A Twisted Tale

Seed of Self-doubt

Valerio's POV

I stood in the corner of the room waiting for Meera to notice me. She looked sexy in the dress I bought her. I wanted to approach her but refrained from doing so because something caught my eye. Mark had his eyes on Meera the whole time. When I asked her if she loved him, she didn't give me the kind if answer I wanted to hear. And this was my opportunity to see for myself as to what was going between the two of them.

Clearly Mark was lusting after her. I didn't know if I had to call her stupid or ignorant because she didn't seem to notice the looks he was throwing her way. After a point of time things got interesting. Mark was about to draw her away from the dance floor and that was my cue to interfere.

Under any other circumstance, I would have watched the whole interaction from sidelines. But tonight was different. I was already in a bad mood because of papa pointing out what was at stake and also because I knew that Meera valued her friendship with Mark over the proposal any day. And Mark was someone to be taken seriously. Especially when it concerns Meera.

Even the kiss was an impulsive decision. I did that to just make sure that Mark didn't finish what he started tonight. There was no denying that Meera was beautiful. I was attracted to her just like any other warm blooded male. But it wasn't love. I didn't spend enough time with her to allow it to get that far just yet. I wasn't going to deny that she was good hearted. But I wasn't here to find true love. My intentions have been crystal clear from the start. I had to woo her so that she would agree to marry me. I wasn't the romantic one in a relationship. Even with Meera it was all a pretense. Occasionally I did feel bad about lying to her but it had to be done. I couldn't allow her to find out about my intentions though I was certain that she had her doubts.

That one little kiss we shared was effective in brewing a fall out between the two of them. Though I didn't hear the conversation that went down between the two of them, I watched their expressions closely and had a satisfied smile on my face when Mark slammed the door. I was too lost in the moment to hear Aurora call out my name. To say I was shocked would be putting it mildly. I swerved around and found her standing right in front of me. I quickly grabbed her hand harshly and led her away from the building.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked rudely. She looked taken aback but she composed herself. "You haven't called me in a whole week. You have been ignoring all the texts I've sent you. And now you're in London without even informing me. What went wrong this time?" She asked in a broken voice. One look at her face and I could see that she was stressed out. Her eyes were puffy from all the crying and the dark circles under her eyes gave away that she barely slept in the last few days. I gave her a bored look and said "There is a reason as to why I'm avoiding you. You claim to love me unconditionally but you're just like every other gold digger out there. When you saw that I wasn't showing any interest in you, you trotted around me like a dog. But when I truly started showing interest in you, you were whoring around. If you thought that you would get away with your escapades, you are absolutely wrong. I know about all the things you have done behind my back."

She looked at me with wild eyes and said "No No... No! I have been in love with you alone. All these days I have done nothing but try to protect you from other power hungry women. You call me a gold digger? I've always had your best interest at heart! And I have never cheated on you. If you have forgotten then let me remind you that you sent me away because of my obsessive love for you!" She screamed with tears staining her face.

"Stop shouting. You may not have any respect for my reputation but I don't want to draw a crowd to us. I 'thought' you were  harbouring obsessive feelings towards me and that's why I truly wanted you to get better so that we can get past the issues in our relationship. But after receiving photos of you and your lover in a compromising position, I have concluded that you were trying to get me to sympathize with you! This whole time I thought you were a genuine person with a messed up mind. But you are a smart woman. You wanted to establish a relationship for money and fame. But you went pleasure seeking in someone else's arms when you had all my trust!" I whispered fiercely.

"What proof do you have for all this nonsense you're sprouting? In my defense, I have never slept with anyone while I was clearly madly in love with you. I still love you with all my heart." She said.

I was waiting for this moment for almost a whole week. I thought I would come face to face with her back in Milan but I didn't expect her to show up unannounced tonight. It was a good thing she did. It clearly showed that she still carried around her obsessive tendencies. When I pulled out my phone and showed her the photos, she was shocked.

"This is not true! I haven't done anything like this!" She exclaimed. I calmly asked her if she knew the man in the photo. She told me that he was her friend Luigi and that she met him every evening. She repeatedly told me that he was just a friend. I internally smiled as I lured her into the trap. "Does he harbour feelings for you?" I asked calmly. She said yes and she explained to that he kissed her once for which she responded back with a slap across his face. I knew that she would drag the conversation further and try to prove her innocence so I stopped her from saying anything else.

I out on the best heartbroken face I could muster and said "I truly wanted us to work Aurora. I actually thought you were worth the effort. But you have only left me broken hearted. You broke my trust in this relationship Aurora. I don't want to hear anything else. Please leave and never show me your face again."

She sobbed and tried to convince me to change my mind. But I stood my ground and pretended to stay mad at her. Honestly, even if I found her naked on my bed with another man, I couldn't care less. She didn't mean a thing to me. Yes, we had a good time. But that was all it was. I didn't see the need for an attachment with her. Even without her psychiatric problem in the way, I would have gotten rid of her sooner or later. But I wasn't a cold hearted bastard. Knowing that she was still undergoing treatment, I didn't leave her to her own devices. I employed someone to follow her back to Milan and to stop her from doing anything stupid. Meanwhile, I called up Luigi and told him to continue working for me a week longer. I instructed him to talk her out of her obsession and help her get over me. After the call, I sighed loudly and went back to the party and found Meera dancing with Claire and Derek. I was finally rid of Aurora and now my focus was entirely on getting Meera to fall in love with me.