Chapter 9 - Playing With Fire

Extremely late update, I know :(. And I'm sorry. I was in a sort of huff and a bad mood all week and I didn't want to write an update in that mood because I probably would've ended up killing off one of the characters in my annoyance :P. But rest assured my happy mood is back! And therefore I will update in all of my happiness and sunshine ;)!

~We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand - Randy Pausch.~

"Damn it Shyam! I want this over with quickly! I feel as if he is slowly catching on to me!" Arundathi Raizada exclaimed into the phone, attempting to hide her fear in her outburst at Shyam. She didn't know which emotion was stronger anger or fear. She loathed the very sight of him, the fact that whatever happened Arnav always seemed to be in control. Slamming the phone down she screamed, the sheer terror coursing through her irrupting into a loud cry of rage. She finally slumped back, drained off all her energy, sweat beading off of her forehead, unable to comprehend how to sort this mess out.

A memory:

"I'm sorry Mrs Raizada you gave birth to a still baby. Tears streamed down her face as she felt her whole world come crashing down on her. All of her hopes and dreams, a future she had so carefully planned and seen in her mind time and time again bursting into fragments of dust in front of her eyes. Her sobs came slowly at first, then louder until she was screaming, letting it out, her body shaking against the embrace of her mother. "Shhh, shhh," she heard the hushed comfort of her mother as if she were talking from a far away land. This child had meant so much. It had meant a second chance to get back the love she deserved from her husband. Sure she could have another child, but that would take time, it would need her husband to be near her again and those were two things she simply did not have. That woman was possibly only a few doors away from her, giving birth to an alive and kicking child, a child that belonged to her husband and he would now probably move in with that whore, give her the place that was rightfully Arundathi's. Fury blended into the heart break flowing through her system and her cries became louder as she weeped for her life that was rapidly breaking apart. "Anu! Anu!" She heard her sister yell, but kept her head hidden in her mothers embrace. "Nimmi go away! Now is not the time!" She heard her mother chide her sister off. "But mamma this is important!" She heard her sister whine, a higher degree of rage building up inside of her now towards her sister. "Don't you think this is the most important thing right now?!" Her mother shouted once again, a silence followed, only the loud cries emerging from within her being heard, as her sister processed the thought in her mind. "But Anu! That slut just died giving birth to a baby boy!" She felt her heart thud and stop for a second as Nimmi blurted out what she had been stuttering to say so far. Blind rage consumed her as her eyes snapped open and she pulled away from her mother. She stood up, still unsteady, ready to slap her sister for being unmindful of her feelings, not for the first time, her mind replaying her sisters words, then stopped, frozen to the spot. "...died" she replayed the word in her mind several times, as if she was just figuring out its meaning. The woman had died and left behind a boy?

Arundathis eyes snapped open, the raw rage consuming her once more and she dialled a different number. "To hell with the will!" She exclaimed. She had had enough!

****

Payal stormed into the hotel room, exhausted from the pile of work Arnav Singh Raizada seemed to be capable of making her do. She shrugged out of her blazer and let it fall to the floor, then stepped out of her heels, watching the sun set in the horizon. She poured herself a glass of water, the coolness of it misting around the glass and a trickle of condensation pouring off of the brim. She brought it to her lips and downed it, letting the ice cold liquid relax her mind.

"Your brother is an absolute asshole!" She growled through gritted teeth, grasping the cool glass in her hands.

"Oh what a shame and there I was expecting a better compliment," a husky voice replied.

Payal felt her whole body freeze in terror as her eyes widened and the glass slipped out of her hand crashing to the floor. She gulped, bile rising in her throat as she slowly turned around to face who she had dreaded and she froze once more, her heart falling to the pit of her stomach.

Arnav leaned against the wall, appraising his prey, his eyes now the colour of dark rust. If only she had been as worthy an opponent as he had hoped her to have been. He began advancing upon her, taking slow deliberate steps as she continued to stand, almost as if she was unable to move.

