FF: The Beautiful and the Condemned (Completed) - Page 10

Parvati flinched, "How do you know about him? About us?"

Rudra remained silent.

"Why did you say I'm here because of him?"

No response.

"Because of Varun? Why?"

Rudra smirked, "He stole money from my employer."

"He stole money? You're lying. He would never do something like that."

"Really? Your marriage is arranged is it not? And you know so much about your fiance that you just met? Stop kidding yourself. He stole a total of 80 lakh from my employer."

"You're lying."

Rudra set the plate on his weapon's table. He stood their for a moment, with his back turned facing his prisoner. Parvati had seen the weapons on the table earlier, and was worried. She could envision the various knives cutting into her skin, peeling away at the layers of flesh covering her bones. The thought made her cringe. Her kidnapper still hadn't turned around to face her. It was as if he was contemplating if he should use one of his various torture devices on her right now. Her heartbeat quickened in fear. Finally Rudra turned and went to kneel in front of Parvati. Aware of him eliminating the distance between them, she scooted back. There was a foot of distance now. His anger reappeared as he forcefully grabbed her face so she would look at him. Parvati tried to get her face out of his grip, but the more she tried, the harder his grip got and the more painful it felt. So she stopped moving and looked at him.

In a low voice, Rudra spoke, "Whether you believe it or not, it's true. Your life depends of Varun repaying his debt. And if he doesn't, I get the pleasure of killing you. Until then, I'm forced to keep you alive."

Parvati didn't believe what her captor was saying. She had spoken to Varun, and he just couldn't have done what this man was saying. He was kind and gentle. He was shy at times, but he seemed as though he could never hurt a fly. Varun couldn't have stolen money. How could he? He was too nice of a person. Such a deed was completely out of his character. Parvati shoved Rudra's hand away and glared at him. Rudra was taken aback by the sudden determination in her actions. She was still scared, that was obvious, but she managed to gain enough courage to shove him away.

"You're lying," she repeated. "I don't believe you. I don't know why you've brought me here, but when he finds out that I'm here, he will come and save me."

Rudra let out a small chuckle, "Varun? Save you? From me? You really don't know him, do you? That poor excuse for a man is spineless. He won't do anything, let alone try to save you from me."

"No, you're wrong. He loves me."

"He's too weak to understand his own feelings. He won't come to save you. Your only chance at survival is if he pays my employer back on time. Until then, you will remain here...in my control."

Parvati's eyes widened with unrelenting fear. Whatever reason she was here, one thing was for certain. Her life now rested in this beast's hands. He was the means to her survival, and, if the time came, the executioner of her death. Until Varun came for her, he controlled her. He could...he could do whatever he wanted with her. He said he had to keep her alive, but he wasn't specific as to how alive. He could keep her barely breathing and consider it to be alive. Parvati tried to hide her fear, but she was having a difficult time doing so.

She stuttered, "You're...you're a jallad."

"Call me whatever you want. It won't change your fate."

Rudra got back up and grabbed the plate from the table. He knew she was going to make things difficult for herself and for him. So, he decided to give her time alone, in hopes that she would learn her place quicker. He made his way back up the staircase and shut the lights off before leaving the cellar. Parvati was now surrounded by darkness once again. Her hands fisted her ghagra. That jallad had left her in this darkness, like always. Parvati wanted to get out of here. The cellar was suffocating. The chains were heavy, and the weight of the cuffs around her wrists prevented her from lifting them for long periods of time. That smell...that overwhelming smell of something rotten burning...it was still present. The odor wasn't as strong as it was when she first arrived, but it was still enough to cause a churning sick feeling in her stomach. Her mind was processing everything the jallad had said.

She couldn't believe that Varun would do such a thing. He couldn't be capable of theft. But how much did she know about him? The jallad was firm on his stance that Varun had done this, and although she said he couldn't such a crime, why wasn't her heart supporting her? She was suppose to believe him and trust him, then why wasn't she? Why was she doubting the man she was going to marry? Just because the jallad believed wholeheartedly what he was saying? How much did she really know about Varun? He had only spoken to him twice, and his honesty and kindness had touched her, but what else did she really know about him? As Parvati sat in the dark abyss of the cellar, she wondered if there was more to Varun than meets the eye and that maybe...just maybe...the jallad could be right.

Varun spend the next two days scouring his home for change. Anything he could find contributed to paying his debt. There were times when he felt like giving up, but his motivation for continuing was his and Parvati's lives. They were hanging in the balance, and with every moment he wasted, they were tilting one inch closer to death. Therefore, his search for money continued. Varun asked some of people he knew for a loan, but upon telling them the amount they shut him down, saying that was a ridiculous amount and that they couldn't give him that much. Without the support from his friends, Varun was now alone.

The matter was so great that he sought to sell some jewelry that had been neatly kept in the cupboard of his guest room. Encased in the red velvet boxes were pieces of ancestral jewelry that were passed down from generation to generation of the Kumar family. He opened each box and dumped out its contents on the bed. The gold trinkets and heirlooms were still in great condition. There was no lack of shine, just a few gems missing here and there, but other than that they were perfect. He placed the jewelry in a red cloth, tied it, and made his way to the market to try and get some money for it.

