The Revenge Games

by M. V. Kasi

  “I still feel quite strongly about getting him arrested for that,” Ajay said with a frown.

  “No, Jay,” said the lawyer. “I’ve told you. That’s the only leverage we have for now. He cannot fight too dirty with that hanging on his head. Maybe once the property transfer takes place, Sia can press charges.”

  Over the next few hours, Rita went over the details of the case. Rita Nair was not only bright, but she was also the kind to give attention to the smallest of the details.

  “Thanks for taking up my case,” Sia told her when they began to wind up.

  “No problem at all. In fact, I should thank you and Jay for trusting me with such a high profile case.”

  Ajay smiled. “I knew you would do great, Rita. You were always good at winning arguments.”

  The woman rolled her eyes, but smiled back at him. “True.”

  After they escorted Rita outside, Ajay began to raid the refrigerator. “That session was long. I’m starving again,” he announced. “Want something to eat?’ he asked, his eyes still scanning the contents of the fridge.

  “Maybe some fruit,” Sia replied.

  Ten minutes later, he put a plate of cut fruit in front of her, and began to dig into a large sandwich he prepared for himself.

  “What?” he asked when he caught her staring at him.

  “How do you know Rita?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “We dated for a while.”

  She placed the fork on the plate to give him her full attention. “You hired your ex-girlfriend to argue my case?” she asked in disbelief.

  He continued eating, watching her in amusement. “Calling her an ex-girlfriend might be a stretch. We went out for only a couple of weeks.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “Why, what?” he asked with laughter in his voice.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why did you go out with her for only a couple of weeks?” she asked.

  He continued eating, but the amusement was gone from his face.

  “That’s when you decided to move back to India,” he replied quietly.

  That stunned her. “But... what has that got to do with you dating a girl you liked?”

  “Everything,” he replied, and continued to eat quietly.

  “Can you please elaborate?” she asked in frustration.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Well, would you have dated a man when your mind was filled with another?” he asked.

  “Your mind wasn’t filled me with in a good way. You despised me!” she said.

  He shrugged. “Yeah, same thing.”

  “What?” she asked in confusion.

  “Apparently I was already halfway in love with you by then. I just didn’t know it.”

  She shook her head. “That makes no sense whatsoever,” she said.

  He smiled, and then explained what the Colonel had told him. About love and hate being so similar that it was difficult to identify the difference between both.

  “You let a good woman go because of me,” she said, feeling guilty.

  He finished eating and sat back. “Rita and I dated quite casually, Sia. We met at a party and hit it off. She was bright and beautiful, and I... well you know what a catch I am,” he said, gaining an involuntary laugh from her. “We both had busy schedules and liked spending time with each other sometimes. It wasn’t like we made any promises to each other. She was fine when I told her I couldn’t see her anymore. We broke up on good terms and stayed in touch. And the reason I chose to hire her was because of her professional track record, not because of personal reasons.”

  Sia nodded in understanding, although she didn’t quite understand the part about his relationship with an ex. Before Ajay, she was never in a real relationship. Even though she had gotten married to Manish, she had never considered it a relationship.

  “I want you to meet the PI I have hired as well,” said Ajay, breaking through her thoughts.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Another ex-girlfriend of yours?” she asked.

  He burst out laughing. “Nope. Just a regular guy named Hari Prasad. He’s currently away. But he’ll be back in a few weeks.”

  Ajay began to give her the details of the investigation done so far.

  * * *

  That night Sia had her first nightmare since moving home. She woke up to her own screams, which were now muffled within Ajay’s chest.

  “Shh... it’s okay baby,” he soothed while rocking her. “You are safe,” he said.

  She began sobbing. “I-I had a b-bad dream,” she said.

  “You are okay now,” he said, still running a soothing hand on her back.

  “And this time... in my dream, it wasn’t me who had been in danger. I-I dreamt that my uncle had killed you and Anika.”

  It had been quite traumatic to watch Ajay and Anika get killed brutally by her uncle. She had been begging him to leave them alone, and that she would do anything to keep them safe. But her uncle had only laughed, and then slit their throats, as she stood watching helplessly.

  “Just a dream,” he repeated. “Anika and I are right next to you. Open your eyes and look at us, baby.”

  She opened her eyes slowly. And then cried out, “Oh my god!” while struggling out of his arms. She rushed towards the cradle. “I must have disturbed her with my screaming.”

  “No. You didn’t,” he said. “She’s a sound sleeper. Barely moves to any kind of noise.”

  Ajay was right. Anika was still asleep peacefully in her cradle.

  Sia went back to the bed and sat on it, not willing to go back to sleep. The nightmare and the horror she experienced were still making her hands tremble.

