AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Agastya barked a laugh at that very concise summary of their fathers’ complicated relationship.
“Anant assumed Nanna’s weakened position would have him retiring to lick his wounds.”
It was Ram’s turn to laugh. “Like Nanna is even capable of that. When he’s wounded, he lashes out harder and more viciously.”
“Yes.” Who knew that better than Raashi did? “Yes, he does. He’d been prepared for a day like that one. He opened up file after file laden with dirt on Anant and then he buried him in it.” A fierce glow of pride lit her up from within. In some ways, Raashi was more her father’s daughter than either of her siblings were.
“Anant doesn’t like to lose. When his victory disappeared, so did his love for me. He turned on me like a hyena on a rotting carcass.”
Exhaustion weighed her voice down. “I applied to every college I could find in America, the furthest from Hyderabad I could run. And I took the first admission letter I got and left. I swore I’d never come back.”
“Why did you?” Aarush asked, curiously.
“I was tired of running. I was tired of being alone.” She stared down at her hands, now lying lax in her lap. “I wanted to come home.”
“What happened with Anant and your father?”
“Given they both had something to lose, they agreed to split the company and go their separate ways, maintaining a mask of civility for the public.” Ram was the one to take that question, his voice a tightly reined in mask of fury and pain.
“And over the years, the mask turned into something more genuine. Nanna respects him.” Ram shoved his fingers through his hair, a look of utter disgust on his face.
“Of course he does. One shark always respects another.”
Raashi didn’t have a doubt her father had forgiven Anant years ago. Just as she knew with a soul deep certainty, that he would never forgive her for what she’d done. She’d lost her father the day she’d picked up that file from his desk.
And today, after her sordid confession, she was sure she’d lost her husband too.
Forty-Five
HARSH
The silence in the study was deafening after Raashi’s confession. She looked exhausted which wasn’t surprising given the emotional wringer she’d just been through.
“Okay.” Harsh looked over at his brother who nodded. “We’re done for tonight.”
Raashi’s head shot up. “No. We need to figure things out.” Her voice rose in agitation, her hair flying as she spun to look at all of them. “I know what Anant’s like. He’s vicious and even worse, he’s sly. We can’t just sit around waiting for him to do something to hurt Harsh. We need to do something first.”
“And we will,” Harsh told her gently. “Just not tonight.”
“But-“
Raashi looked like she was going to argue but Agastya spoke up. “He’s right Raashi. Get some rest. This will still be waiting for us in the morning.”
“You’re exhausted Chinna.” Ram straightened. “Get some sleep. We’ll deal with this in the morning.”
Raashi stared at her brother, her eyes seeming to laser right through him. “What are you upto?”
“Nothing,” Ram, the most unconvincing liar in the world, said. “I’m going to go home now and, um, ah, sleep.”
Raashi narrowed her eyes. “I will gut you with a fish hook if you go Wild West on Anant.”
Harsh’s eyebrows shot up. Protective of Wrinkly Dick, wasn’t she?
Ram shifted guiltily. “Of course not,” he huffed. The dude really was the worst actor in the world. Good thing he was a lawyer, fighting the good fight.
“Promise me!” Raashi insisted, swaying on her feet from exhaustion.
Ram looked set to argue but Harsh interjected, “Promise her.”
