. Tiya inhaled her mom’s special scent, and love flooded her heart for this one woman who meant the world to her.
“Hi, Mom,” Tiya greeted happily. “You look good.”
And she did look great. Her mom, Naina Sood, had an impeccable sense of style and she looked perfectly put together in grey trousers teamed with an off-white silk shirt. A black Chanel brooch was pinned on the side of her shirt and pearl Chanel earrings adorned her ears. Her hair was set in artful curls and wide black Dior sun glasses were stylishly perched on the top of her head. Tiya had inherited her mom’s glowing fair complexion and anyone looking at them would be able to guess they were mother and daughter. They had the same wide forehead, tip tilted eyes, the same full mouth and sharp jawline.
Her mom’s dark eyes, the exact shade of brown as Tiya’s, twinkled as she assessed her. She pushed Tiya’s long bangs to the side of her forehead, before kissing her cheek. “Finally, you’re back. I’m glad you could make it today. Come, let’s sit.”
Tiya took a seat in front of her mom, studying her.
“Well, I’m here,” Tiya began. “Considering we live in the same house and yet you asked me out to lunch today, without Dad, I can only assume you want to talk about something. So, out with it, Mom.”
Her mom arched a brow. “First of all, why can’t a mother want to have lunch with her only child? And second, your dad and I live in that house. You, however, are a guest in your own home. You literally use it as a hotel, checking in and out as you please.”
Tiya grimaced. “I’m working, Mom, and it’s the wedding season. I have brides to dress daily. Plus, my hair and makeup academy works six days a week. Our batches are full and I have people waitlisted for the next course.”
“You work too hard on this…this…” Her mom waved her hand dismissively. “…bridal business. You’re like a hired help at those rich people’s weddings. You ought to be socializing as one of them, not working for them, you know. We have more money than we know what to do with. Yet you continue demeaning yourself and us with your chosen profession. I hate it that you’re at the beck and call of these women who only know how to bitch and complain. Thank God, you stopped all the salon services. I was tired of all the deliberate complaints they made about your services in my presence.”
Tiya exhaled. “It wasn’t like I was personally doing the mani-pedis. I had staff who did it. And I don’t quite understand what you have against a salon. It’s a perfectly respectable business.”
“Not in my circle, it isn’t.” Her mom made a face. “I used to hate it when my friends came to get services done from you. They’d talk about it for days.‘Oh, Naina’s daughter cut my hair too short’, or‘Her staff ruined my nails; they’re so brittle now’. It was awful to deal with.”
Her mom was great but at times, her snobbery went a tad bit too far. Tiya was bloody good at what she did. Her salon appointments used to be choc-a-bloc. But then she got so busy with her bridal appointments that it became impossible to cope with the salon, and hence she’d decided to shift focus on her hair and makeup academy, and bridal services instead. And she loved it with a high passion. Unfortunately, her parents didn’t agree with her.
