If You Let Me Go: A Sweet Romance (First Love Billionaire Romance novel)

by Sonia Rao

  She nodded. “Fabulous for an invigorating swim.”

  “You swim?”

  The breeze from the sea blew towards them, gently ruffling her hair this way and that. Patting down the wayward fronds, she said, a smirk on her face, “I totally do. I was literally a water baby when I was younger. I had to go for a swim every day or else I’d throw a tantrum. I don’t swim so much now but even then if you’re ever drowning, I’m the man to call. I even know CPR.”

  VK turned his gaze, mischief gleaming in his eyes. “CPR, eh? I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “I didn’t mean it that—” she began, colour rising warmly up her cheeks, when he burst out laughing.

  Then taking hold of her hand excitedly he said, “Come, I’ll show you something even more gorgeous.” He led her to his bedroom.

  “Here! Isn’t it awesome?”

  For a moment, Shivalika was stunned and then she burst out laughing.

  “What?!?!” VK sputtered, looking confused.

  “The colour! Pink!! In a guy’s bedroom. Never ever seen that before,” she said, pointing to the wall.

  “Now you’re being sexist! Why can’t a guy have a pink bedroom? And this is salmon pink, for your kind information.” VK stood ready to battle, arms akimbo.

  “Hey, hey, cool it, boss. I was just pulling your leg. I love pink and this one goes really well with the clever thing that’s been done on the ceiling.”

  “Isn’t it?” VK was immediately in good humour and excited to flaunt the exquisite features of design in the room.

  “But there’s one thing.”

  VK looked at her questioningly.

  “The architects and the designers don’t seem to have incorporated any sustainable measures for cooling this house. It’s so close to the sea but you’ll still need to use the AC to cool the house.”

  VK stood shock still at her words, staring at her. Shivalika wondered if he had such a weak ego that he couldn’t take feedback graciously.

  And then he was suddenly pointing at her and shouting, “That! That!” and smiling broadly.

  Criticism, even though not directly aimed at him, can make a man go mad? Shivalika looked around the room, ready to make her escape if he continued with his crazy behaviour.

  “And that is what La Piazza should be offering its customers. Sustainable interior design. I love it! Do you, Shivalika? Do you think we should work on it?”

  Ah. That made sense. Shivalika smiled. Of course, she loved it. She nodded, in full agreement.

  “Good.” He rubbed his hands in anticipation of working on a great idea. “Let’s get the ball rolling as soon as possible.”

  Shivalika held up both her thumbs as a show of solidarity and then she stood absolutely still.

  VK turned to look at what had caught her attention and saw her staring at the bathroom.

  “I’ve seen it in magazines, but seeing it first-hand…” she said, laughing, even as she pointed to the bathroom that had glass walls. “Imagine if one is bathing and someone walks into the room…” She couldn’t stop laughing.

  With a finger pressed on his cheek as if he was thinking about something, he pinned her with his molten-steel-like gaze and said, “It might be fun, you know.”

  Shivalika’s laugh caught in her throat as she felt herself drowning in his eyes, her face turning pink with the warmth that ran up from her toes to her hair.

  “Ah, ideas…” he muttered with a wicked grin.

  Just then the intercom buzzed and Shivalika fled from the room.

  ******

  The rest of the team had reached the lobby and within minutes they were inside the penthouse. Surprised to see Shivalika already there, they followed it with a lot of good-humoured ribbing and joking.

  It was lunchtime and Ramu Kaka had already laid the table and set out the food. So that was the first item on the agenda. Lunch was a stretched-out affair with compliments for Ramu Kaka’s culinary skills flowing easily like water.

  “Anyone feeling too sleepy can go take a nap in one of the guest rooms. But please lock your door if you are going to use the bathroom,” he said, looking at Shivalika with a straight face but his eyes twinkled. Luckily none of the team were looking at her, else they would have wondered why she was blushing.

  No one took up the offer of the nap and the next few hours were spent on constructive discussions. Ramu Kaka had been plying them with tea, coffee and cookies all the while and it was almost 6pm when VK looked at his watch and called it a day.

  Misha had not joined in and nobody seemed to have missed her.

  Shivalika was glad to have got another glimpse into VK’s life and for all his arrogance in the office she had to say she was impressed with the brilliance he brought to his work. He was a good boss. About the jokes he cracked, though, she was not so sure, as she always ended up with a pink face, literally.

  She wondered what lay ahead.

  CHAPTER 10

  Today, there was a certain excitement in the air.

  Shivalika looked at her planner. How quickly the days had passed since VK took over the company three months ago. Shivalika enjoyed working at La Piazza but things had tended to stagnate before VK joined. Whether it was because of Mr. Naidu’s advancing years or even Mrs. Naidu’s illness, the quick decision-making of the earlier days had disappeared.

