Inferno in town

"Veer! Hey, are you listening?" Kavya snapped her fingers at him, he had zoned out during breakfast, "What?"

"Great, now I have to repeat myself." She huffed loudly, "Why has the publicist given me these stupid events to attend, I can't go okay, I have to work on my collection." He nodded, "I'll have Mahek call them so that you can't go."

"What is the press going to say about me? that I walked out of charity events? Why don't you ever understand my problems?" she gulped down her orange juice, "I am going to fire this publicist for making these stupid commitments on my behalf, I mean just because I am married and pregnant, doesn't mean I am some grandma to go door by door solving trivial household problems for the sake of your image."

"Kavu it's not about that, it's about showing that – we're mature and contributing to the society, which helps the image but-"

"Again Veer, I am not fifty." She nagged.

"But you're thirty-four – it's time you stop competing with ramp walkers and showstoppers." He took a bite from his toast. "What?" she raised her brows. "I am not having this conversation." He shrugged sipping from his juice. "Do what you want, you want to collaborate with pregnancy spandex or work with charities, your pick."

She shook her head muttering something, he sighed, "It's a choice Kavu."

"I know where you're coming from, but don't you see it- how everyone is eyeing me at every event like I am some yesterday's news."

"What do you mean?" he asked looking up at her from his plate. "Every other new girl thinks she can outdo Kavya Oberoi, that girl – Pratha, did you see how arrogant she was last night, being a candy on your brother's arm, acting like she owned the place?" Kavya seethed unknowingly.

"Hmm." His mind started to replay last night, her face, her red lips in an arrogant smile, well until he caught her later and made sure she knew she could never be over him.

"Well if you must know I saw her leave with your brother." Kavya pulled out the napkin, "Why don't you talk to Ritwik, she's messing with me, she tried to fuck up your company."

"She's doing it for the news, Kavu." He too wiped his mouth, "That cunning little bitch first got into the company and screwed it up, I don't want her in my house Veer. If that girl manages to seduce Ritwik into marrying her-"

Veer clenched his teeth, "That'll not happen, why would she marry him?"

"Because she wants to be me." Kavya got up, tossing the newspaper at him, "They're the new talk couple, Ritwik may not be as powerful as you but he's still an Oberoi."

"Kavu, she's just doing this to get attention, I've already talked to Ritwik, this is not going to happen." He looked at their pictures from the carpet in disgust.

"Why didn't you call me?" Ritwik was standing at the doorstep of her vanity room. She turned back to look at him and then her hair stylist, "Ahana can I have a moment in privacy?"

"Sure."

"Please tell the makeup team to wait outside." Pratha said as her hair stylist left, Ritwik closed the door, "Veer met you didn't he?"

"Yes, he choked me." Pratha turned with a sarcastic smile, "Told me if I go home with you, he'll put me in 'my place'. "

Ritwik furrowed his brows, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was calling you when that happened but things got out of hand." She got up from her chair, "Trust me Ritwik, we're going to screw him, give me some time."

"How? How are you going to do this?" he grabbed her arms. "He'll come to see me. I left with you, it's going to drive him insane."

"You sure? Because he was chipper at the office 45 minutes ago."

"Ritwik trust me-"

Her phone's ring cut her off, she leaned forward to get it as Ritwik looked over her shoulder, "Arre mere pyaare bhaiya."

Pratha grinned while putting the phone on speaker, "Hello."

Ritwik's brows raised as he heard his brother's voice, "I've texted you the hotel and checked in your name, I'll be there quarter to eight, bring no one, I have to talk to you."

"I thought we talked last night." She flipped her hair, "I'll see you there." He said quickly, Pratha and Ritwik could hear him driving. "What if I don't want to see you?" she said in a teasing tone. Ritwik glared at her to which she held his wrist, mouthing, "I got this."

