A mesma star inzet

Everything felt like a train wreck right now, this was definitely the end and she didn't even have to ask him, she could mutter over and over that this was some lie, a bigger lie than the marriage he was in but then she remembered his recent attitude, how he'd be cold towards her, at first it was blamed on being 'cautious' then being 'busy'. Just thinking that her effect was fading away made something crawl beneath her skin, she felt like the circus that was no longer entertaining, but why go back to that woman? Why was she always a better option?

She remembered the other day she had sneaked into his cabin in the late hours, he had his head buried in work, too busy to notice her slip inside and when he picked up his cell phone for something he noticed her standing right in front of him in a violet sheath dress with a white cape coat on top, standing with a grin on her face, she tilted her face a little, "Hey busy bee."

"What are you doing here?" he asked looking down at his desk, and checking something on his notepad before he turned back to the laptop. He put on square silver border spectacles "Mahek is- "

She interrupted, "She went home, just saw her leave, and almost everyone's gone- it's almost 11." She bit her lip and walked across the table, standing behind his seat, "You're avoiding me, my calls, my texts-my needs." she leaned, wrapping her arms around him, and pressed a kiss against his hair. "I am not avoiding you Pratha; you know what's up right? I've got something going on here, Jhanvi and Parihar – we're partnering with Jaidev after we get some deliveries done, it has millions involved."

"Umm, that means you'll finally have some Kavya-free money." She chuckled, "That's what we want right?" she pressed a kiss against his neck, but he didn't answer continuing to work, she shook him a little, "Veer?"

"Hmm."

"Come home, I miss you." She pursed her lips, waiting for him to look at her, he turned his face to the side looking at her, "It's not a good time Pratha, besides there's something that I have to tell you."

"And what is that?" she bit her lower lip giving him a playful smile, he looked at her for a moment longer than intended, she was happy right now, does it have to be right now? he asked himself, "Nothing important, I'll talk to you at home."

"Are you asking me to leave?" she gasped dramatically, she moved to sit in his lap, narrowing her eyes at him, he shook his head, 'No honey, I want to be alone for a while okay, so I can get this wrapped up before Friday."

'So Friday night?" she raised a brow, "Can I expect you on Friday night, I'll bake you a chocolate cake, if you say yes." She cupped his face pouting her lips at him, "Please."

"Friday night sounds great." He forced a smile, she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his, sucking on his lower lip for a moment before she pulled back, "Okay I'll let you get back to work."

He rolled his eyes, "Worst life, ever right?"

"I love you." She chuckled getting up, "I should probably get out before you start whining."

"You're insensitive." He said looking up at her, "Umm no you're just a drama queen." She grinned wide to annoy him and he playfully smacked her ass, "Respect my casual pessimism."

She went towards the door shrugging before she went out.

(FLASHBACK OVER)

"What's wrong?" Anmol asked her to bring her out of her wild thoughts tainted with images of him and his wife, him being happy-moving on.

"Nothing." She ran a hand through her already messed-up hair, stirring the wooden spoon in the curry she was cooking in a pan. "Pratha, where would he be?"

"Who?" she asked a brow raised, checking the dish more carefully now. "Rudra, he just disappeared, I don't know how?" she pursed her lips and clutched her fists, "We've been together for five years and this is how he breaks up with me, leaving for nowhere with no explanations."

Pratha swallowed thickly, "I don't know Anu."

"It doesn't feel right Pratha, why would he not talk to me?" Anmol leaned in to see her face, curious to see her expressions without any reason. "Maybe because he's – he didn't want to hurt you."

"Is it because I mentioned marriage once?" She asked innocently, "I didn't know okay! I just asked all of a sudden and he started stammering on his words and changing the topic, that should have been my clue, but it scared him off completely."

"Anmol I don't know what to tell you, but I am sure he doesn't respect you." She turned to face her and sighed, "I feel exhausted."