Luck was not in his favor however. After careful examination, the jeweler stated he could only give him 10 lakh. Varun argued with the man, saying they were family heirlooms passed down from generations. Surely, they were worth more than that. But the man didn't budge. In fact, he said that the price he stated was more than generous, considering some of the jewelry was just very good imitation gold! Varun resignedly took the money. 10 lakh was still 10 lakh after all. But he was still in need of a lot more. Where was he going to come up with such a large sum in such a little amount of time. He walked around the market in deep thought. He couldn't go to Tejawat's men. They wouldn't even think about lending him the money; they were all loyal to Tejawat. They would rat him out in a hot second if they knew he was practically leeching off of them.

The ringing of his phone brought him back to reality. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the caller ID: Tejawat. He felt the sweat bead on his forehead as he felt the pain of his injuries begin pulsing with vigor yet again. He answered it and slowly put the phone to his ear.

"Yes thakur-sa?" Varun said.

"I hope my debt will be paid in full and on time," Tejawat replied.

"I am trying. I'm doing the best I can."

"Well, I'm going to give you some...motivation."

"Moti...vation?"

Varun could hear the thakur's laughter before the line went dead. A few seconds later, his phone vibrated. It was a text message. In it was a picture of Parvati. She was asleep in some dark, dingy place. Her hands were still shackled. However, she didn't seem injured. But something in the back of his mind was gnawing at him. Here she was, sleeping peacefully, and he's trying to pay Tejawat back for their lives. With a huff, Varun shoved the phone back in his pocket and headed back home to try and figure out how to acquire more money. All the while, he began thinking that Tejawat may have been right, love and women were quite possibly going to be the end of him.

Meanwhile, Rudra was taking strict measures to keep his prisoner alive. Parvati was refusing to eat, and with every attempt to fight him, he fought back just as hard. When she flatly denied to eat anything, Rudra roughly forced her to eat, shoving a few pieces into her mouth. She swallowed a little, but spit most of back out in his face. There were times when she would do this and he would want to just strangle her, but he had to remain in control. Instead, he tightened her chains to the point where she couldn't move around and was forced to stay in one spot the entire night. If Parvati moved, it would send a sharp pain through the rest of her body.

Parvati was sitting on the ground with her hands chained behind her back. The jallad had come to feed her again, and as usual, she fought and spit it back in his face. He was angry as usual. That flame in his eyes illuminated as they continued their fighting. Even now, as he stood hovering over her, she could see the flicker of rage. The one difference now, was that the jallad was the one asking the questions, to which she had no answer to, at least not the answers he was searching for.

"I'm going to ask you again," he gritted through his teeth. "Where is the money?"

"And I'm telling you again," Paro retorted. "I don't know anything about this money you say Varun stole."

"You're his fiance, and you don't know? I find that hard to believe, but then again you really don't know him that well."

Paro stood up, "I know who he is. He wouldn't do such things! I don't know anything about this money because there isn't any."

"So are you saying my employer is a liar?"

"Yes, or there was some misunderstanding."

"No! The only liar here is you. You and that Varun. Now where is the money Parvati?"

"I. Don't. Know."

Rudra turned his back to her, "You are good for nothing."

"And you are a heartless jallad who will live and die alone!"

Her words sent a jolt down Rudra as he froze in his spot. Parvati couldn't handle this imprisonment anymore. He was wrong, and he was insulting her future husband. She wasn't going to take that lying down. Parvati had never once thought ill of someone, but her captor was making it difficult for her to believe that everyone was good. She now honed all her determination left to fight back. If he was going to give her pain physically with her restraints, then she was going to do it mentally with her words.

Parvati continued, "You...are a jallad. A cold, heartless jallad who was born to destroy. You are going to live and die alone because you are determined to annihilate everything in your path. Even if it's your loved ones. How could a mother and father raise a monster like you? What would they say if they saw this-."

Her words remained incomplete. One moment, the jallad had his back to her, then the next moment, her body was slammed so hard against the wall that the air was knocked out of her. Because her hands were behind her, her arms took most of the impact. When Parvati looked up, she became paralyzed with fear. She was face to face with the devil himself. Rudra held her so tightly by her shoulders that she could feel her arms going numb. There was a dark, crazed expression on his face. That flame of rage now consumed his eyes. She quivered knowing...the jallad...saw red.

Rudra shook her and shouted, "Shut up! Don't you ever EVER speak of my parents again! EVER!"

He let go and left the cellar. Parvati slid down the wall and cried. She didn't know how much more she could take of this. She closed her eyes and folded her hands, praying for Bholenath to save her.

Rudra paced back and forth around his home before sinking down on his bed. Parvati's words rang in his ears like the endless bells of the temple. How dare she bring them up? No one speaks of his parents. Ever. He clenched the edge of his bed, shaking as he closed his eyes and remembered the incident. The fire. The smoke. His pleas. That moment where he had lost everything. His memories were sometimes so vivid that he felt he was reliving them every time he closed his eyes. Now, Parvati's words and those images were simultaneously playing in his mind. Rudra felt the tears stinging his eyes as he wished...wished that he could...just forget...

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