Bhumi's POV!

"I will go and get it. I have already developed the characters for the game. You guys can take a look at that," I said and ran out of the conference room to get my laptop from Aryamann's cabin.

My heart is thumping like crazy, and I still can't believe it.

Ansh is back!

My Ansh!

He came back for me!

He kept his promise!

I took the laptop from Aryamann's desk quickly and ran back to the conference room like a maniac.

As I entered the room, I heard Aryamann's booming voice.

"She is not coming, and that's final."

The atmosphere was tense. Ansh had a confused look on his face, and Aryamann was brooding, for god knows why.

Daksh bhaiyya looked cool, and Gaurav had a smirk on his face.

What the hell is going on?

"Everything alright, guys?" I asked as I walked in, taking a look at all the faces.

"Just peachy," Gaurav said, shrugging his shoulders casually.

I shook my head and walked towards the seat I previously occupied, which is next to Ansh.

But as I was about to sit down, Aryamann pulled me towards the seat next to him.

I frowned at him in confusion.

"I want to see what you have worked on," he said without looking at me, and I nodded.

Why is he behaving so weirdly?

Two hours passed, discussing the project and the work so far completed by me.

"So all these years, you were working on this project? That was really unexpected, Bhumi bear," Ansh said, smiling emotionally, looking at me.

His smile filled my heart with warmth, as it always does.

"Of course I did. Because I knew that you would be wanting to work on this once you get everything back from that basta*d and complete our revenge," I said, gritting my teeth, just thinking about what happened eight years ago.

"What revenge?" Aryamann asked, looking at me, and I tensed.

Damn it, Bhumi! Get a hold of your tongue! Where is your brain?

I chuckled nervously, not knowing what to say.

"Ansh, you found me here by accident. That means you were not trying to find me," I asked, suddenly feeling deflated that our meeting was unexpected.

"What?? That is ridiculous, Bhumi bear. You think I wouldn't search for you? I have private investigators searching for you everywhere in Pune. Damn! I should have guessed, you will come back to Mumbai," he said.

"Pune? Revenge? What the hell is going on here? Can you people at least tell me how the hell are you two related?" Aryamann asked in an irritated voice.

"I am her-" whatever Ansh was going to say, I cut him off before he could finish it.

"Friend," I completed, which earned me a frown from both Aryamann and Ansh.

"Friend?" Aryamann asked.

"Yeah. Childhood friends. Long lost friends. You can call it whatever you want," I said with a tense shrug.

The meeting was over soon, and it was lunchtime already.

"Bhumi, come let's go out for lunch," Aryamann said, taking my hands in his.

"Uh! Aryamann?" Ansh called him.

"Yes, Ekansh," Aryamann responded, not so pleasantly, making me frown.

"If you don't mind, I would like to take Bhumi out for lunch. We need to catch up on a lot," Ansh asked, and Aryamann's grip on my arms tightened.

"I am sorry, Ekansh-" Aryamann started protesting.

"Aryamann please. It has been so long," I said, and he looked at me in disbelief.

"Whatever," he said tightly, left my hand, and walked out of the conference room angrily.

Why the hell is he angry now?

Aryamann's POV!

I walked out of the conference room and straight into my cabin.

As soon as I entered the cabin, the first thing that entered my vision was the tea table near the couch. And it became the victim of my anger.

I broke it with a kick.

The glass pieces scattered across the floor, the sound reaching outside, causing my PA to rush in.

"Mr. Mehrotra? What happened?" She asked, looking at the scene in horror.

I tried to compose myself as much as possible.

"Get someone to clean it," I said and walked out of my cabin.

Daksh went home to have lunch with Ishitha, and Gaurav had gone off somewhere else.

I was alone, as my wife preferred to dine out with another man!

The emotions I saw in their eyes when they looked at each other were choking me.

Why was I feeling this way?

I couldn't understand.

As I stepped out of the office building, I spotted Bhumi and Ekansh entering the restaurant right across the Mehrotra building.

And some masochistic part in me urged me to follow them into the restaurant.

"Mr. Mehrotra. Please come in. Mrs. Mehrotra just went in now. Shall I guide you to their table?" The manager asked, too eager to please.

"No. I would like to dine alone," I said coldly, and the manager looked at me awkwardly.

Of course, they would be thinking now that Bhumi is cheating on me, and I am here to spy on her.

Nonsense!

I might be angry with her, but I wouldn't let any harm come to her reputation.

"I would like to have my lunch soon. My wife is meeting up with her childhood friend after a long time. They have so much to catch up on, and it would take time," I said, and it felt weird to give explanations to someone.

I had never found it necessary to explain anything regarding my life to anyone.

I don't owe anyone an explanation.

But Bhumi's reputation is more important than my arrogance.

The manager guided me to a table, and I was thankful because it was in a corner, hidden from others, but I had a perfect view of the other tables.

I could see Bhumi and Ekansh, sitting across from each other and having a very serious conversation.

