Page 16 of Born in Ruin

“Give us fifteen minutes,” she told Shawn, who nodded and left, but not before giving Ishaan’s latest suit, Armani this time, an approving glance. Say what you will about the ass, he wore the hell out of a suit.

“Let’s make this quick. I have work to get back to. What do you want?” she asked him, watching as he stood by the door, his hands shoved into his pockets. Frustrated energy crackled off him, roiling under his skin until she thought he might implode from it.

Mayukhi leaned back against her seat, her legs crossed as she watched him take in her domain. His gaze went to the dress mannequin in the corner, the large screen with the design board still up on it, her immaculately and obsessively neat desk with the laptop on it, and finally her.

“Are you free tonight?” He started to pace, controlled steps that took him from one end of her cabin to the other. He was starting to infect her with whatever negative energy he’d come in here infused with.

“No.”

“Make yourself free,” he ordered.

“Excuse me?” Mayukhi laughed. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“The man who has your family’s future in his hands.”

The stark reminder had her smile disappearing. “I have a collection to redesign. I have no time to socialise for the next one week at the minimum.”

“Make time.” His jaw flexed like he was grinding his teeth.

“Listen Adajania –“

“I’m not asking. I’m informing you. I’ll pick you up at eight tonight. Dress casual.”

“You can’t just-“

Again, he interrupted her. “I can just. Stop arguing, say yes, and then I’ll leave and you can get back to work.”

Mayukhi thought the top of her head was going to explode with the rage that boiled through her.

“Yes,” she snarled. “Now get out.”

“With pleasure.” He gave her a mocking bow before tossing something at her. “Catch!”

Mayukhi caught it reflexively, his aim sending it right to her. She looked up to glare at him but he was gone, the door swinging shut in his wake. Her fingers tightened around the tiny velvet box in her palm. Cursing, she opened it and blinked.

The brilliant round cut solitaire diamond ring nestled in it was blinding. She’d asked for ten carats but she might have gotten an easy thirty carats at least. Now, she was going to have to wear the bloody egg sized diamond. Fucking asshole.

NINE

Ishaan

Ishaan strode through the front of Mayukhi’s store, winking at her assistant who went fiery red and giggly at the gesture. The fury and frustration churning in his gut didn’t have any place on his face as he slipped his sunglasses on and strode out to where he’d parked his car. He was just beeping it open when he heard the clip of heels that signalled the Kraken’s arrival.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her cold, annoying voice feeling like someone had taken an ice pick to his brain.

“Wrong?” he asked, turning to lean against his car, his arms crossed over his chest.

“What’s wrong with you?” Mayukhi crossed her own arms, her ice blue linen pantsuit creasing with the gesture.

Ishaan paused. How did she know there was something wrong? Could she see the helpless rage, the pointless pain, the gnawing sense of failure that kept him up at night? How could she when no one else ever had?

“There’s nothing wrong with me, darling,” he drawled, smirking a little to make the vein in her forehead twitch. “But there are so many things right…”

Mayukhi didn’t bother to take the bait and get into an argument with him. She just continued to stare at him, a small frown pleating her forehead.

“If you’re having some kind of mental breakdown, please don’t do it in front of my store,” she said finally. “It’s bad for business.”

Ishaan smiled, the ice around his heart solidifying. “That’s what I like about you, Kraken. I always know exactly where I stand with you.”

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