"What do you mean?" he was getting angry, "Ritwik asked me to dinner." She bit her lip. "Eight o clock Pratha, you're coming." He hung up on her. Pratha grinned, keeping the phone back on the table, "I told you."

"Okay honey, I might have underestimated you, I need proof Pratha, get me a nice little video would you?"

She nodded, "I am going to be there 15 minutes earlier, I'll plant a camera or something." She looked in the mirror running a hand through her hair "He's so screwed."

2 years ago.

Pratha had never had the urge to impress someone this hard, not with the way she looked, they were doing a winery ad campaign, and numerous people looked like God's gift to earth, she could not look the prettiest but she could look the most 'hard-working'.

A voice in her head continuously told her how stupid she was to try and impress a man who was so use to people giving their blood, sweat, and tears to please him work-wise, to impress a man who was just simply being kind to her, to impress someone who was 'not' available for a relationship, who was someone else's, but it happened unknowingly, trying to make him happy with her was out of her control.

"Come in." She heard his voice from the other side of the door, she entered the room only to be frozen in place when she saw him half naked, just in a towel as he sat on the sofa holding his hand out, she gave him the newspaper, "Good morning." He nodded, his eyes fixed on the newspaper, "Did you final the set? Where's the set plan?"

She kept a file on the table, "I've sent the makeup and hair for the actors, they already had their breakfast, and we've arranged extras, Mr. Parihar called, and he said that payment for shipment will be transferred after the first lot is delivered and Mrs. Chandra called, Mrs. Oberoi is going to London to meet her mother."

He nodded, picking up the file she kept on the table, flipping the pages, "Umm Pratha, where's the third sequence? I don't see a set map."

She bit her lip, "The director hasn't decided yet."

"What? We're shooting for two more days and he hasn't decided yet. Tell him to decide." His voice was polite but held firmness to it. She nodded, her eyes fighting hard to stay focused on anything but him. If she wasn't looking at his Greek god body, she'd look at his face, which was no less challenging.

"Pratha?" he waved his hand in front of her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, snapping out of her thoughts, "Yes, I was just- thinking about the set."

"What about it?" he asked, getting back to reading the newspaper. "We can shoot on the beach- it's not that far away, it'll look good."

"That's a good idea, Pratha, why don't you add it in sweetie." He handed her the file, "Also can you please check where in the earth are my clothes, I gave them for ironing and I've called four times to check on it."

She nodded, "Yes, I'll go check."

"Thank you." He said reaching for his tea. She smiled turning around to leave, "Pratha."

She heard him folding the newspaper, "I can call you Pratha right?"

She nodded looking over her shoulder. "You're okay now?"

"I am doing great." She gave him a toothy smile and rushed out.

She was a nervous wreck running around to find Sameer, "Mr. Khosla this isn't my job, you were supposed to be taking care of the camera team, break's been over for thirty minutes, and three people from the crew are not in sight and if it makes it any worse Boss is here."

The guy frowned, "What? He hasn't been here on any sets, did he finally sum up his meetings?"

"I can't ask him what he does or not, please go get the crew members." She almost pleaded. "Pratha, you gave the idea of the set you should manage it."

"I just gave a damn idea." Pratha stomped her foot, "I didn't know he'll like it, please go and don't embarrass me- the boss will be here any-"

"Miss Gujral."

Pratha squeezed her eyes shut, fisting her hands, Sameer's eyes widened seeing their boss walk to them, Pratha mouthed, "Go find them." She turned around smiling, "Everything's under control."

"Yes, I trust you." He chuckled, nodding at Sameer, "Everything under control?"

"Yes- we are just waiting for three crew members." Sameer raised his brows at Pratha. Veer turned his head to her, she gulped, "I did give everybody the schedule Sir, I got it printed for them, the break is over for over thirty minutes, I know we're lagging, I am trying to contact them but neither is picking up my call, I am so sorry."

He huffed, "Take a breath, Miss Gujral, I know it's not your fault. Have you had lunch?"