  VK had injected new energy into the company but she was not going to admit it openly. As she looked around, she saw a few new faces. One of them was the CTO, chief technical officer. Just 25 years old, this young man was a technology-whiz. At one of the weekly office meetings, VK had outlined his plan to take some of the business online. This sounded very exciting to Shivalika. Even though she herself was not such a great hand at using complex software, she was game to try.

  “Any idea what’s the agenda for today’s meeting?” Rati said, breaking into her thoughts, taking out printouts for the meeting that was to begin at 11am.

  Shivalika shook her head. But it had to be something big. VK had been coming into the office early and leaving late all of last week. His girlfriend had been in and out, whipping her hair this way and that. The only person she spoke to was Nate. They seemed to gel well.

  VK had called Shivalika into his office a few times in connection with her presentation. On and off, he’d asked her for some figures which she researched and gave him. She was sure the big meeting was connected to this.

  At 11am, everyone trooped into the conference room, Nate leading the charge. Shivalika hesitated and dawdled, not wanting to sit next to VK, hoping to enter the room last and get a seat as far away as possible from him. Shivalika’s manoeuvre worked and she was glad to note that the only empty chair was not next to VK. This would give her a reprieve from the influence he had on her. She quickly seated herself. Settling down, she looked up and straight into the sardonic, grey eyes of VK.

  “From the frying pan into the fire,” she muttered, looking away to avoid his gaze. But she caught herself staring at him on and off. And not just that! Crazy questions flooded her mind: How would it feel to comb her fingers through his hair as he did? Or, if he ran his fingers through her hair as he did through his?

  His eyes were on her again and she blushed wondering whether he could read her mind.

  Just then Misha too joined them and there was a flurry of activity as the peon brought in a chair for her which he placed next to VK.

  “Misha and I have some very important news to share with you,” VK said.

  “Was he announcing their engagement?” Shivalika wondered, as a sharp pain pierced her heart.

  “Our efforts have paid off and we...La Piazza...have been invited by the Premiere Design du Salon in Paris to do a presentation on trend forecasts in interiors for the next year.

  Oohs and aahs filled the room. For the last three years, La Piazza had been making efforts to get that invitation but with no success. This was a coup of sorts.

  “Five people from our team will be going. Misha and I, of course, will be g
oing,” VK announced. He continued, “We will be presenting Minimalist Luxury, a theme that Shivalika has been working on since the last six months.”

  “Wow!” said Rati. Every head had turned to look at Shivalika. Her work, to be presented in front of thousands of designers from around the world! It had to be of a very high quality to reach there. VK had helped fine-tune her presentation to international standards.

  Shivalika turned to look at VK who had a strange look on his face. She said, “Thank you, VK. This is such an honour.”

  “Your work is of international quality and deserves this opportunity,” he said.

  Her heart literally melted inside her chest. This man was twisting and turning and shattering all her strongly-held beliefs about love. This man who had a girl-friend but whose very presence livened up her entire existence. She had to be careful not to fall in love with him but that seemed to be getting difficult day after day.

  “Congratulations, Shivalika,” Nate shouted from across the room. Soon the room was filled with whoops and shouts of congratulations. Shivalika smiled, too overcome to say anything more.

  “Jayesh and Rati will be going with us,” VK continued, as the din quietened down. Then he stopped and looked around the room. That was four people. One more member remained to be selected. Everyone’s eyes were on VK and they followed his gaze as it swivelled around the room. It stopped on her and so did everyone else’s. “And, of course, Shivalika.”

  Shivalika gasped. She was going to Paris. She was going to Paris. She...was...going...to...Paris.

  Her dream of going to Paris was coming true. She’d always wanted to visit and see the architecture for herself. Her scrapbook was full of pictures of the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. She had always hoped she could visit with her father. Her uncle, who had been in the Indian Foreign Service and used to live in France, had promised her a visit a few years ago but he had already moved away to another country.

  But now she would be going to Paris with VK. The world’s most romantic city.

  She heard his voice as if from far away saying, “Since it is Shivalika’s baby we must ensure that she is but naturally going to be part of this trip. We will be there for five days as the event will be that long. We have to get the presentations ready and hence these next two months are going to be very tough. A lot of things need to be done without much wastage of time. Any questions?”

  Nobody had any, so it was finalized and the meeting broke off. All got up and talking amongst themselves filed out of the room. Shivalika was still in a daze as she walked to her desk and sat down. Some of her colleagues came up to her to congratulate her and she felt secretly pleased.

  “You look very happy just now, not so when you entered the room.”

  She looked up and saw VK standing very close to her chair. If she got up then she would be standing hardly a half inch apart and she was not sure she could handle that closeness. As it is, her legs were feeling wobbly and she wondered if she would be able to stand even if she tried.

  His eyes seemed to have a strange gleam in them as he looked at her appraisingly.

  “Are you sad your friend Nate is not part of the team? You just missed a chance to spend a romantic week with him in Paris.”

  She couldn’t believe the words he was saying.

  Had he not done everything in his power to always show Nate down in front of her? Had he not ensured that Nate kept his interactions with Shivalika to the bare minimum? Was he still not satisfied with that and had the guts to further rub it in.