Anmol turned the stove off, "Are you hungry?"

"No- I just wanted to get my mind off."

"Of what?" she asked in the back as Pratha restlessly walked to the couch grabbing a cushion, "I feel a little upset."

Anmol frowned and walked behind her, touching her shoulder, "Do you miss your parents?" Tina and Anmol never saw the end of Pratha's PTSD last year so that's what they assumed every time she'd be upset. She shook her head, "It's work stress."

"Pratha tell me." she held her hand and pressed it warmly, her eyes made her feel like she could talk, swallow that lump down her throat finally, her eyes filled in tears as she moved forward into wrapping her arms around Anmol, breaking into sobs, Anmol pat the back of her head asking slowly, "What happened Pratha? What's wrong?"

Pratha choked on her words, "I am all alone Anu, I am all alone again."

"What are you talking about?" Anmol parted her from herself and looked at her red face as she broke down, "I am on my own again Anu."

"Pratha, what happened?" She asked worriedly, "Is this some Rishabh issue again?"

"No- someone else, I love him." She bit her lower lip, "But he doesn't – he lied to me, cheated on me, used me and now he went back to that bitch."

"Who are you talking about Pratha? Who cheated?" Anol shook her, "Why the hell are you crying?"

She looked up at Anmol realizing how she almost exposed herself, what if she trailed Rudra's disappeared to her, it didn't make sense but it did scare her, "I- no one, it doesn't matter anymore."

She moved back wiping her eyes roughly, "That asshole is gone so why talk about him?"

"Who was it?"

"I don't want to talk about it Anu, please just- I want to be alone right now." she snapped then turned to go to her room. Anmol shook her head, picking up her bag, "This isn't done, Pratha."

LATER THAT DAY

Her legs kept swinging in the air as she lay on her stomach over the satin sheets of her bed, her tears were dried up and she thought there were no more, there was something she was telling herself again and again that he didn't ever love her, he always loved Kavya, or maybe he didn't even love Kavya – he just loved himself. When he saw her not continuing their meaningless relationship, he used the 'I love you' tactic, she should have taken a hint from how he had behaved recently, how cold- how detached, so they broke up and the first thing he did was going to back to that woman, or maybe he never left her, she felt like a moron, an idiot- why would he love her?

The sound of keys working shook her out of her self-pity thoughts and she got up and ran towards the door of the room towards the main hall, there he stood – completely composed, and didn't look affected by what had happened unlike her. "Daddy's here." She chuckled and shook her head, "Wrong house, wrong whore, so why don't you leave." She slowly took steps towards him. He sighed, "Why weren't you picking up?"

"Because I don't want to, just like you didn't want to for the last month. Now I know why? You were reconciling with Mrs. Oberoi." she seethed, "Or in clear words screwing her."

"Pratha, I know you're hurt." He pursed his lips trying to reach for her, she hissed moving back, "I am not hurt Veer, I am infuriated- I feel like a fucking moron for what I felt, if you're here to explain having a baby with your wife- I am not interested in your explanation, I don't want your apology, just leave me alone."

He looked at her ruffled appearance, a white tank top with shorts, her hair going in all directions almost, he nodded, "That's what I was trying to tell you for weeks."

She clutched her fists, remembering herself so desperate for him made a bug crawl beneath her skin, he still kissed her, touched her, and she hissed, "That you were screwing her? And you kept me thinking you loved me? when you never did Veer, all you love is yourself. You selfish cold bastard." She spat getting ahead and holding him by the collar. "I killed for you- every day I lost myself for you! Just because I love you but you never did love me."

"Pratha listens to me okay, I wasn't in my right mind, I was drunk and high- it was just one night, the night you broke up with me, I don't even think I did it, that bitch is setting a trap." He held her wrists trying to calm her down, she frowned, "Am I supposed to believe that? After you screwed it up and now it's leaked to the press, after one month of you completely pushing me away?"

