Let Me Go Mr.Singh! (From the Start)

10

A shiver ran through Haseena's body. She seemed to have forgotten that she made the cat pudding earlier based on the recipe in the book.

"Uh... That was actually..."

"You can make anything for me as long as I find it tasty."

Anubhav reminded her with a grim expression. At that moment, he began to feel nauseous upon realizing that he had consumed cat food.

Haseena felt helpless. "Actually, I made it for Fudge, but you ate it and even commented that it was tasty. At that moment... I was too afraid to tell you the truth."

"Haseena."

Anubhav gnashed his teeth. Having lived through 28 years of life, this was the first time he had ever wanted to kill a woman so badly.

She shrunk her neck upon being shouted at. "In fact, the ingredients... are quite nutritious."

"Since the food's nutritious, why don't you eat it yourself?"

"Uh, I don't find it tasty."

"Well done."

While pointing at her, Anubhav recalled praising the taste of the food. He became so furious that his face darkened.
Haseena wanted to explain further, yet Anubhav had already entered his study and slammed the door violently.

Oh no, he was really pissed.

Haseena was at her wits' end.

She initially planned to please him during her stay here this time. However, she had already offended him when he only returned home for less than an hour.

Why did she have a long way to go before she could consolidate her identity as Vivan's aunt?

Ten minutes later, she shamelessly knocked on his study's door.

"Get lost."

A violent voice was heard.

Haseena closed her eyes in frustration. Since he was still fuming at that point, she should just wait before she spoke to him again.

She went to take a bath first. She changed into a set of lovely pajamas, letting her long black hair fall on her shoulders.

When she looked into the mirror and winked at herself, she was attracted to her own beauty. With fair skin and large eyes, she found herself pure and attractive indeed.

She believed that her appearance would make Anubhav treat her with care.
"What are you doing?"

A man's voice suddenly rang beside her.

Haseena trembled with fear. She cocked her head and noticed that Anubhav was staring mockingly at her with a cup of coffee in his right hand.

When did he come? Why did she not hear any footsteps?

"I..."

'Obviously, I'm secretly practicing how to flirt with you.'

"I got attracted to my own beauty while looking at myself in the mirror," she replied in embarrassment after stuttering for a while.

Anubhav was at a loss for words.

Indeed, her shamelessness had reached yet another new level.

Nevertheless, he had to admit that the woman's bare face was indeed fresh and elegant. Even in Canberra, a city teeming with beautiful women, there were hardly any women who looked naturally beautiful like she did.

"All I can see is your pretense." Once he finished his sentence with a contemptuous expression, he turned around to pour himself some water.

Haseena went after him. "Are you still pissed? What should I do to quench your anger? I'll eat some cat pudding as well, okay?"
Anubhav suddenly curled his lips and took a packet of cat food from the cabinet. "I won't be able to quench my anger until you have a bowl of cat food."

Haseena was shocked to find him so cruel.

"This is... different. The cat pudding I made consists of nutrients, and you even found it tasty—"

"Shut up."

Anubhav's face darkened at the mention of the incident. "Don't worry, you won't die from eating cat food. Its ingredients include fish and beef that have been carefully selected. Oh, by the way, there's also prebiotics that can improve your digestive system as well as taurine, calcium, iron, and zinc that can strengthen your body. How nutritious!"

"..."

'If it's nutritious, why don't you eat the cat food with me? Ugh, what a childish man.'

She tolerated his behavior so that she could become Vivan's aunt.

After taking the cat food, she poured a bowl of it for herself. She had a few bites straight away and found the taste indescribable.

Anubhav did not expect that she would really eat it and his anger faded partially. "How's the taste?"
"Quite tasty. Do you want to eat it with me?" Haseena said out of annoyance. The surrounding atmosphere turned cool the minute she finished speaking.

With a discreet smile, Anubhav added more cat food to her bowl. "Really? Since you find it tasty, you can have more."

"..."

Ugh, the man was doomed to be alone forever.

Ultimately, Haseena was forced to have so much cat food under his stare that night.

"Great job." Anubhav shoved his hand into his pocket and returned to his room with satisfaction. When he entered his room, he turned his head to look at Haseena who had turned around and rushed to the toilet. His dark eyes flashed with a sense of sarcasm when he heard her brushing her teeth.

Disgusted at the cat food, Haseena was unable to sleep well the whole night. When she woke up bright and early the next day, she still noticed a fishy smell in her mouth.

Unfortunately, she had to get up early to prepare breakfast for Anubhav.

She swore to make the scumbag fall in love with her. Then, she would trample him underfoot and take revenge on him.
By the time Anubhav returned home from his morning run, he was startled to discover the grand feast spread out across the table.

"You..."

"Anuu, I felt bad that you ate the cat pudding last night so I'm making it up to you with this breakfast spread," Haseena said thoughtfully as she served him a bowl of oat porridge.