I could clearly see the varying emotions on their faces, ranging from worry to anger to shock to .....love?

It was so darn clear from the look on Ekansh's face that he adores Bhumi.

It was in the way he looks at her. In the way he smiles at her.

I didn't notice when the waiter appeared with my food, or when I even started eating.

My eyes were fixed on the duo, sitting a few feet across me, lost in their own world.

Will she go back to him after the contract ends?

Will she marry him after the one year period?

So? What if she does? How is that any of your business? My subconscious mind taunted me.

I don't care. What she does after the contract period ends is none of my business, I argued back.

"Mr. Mehrotra, would you like to have some dessert?" The waiter asked when he came to clear the plates.

"No. Get me the bill," I ordered in my usual cold tone, and the poor guy scrambled back to get the bill ready.

I watched as Ekansh ruffled Bhumi's hair, and she swatted his hands away, although there was a fond smile playing on her lips.

She loved that gesture. It was clear from her face.

I hardened by heart, an organ I thought I don't possess anymore, against whatever feelings were brewing for Bhumi inside me.

No woman is worth those feelings.

Not even Bhumika Basu.

I slipped my credit card towards the waiter and walked out of the restaurant, realising that they didn't even notice me!

I huffed in irritation.

It doesn't matter to me anymore.

Bhumika Basu means nothing to me!

Bhumi's POV!

"Spill," Ansh said, and I looked at him in confusion.

We are in a restaurant near Mehrotra Industries, having lunch.

Aryamann walked out of the office, and I have no idea where he is?

"Spill what??" I asked, making an innocent face.

"About your marriage with Aryamann," he asked, and I stiffened.

"What is there to say, Ansh? We met. We fell in love and we got married. Happily ever after," I said, with too much cheer in my voice.

"Really, Bhumi! You damn well know I can spot it from a mile away when you are lying. We might have been apart for eight years, but that doesn't mean I forgot anything regarding you. So, now tell me the truth. What is going on in your life," he asked in a calm tone, and I sighed.

"It started with a dare-" I started narrating everything from my first meeting with Aryamann, up until now.

Once I finished telling him about what happened in the past seven to eight months, he was staring at me with a blank look.

"Say something, please Ansh," I begged.

"What do you expect me to say?" He asked blankly.

"Something. Anything??" I pleaded.

"How could you be so foolish, Bhumi?" He scolded me.

He is angry. He never calls me Bhumi. Unless he is angry with me.

"I had to," I said in a low voice.

"Damn it. You don't have to do this anymore Bhumi. I am back. I will take care of everything," he said, taking my hands in his.

"No Ansh. I can't back off from the deal. I will have to pay a compensation of two million dollars if I do so," I said.

"That's absolutely fine. I will pay him back. We are ending this deal now," he said adamantly.

"No Ansh. I can't let you spend that big of an amount on me," I said, not wanting to back off from the deal.

It is not about the money anymore!

Somewhere along the way, I did the one thing I wasn't supposed to do.

I fell in love with my pretend husband!

"Damn Bhumi. You are a Mittal. Whatever belongs to me, belongs to you too. And why the hell did you tell Aryamann that I am your friend and not your brother?" He asked in exasperation.

"He can't know. He can't know that I am a Mittal," I said, shaking my head.

"Why the hell not?" He asked, confused out of his wits.

"Daksh Mehrotra is married to Ishitha Adani," I said, and he choked on the water he was drinking.

"Ad- Adani? Are you sure?" He asked, recovering soon, and I nodded, confirming it.

"Have you met them? Oh god Bhumi! You are a replica of Maanasi chachi. They might have recognized you," he said anxiously.

"They didn't, Ansh. But they were suspicious. And that's why I don't want anyone to know that I am a Mittal. They might make the connection soon," I said, making my point.

"God! This is so complicated," he said, shaking his head in worry.

"I met the Kaurs too," I whispered softly.

"Great! How the hell did you manage to get tangled up in this? Seriously Bhumi?" He asked, staring at me in disbelief.

I sighed.

I myself have no idea how!

"Anyways, leave it at that. Let us not make it any more complicated than it already is. So, what are your plans this evening?" I asked, changing the topic.

"We are going to Bangalore. Related to business," he said.

"We?" I asked.

"With Mehrotras," he said.

"Oh!" Aryamann didn't say anything about leaving for Bangalore.

"Why the frown?" He asked.

"Nothing!!" I said with a tight smile.

"He planned to bring you too with us. I mean, I guess that was his plan. From what Gaurav told, that seemed to be Aryamann's plan. But he changed his decision after today's meeting," he said.

"Why??" I asked in confusion.

"I am not sure, but I might have an idea," he said with a smirk on his face.

"And what is that?" I asked.

"You will know soon, Bhumi bear," he said, ruffling my hair.

I swatted his hands away from my hair and made an irritated face at him. But I secretly love it when he does that. I feel so loved.

Don't you guys feel that when big brothers do that? Though we won't show it to them.

A/N

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