Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Bad Apple

"Arnav, you need to listen to me.Please." Khushi said her eyes frantic and her voice desperate.

"Listen to what? More of your lies? I am not going to be fooled anymore, Khushi. I hate you. I hate your face and I hate your damned existence. You're a monster. You ripped my heart in two so bloody easily, like it was some piece of paper. So, just get the hell out of my sight." Arnav was spewing venom and his eyes had never been this cold. She could practically feel the hatred radiating from his body and physically hurting her.

"But I never really wanted to hurt you, Arnav. You have to understand that.. You just have to.. I...I love you" Her voice broke into sobs as she fell to her knees on the marbled floor of hisoffice. She was a weeping and sobbing mess. She knew she had lost him and that hurt like nothing else could.

"You disgust me, Khushi. Now just get the f**k out of my office and my life. I'll hate you forever and I am never going to forgive you" His harsh words were like hands tightening around her windpipe. She struggled to breathe...She struggled to wake up from the nightmare but it was like her eyes were glued together.

"Don't hate me..Please" She murmured and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Khushi.." She heard a concerned voice reaching to her ears through the haze.

"Wake up, Khushi.." She heard it again and tried to open her eyes. As her eyes slowly fluttered open she felt herself lying still in a bed.

"Can you hear me? Khushi?" Payal's face swept into her vision and Khushi realised what was happening. She was in her room. Sleeping next to Payal. Dreaming about something which was soon to become real.

"Jeeji" Khushi managed to speak and realised the tears were real. She used her hands to wipe the moisture off her cheeks.

"I am okay. I am fine" She got into a sitting position on her bed and spoke to a distressed looking Payal.

"You were dreaming about something and crying" Payal stated.

"It's all alright. It's nothing. I'd like to go back to sleep" Khushi managed to say that in a firm voice. The room was dimly lit and Payal was sitting next to her, but the light in the room wasn't enough for Payal to see Khushi's face clearly. If she could, she would know fresh tears were already pooling in her eyes.

"Were you dreaming about... Arnav?" Payal asked even though she already knew the answer.

"I don't want to talk about it, Jeeji. I am sorry I disturbed your sleep. Good night" Khushi said as she went to the bed, leaving the room very silent. Payal blinked several times as she stared at the sleeping form of Khushi.

"I am sorry too, Khushi" She whispered and settled next to Khushi in the bed.

****

The next morning after Arnav came back from his run, he decided to pay Akash a visit. Arnav had had the entire night to think about the situation at hand and he had decided that talking directly to Akash was his first option before he dealt with the matter in his own way.

As he reached the door to Akash's room he found Akash all ready to leave for somewhere.

"Morning, Bhai" Akash wished Arnav as the latter stood in the doorway watching Akash putting on his shoes.

"Going somewhere?" Asked Arnav, making sure to keep any strong emotion out of his voice.

"Yeah.. I got to meet someone" Akash answered, looking at Arnav as he tied the laces.

"If you got enough time I would like to talk before you leave" Arnav said, stepping inside the room and throwing a look around.

The walls were different now...the earlier posters of guitars and cricketers were ripped off and replaced with nothing. The table beside the bed where there used to be a lot of photos was now occupied by a bottle of alcohol and some books. In fact, Arnav noticed that the room had changed a lot since he had last been here. And when was the last time? Arnav couldn't actually recall and he felt maybe he too had been a little careless with his brother these few months.

"I see you removed the posters" He commented as Akash tried to study the situation.

"What's going on, Bhai? You are personally visiting my room?" Akash asked failing to hide the derisiveness in his voice.

"If you're insinuating that I have been less attentive towards you, you're right , Akash. I have been too busy with the office which is kind of wrong on my part" Arnav said the words and Akash realised his brother was making an attempt to apologize without actually havingt o apologize. He mentally snorted. Of all the things, this was what he wanted to apologize for? Akash felt the anger developing in his mind but he had to keep it tamed.

"Well.. What is it that you want to talk about?" Akash asked, schooling his features.

"To begin with, would you like to explain that bottle of whiskey sitting on your table?" Arnav asked.

"What about it?" Akash asked giving his brother a questioning brow.

"Since when you started treating the house as your wine cellar? No booze is allowed in the house, Akash. You know that well enough" Arnav said.

"I am sorry about it. Next time I will not bring a bottle home. Anything else? I am kind of getting late" Akash could not be any more nonchalant and Arnav felt his patience thinning.

"Akash.. I am not sure you remember it but I am your elder brother and I only have your best interests at heart. I have no problem if you go out with your friends, spend some money, drink a little and flirt with some girls. But I do have and will always have a problem if you are heading down the wrong path. Your prodigality, your women issues and your lack of responsibility is something you should dial down" Arnav said that in a tone laced with authority and affection.

"I'll consider that, Bhai. Thanks for all your concern. Now I would really like to leave so.."

"Akash.." Arnav cut in, his eyes pinning down Akash.

"You are not taking me seriously. If you do not stop making a mess of your I will make you stop. You are my responsibility andI love you enough to take the highroad with you. I want you in the office today. There, we'll discuss this through. Is that clear?" Arnav asked Akash who was looking at Arnav with incredulous eyes.

