The Evil Twin? (26 page)

Epilogue

Three Years Later...

“I am so jetlagged, it’s not funny,” Annie said gently shaking her head. I put my arms around her as she walked into the living area all dressed up for Reyan’s surprise birthday party.

Annie moved to India a year ago after accepting a position with the Singhal Group of Companies to be their Chief Operating Officer and to be with the love of her life who happened to be my cousin. Nihaal and Annie met at Reyan’s brother’s wedding, and they never looked back.

“It’s so good to see you, but why are you here so early?”

“I am here to help with the party.”

“I am actually good. The biggest help was Nihaal taking him sailing so we can prep for the party.”

“You know how difficult it is for Nihaal to go sailing,” she teased.

“Who else is coming tonight?”

“Oh, I invited the usual suspects. Neel maybe bringing his special friend who he can’t stop talking about,” I laughed.

“What does Reyan think we are doing? Do you think he suspects you are up to something?” Annie asked munching on a baby carrot.

“I hope not. He thinks you are here for our company meeting, and I am hoping he is convinced.”

“Oh, by the way, you are one demanding boss, Vinnie. It’s too bad I can’t bitch about you to you.”

“Oh, c’mon you can always bitch about your boss with me. I want you to,” I teased. I took on the position of being the President of the company only after Annie accepted my offer. Reyan was initially pissed that Annie left his company to work in India, but he knew she wanted to be with Nihaal.

“So, is my cousin ready to pick a wedding date yet?” I teased pointing to the flashing solitaire ring on her finger.

“You know he is ready, I am not ready.” Annie scrunched her nose.

“Why aren’t you ready?”

“I want to prove to my boss that I can do my job well before I can run away and get married.”

“Very funny!!” I mocked.

It was past seven when Reyan called me to tell me that Nihaal and he were ten minutes away from home.

“I am still out shopping with Annie. I’ll see you around eight?” I winked at the group of people who had gathered for Reyan’s birthday party.

“Chloe, how do we keep this cute minion to be quiet for a few minutes?”

“Oh, she’ll shut up if you turn off the lights, and she will think it’s her sleep time.”

“That’s not fair…I’ll take her upstairs and play with her,” Meg objected.

“Are you sure, Meg?” I asked as Meg picked up cute toddler dressed in pink for the party and headed upstairs.

Meg was no longer a whiny teenager and after the scary incident a few years ago, I told her everything; she handled the rough past like a champ. The incident only made her stronger and determined to succeed. Her dedication paid off with her acceptance into Stanford University. Reyan and Annie were there for her every step of the way and were a big part of her getting accepted to one of the most prestigious universities. My aunt and I could not be more proud of Meg.

I smiled, looking at my aunt who also happened to be looking at me at the same time. I blew her a kiss before she looked away to make sure the food was being set out for the party.

“Okay guys, I am going to get the lights in a few minutes so grab your drinks.”

I stood in the darkness by the staircase waiting for Reyan to walk through the elevator doors. Annie stood by the kitchen counter with her finger on the light switch waiting for my signal.

I took a deep breath remembering how we got to that day after I promised my mother I would take over the responsibilities from her. The first thing I did was to go to college. I put a hold on my creative writing training and went to a local university for my degree in Business Administration.

I had one more quarter before I graduate and was ready to take over the family-owned group of companies. Reyan and Annie were my pillars of strength as they encouraged me and helped me get through an aggressive schedule for my coursework.

The first trip I made to India was the most amazing experience, and I could remember every single experience to date. I took Reyan to the study and looked for the directions my father had given me in the letter and found the thirty-five-year-old whiskey. 

"Are you sure I am the man you love?" Reyan teased when I handed him the bottle.

I took my lips to his and teased, "I will decide based on this kiss."

I smiled remembering how a simple act of compassion turned out to be life altering. I found the love of my life, my soul sister, and a family. A family I never knew existed many thousand miles away. I heard the dull thud of the elevator as it stopped, bringing me back from memory lane.

“Now, Annie,” I whispered asking her to turn on the lights. The lights did come on but, instead of the entire room flooding with light, a single spotlight shone above me illuminating a small area around me.

I stared in the direction of the elevator when I heard the doors open, but I did not see any light streaming from the elevator as I had expected. I stood frozen to my spot and gasped when another light turned on shining directly over the man that swept me off my feet years ago.

Reyan was wearing a dark silk suit and was wearing a magenta tie that matched perfectly with the dress I had on for the night. My lips curved up as he walked towards me with the spotlight moving with him.

He stopped a foot away and smiled at me.

“What is going on?” I asked, smiling at him.

“Vinitha Raj alias Nandini Singhal, will you marry me?” he asked going down on one knee and presenting a beautiful ring that glittered under the spotlight.

I covered my mouth with my palm as he reached for my left hand and slipped the ring on my finger and kissed it.

“Sweetheart, I am still waiting.”

“Yes, yes, Reyan. I will marry you,” I said, tears of joy blurring my vision as he stood up to bring his lips to mine. His lips were soft on mine as he kissed me with utmost tenderness.

“I love you, Reyan Bhatia,” I said against his lips.

“It took me three years and eight months to get you to say ‘I love you’.”

I had completely forgotten about the twenty odd people gathered for Reyan’s birthday party until Chloe’s daughter mumbled something in the background. The lights turned on at that point, and I buried my face in Reyan’s chest as our friends filled the room with clamoring applause.

I turned around to look at my friends who were gathered for Reyan’s birthday party and teased, “This is a room is full of double agents.”

“He had a better plan so we all jumped ship,” Annie declared hugging me and added, “Now, I am ready to pick a wedding date.”

“Are you ready to pick a wedding date love?” Reyan asked planting a kiss on my forehead.

“Can’t wait for you to be mine,” I teased.

“I am yours and will be yours forever baby.”

“Me too,” I said knowing what it meant to love someone endlessly to eternity.

About the Author:

P. G. Van lives in San Francisco, and she published her first novel,
Destiny Decides,
in October 2015 and cannot stop writing. She loves to spend time with family and is a strong believer of retail therapy (mostly shops for boots and purses!!). She enjoys giving her readers an escape to the world of love and romance.

http://www.amazon.com/author/pgvan

Contact P. G. Van at
[email protected]