Page 57 of Carnal Games

“I don’t bend my rules for anyone.”

My shoulders slump when his gaze cuts to the papers scattered on the table, dismissing me.

I thought Nathan would be my biggest obstacle in my secret investigation. Turns out, it’s Kian himself.

“I’m sure you can find your way out as tenaciously as you sneaked in, Miss Mannan.”

His cold brush-off makes tears burn my eyes.

He crushes my silly teenage dreams with a verbal punch.

As I gather my purse and stand on wobbly legs, feeling the burn of embarrassment, I realize with clarity that the media isn’t always wrong.

Kian Singhania is a callous and vicious man.

I’m no one special to him.

I mayneverbe.

***

“How long will you stay in the States?”

Nathan twirls a lock of my hair between his fingers while standing close to me. The act is more for my best friends’ benefit, who are lounging in the living room of my new apartment behind us.

After a lot of thinking, I’ve decided to move in. I needed a little boost of confidence after this morning’s shit show of a meeting. Moving in right next to Kian is my act of defiance.

This’ll show his ass how far and deep I can sneak into his life.

“Four months,” answers Nathan. “Maybe more.”

“Is that how long it takes to close a merger?” I can’t help but gasp.

When Nathan said he’s going on a business trip to the US, I assumed it’ll be for one or two weeks. That’s how long he’s gone in the past.

“I have to observe them on-site, finish due diligence of their accounts, and negotiate before we close the deal. It’s a slow process.”

“Oh.”

Humor flickers in his gaze and he tugs the strand. “Gonna miss me?”

Besides Rosalie and Bianca, Nathan is my only closest friend. It’ll be the first time we won’t see each other for this long. Heck, an entire season.

Since both the girls got married and have a family, their routine and priorities have completely changed. We don’t hang out together as often as when we were single.

I’ve become the odd one out.

Honestly, I’ve always been the odd one. An outsider. Purely because of our polar opposite upbringing. As tight-knit the three of us are, the difference is always there in the background. It’s in the little reminders. Like when we go shopping or on a lavish brunch.

Neither of them ever looks at the price tags.

The restaurants we go to don’t even have the prices written inside on the menu. They drive their own cars while I have to travel in a cab, not even an autorickshaw because the places and clubs we go to are high-class. My savings go into the fare and I barely have money left to pay for my share in the bill, not that they ever ask for it.

The few times I’ve tried, they never accept it. No matter how hard I try. After a while, I stopped trying.

Does it make me a bad and selfish person?

“Well, duh,” I mumble to Nathan. Tapping his chest, I tease, “You’re going to miss me too when women fawn over you and I won’t be there to keep them away. Or,” I quirk a brow, “that’s exactly what you want. No one will know you’re engaged.”

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