Page 71 of One Hellish Love

Rudra raised his head, fixing her with a cold stare.

“I don’t see why we need to communicate.”

Kashish clenched her fists, the calmness slipping away.

“This is exactly what I hate about you.”

“Good,” Rudra replied instantly, his voice sharp. “Because as far as I remember, during our last argument, you made it clear that youwantedto keep hating me—for the sake of your father’s memory. I’m simply helping you maintain that.”

Kashish’s breath hitched, her jaw dropping at his response. Yes, she had said that. She meant it then. But was he intentionally feeding her hate? Purposely ignoring her to fuel her anger? It felt wrong—twisted, even. Her teeth ground together as she spoke again.

“Anotherfavor, huh? I don’t need your favors, and I made that very clear in the email I sent this morning.”

Rudra folded his arms, his gaze steady.

“I received your payment. I’ve already reversed it back to your account. I don’t need your money in installments.”

Kashish’s heart skipped a beat. He reversed the payment? Why? She didn’t want that money back.

“You reversed it? Why would you do that? It’s your money,” she snapped. “Nothing has changed for me since you repaid that loan. First, my house was under the Khatris’ control, and now it might as well belong to you. What I had to pay them, I now owe to you. So, you’d better accept those installments without much argument.”

Rudra remained silent, his patience unwavering. His silence only fanned the flames of her frustration.

“You can’t change my decision,” Kashish insisted, her voice rising.

“Too bad. I already did,” he replied, his voice cool as ever.

Kashish’s temper flared. Why was he doing this to her? Why couldn’t he just accept the payment and end the conversation?

“Why?” she demanded. “Why can’t you just take the money and let this go?”

“I’ve made my decision,” Rudra said firmly, his refusal only heightening her irritation.

“You can’t decide that for me,” Kashish’s voice was nearing a shout now. “If you want to change the terms of repayment, we should discuss it—together. You can’t just decide everything on your own.”

“Lower your voice, Kashish,” Rudra commanded.

Kashish’s throat tightened, and she swallowed nervously. He stared at her, unflinching, his eyes challenging her to continue. So, she wanted to discuss terms? Convince him to take her money? That wasn’t going to happen.

“This is how you want to have a conversation?” Rudra asked, his voice biting. “By yelling? By arguing?”

His words stung, but Kashish held herself back, forcing herself to remain calm. “Fine,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “I’ll be calm. Let’s discuss how I’ll repay you.”

Rudra shook his head. “I’m not interested in discussing this today. Good night.”

Without another glance, he turned and left the kitchen, leaving Kashish standing there with her jaw clenched in disbelief.

How could he be so infuriatingly stubborn? So arrogant?

***************

Ram Prasad was carefully setting up Daadi’s dinner plate when he paused, turning to Kashish.

“Kashish Didi, should the rice be served on the left or the right of the plate?”

Kashish knew Daadi’s exacting preferences. Without a second thought, she took the spatula from Ram Prasad’s hands and told him to tend to his other duties. He eagerly complied, leaving her to finish plating the food. In a couple of minutes, Kashish had arranged everything meticulously. But when she turned to find Ram Prasad, he was nowhere to be seen. She glanced at the plate. The food would get cold if left too long.

With a sigh, Kashish decided to deliver it herself. She pushed the trolley down the hallway to Daadi’s room. Knocking lightly, she stepped inside. Daadi was sitting on the bed, seemingly lost in thought. But the moment Kashish entered, her demeanor shifted, her expression hardening.

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