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But what he saw as he scrolled through his accounts told him that this circus was firmly in trapeze land. Shit. A statement would do nothing. They needed some serious firepower behind the damage control. They needed Agastya Anna’s brain.
The door banged open again and they all turned as one to see Veda and Raashi standing there, with their mother behind them.
Horror swept through Harsh as he took in the bandage on Raashi’s face, the already darkening bruises on her cheek, her disheveled hair and clothes and worst of all, the shocked, blank look in her eyes.
What. The. Fuck?
Ten
RAASHI
The room erupted into noise and chaos the minute they entered. Everyone was shouting, asking questions, demanding answers, making threats…Everyone but Harsh who stared at her like he was looking at a ghost.
Raashi sank into a seat in the corner of the room, her hands wrapped around the steaming hot mug of tea someone thrust at her. The door banged open making her flinch and her brother and father walked through. The noise levels were climbing to levels that would have glass shattering soon. Raashi pulled her legs up, her knees to her chest as she tried to make herself as small as possible.
Someone pushed the door open again and this time, Harsh’s father, Suryakanth Kodela, walked into the room. The room went silent as the older man came to a halt in the middle of it, his hands crossed at his back, a ferocious frown on his face. A frown that was directed at Harsh, Raashi noticed.
“What have you done now?” Suryakanth Garu asked Harsh, his Telugu flawless but lined with utter contempt.
Surprised, Raashi glanced at her archenemy. Harsh’s face was a smooth, blank mask. As she watched, a small sneer tipped his lips up. A strange disquiet settled inside her at the sight. What had he done? Raashi was the one who’d set this chain of events off.
“You’ll have to be more specific Nanna. I’ve done a lot. What exactly are you referring to?” Harsh’s laconic drawl was the same one that usually had her hackles rising. But this time, she felt like a spectator about to watch a show unfold.
“It’s not enough that you prance around half naked on the screen, you have to shame us off screen also?”
“Nanna.” Agastya intervened, stepping between his father and brother. “What are you going on about?”
“Ask him!” Their father snarled, pointing a finger at Harsh. Agastya glanced at Harsh, but he only shrugged in response, clearly having no clue what he’d done to enrage their father.
“I don’t know what he’s frothing at the mouth about. I promise I haven’t pranced around half naked off screen.”
“Put on the news,” Kodela Uncle snapped.
As one, everyone’s heads snapped towards Raashi’s father. He put his hands up in the air, palms out and shook his head. “Whatever this is, it’s not us. My team has not flagged anything with me.”
“Not City News.” Kodela Uncle picked up the remote himself and turned the television on, navigating to a local channel.
A second later, Raashi’s face filled the screen. The strange cloud of disassociation she’d been floating in started to lift as she watched the video clip of the girl flinging the ridiculous high heeled blingy sandal at her face. Someone had gotten hold of the store’s CCTV footage.
Harshians, Harsh Kodela’s fans, are claiming to be proud of the girl’s actions.
“Anyone who says anything about Harsh Anna is our enemy. And we will not allow them to live in peace,” a young boy with a straggly moustache proclaimed.
We have received an anonymous tip that claims that Harsh Kodela is behind all of this, that he is encouraging the Harshians to defend his reputation. For those of you who don’t already know the latest news, Raashi Gadde, daughter of City News Founder, Chaitanya Gadde, called Harsh Kodela a ‘manwhore’ at the glittering premiere of Maa Pranam, his latest release.
While Kodela is known for never being seen with the same girl twice, it’s to be noted that several of those girls have now come forward to talk about his mistreatment of them. Manwhore is one thing but is Harsh Kodela also an abuser? Stay tuned for more details as we break this story.
“What rubbish!” Veda’s voice broke the stunned silence, as she grabbed the remote and hit pause. “What utter rubbish.”
Harsh stared at the screen, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He didn’t say a word. Raashi’s heart cringed in her chest at the mess her thoughtless words had caused.
“Is it true?” Suryakanth uncle demanded.
“Nanna!” Agastya’s shock was obvious. “How can you even ask that? Of course it’s not true.”
Harsh still didn’t say anything. He just kept staring at the television with the news anchor’s face frozen on it.
“I am asking you a question, Harsh! ANSWER ME!”
