I bought a gift

I picked up Miraj's call and he didn't wait for me to speak.

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"Yes, he is fine. There were no injuries but he was scared. I calmed him down and now he is sort of back to normal."

I heard his loud breath through the phone and I understood how relieved he was to hear that Ari was fine.

"Was there foul play? Another one of my father's tricks? Does he want to kill Ari if he can't have him?"

I don't think he meant to say all that and was just thinking out loud.

I replied anyway, "There is no proof of foul play but I have doubts. I don't think it was your father. And Miraj, Tatiana saved him."

I didn't want to say it, especially not in a way that makes her the hero. But if he knows something happened to Ari then he would know she was there. I would rather it came from me than someone else so he wouldn't think I omitted her out on purpose.

"Oh."

That's all he said.

I ended up telling him all of it in detail but I skipped my doubts on Tatiana because I wasn't sure if it was my rational thinking or irrational emotions making me doubt her. Whatever it was, I couldn't ignore the fact that she arrived here yesterday and today my son was in danger in his own home.

"I never knew Tatiana could ride a horse."

I closed my eyes and told myself to calm down. But I ended up breaking a pencil from my pen stand. Why the heck would he ever know if she could ride a horse?? Why was this woman getting on my nerves so much?

"Eli? You there?"

I cleared my throat and replied, "Yeah."

"No one actually saw her save Ari, did they?"

Miraj freaking Giovanni. Nothing can be hidden from him.

"No, they didn't."

"Alright. I will be home soon. I have to pack anyway, I am leaving tomorrow for London."

"Okay."

I hung up. My emotions were getting hard to deal with and I didn't want to accept what my mind was telling me. I decided to focus on work rather than the green eyed killer I lived with.

***

I didn't meet Miraj when he came home and had a late lunch in my study. I know I was avoiding him but I didn't have a specific reason. I was holed up in my office all day and kept tabs on Ari through our butler. In the end, it was five in the evening and I had to get ready for a dinner I didn't want to eat.

I wore a beautiful maroon off-the-shoulder skater dress and tied my hair up in a ponytail. With my hoop earrings and heels on, I felt like I could take on the world. It's weird how looking pretty can change a woman's confidence level.

I was applying my lipstick when there was a knock on my door. I opened the door to Miraj dressed in a two-piece black suit with grosgrain lapels. One of his hands was in his pocket and the other had a small bag in it. I couldn't help but stare with an open mouth. My eyes couldn't stop roaming over his body.

"Aren't you gonna let me in?"

I looked at his face as his voice brought me out of my funk. He was smirking at me like he knew something I didn't. I really hated his guts somedays.

"I see you cleaned up nice for your little girlfriend, Miraj."

The smirk went away faster than a bullet train. It was funny but I just felt relieved that he was mad because of that little jab. That meant it wasn't true.

"Let me in, Eli."

I moved away from the door to let him in and he closed it behind him.

I couldn't hold my curiosity back anymore so I asked, "What's in the bag?"

He smirked at me again and said, "I bought a gift."

I knew I shouldn't have said it but I hated his smirk so much. I ended up asking the question I knew the answer to.

"For who? Your ex?"

Miraj closed his eyes and breathed deep. He had reached his limit, I could tell. That didn't stop me from smiling at him when he said, "Stop pissing me off, Eli."

When he opened his eyes, he replied to my grin with one of his own and said, "This gift is for my jealous wife."

There. Now he had done it.

"What did you just call me?"