“I, unfortunately, have another important meeting to get to, so I’ll leave you two to talk. If you’d like to have a chat withme, though I don’t think you’d need to, I’d be happy to set up another meeting for the two of us.”
She’s leaving me? Alone with Nathan?I begin to hyperventilate.
Nathan’s sharp gaze cuts to Radha. Waving a hand in my direction, he coldly asks, “Can she even handle it? I didn’t come here to be a training wheel for an intern, Mrs. Sharma. If you’re saddling me with someone clearly inexperienced, who couldn’t even properly introduce herself without stuttering, I have nothing else to discuss and will take my business elsewhere.”
I flinch so hard at his insult that my teeth chatter. Indignation boils in my veins, mixing with the rage I buried inside from our last encounter.
He’s become a worse asshole, if possible.
Contemptuous. Heartless. Pompous.
Honestly, I could keep going. And it’s only been a hot minute in his presence.
Suppressing the violent urge to throttle him, I keep my mouth shut to let Radha deal with his disrespectful decorum. Having been on thin ice for the last few months and finally earning a leeway to a life-changing opportunity, I can’t afford to create a scene. All my hard work will go down the drain.
I certainly don’t want him to see that his words affected me.
All those times we ran into one another, I was in a bad place and the opposite of confident and grace. It’s led him to believe I’m a wallflower whom he can break with spiteful words. Even though I haven’t done anything to earn it.
As soon as we’re alone, I’ll set him straight.
Instead of bowing down to him, Radha politely but firmly states, “You’re mistaken, Mr. Singhania. Arya is our full-time employee and has been with us for five years. She’s worked with many of our clients and they’ll sing nothing but herpraises. She’s the perfect fit for you. Rest assured, I’ll also be working alongside her and personally overseeing your case, Mr. Singhania. All I ask is that you have a discussion with her and if you’re still not convinced, I’m more than happy to give you other recommendations.”
Tension simmers in the room as Nathan takes his sweet-ass time. Until finally, he twists his chair to face me. Leaning back and crossing his legs, he flicks his wrist. “I’m all ears, Miss Chopra.”
“Perfect,” says Radha in relief. “I’ll let you two be.”
The door swings shut behind her after she exits.
Nathan’s index finger taps on his wristwatch while his icy gaze holds mine daringly. He doesn’t have to roam it down the length of my body to let me know he’s reliving the memory of me naked and writhing in his arms.
He arches one impatient brow.
Be professional, Arya.
Treat him like a potential client.
Your career is at stake.
Don’t lose your cal-
“You’re a prick,” my lips blurt out.
Time freezes, the tension thickening, pin-drop silence expands in the room, like a bomb is about to go off. Nathan’s unfairly handsome face is a mask of indifference, sending my heart pinballing around my chest.
He’s going to fire me.
Can a person be fired if they aren’t hired?
In slow motion, a cocky glint lights up his eyes and his mouth tips up on the side.
“Oh, angel,” he drawls in a husky timbre. “I’m the perfect gentleman. Don’t you remember?”
Chapter Twelve
Nathan
Of all the firms out there, Arya had to work at this one. I had successfully pushed her out of my mind long before the scandal disrupted my life and brought me here.
