Page 51 of Right Where I Belong

He nodded, watching her as she answered the call, walking away from them, her hips swinging, her hand twirling a lock of her hair.

His mother cleared her throat, snapping his attention to her.

“Why would you drop in unannounced like this?” Aditya asked.

“Actually, I did want to surprise you. I miss you. The house is empty without you.”

He caught her hand, squeezing it. “I love you too, Mom. But coming here like this isn’t okay.”

She glared at him. “When your assistant told me you were here at this fancy, romantic restaurant, I knew I’d find you with a woman. And since I’m always the last one to learn about anything in your life, I decided to come see for myself who you were with.”

He looked heavenward, shaking his head, before saying, “How long are you here for? Are you staying the night?”

“I have to be in Bali in a few hours. I’ll head to the airport from here.”

He gave her a smile. “Okay.”

She looked at him for a long moment before taking a large sip of her whiskey.

“I’m so damn disappointed in you,” she said, her voice dripping with disapproval. “Your choice in women is getting worse by the day. You keep falling for gold diggers.”

Anger rushed through him. “Sabrina is not a gold digger.”

“Says the man who thought the same about Kanika. We both know how that turned out.”

“Are you forever going to throw that in my face? Kanika was wrong for me, I know that. But Sabrina is not her.”

He turned his head to look at Sabrina. She was leaning against a wall at the entrance. Her eyes met his, and she gave him a brilliant smile. Something clenched in his chest. Aprotective instinct surged through him. Whatever his mother thought, heknewSabrina wasn’t with him for anything buthim.

“Oh my God,” his mom squeaked. “Stop looking at her like you’re besotted. I won’t allow you to throw your life away on some stupid crush you’ve developed on a woman who is all wrong for you.”

“Will you stop this?” he said. “Sabrina and I are too new.”

“And yet your eyes gleam when you look at her.”

Well, he couldn’t deny that. “There is something…”

“Bloody hell. No, Aditya,” she said, her tone firm. “I don’t approve of her. She’s a widow with a child, and she’s with you only because you’re rich. She wants a father for her son, and a sugar daddy for herself.”

His temper flared. “That is an awful assumption to make.”

“It is true, nonetheless.”

This was so far from the truth. Sabrina had already planned to end this affair. She didn’t want him anywhere near her son. He stole another glance at Sabrina, his chest tightening. He was only just getting to know her, yet he knew that a few weeks with her wouldn’t be enough. But that was a battle for another day. Right now, his mother was judging Sabrina incorrectly, and he hated it. It made him so damn angry.

He clenched his jaw, inhaling deeply, holding himself back from saying something to his mother that he’d regret. But he did need to set the tone right for whatever happened next between Sabrina and him.

“I don’t need your approval, Mom,” he finally said. “It would mean something to me, yes. But I’m not asking for your permission. This is my life, and I will decide who I want beside me. Not you.”

His mother’s eyes widened in shock. He’d never spoken to her like this before, and yet, he meant every word. She rose from her chair, every inch of her radiating fury.

“You’re making a mistake,” she bit out. “But since you clearly are not going to listen, it’s best I leave and let you learn by yourself, again.”

She turned on her heel and swept out of the restaurant. He dragged a hand through his hair and dropped back into his seat, his chest tight. Tension throbbed in his temples.

“Where’s your mother?” Sabrina’s voice cut through his haze. He looked up and found her standing beside him.

“She left.” His voice was rougher than he intended.