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“You do know you can’t hide this for long. As a matter of fact, if she finds this truth through someone else, she will be broken. And it will be a far worse consequence, which you might not be ready for.”
God! Why is he being so persistent? How do I tell him that Alisha and I still haven’t bridged the gap between us, and the last thing I need is for her to find out the truth?
“Maybe I will speak to her tonight over dinner,” I tell him awkwardly, grimacing at the thought that I am a shitty liar.
I wait as the line goes silent. He lets out a sigh which tells me he is still there. Finally, he says after a few moments. “Just don’t hold it for long, Son. With my experience, I can say that building a relation on buried secrets is like building castles on the shore. Just one tide is enough to break whatever you have built. Remember, you are in this marriage to grow closer and not sweep things under the rug. It will only ruin the trust.”
Damn! Now I am feeling guilty because there is an underlying truth in grandpa’s voice. It makes me feel like a complete jerk, but there is more at stake than just telling Alisha the truth. I can’t tell her. It’s unpredictable what her reaction will be. And I can’t risk that. I can’t risk losing her.
“I’ll confide in her soon.” I decide to keep my reply simple.Will it matter if Alisha learns the truth?I don’t see much of a harm in keeping my secret.
“Okay, I won’t pressurise you more. Just keep in mind what I said. We will talk soon, Son. I have a few meetings to tend to.”
“Love you, Grandpa, and see you soon,” I say as I disconnect the call.
After hanging up, I get back to my work. A few hours later, I am in my car on my way home to my wife. The smile that had disappeared earlier appears back as I make a few calls and order more stuff for her, totally aware that it’s going to make her angry all over again. But I don’t care. Nothing will stop me from pampering and spoiling my wife rotten. I am more than ready for her protests as I pull up to my house.
My smile transforms into a frown when I don’t find her car. I look at my wrist watch; it’s eleven in the night. Then I remember that last night, when I picked her from her parents’ house, she left her car there. And today morning, my driver dropped her off to work. Maybe she still didn’t pick up the car from her parents’ house. The thought relieves me. That works better for me. I can convince her to continue using the driver and the car I bought for her.
But when I enter the house and see that Alisha isn’t anywhere, my heart pounds frantically in my chest. Pacing in the living room, I pull out my mobile and call her, but she doesn’t answer. I leave countless messages but no response. Damn! Where the hell is she? Calling her parents at this hour will only stress them. I need to go search for her myself.
Picking up my keys from the coffee table, I am about to walk to the door when I find Alisha stepping in right at that moment. I come to a dead stop, relieved and at the same time, confused. When my eyes rove over her, I realise there is something off about her attire. Why the hell is she dressed like this? This is not what she wore when she left the house. The knee length skirt with a white silk shirt is hugging her curves, making her look sexy as hell.
“Where were you?” I ask, trying my best to keep my anger in check.
Alisha blinks at me nervously as she grips the sides of her skirt. That’s the cue that I’m not going to be happy with her reply. “I was at my dad’s bar, helping the staff serve the table.”
What the hell! She was fucking serving tables? She is my wife! Has she forgotten that? My jaws tic at the thought of drunk guys seeing her dressed like this. It makes my blood boil.
“You were serving tables?” I ask. I’m sure I didn’t hear her correctly.
Her face turns pale. “Yes, I...” She pauses, taking a breath. “I was there to help Dad with the back-office paperwork, but it was crowded today, and we were short of one staff who had to leave on an emergency, that’s why I thought of filling in.”
I walk towards her. She automatically takes a step back, and her back hits the wall. Putting my hands on either side of her head, I cage her. “Does your dad know you were serving tables? Was he even there?” I ask, knowing her father will surely would not know about this.
“No,” she replies, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “I offered to help,” she whispers. I am fuming with rage by now. Just then, tears begin to fall from her beautiful eyes, causing my gut to clench.
Leaning forward, I wipe her tears with the pad of my thumb then tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and run my fingers down her cheek. “You’re my wife.”
I have never been proprietorial. I don’t give credit to such behaviour, but I need her to understand what she means to me. I want her to act in accordance to keep me in my sanity.
It’s sure as hell going to be a long torturous night. I just hope by the end of it, Alisha complies with me, which is most unlikely, or else I will have to come up with an evil plan to make it work my way. Either way, I will have my way this time. There is no other option. No way in hell will I let her be alone in that bar. Period.
Chapter 20
Alisha
“I am your wife,”I mimic his words, instantly feeling guilty for keeping this from him. Even though I know there is nothing wrong with helping my dad, I should tell him. Wife or no wife, he has no choice but to deal with the fact that I will be assisting my dad. However, I am not able to voice any of this at the moment. All I can feel is my emotions oscillating, as I am still reeling from the shock of him caging me between the wall and his muscular body.
“I don’t like the idea of anyone but me seeing you like this,” he says as his eyes roam over me slowly.
His gaze is penetrating and direct, stirring desire and fear within me. “Ranveer, it’s not like I will be serving tables every day. My work is mostly in the back-office, handling Dad’s account. Today was an uncalled emergency, which I couldn’t turn a blind eye to,” I explain as I place my hands on his chest, giving it a slight push to create a bit of distance between us, not to mention that his nearness is driving my hormones to do a wild dance. But he doesn’t budge.
“You are not stepping in the bar.” His voice is soft and dangerous.
I blink my eyes rapidly as I can feel my temper slowly rising. “You can’t control my life, Ranveer. It’s my decision to make.” I take a deep shaky breath, trying to weigh down my fury. “Listen, I am sorry. I know I should have informed you about joining my dad. But it just slipped out of my mind. Regardless of what you say, I am going to continue working at the bar.”
He clenches his jaws as he narrows his eyes on me. “And what makes you think I don’t have rights over my wife, especially if the matter is regarding her safety? Mrs Alisha Ranveer Seth, you may have forgotten, but let me remind you that my name is attached to yours, which clearly spells out that you are very much a part of me.”
