Page 67 of Married in Vengeance

“Why?” Ram demanded. “Because your insufferably large ego cannot exist without solving everyone’s problems!”

“Because we’re family, you asshole! Your family.”

“Of course that’s what it all comes down to. Your reputation and the fact that this smears shit all over it.”

“No, you insufferable fuckhead,” Harsh drawled. “It comes down to the fact that we love you.”

Ram’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came out.

“Agastya Anna called you family,” Harsh smiled. “He only loves family. His mutant version of love that is.”

Agastya turned on Harsh with a snarl and Veda stepped between them. “Enough,” she said firmly. “We’ll discuss the rest of this at home. But not tonight. Everyone needs to take a step back from everything.”

“We need to find the shithead who is doing this and destroy every copy of this video that exists,” Aarush said, jagged temper biting through his words. He looked exhausted and his legendary composure was fraying around the edges. “That’s the only thing that’s going to put a stop to this.”

“I think I know who it is,” Aadhya spoke for the first time since the group had erupted on to the sets.

“I think I do too,” Virat murmured.

“Well, who the fuck is it?” Aarush asked, his composure disintegrating. “Or is it a secret the two of you plan to take to your graves?”

“Prasad.” The answer shot out of both at once.

Aarush stilled. “Shit no!” he breathed.

“Shit yes,” Aadhya retorted in a monotone, her tone completely emotionless.

Aarush shook his head, betrayal and devastation written all over his face. Prasad Garu was their father’s most trusted aide, the architect who’d helped him raise Laxmi Builders to the pinnacle of its success.

“Fuck!” he muttered again. “Fuck!!!!”

“I’ll work on building the wall of evidence we need to close the court case completely.” Virat sounded calm but they could all hear the strain in his voice.

“The first hearing is on the fifteenth,” Aarush told him. Priyanka stepped over to wrap her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest. He held on to her tight, his chin resting on her head.

“I’ll be ready,” Virat promised. “And knowing it’s him helps in working backwards to destroy all copies of that video.”

“Great,” Ram muttered, scrubbing his hands over his face.

“I think we should all get some rest,” Raashi yawned. “Not everyone wants to be a night owl like my dear husband.”

“Yeah,” Harsh agreed. “I’ll night owl on my own. All you old fogies go to sleep.”

Everyone started to move toward their own vehicles, muttered goodbyes and quick hugs being exchanged.

“Anna?” Aadhya stopped her brother with a hand on his arm when he pulled out his car keys to unlock his car.

“Ya, Chinna?” Aarush stopped, one hand going around her instinctively and drawing her in for a hug.

“Can I come home with you?”

Everyone stilled, eyes darting between Ram’s frozen form and Aadhya and Aarush.

“Of course,” Aarush replied, his own burning gaze going to Ram’s blank one. “You can always come home.”

Nobody said a word as Aadhya got into the backseat of her brother’s car. She didn’t look at Ram. She couldn’t look at Ram. She couldn’t look at the man who’d done the one thing she’d sworn no man would do.

She couldn’t look at the man who’d broken her.

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