"Because I was uncertain- even if I and her had sex, that baby isn't mine." He shouted, his voice tearing through the room, she pushed him away from her and backed away shouting, her hand went to grab the glass piece from the table and threw it against the wall, "I don't want to hear it!" she screamed, "No more lies! Go! Go away!" she slapped away the picture frames towards the fireplace, "I don't want to see you, hear one word."

"Will you calm down?" he finally snapped and moved towards her taking the glass centerpiece from her hand and tossing it to the sofa, she protested against him as he held her, "Listen to me."

"Fuck off." She pushed against him, "I can't do this anymore Veer!"

"Then listen to me." he held both her shoulders, trying for her to hold still, she was out of breath pushing against him as he pushed her to sit on the sofa, he held both her hands in a lock, "Give me five minutes Pratha." his voice pleading by now , she bit her lip looking up at him, that's what always got her, his greenish-brown eyes, he moved his free hand to stroke her face, wiping away the tears that had started to run down her eyes right this second, she couldn't look away from his eyes as her own brown eyes filled in tears, melting almost suddenly, it was so hard to hate him even if she hated him right now, even if she didn't want to believe him, his glassy eyes quickly persuaded her too, her raced breaths turned into low sobs as she broke down once more, her muscles gave up their protest against him and her body softened as she suddenly moved into his arms, she pressed her face against his shoulder, "Why did you do this? Veer!" she complained between sobs, her body shivered and shook with each sob, she felt his hands smoothing out her hair by running his fingers through them, his voice was too calming in whispers, his soft lips brushing against her ear, "Stop crying now and let me see you." He try to part her face from his shoulder to see her but she shook her head, pressing her face further into his shoulder, fearing him she moved away she might lose him, some part of her dignified self would cause her to hate him and go frantic again, "I love you, I love you so much." She begged between her cries, "Stop playing sick games with me."

"I am not, trust me. hey." He cupped her warm cheek, parting her from his shoulder to look at her, "Stop crying." His thumbs ran over her wet cheeks, "No more games Pratha, I want you to be with me every day, every night."

She pursed her lips as he continued, "You wanted a future with me right?" she nodded her head. Veer paused for a second mid-conversation looking behind her, she frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Shhh."

"Veer."

"She saw us." He said with a huff.

"Who?" Pratha turned back to see the closed door. Veer's voice was barely higher than a whisper, "Anmol Singh."

Pratha got up from the sofa, "What? She- she- "she spotted Anmol's phone on the far kitchen counter, "Fuck!"

"She must have heard us." He muttered, Pratha turned back to him, raising her hands in surrender, "No-no Veer don't hurt her please, I'll talk to her. She won't tell anyone" She sounded worried all of a sudden, Veer sat back on the sofa, "I know she wouldn't."

Ritwik tucked a curl behind her ear, "Everything is synced now, all we need is to be sure." Kavya rolled her eyes, "I am sure, Veer has an affair but he's clever about it."

"What about that guy you sent?" he asked with narrowed eyes, Kavya huffed, "Another proof though, the man is gone like poopoo."

"So?" Ritwik asked.

Kavya got up from the couch, "All I need is proof of that affair of his, who that slut is, what they do, everything. Ritwik you have to find it- we covered this pregnancy because Veer was out of his head that night."

Ritwik chuckled sitting back comfortably, "Don't worry about it, baby. I'll find a way. If there is an affair."

"There is, I am sure, sniff it out, Ricky." She turned back to him and slowly walked back to him, leaning down, "I want a full undercover search, someone must have known, offer money, anything, once I get divorced- I'll suck out what's rest of him under child support."

"You're insane."

"I am driven. He's not, that's why it never worked out." She jutted out her lower lip in a fake pout, Ritwik got up from the sofa, "But hasn't he come around your lifestyle."

"Yes, and he loathes me for it and before he tries to get rid of me, I'll get rid of him, now get to work." She seductively smiled and then pressed a quick kiss to his lips before leaving the room.