She shook her head, "I will after I collect the costumes."

"Sameer please go collect the costumes, Miss Gujral is not a crew member, she is assisting me." he ordered in a friendly manner, "and while you're at it, tell Sonu to call in the missing people."

Sameer nodded quickly getting out of sight as quickly as possible, Pratha 's breath hitched when he held her wrist, "You look like you'll faint in the next two minutes, we're going to put some food in you."

Soon they were seated in the restaurant near the beach, she was looking out the window while he ordered them food. Her hand constantly running in her hair, she opened her schedule diary to check things, "Even if they come back now, everyone has been so lazy on this set, I think we'll need one more day to cover it, might as well omit it." He reached for the diary, closing it, "We're not going to do that, if it takes one more day, we can stay, that can be afforded."

She sighed, "Can I say something?"

"Sure."

"I know that you trust me enough to assist you but umm, once I go back I can't do this." She played with a bracelet on her wrist, "No one wants to work with me. I don't know why, I don't want you to do anything about it and fuel it further, I am moving to Mussoorie." She saw the change in his expression, he looked upset rather than disappointed, "Well if that's your choice I understand."

She gathered strength reached for his hand and held it softly, "It has nothing to do with you, you're an amazing person, it's me. I can't take the pressure of working under so much criticism just since you were nice enough to give me a job."

He looked up and nodded, "Okay. At least you're not upset with me."

"No way." She grinned, pulling her hand back, he looked down at her hand, "That looks like an antique."

She grasped the bracelet he had pointed at to make conversation, "Yes, it's my Mom's, my grandma gave it to her at her wedding, it was given to me after her death."

"You wear that every day?"

"No" she shook her head, "Just when I am missing her, mom loved the beach."

"Then we're giving it another day." He said with a light smile, "You know so you can be as close as you want to be to your mother's spirit." She bit her lip, "I wouldn't mind."

Present:

A knock on the door startled her, she got up flipping her hair as she went to the door, looking back she checked the two cameras she had planted there, opening the door she was disappointed to see a staff member, "Yes?"

"I'll take you to your room."

"This is the room." Pratha frowned. "No leave your bag and phone here and follow me."

"Of course." Pratha stomped her foot as she reached for her coat and followed the man. He took her to a room on the other floor. The man opened the door for her and went she went inside, it closed behind her. She swallowed thickly going ahead into the large suite. She saw him facing the window, perhaps smoking. Pratha fisted her hands, "You shouldn't have done this, why did he take away my things?"

"Because I paid him." He turned around and shrugged. "You don't get this far in life when you're not this cautious." She nodded, "Or this much of a dick."

He grinned, "Look at you, pretending to hate me. " he walked to her, "What's the plan with Ritwik huh? I told you not to leave with him."

"And I told you that you should try and stop me." she seethed.

"Don't play with fire Pratha, you don't have any idea how bad this will end for you." He held her elbow, "If you think you'll get my brother head over heels for you, which is pathetic and so-" she interrupted him, "Why? What's so 'unacceptable' about me Veer? I mean we were solid until a month ago, if you must know, I like him, I like him a lot, he's twenty-nine, he has an amazing sense of fashion, I like his music taste, and boy does he-"

"Shut up!" His eyes turned dark to the point where she would call them black, "What's wrong with you?"

She pushed him, "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Why don't you let me move on Veer? It hurts you to see me with him right?" her hands clutched his collar, "Don't you think it hurts me when you do this to me? When you call me a fucking pit stop?" Her eyes filled with tears, "I don't even know what I did wrong, at least tell me why I live this way, where I have to wait and wait for a call from you, where I cancel a whole party just so I could spend one night in the year that's important to me with you but you don't pick up the damn phone."

He bit the inside of his cheek, "It's still about that one birthday night?"

