ARUNDHITA'S POV
After fifteen minutes of suffocating silence, to my utter surprise, my father patted my head and chuckled—the first time in three years. I remembered the last time he'd done so was in front of the media. We all turned our heads towards the door, drawn by the sound of approaching footsteps.
My eyes widened in shock, every cell in my body seeming to freeze. My father walked towards him, shaking his hand, and in that instant, our gazes met. His eyes were cold, filled with an undeniable hatred. His jaw tightened, perhaps in anger. "Arundhita beta (child), come here, meet the CEO of AAR Corporations, Mr. Aditya." I moved towards him with slow, deliberate steps, still holding his gaze. He had changed; this wasn't my old Adi, he was a stranger. His large frame, the prominent veins in his neck and hands, the scars peeking through his shirt, its first three buttons undone. I approached, extending my hand for a handshake, flinching slightly as my father patted my head. I heard his cold, deep voice—no longer soft as it once was, but harsh, dripping with animosity. "Hello, Ms. ARUNDHITAA, it's NICE meeting you." A shiver ran down my spine as his rough hand met my soft, fragile one. His hand was immense, and his powerful aura enveloped me, making me feel small and weak. His intense stare consumed me from within.
We detached our hands, and I looked away, my world tilting as I saw Anand standing beside Adityraj. My train of thought shattered as my father spoke in his sweetest voice. "Princess, this is Mr. Anand Singhaniya, Mr. Aditya's business partner." No words came out of my mouth. Then Anand spoke, his voice no longer joyful but rough and harsh. "Hello, Ms. Arundhita."
My voice trembling, I managed, "Nice to meet you both."
ADITYRAJ POV
We arrived at Vardhan mansion. As we reached the door, I saw Manish Vardhan, the bloody bastard, standing there, patting Arundhita's head. She looked surprised by his actions but quickly masked it with a smile. She wore a pink anarkali with minimal accessories, her beautiful, flawless skin barely needing makeup. The urge to grip and capture that skin in my sinful hands was overwhelming. She had grown even more beautiful, but her eyes were devoid of emotion, filled with immense pain. Our eyes met—her beautiful brown ones, lined with kohl, making them appear large. She looked utterly shocked, frozen in place. She moved towards us at her father's command. She trembled, her hands shaking, feeling small and powerless beneath my gaze. "Hello, Ms. ARUNDHITAA, it's NICE meeting you," I said, forcing her to look into my dark eyes as my jaw tightened. I suppressed the urge to hold her close and kiss the hell out of her. She glanced at Anand, doubling her surprise, her expression utterly stunned.
I knew why she was shocked to see him with me. I was the one who had asked him to stay by her side, to ensure her safety. But after seeing her kill my uncle, all I wanted was to make her life a living hell. The girl I loved more than my own life had betrayed me. It shattered the last fragments of my broken heart, leaving only hatred. I hated her to my very core. I was just waiting for the right moment.
I heard the bastard speak, "Mr. Aditya, please have a seat." He bustled around us like a dog, trying to please. We sat and discussed the deal. Arundhita was reviewing some papers. After finishing, I heard him say, "Princess, won't you show Mr. Aditya our house?" He spoke gently, and she replied with a pale smile, "Yes, Dad." She stood, and I followed her. She showed me the garden and the kitchen, and then we reached the guest room. I pinned her against the wall; she flinched badly, though I made sure not to hurt her head. "Mr. Aditya, please let me go. Don't forget you're here to meet my dad," she said, struggling in my strong grip. Anger surged through me, and I tightened my hold. She hissed in pain. "Forgotten me, darling? Don't worry, I'll make sure you remember me forever. And about leaving you, sweetheart, I never left you back then, and I won't in the future. You're mine, just mine." Her eyes filled with tears; she feared me. "You've changed so much, Adi. You're not my Adi anymore. I don't know you." Her tears, her words, clenched my heart, feeling like needles piercing me. "Old Adi, huh?" I sneered sarcastically. "He died a long time ago, when you left me. Do you think I don't know anything? Every single thing you did, I know it all, darling." I said in a mocking tone, playing with strands of her hair. She looked at me in disbelief. "Don't show me those crocodile tears, darling; they don't affect me anymore." She was breathing heavily; I could feel her heart racing like a marathon. Her eyebrows furrowed, and a few tears escaped. It hurt something inside me, but the fire of revenge was far vaster than my dead love for her. "Save them for later, darling, you'll need them in the future," I whispered against her lips, holding her upper arms tightly. After a moment, I released her with a jerk, and she stumbled against my chest before recoiling.
ARUNDHITA'S POV
I was reviewing some papers from the office; I had nothing to do with their deal. I felt a constant, burning stare on me, and I knew it was him. He had changed so much. Should I tell him everything? What if he hates me after what I did? I don't think he would even talk to me, and I didn't want to risk his life. I still remembered those horrible moments.