Present

Pratha sighed out of relief talking out the camera from the back of the car and then pulled the camera bag over her shoulder turning back to the incline up to the thick woods.

"Hey Pratha." a squeaky voice made her gasp as she turned around, "Gosh! Anmol huh, it's just you, you got me scared for a second" Then she moved back to rest against the car's hood, "What are you doing here anyway?" Pratha said looking down to dust the mud off her shoes. Her eyes focused on her foot. A click voice got her attention and she looked up, screaming at the gun pointed at her, she quickly rushed away from the spot, missing the bullet by just an inch and a second, "Anmol!" she shouted in surprise.

"I am sorry Pratha." Anmol tilted her head to a side, "It's a great amount of money I can't refuse."

Her eyes widened and she quickly hid behind the car dodging a second shot, "Anmol stop! Please, No!"

"I wish I could Pratha, I would if you hadn't killed my boyfriend for your sugar daddy." She said in a dethatched tone. "I can explain Anu." She pleaded.

"Too late Pratha." Anmol ran across the car finding Pratha sitting on her heels, shivering, "No, please Anu."

"Sorry, Pratha." Anmol had almost touched the trigger when Pratha jumped on her, resulting in the gun falling far from their reach, she sat on top of her trying to hold her down, Anmol tried to kick her knee against Pratha's head which dug into her back sharply, she hissed leaving her hands and pressed her hands to Anmol's throat groaning. Anmol punched her below the chest and Pratha moaned falling back. Anmol smirked seeing Pratha wincing against the tire of the car, she looked around to find the discarded gun but it was nowhere to be found, "Where is it? Where is it?" she muttered.

"Looking for this?" a grave voice got her attention and she gasped seeing Veer standing across the car, rotating the gun around his index finger, "Too bad baby.' He held the gun firmly in his hand and shot it in her direction, her breath hitched as the bullet tore through her chest and she fell back from the pressure, the red liquid seeping out her chest as she moaned. Veer stepped nearer, "Sorry Anmol, your sacrifice is appreciated by both of us." He pulled Pratha up from the ground and she let her body weight fall on his arm, groaning in pain slightly, she shook her head at Anmol, "You sold our friendship over money, so I gave it up for love- hope you don't mind huh." She grinned.

Anmol shook her head seeing black dominate her eyes, "You bitch."

"See you in hell." Pratha seethed. Anmol's head fell back on the ground as life left her body and she lost movement. She bit her lip, "Could you be any late?"

"Relax baby." He grinned and planted a kiss on top of her head. "Come on let's get going."

AT THE SAME TIME

"Why would I possibly be digging up someone I killed a year later?" Ritwik growled at the investigation officer, "Why? Are you stupid?"

"Well here is some proof." Officer Eklavey threw a file in front of him and Ritwik's eyes widened seeing Kavya and his intimate photographs, "We have a lot of footage Mr. Oberoi, all we found in Ratan Bagchi's private office, before we were alerted about you digging up a corpse."

"Yes because I was getting that tape." He spat.

"That tape of you and Mrs. Oberoi, that you were trying to remove." He shouted, "We have the story here Mr. Oberoi, Veer Oberoi hired a man, Ratan Bagchi to investigate his wife, all the money transactions for the work are confirmed on the recorded dates, he got proof against you and Kavya Oberoi, you got the hint and killed him along with Mrs. Oberoi."

"Fuck fuck fuck this is all a fat lie!" he shouted, "It's the exact story but it's not me, it's Veer, he did it."

"Well, you'd say that." Eklavey rolled his eyes, "Kavya Oberoi and your old messages confirm the cooking plan to trap Veer Oberoi."

"This is all bull shit okay!" he grabbed at his hair in frustration, "I will not plead guilty, I need my lawyer." He demanded.

