Aurous Charms

17| A Desperate Plea

Published on 26th August 2024.
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♡⁠ Everyone wants a love that shines
But such a treasure's hard to find ♡

- A K R I T I -

I watched Mr Oberoi's car drive away. My heart was still racing from the ridiculous turn of events, and I could barely believe what Shlok had just done. Engaged?

What on earth had possessed him to say something like that?!

As soon as we were alone, I turned to Shlok. "Engaged? What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I—"

"No, seriously! What the hell is wrong with you? How could you just... say that? In front of your client!"

He had his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. It just... slipped out."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. "Slipped out? You don't just slip out a lie like that, Shlok!"

"I know... I know. But Mr. Oberoi - he saw us fall, and it looked bad. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want him to think you're another rumoured girlfriend of mine. You don't know but the media has done enough damage to my image, and I didn't want to lose this deal, that too when I have no fault."

"Oh..."

He sounded too genuine with this.

But...

Why did he have to drag me in this mess?

"I'm sorry," He repeated. "I'll fix it. I'll talk to him, explain that it was a misunderstanding."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that? 'Oh, by the way, Mr. Oberoi, remember how I said we were engaged? Well, funny story... we're not.' That's not going to work, Shlok!"

I sighed heavily, feeling the weight of the situation sinking into my bones. I paced back and forth, trying to process the chaos we'd just been thrown into. "You know we're in a massive mess, right?"

"Yeah," He nodded, his tone sober. "I know."

My back throbbed with a dull ache from the fall, and I reached behind me to rub the sore spot. The pain was sharp, reminding me of the absurdity of it all. "God, I can't believe this," I muttered.

"Hey." Shlok said softly, trying to get my attention. "Sit down, Akriti."

I waved him off, feeling more irritated than anything. "Sitting down isn't going to change the fact that we're stuck in this blunder."

"I know," He said, sounding more earnest this time. "But listen... I need your help."

I stopped pacing and turned to face him. "With what exactly?"

"I need you to pretend to be my fiancée," He said. "Just for a few days, until the deal is finalized. After that, we can 'break up,' and I'll say things didn't work out."

Was he for real?

I blinked at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I am." He insisted. "I really need you on this, Akriti."