Ashlok SS: Love Only Once EPILOGUE pg. 108 4/5 - Page 64

Originally posted by: whitelily

fabulous update 👍🏼

Originally posted by: Smirna.vava

where is astha.wat hapend to her! Update next soon!

Originally posted by: goolab

nice update

Originally posted by: Sandy198

love the update.. where is Aastha now ??

update soon :-D take care x

Originally posted by: Efinah36

Great Update
Aastha 😲 missing. Where is she?
Update soon

Chapter 23

Astha struggled again with the ropes, she winced as it pierced against the soft flesh of her wrist. She can't believe it, literally can't believe it, to be abducted right from the insides of her very own house. She was in the garden, whenever she is upset she usually stroll in the garden or where ever the nature is seen, she couldn't understand why but it calms her down, but for a change she wasn't strolling casually, she was pacing constantly in worry and anticipation. She was dreading to meet him and ask him why he came back, why he came to meet her. She sneaked a peek of him from corridor when she left the study room, all those mushy feelings came back and overwhelmed her heart so she left abruptly before she give in to her stupid urges like throw her arms on him or kiss him. But then again, why would he come to meet her, did he realized he is in love with her? Astha rolled her eyes, what a wishful thinking, she has been kidnapped and she is thinking about her love life!

"It won't open, sweetie." She heard one of her abductors say with a wide grin.

She glared at him, he is the one who pulled her in the bushes when she was strolling and scoundrel he is, he stole a kiss from her. At first she thought it was Shlok so she responded to his kiss, she shouldn't have but her foolish heart overpowered her then she felt the spark isn't there, not the same as she feels at his single touch, she actually felt nothing which confused her so she looked back at him, only to find herself in stranger's arms who was giving a wicked grin at her. She pushed him away but he held her tight, she tried to scream but his hand covered her mouth, she bit his palm for release and he cursed while removing his hand, she managed to scream and shout their names but he has already held her in his tight grip and he threw her outside the wall. She thought she was gonna die or break atleast few bones from the fall which was why she didn't scream, couldn't find her voice at all. She didn't fall on the floor but on the lap of other abducter who was already mounted on his horse, once he secured her, he galloped hard and swift, the next moment she remembered only flying in the air until they reached a mansion, a huge mansion, they tied her up and brought her into the stable.

"Don't call me that!" She gritted out.

"Come on, sweetie, how can I not call you sweetie when your mouth taste sweet like honey, I could still taste you in my mouth." He replied.

"It was a mistake, I've told you that many times but your pea-sized brain doesn't get it. I would die before I'll kiss you!"

He gave an amused smile and said "Of course you will."

She frowned and replied "It wasn't a compliment so what that supposed to mean?"

"Sweetie, it was for me. You will die as I give you pleasure" He replied with the sudden gleam in his eyes.

She went still and stared at him as his eyes turned dark in passion and lust.

"You..You wouldn't rape me, would you?" She asked in a low voice.

"If that was what I wanted, Sweetie, I would've done it. I don't wish rape when I could make woman willing. You know I will give you every pleasure you seek."

"My heart belongs to someone else, it is he I seek and wish pleasure from him." She replied.

He sighed and replied to himself "I wish I could shoot that bas***d."

She smirked and replied "Just try it, he's gonna beat the hell out of you."

"You're worth anything, sweetie." He replied. She rolled her eyes, anything she say wouldn't make any difference so she should just ignore him, now wait a minute, she could ask him why she is kidnapped and who kidnapped her.

"Tell me this, why I am here, why the hell I am abducted and where the hell am I?"

He chuckled and asked "Are you really an upperclass noble?"

"I may don't sound like one but I am. And thank you for the insult."

He laughed and replied "I'm sorry. As for your questions, I don't know why you are here but I'm glad you are here with me of course, we could've done many things---"

"I get it. You are just hired goons."

"Exactly, we are hired by Prabhakar Joshi."

She gave him a stunned look as she recalled the name, she knows he is a friend of grandfather though she heard him talk about him few times and how close their relationship was before he moved to America but he never visited him nor he ever visited grandfather.

"He's a friend of grandpa! Why would he kidnap me?!"

"I don't know, we---"

"Because of your father." She heard some one say from her behind.

