Page 44 of Forged By Fate

“Wow! Thank you for showing me my place, Mr C. But I don’t give a fuck about what you think. I don’t need your permission to do what’s right for my client, and as for her needing Sarang’s help to advance her career, you just sit back and watch that girl go places without his help,” I said coldly.

I sighed heavily and ran a hand over my face wondering how we’d managed to muck things up on such a grand scale.

“Sarang is one of my best friends, Sunaina. How do you think he felt when he saw that my wife had helped his wife to make a public statement at his expense?”

“Ohmigod!Do you men think the world revolves entirely around you? Tarana was a goddamn amazing singer even before she married Sarang. This talent didn’t just sprout inside her as a result of the wedding pheras. She has every right to showcase her talent however she likes. I know you’re too old to understand the power of social media, but it is one of the fastest ways for a creator to get visible. Maybe that pisses you and Sarang off because you men don’t get to gatekeep the music industry anymore, but that’s your problem, not ours.”

It pissed me off no end that she’d just called me old and out of touch with the world. With her world. But she wasn’t done.

“And FYI, please get it through your thick head that I wasn’t trying to interfere in your business when I said I have the perfect lead singer for Tanvir’s band. I was pitching my client to you. When you bigshots pitch ideas to each other at parties and over a game of tennis, it’s called networking. But if a small fry like me does it, you get on your high horse and call it unprofessional. Double standards, much?” she said, before she grabbed a change of clothes from the walk-in closet and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” I asked in surprise.

“I’m sleeping in Daya Bua’s suite tonight,” she replied coldly.

“Like hell you are,” I snarled. “I won’t let you mess with Aisha’s future just because you’re pissed with me.”

“Oh, please! I don’t think Tahira or Laxmi Aunty will think of spying on me there.”

“Is your ego more important to you than Aisha?” I asked.

Because that’s what it came down to - were we capable of putting our egos aside for her sake?

“Fine! Then I’ll sleep on the floor, but I’m not sharing a bed with you,” she snapped.

“Don’t be a child, Sunaina,” I said, rolling my eyes.

If looks could kill, I’d be lying on the floor with my head blown off, but Sunaina merely stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door as hard as she could.

CHAPTER 22

SUNAINA

Istood under the boiling hot shower for ages, tears streaming down my face. I wiped them away angrily, but they wouldn’t stop flowing.

I didn’t know why I was crying. Was it anger? Maybe.

Viren was acting like I’d done something very unethical when it was just a little sneaky. I was sure he had done a lot worse. You couldn’t build an empire like his if you weren’t a complete shark. Would he have spoken to Tahira like this if she’d been in my place? Of course not! He’d probably give her a higher stake in his company as a reward. But just because I was a nobody from nowhere, he made me feel like dirt because I saw an opportunity for my client and pounced on it.

It wasn’t even as if the collab hurt Tanvir or Silver’s brand in any way. Viren needed a singer and I found him one. He was just too obstinate to accept that the idea he rejected without even considering had turned out to be a winner.

But that wasn’t why I was crying. At least, it wasn’t the only reason I was crying. I was crying because I was a fucking fool. Life had shown me over and over that there was never going to be a happy ending for me. The best I could expect from life was to be allowed to survive. And despite knowing that, I had dared to dream of joy based on just one night of spectacular sex.

What did I expect? That I was blessed with a magic vagina that would make Viren fall in love with me overnight. Men like him did not build a future with a woman like me. They had flings with women like me and gave their ever-afters to women like Tahira, who fit into their world because they were born into it.

I cried for all the things I would never have, and I cried for all the humiliation that was still in store for me because I was not the type to give up easily. If Viren and Sarang wanted a fight over this collab with Tanvir, Tarana and I would bring it.

I pushed my hurt down and forced my anger to the fore because that’s what I needed right now to walk out of this bathroom with my head held high and share a bed with the man who had just shown me my place in his life.

I knew he was awake when I climbed into bed, but he said nothing. I faced the other side and tried to slow my breathing, taking extra care not to touch him at all. I had no hopes of falling asleep that night, but I must have done so at some point because when I opened my eyes again, it was morning, and I was back in the same position as yesterday morning - on my side and being spooned by Viren, with his arm firmly around my middle.

Damn it! We must have gravitated towards each other in our sleep. I enjoyed the warmth of his embrace for a few precious seconds before I pushed his arm away. I didn’t care if I woke the asshole, I decided, as I stomped around the room gathering my clothes for the day. I made as much noise as I could, and even slammed the bathroom door for good measure.

I showered and dressed as quickly as I could before I headed downstairs for breakfast. Viren was still asleep when I left the room. I grabbed a bowl of poha from the kitchen and took it to the garden where I curled up in a big wicker chair and called Tarana.

“Thank God you’re still alive,” I said dryly when she answered.

“Ehh, what are they going to do? Starve me to death because I made a viral reel?” she asked with a bleak laugh.

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