"Is that clear?" repeated Arnav.

"Yeah" Akash replied with his gaze lowered. After looking at Akash for another two seconds, Arnav nodded and left the room.

"Clear as crystal, Bhai. You can never stop rubbing it in my face that you are the one with control. But I won't be your puppet for long" Akash said to the room and banged the door close on his way out.

~~**~~

Arnav was already in his office and his mind was distracted. The conversation with Akash wasn't the best conversation he'd had. It was nowhere close to what he had hoped. He was confused as to why Akash was behaving and talking the way he was.

Arnav walked over to his chair and relaxed into it, his mind still thinking about Akash. Akash was always the most loved child, pampered and listened to. Among the three of them, Akash was the fun kid. Always making friends and partying out. But when exactly his partying became synonymous with drinking and womanizing, Arnav could not tell. I have lapsed in my responsibilities, thought Arnav as he held his forehead in his hands.

But it wasn't too late. He will make sure Akash comes back on the right track. With his mind made, Arnav reached for the intercom.

"A strong, black coffee' He said and putdown the contraption.

Then his eyes darted to Khushi's cubicle and he found it unoccupied. He checked his watch and found that it was late. Khushi should already be here. He was thinking about calling her when he saw Khushi enter in.

"Good Morning" She smiled too brightly at him and Arnav returned the smile. He found it odd how merely looking at her face could put his mind at ease.

"You're late" He commented and noticed Khushi had his cup of coffee in her hands.

"Traffic was heavy, boss" She said it timidly while placing the cup on his table.

"I do not do well with excuses, Miss Gupta" Arnav said with a mock strictness in his tone and Khushi could tell he was playing her.

"I am willing to be punished, Sir" She said that with a purr in her voice and Arnav's mouth was left hanging open. He didn't know Khushi could talk back in that seductive tone.

"Hold that thought until later, MissGupta. For now, I'd like you to go to your desk and get started with the work" Arnav said that with a small laugh and Khushi laughed too as she headed to her own desk".

~~**~~

After placing her handbag on the table and drawing the blinds, Khushi allowed shame to wash over her. She slumped into her chair and closed her eyes. It was becoming more than difficult to force smiles and laughs before Arnav when she was soon to snatch away his smiles and laughs.

Khushi had decided that today was the day she was going to get those signatures from Arnav. She had stalled herself enough and it had only made things difficult for her. She will strike today.

Today, she will push Arnav down the cliff of trust. She was sure she could do this. There was no other way. Confiding in Arnav was not an option. Even if she told him that his own brother had planted her here and that she was doing all of this to save her sister and her family's honour, what can Arnav do? First of all he would be too shocked, too hurt and too broken. Then he will confront his brother. Akash would know that she has ruined his plans. And before Arnav could pull himself together enough to act, Akash would have leaked her sister's clips online. He would have sent those videos to her house. And then she will lose all of it. This was her better option. To lose just Arnav. It might be easier to live with his hatred than to see her family falling apart.

***

Akash stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the penthouse. The corridor between the elevator and the door to the penthouse was quiet. Akash crossed the small distance and knocked at the door.

He waited and then knocked again. When he was met with no apparent movement from the other side of the door, he took out his own key card and unlocked the door.

Stepping in, he found the room lying in a mess.There were bottles of alcohol scattered across the floor and a foul smell lingered in the room. But, ignoring all of it, Akash moved towards the man who was sprawled on the couch, half hanging and half sleeping on it.

Akash looked down at the man for a few seconds with his lips pursed. Then he tried kicking the couch to rouse the sleeping man but the man seemed oblivious to the world around him.

Akash then looked around and found a half-filled jug of water sitting on the table before the couch. He grabbed the handle of it and poured all the liquid over the man.

"Son of a bitch" the man cursed loudly as he jolted awake, his arms flailing in the air.

"What the f**k was that?" The man glared at Akash once he recovered from the shock and found Akash towering over him.

"That was me attempting to bring you bac kto life" Akash snapped.

"Yeah. Apparently, that's the only thing you can do" taunted the man as he took a sitting position the wet couch.

"What's that supposed to mean?"demanded Akash in a heated tone as he sat himself on the table.

"You know that well enough. It's been more than a month but you still haven't gotten those signatures and I am forced to spend my days holed up in this smelly apartment" said the man, using the back of his hand of wipe the water droplets from his face.

"That is going to be done soon and this apartment is smelly because you have made it so" replied Akash as he looked around the room.

"Whatever! I had told you that my way would have been quicker but you had to scheme this whole sending a girl to his office and backstabbing thing"

"I need it to be this way. I need to see his face, once all of this is said and done. I need him to know I too can lie and scheme" said Akash with a crazed look and a smile crept unto the man's face.

"Well, that is something I appreciate about you and that is the only reason I let you do the things your way" said the man.

"So, when is this girl going to get us those papers? It's been a hell lot of time"

"I will make sure she gets those signaturesto us in two days because we are running out of time. He has called me to his office today and I am tired of playing subservient and calling him Bhai" replied Akash.

"This will all be over soon, son. Very soon!" The man patted Akash on the shoulder.

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Pearl_Oyster2018-04-29 05:57:54