Faking It With a Billionaire || MaAn

Chapter 57 | Anuj

I've been in boardrooms with some of the most intimidating people in the world, and I've never felt the kind of pressure I do right now. Stepping into the penthouse, knowing Anupama is somewhere in here ready to either crush my heart or help heal it, has me riddled with anxiety.

I'm ready to lay it all out on the line for her, but I can admit to myself that I'm terrified none of it will be enough. What if she can't get past the lies I told her to get her here? I'd thought I was telling small lies that wouldn't make a difference, but white lie after white lie has piled up. What if that isn't something she'll get past?

"Anupama?" I yell into the silent space. There's no sign of her anywhere. The place has been immaculately kept. I can't help the fear that bubbles in my chest that wonders if she's left. Hugo had told me she'd been here in my absence, but what if she'd snuck past him to get away?

My throat feels itchy as I take the stairs to her room two at a time. I wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow, but I couldn't waste another second. When she'd texted me that we needed to talk as soon as I got back, there was no way I could stay in San Jose another second longer.

Plus, I had company business to attend there—and personal business. Both were done. I made the deal, and I made sure that Vanraj won't ever be bothering Anupama or me ever again.

Now I just have to make sure Anupama wants to even stay with me, or if she wants to say fuck you to me and our entire family and leave for good.

I'm worried that's exactly what she's done when I find her room empty. I race into her closet, some tension leaving my body when I find her belongings all still tucked neatly inside.

Searching the rest of the upstairs, I retreat back downstairs. I hadn't checked the bedroom we shared because I figured she wasn't sleeping there. But maybe in my absence she'd decided she liked it better.

If that's the case and she does end up leaving me, I hope the sheets still smell like her. That I can pretend that her warm body is nestled into mine as I mourn what her and I could've been if I hadn't told her lies.

I'm about to walk into the bedroom when I hear music wafting out from my former office. I stop, wondering if that's where she's been hiding. My heart picks up pace at the thought. Because if Anupama is in there, it means she's found the last secret I'd been keeping from her.

It wasn't always supposed to stay a secret. I'd intended it to be a surprise one day, but not until I knew she was mine. Not for fake, but for real.

If I've been taught anything the last few days, it's that even the most carefully laid plans can backfire. I hesitantly open the door, my suspicions confirmed when my eyes land on Anupama working intently on something at a desk in front of the windows.

Even as I step into the room and close the door behind me, she doesn't look up. The music is too loud. She's too entranced with whatever she's working on to notice me. I'd give anything to close the distance between our bodies and bring her into my arms. I want to know what she's working on, what's got her so inspired that she hasn't answered any of my phone calls.

I use her being distracted to my advantage. I lean against one of the pillars, watching her in awe as she works hard at the task in front of her. She shades and erases at the project in front of her. The canvas she works on is massive, far larger than the sketchbook I normally see her work in.