Page 1 of Twisted Sins

PROLOGUE

“Madam, you have a delivery!”

Nandini Thakvar looked up from her notebook. She had been writing since the early hours of the morning and had lost track of time. The oil lamp she had lighted was long extinguished, and sunlight streamed through the large windows in the Thakvar mansion library room.

Nandini smiled at the maid. “What is it, Malini?”

The young girl beamed. “You received flowers for your birthday, madam! Your favorite pink lotuses have arrived. They are so beautiful!”

Nandini’s smile grew, and she felt glad that at least a few of her people could still find joy in little things. There had been so much suffering and uncertainty over the last few years that her people lived in constant fear.

“Have them placed in a vase,” Nandini gently instructed. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Yes, madam!”

As soon as the young girl left, Nandini carefully kept the notes aside to be resumed later. She knew it would be a while before she could get back to them, as she would be busy with some critical meetings for the next few days.

She got up from the chair and stepped out of the library room. The mansion was quiet. She could see at least a dozen staff members working inside, but they were working quietly. It was different from a decade ago when laughter and excitement were always prevalent in the air.

She hoped that soon, similar laughter and joy would return when her three nephews would come to visit that summer.

“I think the mansion is going to be filled with flowers by the end of the day,” said a familiar masculine voice.

Nandini laughed. “I’m sure some of them are for you as well, big brother,” she teased.

With a sprinkle of grey at his temples and sideburns, her older brother was dashingly handsome and still the most sought-after bachelor, not just in Singoor but also outside.

“I doubt it,” Madhav Thakvar said with a smile. “Happy birthday, my dear sister.”

Smiling, she bent forward and touched her older brother’s feet.

“May you be blessed with happiness and a husband who can match up to your intellect and wit,” her older brother said.

She laughed. “You need to change the blessings now, big brother,” she teased. “I’m an old maid now.”

Her brother shook his head. “That’ll never be true. You are rightfully called the Thakvar tigress as you are the most beautiful, intelligent, and brave woman in Singoor that men continue to seek in marriage.”

Nandini felt a tug in her heart. She knew her elder brother wanted her to get married and have a family of her own, just like their younger brother, who lived abroad, did. But she had vowed not to marry until peace was restored in Singoor.

She smiled. “Thank you, brother,” she said. “This tigress is hungry. Let’s have breakfast and head out for the clan meeting.”

Her brother nodded with a smile, and they went together to the dining area.

“Happy birthday, Nandini madam!” The head cook, housekeeper, and the rest of the staff came to greet her.

“Thank you! This looks so wonderful.” Nandini gave everyone a warm, tight hug, knowing that they put a lot of effort into making her favorite dishes. The biggest effort they put was to stay in the Singoor region despite the unrest.

The Thakvar clan people were extremely loyal even during the hardest of times. They were one of the reasons why she and her brother made it their mission to make everyone’s lives happy.

Smiling, she sat down. She felt a tug in her heart, seeing the lavish spread the cook and the staff had put together for her birthday. But it was just her and her brother at the large table, which could easily accommodate fifty people.

Too many things were happening for Nandini to crave love or a family of her own. Although it was kept a secret, the Thakvar clan already had three young heirs in the form of her nephews.

Her younger brother, Mihir Thakvar, desperately wanted to visit Singoor to ensure everything was fine. But she and her older brother had told him many times not to visit until it was entirely safe.

“I still feel you shouldn’t join me for today’s meeting, Nandini,” her older brother said.

Nandini wasn’t supposed to be at the clan meeting. Until recently, women who weren’t the clan heads didn’t participate in clan meetings. She helped her brother with the peace treaty and provided suggestions and points that needed to be made. But now, she was going to break tradition and attend the meeting herself.

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