She shook her head, 'It's about two weeks before that when you stopped calling me when you stopped coming home when you treated me like crap." She took a step back, "If you want me to not ruin your oh-so-perfect life then let me move on. Why do you care if it's Ritwik or any guy on the street?" she turned around, "I was angry at you, but I can't force you to love me because obviously, you don't, this is the last time I am ever going to meet you."

She couldn't move on like that, this easy, she couldn't share her life with someone other than him, he thought. For the last two years, she was the only girl whom he had trusted enough to let see the real him, the flawed version of him, a person who was ugly inside and unacceptable, but she had loved him for it too. She had not judged his lifestyle or his ways. "If not Ritwik then some other guy but I am never letting you hurt me again."

He held her arm turning her around to look at him, "Don't lie to yourself." She gulped, "I've stopped. I lied to myself two years ago when I told myself you loved me, I lied to myself that It'll be okay, that it's okay to be in love with your sick ways, but it's not."

"Pratha." he said her name softly, she cupped his face, "You like it when I suffer from the torture you put me through when I am needy and desperate right?"

He shook his head, "If I choose you, I lose everything else." She leaned in slightly, "Then let me go."

They kept looking at each other till he started moving her back, "That's what I've been avoiding, stop asking me what I want more in my life because I can't lose either." She fell on the bed under him, he towered to her, his hand cupping the side of her face, "I'll go crazy if I lose everything, and then I'll be miserable, maybe I'll start to hate you, and I never want to do that." She raised a little, taking off her coat, "How much more hate is there to show? Face it, you already hate me because I am risking the money, all the drugs, everything that keeps you going."

She slipped her coat down to her wrists which he took off throwing it aside, "I don't hate you, I never can, no matter how many of those infuriating statements you give to the media, because I know I still want you around."

He traced his finger on the strap of her dress, his favorite color, before she could speak his lips were on her, she cupped his face as his tongue battled with hers, she moaned into his mouth as his hand traced back her shoulder to unclip her hair from her soft lower bun down into long locks of hair. She pushed him away slightly, "Then say you're sorry, say you'd never do that to me again." Her breath mingled in his as he tried to pull her in, she pushed him, "Say you'll not do that, you'll be with me."

"Pratha stop being irrational." He cupped her face, "I can't be with you, I have a family already." She pursed her swollen lips, every inch of her felt used, dirty, and unloved. Blood started rushing in her body a bit too fast as she pushed him with a cry, "Then don't fucking touch me, go to your perfect family, be the guy that you love to be, stay away from me." she shouted at him as she threw her feet off the bed, grabbing her coat. "Stop Pratha."

"No, fuck you! Fuck your family! Fuck your indecisive head." She pulled her hand away, and he climbed off the bed, in a second he had her pinned against the wall, she punched her fists at his hard chest, "Let me go! I swear you'll be a dead man if you keep me here one second out of my will, you made a bloody choice." Her eyes were red, tears running down her perfect face.

"I didn't make any choice." He kept her pinned to the wall, pushing his ankle against her, "Yes you did, I am not going to be your hook forever god damn it, not until you realize you don't want to sleep with me anymore." Her shrill voice echoed in the room, he pushed his hand against her mouth, "Shut the fuck up."

She bit on his hand, "I will not! I'll tell everyone, about everything- everything Veer, the company, the drugs, your contribution to the"

"Pratha!" he growled, "If you don't shut the fuck up I'll make sure no one sees you again. Don't take advantage of the fact that I love you." His grip on her loosened, "Don't make me regret the two most beautiful years of my life, don't be the girl I don't love because I swear you do that, I'll never let you in again, never!"

Her erratic heartbeat started fading, she looked at his eyes, she could swear on her life they were always filled with so much love for her, so much warmth that she never wanted to look away from them, that love was the reason she had accepted everything that came along with it, the past, the present. "Then why are you being the person I didn't fall in love with?" she said quietly, "Why are you making me do this when you know all I want is you." She went ahead holding his arms, "That person who filled in for everyone I've lost, but now you can't even fill in for yourself, how do I get it back? You'll find another pitstop soon, I can't find anyone with whom I feel parallelly in love with." She cupped the side of his face, "And you know what it makes me want to do?" her teeth clenched, "Destroy you, so you know how it feels to live this way, without something you're addicted to, I don't want to be the bitch you hate but just know you're making me do this."

