Starlight and Secrets

Chapter 4

The elevator chimed, followed by footsteps, sharp and deliberate as they echoed across the marble floor. Then his door swung open, her perfume filled the room in an instant.

He didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

"Miss Patel," he said quietly. "I wasn’t expecting you."

"Clearly," she replied simply. With annoyance written all over her face, yet her voice was smooth and calm.

"You missed the luncheon with my family," she said.

“I know,” Cassian replied.

"You missed my father’s calls too."

“I know that too,” he said.

"And countless ones from me, including texts in which I said we should talk."

Cassian was quiet, he was guilty as charged.

“Do you have an idea what kind of mess you have created? My parents asked me where you were. I told them you were working on a project and you were probably busy. I lied to them, Cassian… and all the while you were busy, yea? But I know it wasn't about work, you were busy with”…

She stopped herself from uttering more words.

Cassian turned sharply. "Say it."

….." With her," she said, finishing the sentence.

The room felt warmer instantly. The air became thicker.

“That’s not…. That’s ….” Cassian stuttered as he tried to form words.

"Don’t lie to me," Nadia said, her voice shaky now. "Not after I have had to lie on your behalf."

He exhaled slowly, the exhaustion of having to deal with the aftermath of what he had done kicking earlier than expected.

"You should not have had to," he finally said.

“Oh don’t start playing noble now," she snapped. You disappeared from the gala, were nowhere to be found the whole night. I had to offer an explanation when being asked about your whereabouts, all the while smiling for the camera like nothing was wrong and this is all you could say? Show me some courtesy.”

She wasn’t having it.

"I didn’t ask you to." He reiterated.

“No, you never asked me to, but you sure knew I would, right? You knew I’d fix it right? Because that’s what I do, I fix my s**t and yours, and you have done nothing more than destroy all I have fixed”.

"It’s not like that," he stammered.

“Then what is it like? At least give me the courtesy of being frank with me”.

She spoke, her voice twitching with pain. No number of words could explain what she felt.

“Do you even realize what your absence meant today? My father thinks you are losing interest in the merger. He feels you are looking for a reason to call it off”.

“About some time, someone noticed something around here. Maybe I want to. Maybe this whole arrangement was doomed to fail from the start”.

She stared at him for a moment, trying to process the whole situation, but could barely come to a conclusion on what he really wanted.

“So you want to rebel and call off the merger worth billions for a girl you have barely known for only a day”?

"Not for her, I want my freedom too. I am tired of being told what to do and how to do it. And if this is the only way, then so be it."

“You know, this is not just about you. I hope you remember that I am involved too, if you care to know. I hope she’s worth it”.

“Stop involving her in this, this is not about her. Leave her alone. He said with his voice going up by a note.”

Nadia noticed the way he defended her. She was not a fool; she knew he cared about this so-called mystery girl, perhaps more than he cared about her. This thought made her jealous and she hated her.

“Oh wow”. She said and nothing more.

The words struck Cassian in the heart. He realized that he had raised his voice at her when he spoke about Evie. He comported himself. There was silence for a minute or two.

"I didn’t ask for this life, Nadia," he said, finally breaking the silence.

“And you think I did? You think I love what I do? Spending my life smiling for men three decades older than me just to make my father’s company look progressive? Or to be the perfect accessory for Warren’s heir? Don’t mistake my compliance for choice”.

“What do you mean by ‘look progressive’?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It’s nothing; it’s just a statement," she replied”, looking away.

"Okay," he said, but to him, it was not only a statement. "Why then do you stay?"

“Because, if I don’t, someone else will. She said simply. I know how to play their games. I also know how to win”.

He admired her for what she had just said. Although he didn’t show it, he did. She looked like she already got everything figured out.

He drew closer to her, stopping just a few inches away, just enough to catch the glimmer in her eyes. He held her waist.

Her heart skipped a beat. She swallowed hard. She looked at him.

"You don’t have to win alone, he said,

She looked at his face, there was seriousness written all over it. She swallowed hard again. There was silence again, but it wasn’t empty. Many thoughts flashed through her mind as she stared at him.

"What happens now"? She asked after finding her voice.

"We play along, we keep pretending for now until we can figure something out," Cassian said, pulling her close to him. Her breath trembled.

"And what.. wh… what about her?" She asked, looking deeply into his eyes.

He didn’t reply. Not because he didn’t want to, he just didn’t have any answer to the question. He pulled her closer, and they locked in a warm embrace. He pecked her forehead, then her cheek and then her upper lip and gave her a nod of assurance.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said simply.

"And your dad?" she added.

"I’ll take care of him as well." She let out a scoff.

"You never could," she said, smiling.

"I am not him," Cassian said with a frown forming on his face.

"Yet you were built in his image." And for some reason, he agreed with her. All he ever knew was taught to him by his father, and it was safe to say he was a carbon copy.

Nadia broke the embrace.

"You do what you have to do, I’ll take care of my own end." She picked up her bag and turned to leave. She stopped at the door. She turned and looked at him.

“You know, I once thought we were allies, but I think we could be more.” The door clicked shut.