CHAPTER XXX
The Price of Mischief
My sister suddenly turned toward me, her expression sharp, voice rising above the clatter of dinner plates.
"Vedehi! Did you just kick my foot under the table?"
For a moment, I froze, a fork halfway to my mouth, and then—instinctively—I tried to swallow the laughter bubbling in my chest.
"Who told you that?" I said, eyes wide in faux innocence. "I didn't do anything!"
She shot me a look — not just suspicion, but the kind of squinted glare that only an elder sibling can master. The one that says I know you better than you know yourself.
"Then why were you laughing like a maniac, huh?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but my brain hadn't quite caught up yet. What excuse could possibly make sense right now? But before I could mumble something entirely unbelievable, Sita stepped in.
Her voice was calm — far too calm — with that slight tilt of guilt and warmth that made her sound convincing even when she was clearly crafting a story.
"Didi…" she said with quiet respect, "it's actually a habit of Ved's. I'm really sorry on her behalf. I don't know why, but she always moves her legs around during meals. I once asked her why she does that, and she told me it helps with digestion... and even suggested I try it too."
I turned to her, stunned. My jaw almost dropped. I stared at Sita like she had just performed dark magic. How did she do that? So effortlessly shift the blame onto me, make it sound like a medical condition, and apologize for it all in one breath?
It was brilliant.
And utterly evil.
Because I knew her. That innocent expression was all part of the act. She wasn't protecting me — she was framing me. With grace and affection.
My sister burst out laughing, the kind of belly laugh that made her head tip back slightly.
"Oh, Sita, why are you even apologizing? This is just Ved being Ved! If you stay here for more than a month, I swear I'll tell you things about her that'll blow your mind. You'll see things you've never even imagined."
I jumped in, cheeks warm with rising embarrassment.
"Okay, okay! Enough already! Don't ruin my image in front of Sita! And for the record, I didn't do anything this time!"
But it was too late. My sister was wearing that smirk again. That wicked, slow, dangerous kind of smile only an older sibling could give — one laced with history, secrets, and unspoken threats.
"Oh, don't worry, dear sister. You'll be punished for this… mistake."
She leaned closer slightly, her tone lowering, "You better come to my room after dinner."
My stomach dropped. My pulse fluttered.
That smile meant only one thing: she had a plan. And it wasn't going to be fun for me. She'd probably pull out the ultimate embarrassing story from my childhood — maybe that one time I locked myself in the bathroom because I thought a lizard was guarding the door. Or the time I wrote a love letter to a senior girl and ended up sending it to her mother by mistake. Or worse… she'd just hand all of it over to Sita and sit back to watch the chaos unfold.
I wanted to protest — wanted to argue and save myself — but I knew better. Fighting back would only fan the flames. And Sita… she'd definitely tease me for weeks if she got more material.
So I sighed. Loudly. Dramatically.
"Okay, fine. As you wish."
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Sita. Her head was slightly bowed, but her shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
She was laughing.
Softly. Silently. But unmistakably.
She was enjoying this.
Oh no.
I narrowed my eyes at her, leaning in and whispering through clenched teeth, "You were just trying to get me in trouble, huh?"
She looked up slowly, mischief sparkling in her eyes, her lips tugging into the softest, most devilish smile.
"Oh, I am," she said, her voice like silk dipped in playfulness. "But watching you panic is just too cute."
I groaned audibly, slumping back in my chair. The dinner that was supposed to be quiet and uneventful had turned into a war zone of mockery and mischief. And clearly, I was on the losing side.
But as the laughter continued, as my sister wiped her tears from giggling too hard, and Sita tried to muffle her chuckles into the back of her hand, something inside me shifted.
Warmth.
Not the burning flush of humiliation — though there was plenty of that — but a deeper, softer warmth. A feeling of being seen, teased, included, and loved.
Because even in the chaos — in the shameless, ruthless teasing and my silent plotting of revenge — I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.
