Yuvaan's POV

"How is that not important, young man?" His sharp tone cut me off.

I think today, I will go to jail for murdering my client.

I fisted my hands on the table, and his eyes landed on them. I took a deep breath and unclenched my fists. He fixed his cold stare on me, his light grey eyes studying my face intently.

"I know this deal is important for you, Mr. Yuvaan, but nothing is more important than our families. I am impressed by your work and professionalism, but I would like to meet your wife first," he said as a matter of fact.

"I wasn't informed about a family meeting, Sir," I snapped back, and Heena facepalmed herself.

Why was this old hat so interested in my personal life? And what about Reyna? Does he even know who she is?

Instead of getting angry at my rude reaction, Mr. Rickard let out a deep chuckle, and Heena made a weird face at him. I knew I also shared the same expression as her. The other two men who had accompanied him, joined him and they had a good laugh marathon.

"Youth, I tell you. I will sign the deal, I see no problem in it, or any reason to refuse. But, I won't do it unless you bring your spouse along with you next time," he said cheekily.

He was getting on my nerves now.

"Relax, kid. I am only talking about your own sake. Though this is our first official meeting, I have seen your work, and I won't deny that you have the potential to get on the top. And by top, I mean the top. You get me? But in the pursuit of your material goals, don't forget about your personal happiness and health.

"I know we businessmen spend all day hogging and running behind money, but still put a lot of value in each others' families. Let me tell you why. It is because it helps people to put trust in a committed man easily than a bachelor. Since in the end, it is all about credence, and though the products and services we buy are lifeless, the memories and emotions attached to them are not.

"So, if you want to become the best in this field, keep your loved ones close, because you can never predict when your own employees or business partners might backstab you and throw you back at the starting point. Having at least one person to rely on is better than to have none."

What the hell was he talking about?

"Looks like you are confused, my boy. It is okay. I was also the same. I am telling you all this beacuse I don't want you to commit the same mistakes everyone else ends up doing, myself included. And I have learned it the hard way," he explained, his eyes though focused on my face were actually looking through me.

"I will try to keep my wife with me next time," I tried to reason and put an end to this useless talk.

Mr. Rickard shifted his focus back on me and gave me a knowing smile. "There is no such thing as 'try' in relationships, Yuvaan. It is either a 'Yes', or 'No'. Either you work hard wholeheartedly to maintain what you have, or lose everything."

Okay, so the old man has definitely lost it. He was taking a lot of time to sign that single piece of paper even after he said that he was impressed by me. What was he thinking?

"And when you learn that, nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem," our client added and got up from his seat.

I also snapped up from my chair and looked at him incredulously. "Sir, but the contract? You said you would finalise it," I said, my voice giving away my frustration.

"Oh, I did finalise it, but as I said earlier, no wife, no signature." He gave me a mischievous smirk and walked out, his men trailing behind him.

The moment he left, I kicked the chair in anger. It traveled across the room and banged against the wall, rotating a bit on its way. Heena came beside me and gave me a glass of water. I gulped it down and threw the glass on the floor.

She left and returned with a few pink and white tablets in her right hand and a bottle of water in another. I swallowed the medicine, and she gave me my fidget spinner back. I felt at home when the cold metal touched my palm, and my temper began to cool down with each rotation of the device.

"I will fucking kill him!' I yelled.

"He is our client," Heena deadpanned, earning a flat look from me.

"I know that, but what the fuck was his issue with my wife? I explained everything with so much effort, but the only thing he was focused on was Reyna. She did no work, so why was he giving her so much importance?"

"I think he meant something else."

"What exactly?" I turned my blazing gaze on her.

"I don't know," she replied plainly.

I rolled my eyes and smacked her on the head. "Monkey, I thought you were smart. Aren't you supposed to know all these things?"

"Why are you scolding me? You are my boss, right? Then why don't you know?" she retorted and poked my chest.

I huffed and slumped down in my seat. She stood beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. She told me to relax and that we would find a way through it.

"Why don't you just bring her then? It will be easier that way," Heena suggested.

"Fuck! She is not letting me live in peace even outside the country." I banged the armrest.

"Stop sulking. Just get her here, and get the damn sign. Don't let your ego get in your way."

I shot her a death glare, and she looked away. I did not want to do as Mr. Rickard told me to, but he looked so stubborn. I didn't understand any word of whatever gibberish he was saying. I felt like I was in a class of a language I didn't know.

"Come on, let's go. If we stay here, I am afraid you will jump out of the balcony." She grabbed my right arm and pulled me up from my seat.

I followed her silently and after saying goodbye to Mrs. Bridget, we exited the building. My whole mood was ruined and I blamed only one person. Reyna.

You just wait, wifey. When I return, I will make you sorry for even existing.

Heena told me to sit in her car and drove me to her hotel. We got in her room, and she ordered some food. After having a nice meal, she took me shopping and against my wishes, she made me buy a dozen of clothes.

Then, she gave me an address of a night club and told me to arrive there by 7 pm. I did as told and after getting ready in my hotel room, I reached the club. I wore a plain white long sleeved shirt and denim jeans, and kept my hair loose.

