Falling in love with my CEO.

37 - A Dance of Pretenses

"Granny," was all Akhil said.

I stood there, staring at the old lady, my mouth agape. It wasn't as though I was admiring her beauty, but she was... How should I describe her? She had a perfect shape, perfectly black hair, and an elegance that left me momentarily speechless.

I moved aside to let her in, and as soon as she entered, she immediately embraced Akhil. I could feel the deep emotion between them. "You've grown up now," she said, affectionately playing with his hair.

He nodded with a smile. I hadn't seen him this happy since he arrived in India. The presence of this so-called granny seemed to bring him genuine joy. Mrs. Sadha Chowdary smiled and hugged her as well.

Am I mad, just standing here watching this scene? Should I leave them alone? Of course, fool—move away, my subconscious screamed at me. I slowly started to step out.

"So, won't you introduce her?" Granny asked. Me? Why? Akhil came over, putting a hand around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Oh my god, his touch sent chills down my spine. His cold arms held me as if they didn't want to let go. I found myself moving along with him.

"Sushvi, meet my granny," he said, and I smiled politely at her. "Granny, this is Sushvi, my fiancée," he added, making me flinch. Fiancée? Me? Seriously? Is he joking? I narrowed my eyes at him, but he ignored me.

"She's beautiful. You both make a perfect pair, Akhil," Granny said, pulling me into a warm hug. She placed a kiss on my forehead, and I smiled, unsure of what to do. Before I could say anything, Akhil interrupted.

"Granny, you should rest. We both have some work to do," he said, pulling me outside. She chuckled. "Akhil, please stay in control until your honeymoon," she called out, making him laugh.

What the hell? Seriously, honeymoon? This has to be some kind of sick joke, even though I couldn't help but blush at her words.

As soon as we were outside, I couldn't stop my mouth from blabbering. "What's this? Why is this?" I threw all my questions at him in a flurry. Akhil stood there with an amused look on his face, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Here I was, talking non-stop, and he was just watching me with that infuriating smile.

"Akhil!" I shouted, trying to snap him out of it. He finally came back to his senses. "You're really cute when you argue," he said, making me blush again. Stop it, Sushvi. Stop this creeping blush that comes every time he pulls one of his silly little tricks.

"First of all, tell me how I suddenly became your fiancée. You're actually my enemy," I said, gritting my teeth. He chuckled. "Yeah, so strange—going from friends to enemies," he said, casually slipping his hands into his pockets.

He never fails to irritate me. "First, answer my questions!" I demanded, folding my arms across my chest. Suddenly, his cold arms slid around my waist again. He always does this, and it always sends different sensations through my body.

He grinned, no doubt hearing my thoughts with his vampire senses. "This isn't the right place to discuss it," he said, looking up at the sky.

Oh my god, I'm flying... Flying in the sky! It felt like a scene out of Superman. My slippers fell to the ground. "God, I'm flying!" I exclaimed with excitement. Akhil smiled and then increased his speed. This time, I was completely terrified.

I hugged him tightly, closing my eyes and burying my head in his chest. If I opened my eyes, it felt like I would fall straight to the ground. Akhil started laughing. The man had no manners, always peeking into my thoughts.

Eventually, he slowed down and made me sit on a tree branch. Seriously? A tree branch? Couldn't he find a better place? Whatever. He sat beside me. "You should've been a monkey instead of a vampire," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

He chuckled. The moonlight fell on his face, making him look so beautiful—like a Greek god sitting beside me. "Now answer my question," I insisted.

"I told you before that you need to cooperate with me to divert the Volturi's attention from us," he explained, and I nodded. "She's the third head of the Volturi. She's here to examine whether what I said was true—that we're going to get married and that we're in love," he said.

Those words from his mouth made my heart soar. But I knew better than to get carried away. It's just an act, not reality. Stop dreaming, get back to earth.

"Seriously? I can't believe this. Don't play your stupid games with me, Mr. Chowdary. I'm not going to play along this time, bloodsucker," I said.

"I'm just trying to protect you and your family, Sushvi. I can't force you, but what I'm saying is the truth," he said, sounding more serious than ever. So this wasn't a joke or a trick.

"If you even try to play with my emotions again this time, you'll face consequences, vampire," I said, gritting my teeth. He nodded, understanding my resolve. I knew how to handle him this time.

I would never forgive him. "Okay, I'll do this... but with a few conditions," I said, taking a deep breath.

"1. You can't kiss me. 2. You can't touch me without my permission. 3. Don't even think about sneaking into my thoughts," I stated firmly.

He chuckled. "As you wish, madame," he said, amused. My attention shifted to the moon. Today was a blood moon—a day I had always loved as a child because I used to believe it was the vampires' day, a day when they would kiss their soulmates.

I had dreamt of that. I was weird back then. I couldn't help it; it was all because of my vampire books.

I looked at the moon, its color a deep, blood red. I loved it. As I turned back to face Akhil, he stole a kiss from me. I froze, unsure of what to do. Should I say something?

As soon as he pulled back, I felt a pang of disappointment. How sweet it was. "What are you doing? I told you the conditions," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. He smiled.

"Soulmates need to be kissed on this day," he said with a grin. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not your soulmate," I said firmly. He smiled. "But we're in an act, and this is just practice," he said.

I didn't want to argue with him anymore. God, help me deal with this man. I don't know how much longer I can control myself around this handsome vampire.

"Let's go home... It's already late," he said.

What will happen from tomorrow? Acting versus real love...