Chapter 34 :

Anika's POV

"Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Rai Mehrotra", spoke the woman in front of Arnav and me, her tall figure wrapped in a floor length emerald green silk dress. The off shoulder dress was in an even match with the emerald diamond jewellery she was wearing. Her bob cut cinnamon hair was a perfect combination for her pale skin with freckles. Her honey brown monolid eyes were as perfect as they seemed in the New York magazines.

She's Dravid Huang, a half American and half Chinese supermodel.

"Evening to you Ms. Huang", replied Arnav extending his hand for a handshake as I smiled. She turned to me before holding onto my shoulders softly and said, "You're such a beauty Mrs. Rai Mehrotra. A supermodel like you so successful at a young age has really brought some envious gaze and whispers", her tone silky smooth despite being a lady in her early 50s.

I smiled in response, "It doesn't matter until someone is bugging me. And you know it well", I spoke.

She nodded.

"I couldn't get married because I was just too focused on my career but now since you're married, how's your married life?", she asked again. It was unusual of her to ask something personal. She's always very professional outside her bedroom but today it seemed different. Neither her eyes were shining nor her smile was full, like how it used to be.

"It's smooth to say", I replied.

"Anika, I'm here nearby. I need to meet someone. Will you come or stay here?", he asked, softly as a pretence.

"I'll stay", I replied shortly with a mild smile. He nodded and left.

I and Ms. Huang talked for a while and soon she had to go so we hugged each other. But the moment our bodies collided, she whispered in my ear, "Be careful. Each block on the floor has a trap. Be careful which you step on", and even before I could respond or ask something, she had already walked away.

I met her today for the second time after a fashion week in New York years ago. But whatever she spoke seemed eerily strange to me. I couldn't comprehend the message she wanted to convey to me through those puzzled words.

Something bigger and wider is being planned. A conspiracy.

While she walked away, I noticed a star tattoo on the side of her forearm. It was exactly like the one Arshi and Yumi had. What the fucking hell is happening?

Sighing in frustration, I tried to calm down before starting to look for Arnav. My gaze roamed around the hall until it stopped on the man dressed in black suit and red shirt. There he is. But he isn't alone. That leech of his is sticking to him.

Of course it's his ex-fiancée. I'm not jealous but I don't like her.

I didn't walk towards them but walked towards the drinking counter. Ordering two shots of Black Velvet, I sat down and fixed my gaze on the lovely couple which included my husband and his best friend, alias ex-fiancée.

His hand was around her waist and both were giggling, talking to someone I didn't even spare a glance at. The burning feeling, those tingling feelings are long gone. I don't feel any of them but for sure there's a bitterness in my heart. I don't like her presence near me. I don't care even if Arnav makes out with someone because I hate him but I do feel weird because of their close proximity.

Why the fuck do I feel irritated by the fact that he can make our with someone?

Tearing away my gaze, I took my two shots. The bitter drink rolled down my throat passing my tongue, a burning feeling erupted in my throat. I don't drink such drinks much and it's not because of low tolerance. I tolerate drinks well. I ordered a few more shots and waited for them while staring straight at my husband who seemed to enjoy a lot.

"Ma'am here are your shots", spoke the bartender as I nodded and started gulping down the remaining shots before I thanked the bartender for the shots and kept sitting for a while until some of the guests who knew me and Arnav came to have some talk. Once they left, I got up from my seat seeing him approach me. All the time I just held a neutral expression.

Once he was close, I walked towards the bride and the groom before wishing them for the last time and left the hall. He just silently kept following me. I knew that he felt my stares all the time because mafia instincts aren't too weak but as if I care.

This evening was a nice one because I stood out. Most of the ladies wore lighter shades than mine so everyone's attention was on me. This doesn't make me an attention seeker. I wore what I liked and it's not my fault that others happened to like it.

After I and Arnav sat inside the car, my thoughts went back to Ms. Huang. The tattoo and her words, actually messed up my mind.

Picking up my phone, I dialled a number.

"Bob", I spoke as soon as the call connected.

"Yes ma'am. How did you call me?", he asked.

"Dorabiddo fan-san no subete no dōryō no shōsai to kanojo no keireki to keireki o oshietekudasai", I spoke in Japanese. I knew Arnav was multilingual but also knew that he didn't know Japanese.

(Give me the details of all the associates of Ms. Dravid Huang along with her background and history)

"Yes ma'am", he responded before cutting the call. He's my personal hacker, the head of the hacking team under The Red Sapphire.

"What did you speak?", asked Arnav who was doing something on his tab a while ago.

I didn't speak anything but keep scrolling through my phone.

I heard him sigh.

"What's the matter?", he asked but this time, he was facing me.

"It's better to not interfere in each other's business", I replied monotonously.

"Anika", he stressed my name this time. It felt weird to hear my name from his mouth in such a deep voice. It was neither seductive nor soft but stern. I looked up at him only to find his staring at me through his dark gaze.

Why is he even bothered? He hates me, doesn't he?

"What is it Arnav?", I questioned back.

"Why are you behaving so negligent?", he asked straightforward.

I scoffed glancing away before fixing my gaze back on him.

"There's nothing like that. Stop your imagination", I replied sternly before focusing back on my tab. I don't know why but I feel some type of anger inside me. Is it because of my approaching period or something, I don't know.

There were moments of silence which made me assume that he had given up but not to my greatest relief, I found myself pinned down on the seat. I gasped with my eyes wide open, still realising what happened just now. Through my periphery I saw the dividing curtains blocking the driver's part and the passenger's part of the car.

