Page 93 of Addiction

She opened her mouth to apologize to her brother, but he cut her off with a raise of his hand.

“Let’s get one thing clear. The safety of my wife and children is and will always be my priority,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t care about everyone else in this room. I have responsibilities you know nothing of. The reason my wife, children, and the rest of us in this room arenotsafe is because ofyou. You brought danger upon all our heads the second you got entangled with an Oshnov, but because you love him, I was willing to overlook everything. So don’t stand there judging me when all I was doing was trying to protect you. Nothing could have been achieved by leaving you there that day, and you know it.”

Rajiv was fuming now. Guilt assuaged her. He was right. Every word her brother said was true. She’d been too stupid to blame him for anything when the entire fault of this fiasco lay on her. She had uttered those horrible, untrue words about Armaan that had started this mess.

“I’m sorry, Rajiv,” Navya said. “I was being mean and nasty. I know you only mean well.”

He exchanged a look with Sheena, and something unspoken transpired between them.

He looked much calmer when he spoke next. “If you love him, Navya, then you have to fight for it. Sitting around moping is not going to solve anything.”

“I’ve tried everything—texts, phone calls, I even went to his house. But he doesn’t want to talk to me.”

A tear slipped down her eye and then another. All the frustration, sadness, and emotional upheaval she’d been going through finally poured out of her.

“Navya,” her mom said, patting the sofa next to her. “Come sit with me.”

Navya went to her. Her mom wiped her wet cheeks. “You know, my darling, when your mom, Latika, died, you didn’t shed a single tear. You stood stoically, holding Reina’s hand in yours while she wept. You looked glad your mother was out of her misery. Anvay and I realized at that moment what a strong girl you were. And then, you realized you’d be left with a father like Gautam. Didn’t you go on a hunger strike for four days straight because he refused to allow Anvay and me to take you both home to live with us?”

“Oh my God. Really?” Ananya put Nia down on a playmat in the corner. “I didn’t know this.”

“Yeah…” Their mom smiled. “She was only twelve, and she knew she had to get Reina and herself out of that house. She’d already realized that Gautam would ruin their lives, so she didn’t eat for four days straight. While initially, my brother thought it was all a farce, he understood how serious she was when a servant called him telling him Navya had fainted and had to be admitted to the hospital. When we went to the hospital that night, he finally surrendered to her demands. He allowed Reina and her to come with us that night. Only after that did she eat again. That’s how she made Reina and her a part of this family. We all know how my brother made his own demands before he allowed us to adopt them formally, but in the end, they became ours like they were meant to be.”

Her chest hurt thinking of that time. These people had taken Reina and her in and made space for them in their hearts and in their lives. Sara and Anvay treated them as their own girls, andRajiv and Ananya treated them no differently from the way they treated each other.

Her father came to sit on her other side. “The reason she brought up this story was because even as a child, you fought for the well-being of your sister and yourself. You stood up against your father and won. So, what is holding you back now? Why are you sitting here weeping instead of taking action?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Navya cried. “He won’t talk to me.”

“Then do something drastic,” her mom said. “Stop his car in the middle of the road. Barge into his office. Give him no choice. Make him listen to you.”

Navya smiled, imagining doing those very things. An idea flashed in her brain.

She went to her brother. “Will you forgive me?”

“Of course, you’re my sister.”

“I need your help.”

“You only need to ask, little one.”

She told him her plan, and he smiled. “It will be done,” he promised her.

Navya smiled, feeling relieved for the first time. Her mother had opened her eyes. Sitting around and waiting endlessly was not going to change the situation. She had to act. She had to force Armaan’s hand, and with a little help, she knew exactly how to do it.

28

Armaan’s mind was in turmoil even after he’d returned to Dubai. They had no answers from Vedant regarding their search for the man who had shot him. The search for the man who had attacked Armaan had also resulted in nothing so far, and now, after the latest phone call, they had hit another dead end.

Armaan walked towards Mihir’s office in O-Corp’s Dubai tower. They each had offices on the fortieth floor of this skyscraper. These days, both Mihir and he ended up working late. With Vedant still out of action, the two of them had to hold the fort, which meant working late into the night had become the norm for them.

His phone beeped. As usual, he hoped it was Navya, but it wasn’t. Actually, it had been four days and seventeen hours since her last text to him, begging him to give her a call. After that, she had stopped. There hadn’t been a peep from her since then. While it was exactly what he had wanted, he now hated that it was happening. She was moving on, and he ought to be happy with that, but his heart wouldn’t settle down. It demanded that he go see her, at least once. Even from a distance would be fine.But so far, he’d prevented himself from doing that. If he saw her, no matter from how far, there was no way he’d be able to stop himself from going to her.

Armaan knocked and entered his brother’s office. Mihir turned to face his window as he continued to talk into his cell-phone.

“I said it will be done,” Mihir said stiffly. “You don’t need to worry. You do your part, and I’ll do mine.”

Mihir hung up the phone, looking agitated.

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