"Oh I'm sorry did my drop in scare you?" He questioned, a slow smirk playing at his lips, his voice as sweet as honey.

She gulped, feeling sick, breaking into a cold sweat. She willed herself to move, her foot moved back and crunched on glass, she yelped quietly as a shard of glass pierced her heel, her breaths coming out louder and quicker. He was in front of her now and she was trapped.

"So Payal? Do you like playing games?" His voice had hardened now, she took another step back as his face came to within inches away from hers, ignoring the pain of more pieces of glass piercing her foot. He made a grab for her neck, she felt his fingers dig into her skin as she stumbled back and her back hit against a table.

"Trapped are we?" She shook in fear, her eyes wide with terror as she looked into raging dark eyes, his every muscle taunt with anger.

"I asked you a question Ms Payal! Do you like playing games?!" He growled through gritted teeth and she winced in pain, almost choking as his fingers tightened around her throat.

She screamed in pain as she felt herself being slammed into the table, her spine almost snapping from the impact and he let her go as she slumped to the floor. She gasped for air, coughing reflexively, her hands massaging her throat. She watched, tears spluttering out of her eyes as he crouched down, his rust chipped eyes boring into hers.

"Get up!" He yelled, his voice booming through the vast space of the room. She willed herself to move but couldn't.

"GET UP!" Her roared louder, yanking her up. She screamed in pain as he pulled her up to face her once more.

"Aw I'm sorry am I hurting you?" His voice was soft again, she stood trembling, afraid of what he may do next. Their was a manic glint to his eyes. "Well my deary I'm afraid if you want to hurt someone that's dear to me, well," he continued in that same soft, calm tone, tucking a loose strand behind ear. She winced away from him, sniffling away tears. Her body went rigid once more as his fingers dug into the sides of her chin, lifting her head up to face him and she attempted to look away from burnt caramel eyes glaring into hers.

"You tell your boyfriend to stay away from Khushi!" His breath was hot on her face. "I want him breaking off this marriage by next week!" His voice was controlled, unrelenting. Her body shook with raw fear as her mind processed the full impact of messing with the man that was Arnav Singh Raizada. "Do you understand?"  There was a slow snarl spreading over his face now and she stared at it almost unable to fathom the situation. "I said do you UNDERSTAND?!" He roared once more and she jumped back slightly, nodding as his fingers still gripped her chin.

"Well that's good then isn't it?" That husky voice was back as he let go of her and moved back. She slumped against the desk, still heaving for breath.

"And Payal," he took another step forward and she stood upright against the desk, fear gripping at ever pore of her body.

"If word of our little get together today gets back to Aakash," he continued bringing innocence to his eyes, "then I'm afraid I won't hesitate in taking Lavanya's life," he stated feigning an apologetic look.

Her eyes widened further and she felt herself almost suffocating in the grim turn of events.

"But that's it for now," he smiled. "Thanks for the invite!" He called off already walking towards the door. "And Payal," she watched horrified as he turned back round once more.

"Do give this back to Aakash," he said throwing Aakash's Blackberry on the bed. I'm afraid he must have left it with you this morning," he continued facing the door as he clicked it open then let himself out.

****

Arnav sat back in his recliner, closing his eyes, his mind in a distant blank place. A place that he now rarely re-visited. There had been a time when every lonely moment he had had, his mind had reverted back to those dark grim thoughts of the past. But now he had risen above them, they no longer haunted his mind constantly. He had taken those broken shards, let them pierce him and become stronger. But life was such that moments would never quite be forgotten, especially ones that were etched into your mind from a very young age, an age where he had not properly been able to understand the cruelty which was constantly dispelled towards him, by none other than who he had thought to have been his own mother.

His three year old self that had been beaten for longer than his young mind could have bared for waking his mother when she had been sleeping. All of those nights when his father hadn't been there and he had been left to starve. The belt marks on his back, that were no longer so evident but still present beneath the surface and pained in the same intensity.  The only person who had provided the smallest of solace had been his father and then later Anjali and her innocent smile. Once his siblings had been born he had not been allowed to go near them, touch them.

