Chapter 1

She woke up at the sound of soft sobbing. She twitched her nose and pressed her head deeper into the pillow. Her head was hurting, and the sobbing was bothering her slightly. Suddenly her eyes flew open. Jiji! 

Khushi sat up straight on the bed to see the tear-stricken scared face of Payal. 

"Kya hua Jiji, why are you crying?" as she spoke she realized that her voice was hoarse. She instinctively touched her throat but couldn't ponder on that as Payal literally threw herself on her and hugged her. "Khushi! You are alright!"

"I'm fine Jiji." Khushi smiled weakly. "What happened? Is it morning already? Am I late? I've to go to office, otherwise that rakshas might..." she trailed away as the previous day's events flashed in her mind. Anger surfaced like hot bubble and threatened to come out bursting as she re-lived the horrible moments trapped inside the goddamn horror house.

Her thoughts were broken by Payal's determined voice. "You are not going back there, never! You don't have to do the job for such a horrible man anymore. And you don't worry about that Arnav Singh Raizada anymore Khushi. I showed him his place last night. The audacity of him! Coming right inside the house and pretending like he was the boss and how could he even think of calling a doctor. What does he think that because we are poor we can't take care of our own people!"

All the rant were however wasted on Khushi as her eyes popped and she asked, "He came here? ASR?"

"Yes he did, he brought you home last night." Payal stated, still fuming a little. "I'm sure that it's because of him you were in trouble. And he thought he could just erase everything by bringing you back home."

"Aisa koi baat nahi hain Jiji." Khushi said, resting her head back on the pillow. "It was not his fault. I got myself in trouble. He risked his own life to save mine."

"WHAT?" Payal exclaimed. "Have you gone mad Khushi? Arnav Singh Raizada?" Payal looked bewildered for a moment and then said in a slight guilty tone, "Then perhaps I shouldn't have said all those awful things to him last night."

Khushi shrugged and closed her eyes. She could feel her sister going out of the room, murmuring something about bringing her some food. As soon as Payal was gone she opened her eyes again. What the hell was wrong with her? Did she just lie to Payal? Her own sister! She never hides anything from her Jiji and today she told a blatant lie just so that her Jiji won't think ASR as a sadistic monster. 

But he was. He was a sadistic monster. Tears threatened to come out of her eyes. She knew that she had to lie. Otherwise her sister and her Buaji will never let her go back to office again. And she would loose. But she didn't want to loose. She can't remember a time when she's wanted to win something this bad. She was a generally care-free person. She didn't have the thirst of power or money or success. She has always just wanted a simply happy life.

But she wanted to win this. She wanted it badly. She won't loose to Arnav Singh Raizada. She can't loose. A low groan escaped from her mouth. Even as she was thinking these thoughts, it sounded like ASR thinking, not her. She almost felt the sadistic pleasure he probably gets when bringing someone down. Was she...was she being so much influenced by him that she has started to think like him? Win, success and all those. She unmindfully rubbed her wrist and felt a bruise there. She remembered his hold on her hand and literally shuddered. She had no idea that someone could be so powerful. All he was doing was holding her tightly and looking at her, but she felt as if she was being possessed by him. She could still smell his scent. In a mad rush she brought her wrist to her nose and took a smell. No! The scent was not there. It was her sense where his scent was imprinted.

As she fell into a disturbed sleep again, she prayed to Devi Maiyaa that no one ever in the world would find the dark secret of her heart; that for a crazy mad moment, she had longed to be possessed by him last night.

...

He only half listened to what Nani was telling him. She was highly disappointed in him as she thought he had gone to meet Lavanya in the middle of the conversation unannounced. But it didn't occur to him to correct Nani. He was still in a kind of trance. So he stood there as his Nani bashed him on dating Lavanya. He grimaced slightly as a particular nasty comment hit him. Lavanya? Does she even exist in his world anymore? In fact, did she ever?

No. It was as simple as that. There was no complexity in his and Lavayna's relationship. He didn't love her and she didn't love him. He wanted a companion who would not ask him any questions and she wanted a boyfriend who would gift her expensive stuff. They suited each other in that way. But he's never even considered marriage. Not with Lavanya, not with anybody else. He was sure that he would not consider marriage in the future as well.

"Chotey, are you even listening to me?" Nani's words brought him back to realty. 

"Yes Nani, of course. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to break up with Lavanya? If you want I'll do it." he replied. He was arguing previously with Nani about Lavanya only because he didn't want to loose with Nani. He wanted to show her that it was He who will make the decision. But somehow winning didn't seem so much important anymore. So what if he does as Nani told for one time. He's not going to be killed by that. And it would make Nani happy. He almost screamed aloud at the thought. What was he thinking? It was like..It was like something Khushi would think. Not him, not Arnav Singh Raizada. God! Wait a minute, did he just said God? Damn! He was Arnav Singh Raizada, he was invincible, then why was a small town girl is constantly winning against him? What does she have? What have she done to make him think of her, think like her?

"Look Chotey. I don't want to snatch your happiness out of you." Nani said rather calmly much to his surprise. "I'll never tell you to break up with your Kashyap. If you like her, then it should be ok. But I don't think she's ready to be a Raizada daughter-in-law yet. I guess I just got mad that you kept this hidden from me and frankly I don't like your Kashyap. But I don't want to interfere in your personal life. So do whatever makes you happy." 

Arnav blinked at Nani at her changed tone and tried to figure out the sarcasm or hidden meaning in those words. There were none. In fact, Nani was smiling. "Perhaps you would not understand this Arnav. But you and Anjali are more like my children than my grandchildren. I just want you two to be happy."

He felt that his inner strength was coming back. Ok, so he DID win with Nani? It was relaxing to know that even if his core has been shaken by her, nothing has really changed. He was Arnav Singh Raizada and he always won!

"Chotey! What happened to your hand? Dekhao! How did you get hurt? Akash, call the doctor. Oh God!" he heard Anjali shriek behind him.

He groaned. Couldn't Di miss a single thing? But he didn't protest and let Anjali make all the fuss she wanted to make over his wound.

 

...

Tell me what do you think of it. I'll continue it or write something else if you guys like my writing, hehehe...