She turned back her head to look at the new entrant, he was a man in same age of her grandfathers, perhaps he is Prabhakar Joshi.

"Are you Prabhakar Joshi, friend of my grandfather?"

For a millisecond, she watch him wince before he masked a blank look on his face.

"I am Prabhakar Joshi." He replied dryly as he took a seat on one of the empty chairs beside the cot she was occupying.

"Why have you kidnapped me? How can you do this to your friend, grandpa still think of you as a trusted friend, he---" She asked furiously.

"Shut up! Didn't I tell you because of your father." He replied furiously.

"Why am I not surprised, only he can do these dirty stuff but let me tell you I don't have a father, never had one nor wanted one!"

"You are just like your mother, Kalindi, brave and bold with devilish temper."

"Now you met mother too, of course you had since you are friend of grandpa, the one he trust---"

"Shut up! Not a word from your mouth! Vikram, Gag her mouth." He ordered.

Vikram took out a cloth from his pocket and slipped the cloth on her mouth, she shaked her head as she screamed but her scream turned into muffled one. She did heard him mumble sorry before he left her, she sent a piercing scowl at Prabhakar Joshi.

"Before you lose your dear life, I think you need to know the truth."

She gave him a confused look, the truth? What truth?

Her eyes widened in shock as she grasped his words, before I lose my dear life! He is gonna kill me!

As the realization took hold in her mind, tears sprawled from her eyes, she doesn't want to die, she screamed but only muffled voice was heard, she tried to struggle with ropes again but only hurted herself, her heart was drumming wildly as fear was occupying her mind and soul, she was numb to the surrounding, numb to everything except her fear and spirit to fight for survival.

"Stop struggling!" She heard him shout.

Vikram looked away from her, he can't see her struggle but he couldn't do anything, it is his job to provide services to his employer for the moment and ignore the victim of his crime. He couldn't understand how he got attached with her in just short time, maybe because she is sweetest chit he ever kissed, maybe because of her brazen and free willed nature, maybe because she wasn't afraid of him and was brave enough to fight with him or maybe because she is different from all those upperclass nobles he had ever met.

"You wanna know why your father left your mother?" He asked in a calm tone.

She stopped struggling and looked up at him curiously, her father was a rake, he left her for his mistresses, what else was the reason? The truth? What is the truth?

"Now that you've stopped I will tell you what happened twenty two years ago. Your grandfather and me were great friends even our daughters, Kalindi and Naina were best friends, both were beautiful and young out for their first season. Everything was going splendid until your father Avdhoot Kirloskar came, an eligible bachelor, every women wanted him, even my daughter fell for him." he added bitterly "loved him to the core but he used her to get close to your mother Kalindi. My poor Naina kept dreaming about him, she didn't even knew Kalindi was keeping secret from her about her relation with Avdhoot until she learned the truth when he courted Kalindi for marraige. It broke her heart, my baby" tears sprawled from his eyes as he sobbed "she couldn't bear the heart break..she sacrificed her self..took out her life with..her own hands.." then he looked up at her with eyes filled with hatred and anger "I lost my child because of your father now I will make him feel the pain of losing a daughter!"

"I bargained with your father, if my daughter couldn't have the love she craved for, he have no right too, I threatened him that I would kill Kalindi if he didn't leave her, he left her, made her think he was an unfaithful husband so Kalindi would leave him, he knew she have lots of pride in her and would leave him, which she did."

Astha couldn't believe her ears, for all her life she hated her father, blamed her father for the misery her mother been through, despised her father for not at least once made her experience the love of father, to know how it feels to have a father. But now all she feels is regret for her behavior during their first encounter and pity for him, knowing that he love and crave mother but couldn't be with her. He was alone all along, for past twenty two years he suffered being alone, mother had her but father had no one to be with, no family to cherish, no happiness at all.

It is unfair, too unfair on his part, he was blamed and despised for things he didn't even do, he was innocent to begin with yet he endured it all because of mother, because he wanted to protect her, because he loved her and still love her.

She wanted to cry with joy because she finally had a father to call, she finally have a place in life and heart which was empty before now belongs to her father but she also wanted to cry in pain because if she is to die today, she will never get to stay with her father, never get to know him at all, never get to cherish his love, never get to know how it feels to have a father.

I'm sorry, father, she said in her mind as more tears slipped from her eyes.