He was holding my wrists in his tight grip while the legs were beside my knees on either side. The seat was big enough to make him hold me comfortably. But I was tensed.

His eyes bore into mine, a mild smirk dancing on his soft lips. I didn't realise for how long I was staring at his lips until he decided to speak.

"Am I so tempting baby?", his deep voice and the new nickname gave me goosebumps. I hate this effect. Had it been some other day, I'd have smacked his face but because of my approaching periods, my hormones are shooting up and down causing me to have so fucking many emotions all at once.

I gritted my teeth, "Tempting my foot. Do I look like that bestfriend of yours?", I was taken aback by my own words.

His smirk grew wider and I realised what I spat. Even though it wasn't intentional, my tone and my expressions must've spoken otherwise.

"You're jealous?", he questioned.

"You should possess something to make me jealous", I backfired.

He chuckled, "But your expressions speak otherwise baby."

"Oh yeah? Since when did you start falling for façades? Didn't know Arnav Rai Mehrotra could be fooled so easily. And why not because you actually fell for your ex-fiancée's white lies and façades that actually were invisible to you", I taunted.

"Don't cross your line doll", he spoke, his tone deeper than earlier as warning laced his voice.

I didn't react but stared back without reacting in any way that could possibly satisfy him in any way.

"Now I'm crossing my line huh? What about you when you leave nothing behind in insulting me? Your bestfriend hates me and she always, al-fucking-ways finds reasons from you to make me feel unwanted. I'm not bothered because she's no one to me. But you—you consider me as your wife then why do you hurt me all the time? Why, huh, why? Do you think I'm some type of doll you can control? I was wrong to think that you were changing", I spat out and unknowingly, a tear rolled down my cheek.

I pushed him away and he let me do it. We both sat up on the seat and straightened out bodies and clothes followed by me looking outside the window. Few more tears escaped my eyes. I was beginning to trust him unknowingly and my fate broke it raw. It repeatedly keeps taking people away by either making them hate me for something or by breaking my trust.

Being a PTSD sufferer, I needed someone by me and there was no one. My family wasn't there because they thought I had healed from that but that disorder is still there inside me. Trust issues follow me everywhere and whenever I find someone to rely on, they end up increasing the issues.

I want to slap myself for falling weak and seeking for his comfort and understanding, for trusting him.

Just eight more months and I'll be free.

Wiping away the tears, I silently kept staring outside until we reached home. I didn't wait for him to come as I stormed towards my room.

°

11:30 p.m.

Arnav's POV

Flipping through the pages of the file in my hand, I focused on certain points. There has been some transactions between my clan and someone else outside my territory.

Picking up my phone, I dialled Vincenzo's number. Him as the underboss isn't something I decided recklessly. He's a man of less words and more actions. I did a good job by investing my trust on him.

"Yes boss", he spoke as soon as the line connected.

"Have you tracked who's the person making such a huge transaction?", I asked.

"Yes boss. She's been tracked down but the thing is that she died the moment we caught her because of the pill in her mouth. She was sent by someone who's a bit difficult to track. Seems like a bit of a tall order", he replied.

I smirked, "It's a formidable task."

"Start tracking the associates she had as the first step. Then proceed to contact them and fix a business deal with them. Just keep your identity unrelated to me. And what's her name?"

"She's Win Seok. You're quite a thing Arnav. No wonder why you have gained so much power and the throne itself. Fixing deals with enemies", he scoffed followed by a chuckle. He's just like how Rehan is to me. We three have been friends since childhood.

I chuckled for once before speaking, "Anyways. I have other businesses to handle. Call me once you find the boss of Ms. Dead Seok", I replied as he hummed before I hung up.

Keeping down the phone, I let my thoughts run around Anika. Whatever she said today, left an impact on me. I didn't expect her to trust me. And moreover, she seemed hurt today. In the past four months, we have actually improved. I don't hate her anymore and I don't know why. At the very start, we despised each other beyond imagination. Forget about closeness, we didn't even like to spare a glance at each other. But if I talk about today, we can't seem to control ourselves when we're close to each other.

I used the word 'we' because I've noticed her behaving very unlikely of her. The woman who hated me more than my enemies now lets me get close to her. Now lets me touch her and what not.

And she actually expected me to change?

I didn't know the beating thing inside my chest can actually have something else to do expect pumping blood. It beats faster when she's near. Her boldness, her fierce eyes and words, her whole presence makes me feel differently. For a man like me with so many complexities, it's hard to feel something else knowing what consequences it brings along.

I'm not soft but I'm a human.

If she wants me to change, I'll change. Those tears in her eyes that accumulated because of me, made me want to hit myself. I can't hate her. Fuck the contract and the rules. With her, the rule maker himself falls weak, then what's the point of showing my bitter side to her?

I'll change but only for her.

I won't call this love because I don't know how it's done. I never felt it for anyone because I had dedicated my life to my work. Handling one legal and one illegal business was never an easy task but I'm used to it now. It's too easy for me now.

She's the devil descending from heaven. She has stepped into my world, the world I rule—hades. She won't serve me. The devil himself will serve her, I'll serve her. She rules my inner demons with the darkness inside her.

We ain't a match made in heaven, but one made in hell and protected my hellfire.

And I'll burn in that hellfire if I happen to fall for her.

She rules me and I devote myself to her.

I'm Arnav Anika Rai Mehrotra from today.