"Don't you dare touch my son you dirty bastard!" Her words had pierced his heart in a way he had not been able to handle at such a tender age and it had been  many years later that he had found the true reasons behind it.

But he was only human, like every other person and the child he had been should not have been ill-treated for mistakes he had not committed. And if she had not been able to treat him as a human, he did not see any reason to treat her as one.

His eyes snapped open as his phone vibrated, it was Garima. He slid the phone on immediately.

"Yes aunty?" His throat was till raw from the thoughts that had been passing through his mind and he quickly cleared it.

"Arnav, are you okay?" Her voice was concerned, having noticed a slight hoarseness to his voice.

He smiled slightly, a sadness appearing in his eyes for something that he could never have. "Yes aunty I'm fine. What have you got for me?"

"Okay beta, well I've been keeping an eye on him but he hasn't been talking with anyone suspicious. Just his business associates."

"No Aakash?" He questioned, slightly confused, his brows furrowing.

"Yes no Aakash," she stated.

"Business associates? Which ones aunty? Do you know?"

"Yes Arnav just his business partner and Arundathi."

Arnavs eyes widened immediately. He had been right. There was no way Aakash was capable of masterminding any plan on his own.

****

Khushi jumped suddenly at the sound of her phone going off. "Oh for godsake! Always at the wrong time!" She growled to her self and silencing it stuffed it back into her pocket. "Shit!" She cursed inwardly at having lost sight of him once more. "Mamma! This is all your fault!" She mumbled through gritted teeth then continued to walk through the car park, her eyes scanning the vast space. "Where the hell did he go?!" She continued to mumble to herself as she quickened her steps, the grim light of the car park making it even more difficult to make anything out.

And that's when she spotted him, smiling at a petite, dark haired girl. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open suddenly at the sight in front of her. He started turning his head her way and she immediately hid behind the pillar, scrunching her eyes shut. Still quite unable to believe what was going on. She peeped back out to witness Aakash brushing a strand of hair off her face and she watched in shocked disbelief as he brought her face next to hers. She felt her whole being shudder with the truth that was slowly dawning upon her and her heart crash into a million pieces as her fiance stood in another's arms. Tears sprang to her eyes and she turned back around, slowly sliding to the floor, keeping a tight hold on the loud cries that threatened to escape from within her. Her whole body trembling from the shock of what she had feared for so long.

Khushi finally broke down, her shoulders shaking with her loud sobs as she cried for too many things falling apart at the one time. Banging the back of her head against the pillar thinking of all the times during the past when she had made the wrong decisions. Crying for the second time someone had broken her fragile heart. And she  sat there for god knows how long, letting her tears drench her top.

So take a bow cause you've taken everything else

You played the part, like a star you played it so well

Take a bow cause the scene is coming to an end

I gave you love, all you gave me was pretense, so now take a bow

--

She lay on her bed that night, all the thoughts and memories of a relationship she now felt she had possibly never been happy with running through her mind. Aakash's face flashing in and out of her mind. She scrunched her eyes shut, the tears never seizing to stream out of them. Her mind whispering the pain of a broken heart, of a broken love, the image of Aakash immediately being replaced by Arnav's face. 

The tears flowing out faster at the thought of a past which had led to this meltdown. She sat up suddenly, her eyes snapping open. "Fuck Aakash!" She shouted.

And the future's about to change, before you know it

The curtain closes, take a look around

There's no one in the crowd, I'm throwing away the pain

And you should know that your performance made me stronger now

So take a bow cause you've taken everything else

You played the part, like a star you played it so well

Take a bow cause the scene is coming to an end

I gave you love, all you gave me was pretense, so now take a bow...

 It was time she started doing what she should have all of those years ago...

So instead of giving you guys an extra extra long update I decided to sort of just increase the pace. Because usually I update atleast twice a week and I didn't do that this week. So sorry there weren't any Arshi scenes but *hint* *hint* *wink* *wink* for the next chapters!