He looked down at her lips, so inviting that he leaned in, "You can't destroy me, little girl, I am Veer fucking Oberoi, and that means I am in power, like your fists your news stories hardly affect me, I am still the man I was yesterday, I was five years before this and I'll continue to be this way, Pratha. You want to stay, you have to come to terms with it." With every one of his words, she'd move an inch back to the wall, he hit his hand on the wall next to her, trapping her, "Why are you making me go through this? I can't, what's so different? Why does it matter, it didn't before."

"Because now I've realized how easy it is for you to leave anytime you want, without my say in it. Please Veer, give me something to hold on to." Her lower lip trembled as she broke into sobs, "I am fine with not being called Mrs. Oberoi or your girlfriend, but at least I need truth from you, because I won't hold on to it, I swear I don't give two fucks about the money." She felt him wipe her tears, he slowly pulled her into his arms wrapping his arms around her, she dug her face in his shoulder, "I love you, just you Veer."

He nodded as he parted slightly, he leaned forward planting a kiss on her forehead, "I love you too baby. I am sorry." He picked her up in his arms. She held on to his neck as he carried her to bed and slowly placed her on the bed, "I should have known better."

"What?" she asked softly touching the side of his face, "That all you wanted was a drama-free twenty-second birthday." She chuckled, "And you had to be"

"But there's always a post-birthday celebration."

"It's been almost five weeks."

He leaned down and left a trail of kisses down her jawline to her neck, she giggled, "Veer, slow down."

2 years ago

"Pratha" he knocked on the door, she wiped her eyes of the tears, "Please go away, I don't want to talk right now."

"Open up the door." He knocked again, "Please."

She got up, and the tears started to pool in her eyes, she tried to suck them her best as she opened the door for him, "I don't want to talk about it Veer." That was the first time she had said his name, but there was no other way of making herself clear to him, ever since she had lost her mother's bracelet in the water on the last day of the set, she felt devastated, it was not anyone's fault, but losing something this close to her made her paranoid, like reliving the horrible memory of her parent's death.

"Pratha, I understand what you're going through."

She shook her head, "You understand nothing. That was my mother's last- last memory." She felt her voice breaking up, "This is all a sign that I was wrong to be here." She went inside her room, and he followed her in closing the door after them, noticing instantly how many tissue boxes she had emptied, how her luggage was half packed for their tomorrow's flight.

"I'll never see it again." She gasped, "I am never going to see that thing that my mother wore all the time, that little bracelet had her fragrance, I know this is no issue for you because the women you know wouldn't even blink for losing a crappy bracelet, but to me it was important."

"I know Pratha, I know that it wasn't just jewelry to you."

She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, "I can't believe I lost it, I should have never worn it, I shouldn't be here in the first place. This is a sign that the universe doesn't approve of my childish infatuation with you."

His eyes widened, "What?"

She realized her words a second later, he was looking at her confused, she pursed her lips, "I am sorry."

He didn't know what to do, she started moving back and forth to pick up her stuff, "I am doing great today, I have no future, I just lost the one thing that held meaning to me, and now you know what I never wanted you to know that too in the worst way possible." She threw a dress in her bag, "This right here is my life, it'll never make sense, it'll never fall to place, and I-"

"Why didn't you want me to know?" he asked, arms crossed. She was stuck right there in her place, everything was zooming in and out of her, "Because it's wrong, feeling this way about you is wrong."

She threw the shirt in her hand in the bag wiping the tears that were forming in her eyes, "For the past few months, I keep saying it in my head over and over, but I don't want to believe in it, that it's wrong, I should have said that I couldn't come here, but I did, because I wanted to see you."