PAST
I was dragged to the basement by my father, who held my hair tightly. "Ahhh, please leave me, it's hurting, please!" I cried. "Let me show you what happens when you don't listen to me. I told you, right? No f—ing around with boys. You didn't get it, did you? Now see what happens." He threw me to the floor. My eyes scanned the room and saw Arvind, his hands tied, his body covered in knife wounds, blood oozing from everywhere. I screamed my lungs out, "No! Please don't do this to him, please! He didn't do anything, he just helped me, nothing more than that, please, Dad, please leave him, please!" Ignoring my pleas, he grabbed my arm, forcing me to stand. He placed a gun in my hand and snarled, "Take aim, F—ING POINT AT HIM!" I flinched, my body trembling, a crying mess. He suddenly aimed the gun I held and shot him. I heard his scream for the last time, "AHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!" That was it. Darkness enveloped me, and I fainted.
PRESENT
I didn't want Aditya to end up that way. I didn't even want my father's attention on him, let alone any harm to even a single strand of his hair. Then I heard my father say, "Princess, won't you show Mr. Aditya our house?" I looked at him in disbelief. I was trying to keep Adi far from me to keep him safe; I knew what my greedy father was planning. Sometimes the question crossed my mind: Am I his biological daughter? But I couldn't do anything. If I said no, I knew the consequences. I emotionlessly replied with a fake smile, fidgeting with my fingers. I got up. I wanted to finish everything as soon as possible because I didn't want to drag my Adi into this. I didn't want him hurt; I didn't want to lose him after my mom, Dev, and Radha Ma. Adi was one of the few I would die for. I couldn't risk his life, no.
I moved towards the garden, his gaze burning into me; he continued walking behind. After showing him the kitchen and other rooms, we moved towards the guest room, quite far from the living room. As I opened the door, I was suddenly pinned to the wall, a small scream escaping my mouth as my body hit the wall, causing pain in my back. I felt one hand on the back of my head and the other gripping my upper arm. We stared at each other; his eyes were dark, reddish. He was dangerously close, making my heart race; it felt hard to breathe properly. His gaze sent shivers down my spine. His eyes displayed pain, anger, and most painfully, hatred and disgust. The eyes that once looked at me with nothing but love now hated me. At the thought of my father's animalistic behavior, I hardened my heart and said,
"Mr. Aditya, please let me go. Don't forget you're here to meet my dad." Tears welled up with the thought of leaving him again. I didn't want to leave him; I wanted to stay with him, with my love. He was the first man in my life to whom I wanted to give everything, but destiny seemed to have other plans, or more pain, for me. "Forgotten me, darling? Don't worry, I'll make sure you remember me forever. And about leaving you, sweetheart, I never left you back then, and I won't in the future. You're mine, just mine."
I shot my teary eyes to meet his burning ones. My heart clenched, it pained me to see him this way. He was so changed; he wasn't like before; he wasn't soft to me anymore. I could see my father in him, which terrified me to my core. The thought of him becoming like my father was the worst I could imagine. "You've changed so much, Adi. You're not my Adi anymore. I don't know you," words left my mouth as more tears gathered, struggling to keep them from falling. "Old Adi, huh?" he scoffed sarcastically. "He died a long time ago, when you left me. Do you think I don't know anything? Every single thing you did, I know it all, darling." His words broke me. I didn't know what had happened to him, what made him like this. He was never like this; he never talked to me this way. After Radha Ma, he was the only one who brought joy to my heart, but now my world seemed to have flipped completely upside down. An unknown fear clutched my heart; my hands and body began to shake.
"Don't show me those crocodile tears, darling; they don't affect me anymore." Tears slipped; my heart shattered into pieces. My will to hold any more pain evaporated as a flood of tears began to flow. My throat felt dry, words dead. "Save them for later, darling, you'll need them in the future." Hearing this, I wished that for once, Dev shouldn't have saved me; I should have died that day itself. My pain intensified as his grip on my arms tightened. Soon, he jerked his hands off me, causing me to fall against his hard chest. He was scary. I could hear my father in him—his words, his actions. Why was he here? What did he want? What would he do? Did he want to hurt me? All these questions raced through my head, matching the speed of my heartbeats.
AUTHORS POV
Arundhita hastily moved out of the guest room, Adityraj following close behind. They both returned to the living room, where Adityraj and Anand shook hands with Manish Vardhan. Manish had no idea that Adityraj was the son of Abhivardan Rathore and Megha. The world knew him simply as Aditya, the most successful businessman. They all left with a polite, "It was nice to meet you." Manish, unaware of the storm brewing, was currently on cloud nine.
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TBC
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