"Well let's hope your brother pays for one." Eklavey picked up the files from in front of Ritwik going out of the room, Ritwik was outraged, his plan backfired on him.

PAST

"The child is not mine Pratha," he stated firmly. They were standing on the dark balcony as he explained to her, "I heard her on the phone with someone- about it."

"So what do you expect Veer, you're bound to the bitch for eighteen more years ." she almost broke again before he interrupted, "Not anymore, it's more than what I could swallow. I am not going to raise some motherfucker's bastards." He seethed, "That bitch will pay."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a plan Pratha, but I need your help in this." He turned to her holding both her hands, "Anmol, we can turn her into our little puppet."

"What?"

He nodded, "She didn't barge in because she's going to sell this story, Kavya wants to get rid of me, hence the Ratan Bagchi thing- all we have to do is help Anmol reach that person."

"And what's that going to do?" she shook from the look in his eyes, he smirked, "Hear me out, it's a hit or miss, once we find who that person is due to Anmol, we'll do what Ratan did to us, we'll collect proof against that bitch, and at the right time and right place, we'll surface everything in a way that shifts the blame to Kavya bitch Oberoi."

She narrowed her eyes, 'I-uh, what if it doesn't work, what if they catch us mid-way."

"You'll distract them." He cupped her face, "You'll hate me, you'll get Anmol on your side, she'll hook you with the main network, you'll keep acting like you're going to expose it because you hate me, showing them how they are in control but we will be in control."

"Why will I hate you?" she bit her lower lip

"Because I am an asshole who doesn't want you anymore. You'll act back and forth all time so they don't catch up, act like you are hiding it but showing it at the same time, our relationship. Because they will have tabs on us." He tapped her cheek, "So just act like a bad little whore."

Pratha smiled, "Veer I – okay, for us." She nodded and leaned forward kissing him full on his soft lips, when she parted her eyes were sparkling, "So we'll be together after that?"

"Yes." He said firmly

"You'll be all mine?" she grinned wide, he nodded kissing her forehead, "Yes my angel, until then."

"Yes hate you, I get it." She chuckled, "I hate you so much, I hate you." She shook her head whispering.

"Do better than that." He huffed.

"I hate you Veer Oberoi, I hate you." She seethed. He smirked, "Believable, give me a kiss." He held her face and kissed her hard on her lips, robbing her of her breath as their tongues mingled and fought back and forth, she parted with a sharp intake of breath, "I'll hate you now."

PRESENT

He was looking out the window, feeling like a free man as he had signed some divorce papers, the contract satisfied, he didn't dissolve the marriage, the media saying how he was so heartbroken, pitiful, a hardworking man who was betrayed. He'd act depressed sometimes but the news was enough to collect every sympathy in store, everyone saying how he was the perfect husband. How Kavya was an unlucky woman, some called her names like a slut or whore, to which in front of cameras he'd hiss and say that he can't stand those harsh words against her even if she hurt him, little did they know, he called her much worst in his head. Heavy fine, punishment delayed till her delivery and along with that a ruined reputation, that's how you rid yourself of a bitch.

His room got knocked at and he turned with a smile, "Come in."

Pratha stepped into the room, dressed in blue velvet, hair in shiny brown waves, she stood against the door, "What was your reaction to the conspiracy behind your back, Mr. Oberoi?"

He crossed his arms across his chest, "Well it was pretty heartbreaking, it made me lose my trust in every relationship."

She gasped, "And do you plan to get married anytime soon?"

"That depends on if you want to." He raised a brow leaning against his window. She kept her face straight, "Shouldn't you be swearing off women?"

"I would but a certain woman is my weakness." He winked, she chuckled and sprinted forward into his arms, he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her, "Baby I missed you."

"Well, now I am here." She parted to see his face, "I can finally be around you and not hide what I feel."

He nodded, "I told you it'll be worth it."

"You have to call me lucky, I got you everything back." She cupped the side of his face, feeling like she couldn't help without touching his skin.