There was a strange expression on his face. "It's alright. You've already been punished last night."

She stood there with a tight feeling in her throat. "I was truly grossed out after having the cat's food last night," she replied slowly a couple of seconds later.

He lowered his gaze to the ground without commenting further.

"Are you going to work? Should I drop you off at the subway station?" he asked before heading to the door once he finished his breakfast.

Haseena was startled but soon shook her head from side to side. "I was fired." The desolation was audible in her voice.

It was obvious from his forehead that he was frowning. He was told that she was working at her family company. The relationship between her and the Jones family seemed pretty tense. "Alright, you can focus on looking after Fudge at home."
Pfft, she was not going to spend her time cat sitting.

"I'm planning to look for another job. But don't worry, I'll not let it get in the way of looking after Fudge."

"Whatever," he muttered and left the house.

...

For the next couple of days, Haseena kept herself occupied looking for a job.

There were plenty of openings for interior design or architecture-related roles. However, in order to disguise her background as the young lady of the Mallik family, she had to keep her previous professional experience a secret.

Besides, other big-scale companies were only willing to hire her as an assistant, given her young age.

Left with no better alternative, she chose to work with a small company called Imperial Design.

The entire office was only slightly over a hundred square feet. Both their designers took care of everything including designing the plans and giving out advertising leaflets outside the office.

This was her first time doing such work. She felt rather self-conscious in the beginning but soon became more natural at the task.
Some passersby would accept her leaflets but more often than not, people would just walk past as if she was non-existent.

About an hour later, she was drenched in sweat and her cheeks were reddened by the heat.

Although it was fall, the weather was unusually hot today.

Another person walked past without acknowledging her. Just then, a black Lamborghini pulled to a stop in front of her.

This took her by surprise. It was Vivan's car.

"Hasi, why are you handing out leaflets in the streets..." Rebecca stepped out from the passenger seat.

Haseena felt a knot in the center of her chest. Vivan once said the passenger seat of his car only belonged to her. The irony!

"Where else would I be? Summit?" Her words reeked of indifference.

Rebecca pursed her lips as if she was upset. "I didn't mean that..."

"What's with that tone? Your sister is being kind toward you." Vivan suddenly got out of the car and slammed the door behind him. "Take a good look at yourself. You're the young lady of the Mallik family. Don't you feel ashamed of yourself?"
Haseena lifted her gaze, only to see the disgust on his handsome face. An intense pain filled her heart as if someone was carving a hole out of it with a chisel.

"Why should I be ashamed? I'm working honestly by handing out leaflets instead of stealing from others."

"Vivan didn't mean it like that. He thinks you shouldn't be doing something like this. Hasi, come back to Summit," Rebecca said immediately, "Look, we've just secured a renovation deal with the developer of Mandarin Garden regarding their luxurious studios. We're talking about over a thousand suites, so the profit could well be over millions. Come assist me. Shouldn't us sisters work together to make Summit better?"

Haseena, who was already feeling agitated from being exposed to the hot sun for an hour, became more irritated. "Don't you get tired from being a hypocrite every minute? Can you stay away from me? I don't have the energy to entertain you."

"That's enough," Vivan shouted at her, annoyed. "Rebecca is offering you a hand out of kindness but you simply assume the worst of her. You're unbelievable."
"Me?" Haseena could not believe her ears. "Are you too blind to see what kind of woman she is? Would we have separated if not because of her?"

"Rebecca loves me too much, but you? You reprimand the two of us for the way things have turned out but you don't even love me like she does."

"Fine, my love doesn't compare to hers. Leave, get out of my sight right now." Haseena lost all control and threw the stash of leaflets at the two of them.

"Mad woman!" Vivan stepped in front of Rebecca and slightly nudged the other woman away from them.

Haseena lost her balance and fell to the ground. The leaflets were scattered all across the floor.

By the time she looked up, Vivan was already leading Rebecca toward the car with their fingers interlocked.

Rebecca looked over her shoulder to smile smugly at her sister.

The Lamborghini then disappeared into the distance. Haseena was in excruciating pain. It was as if someone had skinned her alive.

She did not expect Vivan to stand up for Rebecca like that, even willing to hurt her because of the latter.
It seemed obvious that the distance between them was growing further.

Haseena had not felt defeated before this, but right at this moment, she felt like she had lost everything.

...

Anubhav had just driven out from the court. While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, he noticed that the side of the road was covered in leaflets. A woman dressed in a white shirt bent down from the waist to pick up the leaflets one by one.

He frowned slightly as he recalled Haseena wearing that same outfit before he left the house this morning.

The light turned green. He made a U-turn and parked his car by the roadside. He walked toward the woman, bent over to pick up a leaflet, and handed it over.

"Leave me alone," she said in a choked-up voice, thinking it was Vivan who had returned. "I don't want to see your face..."

