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Vivek forcefully pushed her into a chair, holding her still as she struggled furiously. Her ranting ceased when he shook her hard.
“It's over,” he stated firmly. “Ranveer has made his choice. You can do nothing now. So, stop this foolishness and move on.”
Adira glared venomously. “She took what was mine. Your illegitimate daughter stole my place, Dad. I'll kill her.”
“You won't hurt Maya, ever,” Vivek yelled. “Ranveer was never yours, Adira. It was a one-sided infatuation. Accept that it's over. I'm tired of covering for you - if you don't stop this, I won't anymore.”
She looked at him accusingly. “I don't need your help. I'll do it alone - Maya has to die so I can get Ranveer back.”
Vivek sighed heavily. “You won't get him back, and I'm telling you for the last time, do not harm Maya. She's still my blood, I can't see her hurt any more than you.”
Adira was shocked to hear her father admit he cared for his illegitimate daughter too.
“Please baby,” he pleaded, kissing her forehead, “do this one thing for me. Don't keep punishing yourself. You're too precious to me.”
He embraced her but she remained rigid and unresponsive, still reeling from the revelation about Maya who had stolen the man she loved and now it seemed her father too was siding her. The betrayals were too much for Adira to bear.
Malhotra Office
Maya had been sitting patiently in Ranveer's office for over an hour trying unsuccessfully to get his attention. For the first 15 minutes, he was engrossed in typing on his laptop. The next 30 minutes were spent attending a voice conference with his Japanese client, and for the last 15 minutes, he was engrossed in a file Aman Mathur had handed him. Throughout this time, he hardly spared her more than a glance or two. He seemed exceptionally rude, or at least pretended to be, and Maya believed she deserved it. Though he had told her to leave and they would talk later, she stubbornly remained, determined to earn his forgiveness first. But just sitting quietly was getting her nowhere. She had to take action.
Pretending to take a call, she started, “Hi Mom.”
Ranveer kept his eyes averted with effort.
“I'm at Ranveer's office and not leaving without him,” Maya announced, hoping to provoke a response. “My thoughtless actions last night hurt him deeply. I'm waiting for him to forgive me. You know how stubborn I can be when I set my mind to something.”
She peeked to see if her act was working. “I crossed the line this time and deserve punishment. So, what if I haven't eaten since morning either? He hasn't either.”
At that, Ranveer finally looked over, though he quickly glanced away again before she noticed.
“I wonder if he even cares anymore,” Maya mused dramatically. “If he did, he wouldn't treat me this way. Maybe he's lost interest, like men do once they are married. Before marriage they chase you desperately, and after, they pull away. He's doing the same.”
That elicited a reaction as he reached Maya and snatched the phone from her hand. “You think I don't know this is a fake call?” Ranveer accused.
He knew? How did he know? Maya stood up, caught.
“This won't affect me, Maya,” he added.
“It does affect you. Otherwise, you would not have come here to snatch my phone,” she pointed out defiantly. “I finally got your attention.”
His brow twitched in annoyance. Before he could get more pissed, Maya apologized again.
“I’m sorry, Ranveer. I didn’t realize I was hurting you when I accepted Daadi’s condition last night. I shouldn’t have made that decision alone. But I promise, henceforth, I’ll be careful. Just for this one time shred your fragile ego and forgive me.”
The mention of his ego annoyed him further. Maya read that in his expressions and immediately corrected.
“I mean, please accept my apology this time. I promise I’ll do anything in return.”
His eyes shone with mischief the moment she said those words.
“Anything?” Ranveer reconfirmed, stepping towards her.
Maya recoiled slightly, confused by his sudden proximity. She realized he could ask anything of her now. Steeling herself, she stood still when he approached again. A flicker of surprise and something more dangerous crossed his gaze at her acquiescence.
Just then his intercom buzzed. Groaning at the intrusion, Ranveer walked back to his desk and answered the ringing phone. Maya took a sigh of relief and watched his expressions grow thick and intense. She could tell it was a bad call. Something had happened that had grabbed his attention.
He hung up and turned to Maya grimly. “Adira tried to kill herself after hearing about our marriage.”