He sighed as he started moving towards her, she felt like the floor was slowly giving away under her, "That's all I wanted, no approaches, I promised that would be the last of it." He swallowed thickly, "So you were never going to see me again?"

She nodded her head, his eyes were burning into hers and she couldn't look away even if she tried, she felt like she'd drown in those eyes, "I was right about it, I lost my bracelet, it was a reassurance that my Mom was with me, that everything I do is not as screwed up" tears rolled down her red cheeks, she plucked out a tissue wiping her face with it, "Everything I do, aspire of, even think of is wrong. That bracelet was the best thing that happened to me and I lost it because I didn't deserve it."

He pulled out a shining string of jewelry from his pocket; she only saw it when he held it in front of her eyes, "I found it."

She gasped as she grabbed it from his hold, inspecting it as if it was hers, "Where did you find it?"

"In the water- doesn't matter." He shrugged.

"Oh, my God." She bit her lip as tears started to fill her eyes again, "Oh God, you don't know how much this means to me, thank you, thank you so much." She wore it in a second, feeling relief wash over her, "I can never thank you enough." Everything was overwhelming, she just wanted to feel happy at this moment and appreciate the second chance of protecting this jewelry that meant everything to her, she leaned forward wrapping her arms around him, and her heartbeat picked up its pace when she felt his arms around her body, she felt so protected, so cared for, like she hadn't felt in a while, since her parents died, she had always thought she'd never get to feel so depended again, someone who has her back, who picks up after her mess. "Thank you so much." She looked up at him, pursing her lips, "You're the second best thing to happen to me."

"Pratha I-"

"Shh you've done so much for me, I just want to thank you, please let me." she got on her tiptoes, "I promise I'll never try to interrupt your life ever, just give me two minutes." Her face was so close to his, their noses touching, she could feel the heat from his body as she closed the distance between their lips, slowly pressing a kiss to his warm soft lips, she moaned as she felt him kiss her back, this time her legs did give away from her but he held her closer not breaking the kiss, her body slowly lowering to the soft surface of her bed, she heard him move away the luggage case to the floor as he got on top of hers, his hands running down her body, causing to run electricity almost through her from head to toe if he didn't stop now, she will probably forget why or what was happening. His lips traveled down her mouth to her chin, his kisses more forceful than before now. All that could be heard was the heartbeats, the racing breaths. "Veer-" she moaned running her hands through his hair, "You should stop before it's late." But she knew that wasn't what she wanted, she internally begged him not to listen to her.

"It's late already, it was late the second I saw you." He said as his lips crashed against hers again, his tongue fighting hers, dominating her perfectly working mind which had warned her against him a million times. The tearing sound of her clothes, the satisfaction of him kissing every square inch of her body, worshiping it as if she was a goddess, snatched her power of thinking sanely, she didn't realize until how much she wanted him. Once he was inside her she felt like that want turned into need, how will she be able to move on from this, how perfectly did their bodies move together, how he was so aware of how to bring her pleasure as if it wasn't their first time, in no time she was moaning his name in pure bliss as he drove her to heaven.

She had never been so satisfied in her life, she didn't know she could do this many rounds and be wanting more of someone so badly. She bit her lip turning over in her sheets to see him sitting against the headboard, a cigarette in his hands, she had never seen him smoking or drinking so this was slightly shocking. "So you are a one-night stand smoker." She said in almost a groggy voice, almost hating her voice after it came out. He looked at her, and she could see his face lightened by the moonlight, and to her, he had never looked more gorgeous, he reached out his hand for her, which she hesitantly held, and he slowly pulled her forward till she was by his side, he wrapped his arm around her, "I don't do one night stands."

"Oh." She smiled as he lazily kissed the top of her head, "This doesn't happen every other day." She looked up at him, "This can't happen again Veer, this was a horrible decision, you understand that right?"

