You & Me ; Towards Our Forbidden Future [THE LEGACY: BOOK 1]

Chapter 48 - Engagement 6

As Deepa emerged from Anil's room, her face was still flushed red. She met her mother, halfway down the hallway, Radhika looked at her daughter with concern.

"Deepa, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," Radhika asked, eyeing her daughter's crimson face.

Deepa forced a smile, trying to brush off her embarrassment. "Nothing, Amma. The blouse fits perfectly. You did an amazing job, as always."

Radhika beamed with pride. "I'm glad you like it, beta. Now, go change back into your original dress. We don't want to wrinkle the new one."

Deepa nodded and headed to her room. As she changed back into her original dress, she felt a mix of emotions swirling inside her. Shame, embarrassment, and frustration battled for dominance.

Once she'd changed, Deepa sat down on the bed, trying to calm herself. But the image of Anil, standing in front of her with a towel wrapped around his waist, refused to leave her mind.

"Oh, God, why did this have to happen to me?" Deepa buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled. "Of all people, why did it have to be Anil sir?"

She waved her legs in frustration, feeling like a teenager again, not a confident surgeon. "What am I supposed to do now? Face him again? I don't know if I can do that."

Deepa's words trailed off as she lay there, her mind reeling with the aftermath of the embarrassing encounter.

As Deepa lay on the bed, her mind began to wander. She recalled her conversation with Ambika and Akhila, two family elders. Ambika had mentioned that Akhila was actually Mrs. Chandrashekhar Menon.

"Wait a minute..." Deepa's thoughts trailed off as she connected the dots. "Akhila Aunty is Mrs. Menon... and Anil sir's full name is Anil Ramachandran Menon." He mentioned it on that day when she and him had a conversation in the school building.

Deepa's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place. "Oh no, oh no, oh no... Could it be? Is Anil sir the son Akhila Aunty was talking about? Wait-- Menons?? Is it really that business masters Menons? If Anil Sir is the son of that family.... Then... He is the current leader of Menons? That business legend?"

Deepa's mind reeled with the implications. She had always respected Anil sir as her teacher, but now... now she wasn't sure how to process this new information.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Deepa whispered to herself, her face still buried in the pillow.

"Whatever... It's none of my business anyway." Deepa sighed and took her laptop and started doing her pending works, diverting her mind from whatever happened now.

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Meanwhile Anil's side.

Anil emerged from the bathroom, his dark hair still damp from the shower. He glanced around the room, ensuring Deepa had left. Satisfied, he began to tidy up, hanging the towel to dry. He slipped on a crisp white shirt and a traditional Kerala-style mundu (dhoti), the fabric draped elegantly around his waist.

As he moved, his physique was evident - broad shoulders, chiseled arms, and a strong, athletic build, honed from years of yoga and outdoor activities. His dark eyes seemed calm and composed, but beneath the surface, Anil was troubled.

As a teacher, he had always maintained a professional distance from his students. But the unexpected encounter with Deepa had left him feeling...unsettled. Not because of any wrongdoing on his part, but because he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had inadvertently compromised their former teacher-student relationship.

As he walked across the room, his foot brushed against something metallic. He glanced down and spotted a glint of silver. Anil squatted down on one leg, his dhoti folding neatly around his knee. He picked up the object, and his eyes widened as he realized it was a delicate silver anklet.

Without a doubt, he knew it belonged to Deepa. Anil's fingers closed around the anklet, feeling a strange sense of responsibility. He slipped it into his pocket, his mind whirling with thoughts of how to return it to her without causing further embarrassment. With a quiet sigh, Anil stood up and left the room, the anklet weighing subtly in his pocket.