She lifted her gaze. Though her vision was blurred by the tears that were welled up in her eyes, a genuine look of surprise washed over her face when she recognized the delicate features.
"Anubhav... Singh."

He twitched his brows into a frown. She had been addressing him as 'Anuu' lately and it felt strange hearing her calling him by his full name.

"Who upset you?" He noticed the tear stains around her red puffy eyes. It was evident that she had been crying.

The woman had always acted cheekily in front of him. This was the first time that he saw her cry.

Frustrated, Haseena bit her lip as she secretly insulted the man. 'It's all because of your stupid nephew. Did they not teach you manners in the family? He's selfish, unfaithful, and has a head full of sh*t.'

However, she knew better than to tell the truth. "I... Someone threw my stash of leaflets to the ground," she replied, looking aggrieved.

Shock washed over his face as he looked at the leaflet in his hand.

He did not expect her new role would have her handing out leaflets on the streets. He learned from his investigation that this woman grew up in a pampered and spoiled environment.

"You claim to have graduated from the University of New South Wales but this is the kind of work you do?"
Haseena blushed in embarrassment.

"I was involved in the designing of Melbourne theater and airport. Besides, I also have experience in project management, but people don't believe me because of my age. I can't possibly reveal my identity as the young lady of the Mallik family as well because people might form their own opinions on my motive. That's why I can only choose from being an assistant in a big company or being a designer in a small business," she explained while quickly gathering the leaflets.

"I don't want to be an assistant because that's basically doing odd administrative jobs. Someone higher up will undoubtedly take advantage of me and claim my design concepts as their own. I'd rather start building my profile in a small company. Not only can I share a percentage of profit when closing deals, but managing a project also gives out a handsome paycheck. After a year of doing this, I can probably save enough money, build a team, and start my own business. This hardship is only temporary."
"Don't you want to return to Summit Group?" Anubhav asked.

She shook her head quietly. "One shouldn't depend on handouts from others. It's more practical to be self-reliant."

The man was genuinely astonished. Due to the environment he grew up in, he had seen many people constantly fighting over fame and wealth. Not many people shared the same view on life as her.

He looked at the woman who had bent over to pick up the leaflets. For the first time, he had a whole new level of respect for this person.

"Leave them."

"I can't." She shook her head from left to right without a moment of hesitation. "I'll be in trouble if the boss finds out the stash of leaflets is scattered across the floor. The office is not doing particularly well and I shouldn't goof off. Besides, leaving them on the floor makes it difficult for the janitor too."

Then, a beautiful hand picked up one of the leaflets in front of her with slender fingers.

"Let me help you." Anubhav offered and bent over. A watch peeked from beneath his sleeve as he extended his hand. It was a brand she had not seen before.
The minimally designed watch had a sapphire exhibition case back paired with a brown watch band. It gave out an elegance more sophisticated than the branded watches worn on the wrists of celebrities on the posters.

She took another peek at the man's long legs. The navy blue casual pants were wrapped tightly against his muscles as he bent over.

Without warning, the image from when he dropped the towel that night popped into her mind. She could feel the warmth as color invaded her cheeks.

Ahhh. What was she thinking? She should be ashamed for having this thought.

"What's wrong? Your cheeks are burning." Anubhav lifted his eyes to steal a quick glimpse at the woman.

"I... I... It's too hot. I might be sunburned," Haseena stuttered. She averted her gaze immediately by lowering her head to the floor.

He frowned. "Go rest under the shade."

"It's fine."

She shook her head violently.

It was out of her expectation that the devil could be gentle too. In fact, apart from having the tendency to speak bluntly and maybe being a little petty, he was not that bad of a person.
It took them around five minutes to gather all the leaflets.

Haseena felt her head spinning when she rose to her feet. She could not stop her body from suddenly leaning forward.

She thought she was going to land face down on the floor when a strong hand pulled her up from the back.

She staggered a little before regaining balance. Her eyes were met by his curious gaze.

"It's probably the low blood pressure from bending over too long." She wiped the perspiration off her forehead. "It could also be the heat."

"Get in the car." Anubhav turned around and opened the car door. "I'll send you home."

"No, no. I haven't finished handing out the leaflets. I'll take a short rest and resume in a bit." She quickly shook her head.

Frustration filled him as he looked at the silly woman. Was she hoping to be attacked by a heatstroke?

"It's almost lunchtime for Fudge. You promised not to let your work get between her meal times."

"I made her lunch before leaving the house." Her lips formed a pout grudgingly. She almost thought he had finally found his conscience.
He raised an eyebrow. "How dare you make her eat food that has already cooled down?"

"..."

She was speechless.

Was it wrong for cats to eat food that had cooled down? Was it his cat or his daughter that they were talking about? Perhaps Fudge did not care as much.

Left with no other choice, she got into the car.

Halfway through the ride, she received a phone call from the boss. "There wasn't much traffic over there, so I've changed to a new location," she lied.