He shook his head, "Nothing's horrible Pratha, I want you." His voice made her swallow thick, "I know but Veer you're-"

"That didn't stop you earlier." He smirked at her, "And I am sure it's not going to stop you in the future."

She shook her head sitting straight, "No Veer, I mean – I like you, but this is not right, we made a mistake, I can't undo it but I am going to prevent it from happening again."

"Pratha what you are trying to save is not there." He held her in place as she was trying to crawl away, "It sounds cryptic, but do you think I'd be here bedding another woman if my marriage was like it seems?"

Frown lines appeared on her forehead as she looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"It's all media show Pratha, there's nothing between me and her, I don't remember the last time we were around each other without any cameras or people." He cupped her face, "Me and her have been over for years."

"Veer you're making no sense, stop making things up, the marriage can't be fake." She said trying to drag herself away but he held on to her, "The marriage isn't fake, it wasn't fake in the start, just stay and trust me, I'll tell you everything."

"Veer-"

"Trust me." he cupped the side of her face, "Why would I lie to you after this? I never wanted to manipulate you into this Pratha, trust me, or there hasn't been a moment in the past few months when I didn't think about you, where I thought of a million ways to get you but I just stuck to help you."

She looked at his beautiful face too long, his sparkling eyes soon convinced her to do as he told her to. "Fine, tell me." he sighed smiling- and she felt like she was seeing him smile for the first time, even though he smiled all the time, something was so different about this one, he leaned forward pressing a kiss to her lips, she almost lost herself kissing him back till he slowly pulled back pecking her once, he pulled her to his arms making her rest against his chest, "I am going to be telling you something, I've never said out loud."

"What?"

"You're right Pratha, I married Kavya, it wasn't a fake marriage. I was in business school when I met her, she was the girl every other guy wanted, she was beautiful and sharp- many things." He slowly intertwined his fingers with hers, she looked up at him, a slight pang of jealousy hitting the base of her stomach when he talked about her.

"When I took over Dad's business after his death, we both got married, that was probably the happiest I had been, I was living the dream, twenty-five and running a great business, I was married to her- then." He sighed looking down at her, she bit her lip, "Shit hit the fan?"

He chuckled, "Well similar."

"What happened?"

His right hand slowly curled the strand of her hair falling close to her eyes on his finger, playing with it silently, looking at the piece of hair, "I found out that the company was not like it was shown to the world, there was some dirty business going around, stopping it wasn't even a choice, hiding it was a tradition which had been carried on by my father and given to me. The pressure and the horror from it made me as disgusting as my company, staying out all night, working, and meeting people who'd kill me if I didn't. That's around the time I realized Kavya had started 'cheating' on me."

"Why would you think that?" she frowned.

"Well I never caught her, but word got around, I was ready to divorce her, even if my half company was hers after the divorce, I was just heartbroken at that point, so get this twenty-eight years old, fearing death daily, and the reason I worked so much was sleeping around everywhere – I just got depressed." He finally looked her in the eye, "I am only telling you this because I want you to stay."

"Veer-"

"Then I hit the final nail in the coffin." He huffed, "I started staying out not acknowledging that my life was a mess, that I was a fucking loser, that's when I overdosed." She pursed her lips, "I thought that was a rumor."

"It was true, I was in the hospital very critical, and yet I was alone, that's when I was done. Because she didn't care if I lived or died." He seethed almost, "She was so ready to take over the property, act like the poor helpless widow."

She could see the slight mix of betrayal and hurt in his eyes, some anger as if he could remember it clearly, "All I had wanted was to see her when I woke up, but she wasn't there- a lawyer though telling me how my 'drug' problem was damaging to her image, divorce demands, and all the suing- however, that settled when her parents came and tried to 'put' us back into this, but I just couldn't anymore, we started acting as nothing happened, for all the people who wanted interviews, for public – but we stopped being together, different rooms, different cities." He swallowed thickly, "We both are playing this silent game where one is waiting for the other to ask for the divorce and she knows damn well I won't do it, the last thing I want to do is lose everything I've been working for to her."

