Page 68 of Fixation

Tyrion’s face fell. He continued in Russian. “She left last night.”

Vedant rocked back. “What do you mean she left?”

From beside him, he heard the shocked gasps from Reina’s team. He immediately switched to Russian. “Why the fuck did you let her leave?”

“She called your brother, Mr. Armaan, and he ordered me to open the gates and let her go.”

“Armaan ordered you to let her go? Why? And why the hell did you not call me before putting her through to Armaan?”

“She used her own mobile phone to call him, Sir.”

Shock made his pulse skyrocket. How did Reina have a phone on her? Mihir had told him that he had taken away the cell phones of the entire medical team to ensure none of their enemies tracked Vedant through them. And Mihir was very thorough. Which meant one thing only. Armaan had given her phone back to her. Her calling Armaan to let her leave further cemented that in his mind.

He turned to face the others. “I’m sorry, but we will have to continue later.”

He faced Tyrion the second they left. “Tell me what exactly occurred last night.”

Tyrion related everything to him. Once he was done, Vedant called Armaan.

“Why the hell did you let Reina go without speaking to me first?” Vedant yelled the second Armaan answered.

“I’m so fucking mad at you,” Armaan shot back. “You’re the calm brother, the kind one, the one everyone looks up to, and yet you hurt her. How could you?”

A wave of jealousy swept over him. It annoyed him to think that Reina had turned to Armaan for help. He hated that she could confide in Armaan so easily. What was going on between them? What hold did Reina have over his brother that she’d manage to secure her phone and her freedom via him? The more he thought of it, the more he saw red.

Armaan continued, “She was weeping when she left. She sounded miserable, yet she refused to talk to me about it.”

“It’s none of your fucking business,” Vedant stormed. “Who is she to you anyway?”

“A friend. She’s a friend,” Armaan said. “And you insinuating something other than that makes me want to hit you in the face. I love Navya; never doubt that for one fucking second.”

Fucking hell. He pinched his forehead. What was he even thinking of accusing his brother like that? What had gotten into him?

“I’m so sorry, Armaan,” he lamented. “I wasn’t thinking straight. She’s gone, and I am afraid for her.”

“She’s safe.”

“Will you tell me where she is?”

“I willnot,” Armaan raged.

“Do you know her brother? Is that how you know her?” Vedant asked, finally putting everything in proper perspective.“Tyrion overheard her say something along the lines of ‘God help us all, if her brother found out’ or something.”

When Armaan stayed silent for a long moment, Vedant asked, “What exactly are you not telling me, brother?”

“If she didn’t confide in you, then it’s not my fucking job to tell you her story. She trusted you when she doesn’t trust men easily. You created this mess, you fix it, that is, if you ever get a chance to fix it. And Vedant, even God won’t be able to help us once her brother learns that she was held hostage here, and then she was forced to leave because of something you did.”

Armaan disconnected the call without giving Vedant a chance to explain what had happened. He felt sick to his stomach. He’d hurt her. He’d expected Reina to be enraged by the way he’d ended things with her, but he’d completely overlooked her sadness, her pain, and her determination to get away from him. Fuck. He was a complete idiot. He exhaled and inhaled. And now she was out in the open, where, thanks to Su Min, Ivan could locate her easily. His throat soured. Fear twisted his gut. Armaan had told him she was safe. But Vedant would believe that only once he ascertained that for himself.

She’d be safe, and he’d ensure that she remained safe always. But for that, he needed to find her first. If Armaan wasn’t willing to tell him where she was, then he’d look for her himself. He would find her and keep a watch over her, always.

24

Could she not get a break for a single Goddamned day? Reina reread the email from Dr. Williams. The essence of all those fancy words was simple—she’d been fired without a recommendation. No explanation was given. The email meant that Laila, or someone else, had informed Dr. Williams that she’d left Vedant’s house without his permission. It definitely had to be Laila; she was the one who held the biggest grudge against her.

Reina exhaled. She’d arrived home late last night, drenched, cold, mentally and physically exhausted. She’d barely slept through the night. Finally, she’d gotten up from the bed and started her chores. The fridge had to be cleaned of all the stale food. The old stacked laundry had to be done, and the house had to be cleaned. She’d only finished two of these tasks when this email had pinged on her phone.

She hid her face behind her hands. God, how could she have fucked up her life so thoroughly?

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