I felt like I was finally home.
After Dinner Drama
After dinner, I walked hesitantly toward my sister's room. She was lounging on her bed like some royal queen, draped in her cozy blanket as if it were a throne's robe. The moment she saw me enter, she smirked and patted the mattress next to her.
"Come here, dear servant," she said dramatically. "Sit beside your queen."
I rolled my eyes. "Very funny. Just tell me — what will it take for you not to tell Sita everything?"
She tilted her head with mock seriousness. "Vedehi, I'm your elder sister. A little respect would be nice."
I sighed. "Alright Didi, please tell me what it'll cost me to keep your mouth shut."
She raised a single eyebrow, grinning devilishly. "₹50,000."
I stared at her in disbelief. "Fifty thousand rupees? For what joy exactly? Are you blackmailing me or buying a car?"
She stood up from the bed, her voice rising with playful menace. "Fine then, I'll go tell Sita everything right now. Every embarrassing little detail."
Panicking, I held up my hand. "Okay, okay! What about ₹500?"
She gasped. "What?! You just chopped off two whole zeroes!"
I smirked. "If you tell Sita, I'll tell her a few things about you too. I may skip a couple details… but not everything."
Her eyes narrowed. "Alright, ₹5,000. That's my final offer. For now."
"Fine," I mumbled, not-so-convincingly. "You get ₹5,000… for one week of silence."
She nodded, her arms folded. "Deal. But after this week, you'll owe me the remaining ₹45,000. Otherwise, I make no promises about what Sita will learn."
I whispered under my breath, "She'll forget by then anyway. Honestly, does she even remember anything beyond food?"
My sister gave me a sharp glare. "I heard that."
I smiled sweetly. "I meant for you to hear it."
She huffed. "For your information, I do remember things other than food. Like money. And makeup."
I grinned. "Exactly why that guy who came to see you last time ran away — he saw your no-makeup face and sprinted."
Her jaw dropped. "You little—!"
Before she could say another word, she grabbed a pillow and flung it at me. I ducked, laughing.
"Get out of my room right now!" she yelled, chasing me toward the door.
"I'm going!" I cried, running for my life.
But just as I reached my room — or so I thought — the door was locked from the inside. I started banging on it desperately.
Suddenly, the door opened — and out came my aunt.
"Vedehi?" she blinked, rubbing her eyes. "Do you need something? I was just about to sleep."
I looked around, confused. "This room…"
She chuckled softly. "Oh dear, have you forgotten? It's been so many years since you last visited that you don't even remember your own room anymore. Take the left, then go straight. The third door — that's your room."
"Oh," I nodded sheepishly. "Thank you, Chachi. You should go rest."
I turned toward the hallway… and that's when it happened.
My sister caught up with me.
Before I could escape, she grabbed my arm — victorious.
"Chachi," she said sweetly, "I'll show her the way. She's a bit forgetful these days."
Once our aunt went back in and locked her room, my sister turned to me, eyes gleaming. "Alright, Vedu. Here's my QR code. Pay up."
I tried to hide my phone behind my back. "I… don't have charge."
She snatched the phone from my hand like a hawk. "Fully charged. Try another lie."
"But there's no—" I tried to protest, but she cut me off.
"There's full network too. No more excuses."
I groaned. "Fine. Show me the QR."
She held up the code with a triumphant grin, and I made the transfer, glaring at her the whole time.
"Done," I said. "Happy now?"
She smiled sweetly. "Very. Now off you go — your beloved wife must be waiting. Don't keep her waiting too long, or she might go to bed angry."
I rolled my eyes. "You're my elder sister! Stop teasing me like this."
She winked. "Oh come on, drama queen. Go, before she really gets upset."
As I walked away, slightly annoyed and slightly amused, I could still hear her laughter echoing behind me.
Honestly… being home was exhausting — but in the best possible way.
To be continue....