The billionaire deal

Untitled Part 6

Chapter 6: Deal or No Deal

Stunned, Pooja just stared back at Kabir, not sure she heard him correctly.

Had he just proposed to her?

"If this is your idea of some sick joke I am not finding it very funny," she then said bitingly

"It is not a joke I assure you, I am deadly serious" Kabir replied

"But you can't be.. it's ridiculous. Why would you want me to marry you? We are practically strangers, and you hardly know me. I mean we are not even on first name terms!" she reminded him,

"Well that can be easily remedied... Pooja," he finished in soft deliberation

It had the affect of bringing the colour to her cheeks. His tone and manner of using her first name suddenly, seemed strange to her ears, and little too intimate for comfort, under the circumstances

"I don't know what sort of game this is, but I am not playing any more," she walked past him, intending to leave.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Kabir called after her, "Remember what is at stake," he then reminded her pointedly

Pooja stopped and turned to look round at his unsmiling face, his expression was tense

"You really are serious?" she then realised

"Yes, I am."

"But why?.. I don't understand" she frowned in confusion

"Because, I am in a bit of a dilemma myself, and this is the only way out"

"By asking me to marrying you and have your children?" Pooja challenged incredulously

"Yes," Kabir stated firmly

Pooja just shook her head, refusing to accept it.

He let out a small sigh, "Perhaps I had better explain the whole story then you will understand"

"Yes I think you had better," she replied tritely

Kabir put his hands in his trouser pockets, staring at the floor in front of him.

"The pressing business I had to take care of, the one that prevented you from getting in direct contact with me lately. You know, when you thought I was deliberately ignoring you. It was of a personal nature," he started to explain, his tone remaining carefully neutral, devoid of emotion, and more matter of fact

"I was in the south of France bringing home the bodies of my younger brother Jay and his family, who had been all killed out right in a terrible car crash whilst on holiday, there was my brother and his wife, as their two young sons in the car at the time"

Pooja looked suitably shocked by this information taking her mind momentarily of his proposition, "Oh, how horrible, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed in dismay.

"Yes it has been a terrible tragic blow for the family, something I am still trying to deal with," Kabir replied with a small frown. "And unfortunately their deaths has caused other upheavals that I am also trying to deal with"

"Oh?" Pooja stared at him questioningly.

He looked over at her now, his expression still grave, a small humourless smile on his lips

"I am afraid I have the problem of the proverbial 'wicked step mother'" he then said dryly.

Pooja just continued to eye him questioningly, so he continued

"My mother died of cancer when I was sixteen. A few years later my father met Suman , an ambitious woman who already had a son, although never a husband as far as I know. You could say she was a bit of a gold digger with very little scruples With my father being a Hotelier and a wealthy man, she set out to become his wife, and succeeded," Kabir explained, "She was a lot younger than my father, and he was flattered by the attention she lavished in him, plus the fact she was an attractive woman, I am sure you get the picture?"