  She was shocked at his words and would have either cried or been rude to him.

  But suddenly, without knowing why, she gave him a very coquettish look and then smiling sweetly she said, “Yes, sad isn’t it?”

  He was taken aback because this was not the reply he expected, but again for a man as self-centered as him, it didn’t take more than a minute to bounce back.

  He was suddenly all professional and distant and said, “Well, that’s settled then. Please send your passport to Sandra who will arrange for the visas and permits.”

  CHAPTER 11

  The day of the trip to Paris dawned bright and clear. Her father had been most excited and the whole day he sat with her making a list of places that she should visit in Paris.

  “The Eiffel tower is a must, chimnee, little sparrow. It is an architectural delight and right up your alley, so don’t forget to visit that.”

  “But Dad, I can't go on my own, right? Only if all are going, can I go,” she said.

  “How could anyone go to Paris and not see the Eiffel tower? I’m sorry there is no answer to that question because it is not a logical question. It should not be asked at all,” her father said, not willing to understand her situation.

  Shivalika loved her father very much and did not argue with him. She had sat up with him till very late in the night like all favorite daughters of fathers do when they are going on a trip. He narrated anecdotes of his visit to Paris when he was young. He had never gone there again but by the wistful look in his eyes as he thought of his trip, Shivalika was sure there was more to it than he was saying.

  Her mother dropped in to join their conversation but didn’t have much to contribute as mother and daughter had lost contact with each other that fateful day, many years ago. As a kid, though, she had been in awe of her mom who was her idol and she would trail behind her mother all over the house.

  Shivalika was now beginning to have doubts about her own rigid stance against her mother. Perhaps Aloka was right. Falling in love could happen anytime and with anyone. It was not right to judge anyone.

  Shivalika began to get ready for her flight. All were meeting at the airport at 10pm. She had recently upgraded her wardrobe and as she surveyed herself in the mirror, she felt she looked quite smart. Her mint-green pant suit made of silk crepe gave her figure a shape which she would not have even known existed. It had an element of daringness and she had bought it only on the insistence of her grandma.

  Every one of her family— her mom, dad, grandma and twin brothers— came to drop her off at the airport. VK had already reached and was waiting outside the airport where everyone was supposed to gather. She quickly made the introductions. When it was time for goodbyes, she hugged her dad and grandma. She would make amends with her mom when she returned from the trip, she silently promised herself, as she kissed her twin brothers and threw her mom a quick glance.

  VK had a quizzical look on his face but the others too arrived at that time, so they all walked into the airport for the check-in.

  ******

  Shivalika was in the window seat next to Rati. Jayesh sat next to VK in the adjoining row in front of them. Once the excitement of takeoff was over and only a dark sky could be seen through the window, Shivalika turned her attention to Rati. Though Rati was the Business Manager, they were close to each other because they had joined the company at the same time.

  “Is Misha not coming along? I didn’t see her at check-in,” she said.

  “Oh, no, she’s very much on this flight. She’s in Business Class. Sandra was telling me there was a big to-do because VK wanted her to travel Economy too. Team spirit, he said. But she flatly refused. Isn’t she a real brat? Pampered by rich parents who only know how to flaunt their money.”

  “She does. But she’s quite brainy too. A real beauty with brains. Graduate from Columbia School of Business. Not sure if she was summa cum laude, though.”

  “Eh? How do you know that? And what’s that summa something you just mentioned?”

  “Summa cum laude. Means graduating with the highest honours,” Shivalika said, biting her tongue, knowing she had revealed too much. It would become obvious to Rati that she was guilty of stalking Misha online. VK’s beau was not just a heavyweight in the looks department but also in the education and resources department.

  “She’s also won an award for her startup that helps the underprivileged,” Shivalika added.

  “Did she, now?” Rati said, raisin
g her brows. “Owner of a startup that helps the poor but cannot travel with team members in Economy class!! What does that smell of?” she continued, with a smirk on her face.

  “Of irony that just went and killed itself,” Shivalika said, and they both burst out laughing.

  “VK has been working on his laptop ever since we boarded,” Rati said, suddenly.

  Shivalika’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. “Is that so?” she said, trying hard to keep the tremor out of her voice. She hoped the agitation did not show on her face.

  Rati leaned outwards and pulled Shivalika forward so she could get a clear view. The thumping of Shivalika’s heart rose another beat as her gaze fell on VK: his hair had grown longer with wisps that curled at his nape, and the broad shoulders caused a craving in her to run her hands over them. As he peered into the laptop she knew his eyebrows would be furrowed as he concentrated on the work.

  At that very moment, VK turned around. His gaze fell on the girls and his eyebrows shot up.

  “All well?” he mouthed. Blushing, Shivalika had already moved back into her seat while Rati with a calm look on her face gave him the thumbs up sign.

  He must have gone back to his work because Rati turned to look at Shivalika and then both burst into giggles.