"Master, her family is here." Some one said as he entered the stable.

"Keep her hidden, Vikram." Prabhakar ordered while Vikram nodded his head.

***

"Are you sure?" Virat asked.

They were on thier way to Prabhakar Joshi's mansion, they stopped few blocks away from his mansion to do some planning before they burst in his house.

"It is the only way, he must have kept her hidden. He may know that only me and father---"

"I am not your father!" Her grandfather gritted out.

Avdhoot ignored him and continued "---will come or even Sid, just her family. He wouldn't guess about you and Shlok so both of you must find her before something happens to her."

Shlok looked at Avdhoot then at her grandfather, they share a unique bond he noticed, although her grandfather kept grumbling and blaming him for leaving his daughter yet he could read the love in his voice, just like a parent scold his child. He met Sir Avdhoot when he shifted from Varad's home three years ago to his new bachelorhood home which won't stay bachelorhood any longer since he is planning to get married, he is one of the neighbors nearby, just few blocks away is his home, he found him very nice person, which was why he couldn't believe he would do such thing to his only daughter. Why did he never noticed it on her, those honey gold eyes are same just like hers, maybe because he knew Sir Avdhoot has no family at all. But why would he do such thing to her mother, this he couldn't understand, he was a rake? he is handsome, women may fall for him but he is not the type of guy who would play with woman's heart.

"I think you are right, Sir Avdhoot. Until you keep him busy we'll look for Astha." Shlok said.

"Splendid! Rake understand rake! We haven't known yet if he really kidnapped my Astha." Her grandfather said.

Sid laughed while Virat grinned but both Shlok and Avdhoot kept blushing at his taunt and he has been doing ever since they left the house.

"You find it funny, laddie." He said to Sid, who abruptly stopped laughing.

"When you keep on grumbling, I know you are worried but calm down grandpa, we will surely find her and safe too."

"Were you calm when he abducted her?" He asked as he pointed at Shlok.

"You kidnapped my daughter?" Avdhoot asked shockingly.

"Sir Avdhoot---"

"Treated her like a mistress and a cabin boy." Virat added.

Shlok glared at him and gritted out "I didn't treat her like a mistress. And I had no choice but to keep her as cabin boy, it was to protect her."

"why the hell did you kidnapped Astha in the first place?"

"Because your daughter wouldn't come to me willingly, I knew that---"

"So you kidnapped her? What a decent way!"

"You got it wrong. I didn't have much time, the decision was made in a whim. I was leaving America, the ship was sailing and I had to make the decision if I had tried to convince she wouldn't have come. That was the only chance I had to see her again, I didn't want to lose her. I did took care of her, never mistreated her."

"I know you wouldn't mistreat a woman. But tell me one thing, was marraige in your mind back then?"

Shlok fell silent, it wasn't marraige in his mind, he wanted to know her, had desired her at first glimpse, but marraige wasn't what he hoped.

"I guess no, your silence speak for yourself---"

"But I do want to marry her, I may not had it in mind when I kidnapped her but when I got to know her during our voyage, I decided to marry her. I know I---"

"Isn't finding Astha more important than this talk?" Sid asked.

Her grandfather looked at Avdhoot again, he still couldn't believe he would betray his daughter, actually he never believed it which is absurd when he never defended himself and took the blame, never cleared the misunderstanding even if there was. He sighed inwardly, he doesn't know if he would believe him or not, he couldn't understand anything where this man is concerned.

"Let's go Virat." Shlok said as he get off the carraige followed by Virat.

Originally posted by: Subhashini_chow

Haha another Mad lover for Astha😆 what can astha do, she is very beautiful😉😆

what if he do Prabhakar make him kill her can't reveal what prabhakar will do
Astha comes to know his Father truth ...

she feeling Joy and Guilt for misunderstanding Him

Grand Father taunting rakes Very well 😆he would never let them stay in peace😉😆😆

Hope Shlokie Team Find astha before she get hurt do hope so😉😆

Originally posted by: deepavasudev

A rake can understand another rake better.. im loving grandpa a lot...He is a darling😆😆😉


..He wud hv been. really charming...avdhoot ...two gals... oh my my ...he was a rake too..😆

finally truth out.. when he will court for marriage...

nicely written...Thank you deepa..


PS: you didn't reply my message, deepa?