"We got everything back because we worked for it, I did everything so I'll have you." He smiled, "I wanted to build a future with you and I didn't want to wait another moment."

"I can't believe we made it." She squealed a little, and he nodded, "I thought we wouldn't, when those motherfuckers got you into that damn accident, I wanted to see you so bad." He picked her up off her feet walking her to his bed, he placed her on the foot of the bed and he lied back and she leaned down, resting her head on his chest "Huh you found a way through."

"Yes, but I wanted to do more than spit shit I didn't mean on an occasion when you just survived an almost death." He shook his head, "You should have called me Pratha, you shouldn't have thought about that stupid plan."

"Veer!" she whined as if tired from this repetitive lecture, " I am sorry but I was making good use of it."

"You're insane, what if you hadn't made it, what if their plan had changed? God Pratha, you can be so impulsive at times, you didn't know how paranoid I was, thinking of that damn chance that I'd lose you to this stupid plan." He looked down at her holding her arm firmly, then started stroking the skin of her arm, "I wanted to be there, see you, hold you and I couldn't, that's when I felt most selfish."

"Baby but I made it okay, I survived- and we carried on so we could be together now, it's what I wanted okay." She propped herself up on one arm, looking at him intently, "You should be stronger than that."

"I am not when it comes to you." He sighed as he tucked the curtain on her hair behind her ear, "I love you, I want you safe even if the whole world gets doomed in the process."

"Insane." She commented. He smirked, "One of us has to be." His lips brushed against the skin of her neck, and he pressed light kisses up her neck to her jawline, she laced her fingers with his, "You will stay this way forever, you won't change, right? Because I have no other home, Veer." She asked in a whisper, he slowly rolled them getting on top of her, as she said with a smile, "Promise me you'll be mine forever." His lips touched hers softly and this time he took her lower lip and sucked on it before slipping his tongue inside her small mouth, her tongue instantly started dancing with his and she moaned into his mouth, cupping his face, he parted, pecking her mouth "I promise, you'll never be alone again baby, I'll love you this way every day." His hand stroked down her body, it felt like feathers tingling her skin, each time he'd make love to her, it would be a whole new feeling, a whole new experience. He slowly took off her dress, kissing every spot of newly revealed skin as he peeled the blue velvet dress from her body, "I love this dress- I love how good it clings to every curve of your beautiful body like a second skin, but believe me, baby, nothing, absolutely nothing compares to how you look without it." His lips sucked on the skin under her collarbone as his hands pushed the mounds of her chest together, he dug his head between them sighing, "I could just live this way."

She chuckled running her hands in his hair, "Kiss me." He looked up at her and smirked, he moved forward catching her lips again, and her hands moved to unbutton his shirt, she giggled as he playfully bit her chin when she wrapped her legs around his waist hooking her hands in his belt, taking it off in one swift move, she looked into his eyes as she unzipped his pants, her other hand stroking his abs, "You still got it. It's been a while."

He had a smug smirk on his face, "Why don't you let me show you?"

"Bring it." She bit her lower lip and widened her thighs for him, he slipped inside her in one quick move getting a gasp out of her, she held on to his shoulders as he pounded into her, her mouth hung open soundless as she threw her head back, he moved her body on top of a pillow, getting a higher angle, she moaned loudly as he hit her g-spot over and over, her nails raked the skin of his arms and she traced them higher to hold on before her body fell into oblivion. All she could hear was their skins slapping, her cries of passion before she fell off the high edge and achieved her blissful release, he followed her, and once done, he pulled out, letting his head fall against her chest, she ran her hands through his hair and then down his neck to back starting a slow massage, "Do you think someone heard us?"

"Who the fuck cares?" he propped his head up and smirked, "You can be as wild as you want to be because I don't mind and that's all that should matter."

"Hmm, I like that." She lazily kissed his lips, "Let's be wild."