I shook my head when I saw the place. It literally screamed 'teenagers'. Still I got in and felt like an uncle between the human beings of all sex, high on their hormones.

I spotted Heena in a corner, sitting on a bar stool with a drink in her hand. I made my way towards her, maneuvering through the sweaty bodies and plopped down beside her. I asked her why she invited me in such a place, and she told me to wait for some time.

Just as the clock struck 8 pm, all of the teenagers left and people of my age and older started filing in. I raised my eyebrows in acknowledgement, and Heena grinned.

She pulled me on the dance floor and started moving my arms in different directions. I so wasn't in the mood for it. She made a weird face at me, and I gave in. I did a small dance, embarrassing her on purpose.

She hit me on the shoulder and then we danced professionally. I scolded her for wearing a very short dress, and she rolled her eyes. She said it was her life, and she could wear whatever she wanted.

Yeah, she was right. But she wasn't the one who had to carry her drunk self to her hotel with her tiny skirt rolling up every time. I had to do it! Moreover, there were a lot of guys who kept ogling at her, and I wanted to claw out their eyes.

When she started getting tipsy, I moved her away to sit on the sofa, and she fell unconscious the moment her head hit the soft surface. I wanted to curse at her, but she was asleep, so I saved it for when she woke up again.

I sat down beside her, and pulled out my phone from my pocket. I was not a party person, though I attended a lot of those thrown by my business partners. I just never liked being surrounded by too many people-that too unknown.

As I was playing on my phone, someone sat beside me and waved his/her hand in front of my face. I looked at the person, and my eyes widened when I saw my best friend in front of me.

"Shaurya! What are you doing here?" I hit him on the stomach.

"Ow, man. What a nice way to greet your only friend." He faked hurting. "I arrived here just a few hours ago."

"But why didn't you tell me?" I asked and felt Heena stir beside me.

"It was not planned, and I was urgently called for a case, but the date has been shifted to tomorrow due to some circumstances. And here I am."

I smiled at him, and told him about the meeting. He shook his head and suggested the same thing Heena said. He told me it would save me a lot of time to just do it. And there was no way Reyna could refuse me.

"Hey, monkey. Get up. I need a dance partner," Shaurya said and pushed Heena lightly.

She opened her eyes slowly, and when she saw Shaurya in front of her, she jumped on him. And puked. Yuck.

Shaurya hit her on her back and took her to the washroom. They returned after a few minutes, and Heena did not look guilty at all. She gave us a toothy grin and then ran towards the dance floor.

Shaurya shook his head and joined her. They kept dancing like maniacs while I enjoyed from the sidelines. They looked so happy and carefree, like nothing bothers them; I was jealous.

After about two hours of torture, Heena finally decided to stop. She stood in front of me and asked me how I was feeling. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Wasn't I supposed to enjoy?" I taunted.

"What a crybaby you are! I told you to dance, but you are so stuck up with yourself that you can't even appreciate others," she grunted.

Drunk Heena was really a pain in the ass. Normally, she was quite straightforward, but after a few drinks, there was just no filter on her mouth.

"It is okay, Heena. Relax." Shaurya came beside her.

"How is it okay, Shaurya bhaiyya (older brother)? Look at him. He is acting like it is the end of the world."

Shaurya pursed his lips, and then left for some time. He told us that he had someplace where we could go, and it would help me to get my mind off of useless things. We followed him and after about ten minutes of walking, we reached a small children's park.

I gave Shaurya a knowing smile and he returned the look. We sat down on a vacant seat and observed the kids playing. It was far better than that jam-packed pub.

Heena laid down her head on my shoulder and linked her right arm with my left. Shaurya was sitting on her left side, observing the children with a happy expression on his face.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright," Heena said.

"Hope so," I replied pensively.

"But I also want to meet your wife. I didn't get to attend your marriage because I was in the hospital."

"You didn't miss anything. There was nothing special to see as it is," I grumbled as Reyna's face flashed in front of my eyes.

Her stupid smiling face.

"Is it that bad?" She glanced at me.

"You won't understand."

"Why won't I?" she yelled.

"Let it be, Heena. Don't push him too much," Shaurya scolded her.

"Tell me na, bro. Why are you hiding it from me? Don't you trust me?" She pouted.

Heena was the same age as Reyna, and though she wasn't my real sister, the bond we shared was stronger than blood.

"Let's see what happens. I don't want to trouble your small brain with my problems," I teased.

She hit my chest and hugged me tightly. "You can always count on me. I will help you. You won't tell me, but I know you are not happy with your marriage."

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, and both of them nodded.

"All is well, bro. I am sure everything will turn out to be good in the end. Sometimes what we see as a curse is actually a blessing in disguise."

I widened my eyes at her. "When did you get so smart, Monkey?"

She gave me a murderous look and Shaurya also joined her in the teasing. She was a laughing mess within a few minutes. It helped me to get out of my dark thoughts swirling in my mind and enjoy the moment.

Blessing? Hell, no. Reyna was a curse, and I knew exactly how to get rid of it.

This chapter and the previous one were bonus updates as my birthday gift to you, my dear readers 💜

Share your thoughts about it, and let me know if you would like to read more chapters from Yuvaan's POV 😄