"So you'll just never divorce her?"

"Not until she does, if I lose the money, everything is going to be on the front pages, everything that happens there in my company on the front pages, tearing down my Father's reputation, my reputation, maybe I'll lose my life too."

"No, don't say that." She shook her head as if she was scared from the thought, "I believe you, I just don't know what to do."

"Don't think just yet Pratha." he turned to her, holding her close, "Because you'll not like what you find on pondering."

"Veer." She touched his face, "I am not going to judge you, but me being in the equation will just confuse things further." He shook his head like a stubborn child, "You don't understand Pratha, I need you, you don't know how bad is it to live this way, to act like I am doing so good but I know how far I stray from my old self every day and it scares me, the first time I saw you- everything started to seem better, every time I met you, I just got more and more connected, I promised myself I wasn't going to drag you to doom with me but what am I going to do now? Trust me I tried to control it." His forehead fell against hers as he spoke slower than before, "I am still not going to force you into this Pratha because there is nothing I can promise you but a few moments."

He sat up making her sit too, she could see how tenderly he held her hands, looking into her eyes, the space above them illuminated by the moonlight as he spoke, "I never wanted to lie to you, I am not going to ever, I am not going to stop your life and you shouldn't because I am screwed up Pratha, I am not the person you see every day. That's just me convincing people of someone I am not but I won't ever convince you of something I am not, you deserve to know."

His eyes were asking for an answer, she wasn't sure what she could say now, he pressed her hand, "You're just the bracelet I need." Her eyes dropped to the sparkling jewel around her wrist.

PRESENT

The phone wasn't supposed to be ringing, because she didn't bring it here in this room, but yet she could hear it, her eyes snapped open at the ringing voice, the device's blinking lights indicated someone was calling, she furrowed her brows, 'How did it get here?' she thought as she reached for it, "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Ritwik's voice boomed in her ears, she turned around to lie on her back, "Still there."

Looking around she noticed he wasn't there, maybe he got up before her, she sat up rubbing her eyes, she hated waking up alone, "Did you get anything?"

"No, he took away my stuff, but don't worry I'll soon get you evidence." Pratha got up walking around the room to see if he was there, "I'll call you in a bit."

"Okay."

She hung up looking around, searching for him, she ended up calling him after he wasn't there in the room or the bathroom.

"Pick up..." she muttered as she threw herself back on the bed, random things in her head, she called him several times before she gave up and started looking for her clothes so she could check out.

"So he left again?" Anmol asked her as she munched on her salad while Pratha was pretty annoyed by the recurring events, she dialed his number looking around the Café they were sitting in, "He said he wouldn't do that."

"Well believe him." Anmol teased her in a mocking voice, "How easy are you to convince? How does he get into your panties so easily?"

"Anmol shut up for a second, he's probably busy." Pratha said redialing his number, Anmol held her wrist, "Trust me, Pratha, he's not going to pick up, you screwed up again, and you're scheming with his brother, playing them but you don't even know whose side are you on."

"I am on whatever side looks good at the moment." She shrugged, "He wouldn't do this to me."

Anmol widened her eyes, "Right, like he never did that before."

She rolled her eyes got up from the seat, she slowly walked outside, looking around as she re-dialed his number, it took a while before it went to voicemail, Pratha bit her lip in anger, deciding on recording him a message, "Backing off so soon? Veer I've had enough of your games, now it's time we play my game, it's called: if you don't stop your games, everyone will know about Ratan Shah." She smirked just picturing him listening to this. This was the last of her patience if Veer wouldn't treat her right, Ritwik had a pretty great deal, which came with reward and revenge all in one, she thought as she flipped the phone in her hands when she turned around, she ran into Anmol, "Wha-"

"Pratha, what's this all about?"