Aryan leaned back, his eyes dancing with a cold flame. "If you don't want to marry me, why are you telling me all this? Go and tell your family. If you have so much courage to talk to me like this, you should have the courage to tell them too."
Ana bit her lip. "That's exactly the problem," she thought bitterly. "My family isn't listening to anything I say."
But she didn't want to show her weakness.
"That's none of your concern, Mr. Roy!" she snapped.
Aryan let out a short, dry laugh. "None of my concern? Fine. Then let's just get married."
Ana froze. Her eyes widened in complete shock. "What?! Are you crazy?"
Aryan saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and realized she was terrified of her family's reaction. He felt a wave of satisfaction. "So, she is scared of them," he thought, a wicked smirk appearing on his face.
"Perfect. This will be my revenge. I'll make her life a living hell by making her agree to this marriage."
Just then, a waiter arrived to take their order. Aryan gestured toward the menu with a royal flick of his hand. "Let's see what you order, Miss Shila."
Ana's mind started racing. "I have to make him hate me," she planned. "I need to behave in a way that makes him reject me himself. No man likes a girl who spends too much money blindly. I'll order the most expensive things and show him I'm a gold-digger!"
She grabbed the menu and looked for the most luxurious dishes. "I'll have the Wagyu Steak, the Lobster Thermidor, and your finest vintage wine," Ana said to the waiter, her voice loud and confident.
She looked at Aryan, expecting him to look annoyed or angry at the high price. But to her surprise, Aryan didn't say a word. He just kept staring at her, his chin resting on his hand, watching her every move with a mysterious look in his eyes. He wasn't bothered by the money; he was fascinated by her game.
The waiter arrived with the luxurious dishes. The table was filled with expensive food, and Ana thought to herself, "Finally! Now Mr. Arrogant will definitely think I'm a gold-digger and reject me immediately."
But to her utter shock, Aryan leaned forward and smelled the aroma of the food. "Hmm, impressive," he said with a mysterious glint in his eyes. "These are all my favorite dishes. I'm wondering... how did you know exactly what I like?"
Ana's heart skipped a beat. "Oh no! I'm doomed!" she thought. Panicking, she quickly made up an excuse. "Oh, I... I always eat these. Every single day. This is my regular meal."
Aryan looked at her small, trembling hands and then at the giant portion of expensive steak. He knew she was lying. No one eats this much every day. A small, playful smile appeared on his lips as he gestured toward the plate. "Is that so? Then please, start eating. Don't let it get cold."
As Ana picked up her fork, her hands were shaking with fear. Everything she did to annoy him seemed to be backfiring. She tried to calm herself down.
"Calm down, Ana. Everything will be fine. He doesn't know the real Shila anyway. Even if I ruin her image, he will never know who she really is. Let's try something else."
Determined to look like a "bad girl," Ana suddenly took off her stylish coat. "Uff, it's so hot in here, don't you think?" she said, trying to act bold and indifferent. She was sure Aryan would find this behavior disrespectful or cheap in such a high-class restaurant.
But nature had other plans. As soon as she took off her coat, the icy cold air from the AC hit her bare skin. Within seconds, visible goosebumps appeared on her arms.
Aryan, who was watching her every move like a hawk, didn't miss it. He leaned in, his voice dripping with mockery. "Are you sure you're hot? Because your skin says something else. Your hair is literally standing on end."
Ana froze, feeling incredibly embarrassed. She wanted the ground to swallow her up. "This... this always happens to me. It doesn't matter!" she snapped, trying to hide her shivering arms.
Aryan just chuckled, a sound that was both dark and charming. He was beginning to realize that this "date" was going to be much more entertaining than he had expected.
Seeing Ana shivering in the cold AC, Aryan didn't say a word. He stood up slowly, his tall and powerful frame casting a shadow over her. Before Ana could realize what was happening, Aryan took off his own expensive blazer and draped it gently around her shoulders.
As he leaned in to adjust the coat, his face was just inches away from hers. Ana could smell his expensive cologne—a mix of sandalwood and ocean breeze. Her heart began to drum wildly against her ribs. She felt trapped in his presence, her breath hitching in her throat.
Panicking and desperate to push him away, Ana scrambled for the most disgusting things she could think of.
"Stay... stay away from me!" she stammered, trying to push his chest, but he didn't budge. "You don't know me! I'm... I'm very unhygienic! I only take a shower once every two days!"
Aryan raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips, but he didn't move back.
"And... and I have lice in my hair! Big, itchy lice!" Ana continued, her voice rising in desperation. "In fact, I don't even brush my teeth every day! My mouth stinks! You should stay as far away from me as possible!"
Aryan stared at her for a long moment. He looked at her clean, glowing skin, her silky managed hair, and her fresh face. It was so obvious she was lying that it was almost cute.
Instead of being disgusted, he leaned in even closer, his lips almost touching her ear.
"Is that so?" Aryan whispered, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine. "Well, it's a good thing I have the best doctors and the most expensive shampoos in the world. As for the rest... I think I can handle a little 'unhygienic' princess."
Ana was speechless. Her plan had failed miserably again. Instead of running away in disgust, this "Mr. Arrogant" was looking at her with even more interest.
"Uff! What is wrong with this man?" Ana thought, her face turning bright red. "Is he actually crazy, or am I just the worst actress in the world?"
The tension in the air was suffocating. Aryan was so close that Ana could feel the warmth of his breath. Desperate to break the moment and escape his magnetic presence, Ana's eyes fell on the glass of water on the table.
Without thinking twice, she "accidentally" knocked the glass over, spilling the cold water right onto Aryan's expensive designer suit.
"Oh my God! I am so, so sorry!" Ana exclaimed, acting completely shocked, though inside she was screaming with joy.
Aryan looked down at his soaked blazer and then at Ana. He narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what she had done, but he didn't lose his cool. "It's fine," he said coldly. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't even think about moving."
As soon as Aryan walked toward the washroom, Ana didn't waste a single second. She grabbed her bag and coat, looked around to make sure the coast was clear, and bolted out of the restaurant like a lightning bolt. She ran straight to the garden, grabbed a confused Shila, and disappeared from the scene.
A few minutes later, Aryan returned to the table, adjusting his cuffs. He looked at the empty chair and the half-finished expensive steak. A slow, meaningful smile crept onto his face—not an angry one, but a charmingly mischievous one.
"Well, Miss puddle.. you truly are an interesting girl," Aryan whispered to the empty air.
He leaned back, his eyes sparkling with a new kind of determination. "Did you really think it would be that easy to run away from me? The game has just begun, and I am not letting you go that easily."