Restless Billionaire Read Free Page A

that. She
brought her father’s hand to her mouth and pressed a kiss against it and said
with a hoarse voice, her eyes filling with tears, ‘I’m so sorry, Papa, I can’t
do this. I’ll pay you back. Please forgive me.’ And she fled.
                 Aneesa
was barely aware of where she’d run, she knew only that she wouldn’t have long
to capitalise on the shock of the wedding crowd before her father sent people
to find her. She couldn’t bear to think of her parents’ confusion and dismay
either, or else she’d falter altogether. And she couldn’t turn back now.
                 She
stopped for a moment, her heart hammering in her chest. She’d come up several
flights of service stairs and now saw what looked like a staff elevator. All
Aneesa hoped for was that it would take her somewhere far away from that
courtyard and somewhere quiet, where she could assess the situation she now
found herself in. She longed for fresh air, and her clothes felt more
constrictive than ever.
                 The
elevator slid silently upwards, and then came to a smooth halt. The doors
opened with a muted whoosh and she found herself in what looked like a utility
room. Albeit a very plush utility room.
                 She
approached the one door and opened it with her heart in her mouth. Peering out
she could see that she was in a suite of rooms that went on and on. All was
quiet and still. No one was here. She automatically assumed that she’d found
one of the empty suites in this massive hotel. Heaving a huge sigh of relief,
she emerged more fully and walked into a darkened kitchen. She could see a huge
formal dining room and, through that, wall-to-wall sliding glass doors which
led to an open terrace and balcony outside. She could see the skyline of Mumbai
laid out like a glittering carpet. This was no ordinary suite, this was the
penthouse!
                 When
she thought of her own honeymoon suite with its king-size bed covered in rose
petals she felt clammy and sweaty all over again. Almost tripping in her long
sari she made for the glass doors, struggling to open them and get out to the
fresh air.
                 Finally
they slid back and Aneesa stumbled out, gasping now. She ripped the heavy
garland of flowers from around her neck and let it fall to the ground. She was
vaguely aware of a dim light coming from nearby but barely registered it. When
she reached the wall she tipped her head back and breathed deep, the chaotic
sounds of the crazy Mumbai traffic drifting up from far, far below.
                 Her
heart finally started to slow down. So when she heard a deep drawling voice
say, ‘Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of jumping …’ Aneesa screamed.
     

  CHAPTER TWO

 
                 ANEESA
whirled around so fast her head spun and she gripped the wall behind her with
both hands. And then she saw him in the dim light. She recognised him instantly
by his intense piercing blue eyes, like chips of ice. It was the man from the
shadows she’d seen downstairs. And now she also registered what she’d missed
entirely in her distraught state: a state-of-the-art terrace pool, lit from
underwater.
                 The
man’s arms were resting nonchalantly on the side of the pool, and crossed, as
if he was quite used to hysterical women in full bridal regalia bursting onto
his private terrace.
                 His
hair was slicked back against a well-shaped skull and in the shadows the lines
of his face were stark, his jaw hard. He arched one ebony-black brow and once
again Aneesa had the gut-clenching realisation of how extraordinarily handsome
he was. It was a physical sensation she’d never experienced with Jamal, even
though she’d believed herself to be in love with him. The realisation sent
shock through her system.
                 ‘Shouldn’t
you be kissing your groom about now?’