  “Here,” he said, handing her a bottle of water. “Drink some, you’ll feel better.”

  Taking a few sips, she handed the bottle back and leaned against the headboard.

  “It was just a dream, Sia,” he repeated softly.

  “I know that. But the fact that it could easily come true under these circumstances is what scares me.”

  “I can protect myself and Anika, Sia. It’s you whom I’m worried about,” he admitted.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Because there is a lot of money and pride involved with the Naidu Estate Sia, people have killed for even less,” he said, holding one of her hands.

  “I can protect myself, Ajay. That’s not a problem,” she said.

  He looked angry. “No, you can’t. So don’t dismiss it that easily!” he snapped, making her stiffen next to him.

  When she tried pulling her hand away from his grip, he refused to let her go.

  “The danger is real, Sia. So is my fear. And even if there is no danger, I have this crazy need to ensure you are always safe.” He pulled her close. “I lost you once,” he said, holding her close, as though to reassure that she was still there. “It was one of the most devastating feeling I’ve ever had. I don’t want to ever feel that way again,” he said.

  Slowly her body relaxed and she hugged him back in comfort.

  “I promise I’ll be safe,” she said softly.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  A few weeks passed by and they sort of fell into a routine. Sia had begun her exercising regime. She was keen to get back to her strong form. Ajay supported her wholeheartedly. And he either worked out with her or he watched Anika while Sia spent a couple of hours each day at the gym.

  Every evening, they went on a two hour jog with Anika in a stroller.

  Sia was still laughing at one of Ajay’s jokes while they entered the house. She was gettingAnika out from the stroller when Ajay received a call as soon as he turned it on.

  “It’s Rita. I’ll take the call, you go ahead with dinner,” he said.

  Nearly an hour, later, when Sia was settling their daughter down for sleep, he came into the room.

  “We won, Sia,” he declared. “You are now the sole heir to the Naidu Estate.”

  “When do we have to go?” she asked.

  “In two days. There’s also going to be med
ia coverage on that day. And your uncle is going to pretend in front of everyone that he is willingly giving away the estate and property to you.”

  Listening to that news, instead of feeling victorious, Sia felt her legs shake, and sat on bed. She clutched the cradle for strength.

  “Sia...” She heard Ajay’s voice calling her.

  When she didn’t respond, he sat next to her and called her again. “Baby, are you alright?”

  “I-I don’t know if I’m ready to face him again, so soon,” she whispered.

  She felt Ajay’s arms enclose her in an embrace, offering her comfort. “You don’t have to see him again if you don’t want to. I’ll ensure that he isn’t anywhere around you.”

  She shook her head. “No. It’ll be okay. It’s stupid of me to still be scared. Especially when I know he can’t hurt me anymore.”

  Even though she said that, her body trembled. “I-I just can’t get past the memories of him hurting me when I was a child.” Tears began to flow out of her eyes as she cried silently. “Two years, that man abused me and robbed me of my childhood,” she sobbed as she spoke. “He made me feel helpless and alone. I guess there will always be a part of me that will be stuck in that timeframe, re-living that abuse over and over again.”

  She felt numb as she spoke to Ajay. He remained quiet as he listened to her. She didn’t want to look at him while she spoke to him. Because she didn’t want to see the disgust and horror in his eyes. Gently, one of his hands held her chin, and raised her head until her eyes met his stormy ones.

  “Two years?” he asked. His eyes were stormy. “Why didn’t you tell someone sooner? Why did you not stop him right away when you knew it was wrong?” His tone was harsh as were his words.

  Sia was stunned at his questions and his anger. She got past the shock quickly, only to descend into a furious rage at his words. She began to struggle out of his arms.

  “You don’t know shit!” she spat out. “You have no clue how it is to be abused as a child. You always had someone with you, and you were safe with them. So don’t bloody question and judge the actions of a child. You don’t know how it is to be manipulated, using love and security as tools. I may have not stopped him or told anyone for a long time, but one thing I do know for sure... I didn’t ask for those things to happen to me. What happened wasn’t my bloody fault!”

  Jerking away from him, she stood up. Instantly, he grabbed her arm, and pulled her back to him. When she tried to pull away furiously, he tightened his grip.

  “Let me go!” she hissed out. She couldn’t yell because Anika was sleeping a few feet away from them.

  When she struggled again, and pulled away from him, he let her go without saying anything. Not waiting another second, she walked away from him, to calm down, and to make sense of whatever had transpired between them.

  She didn’t expect him to understand how it felt to be abused as a child. But for him to think that as a little girl, she willingly didn’t stop her uncle from abusing her was too much.

  She heard the door open and shut behind her. Rapid footsteps followed behind her.

  “I’m sorry,” his voice called out as she continued to walk away towards one of the spare bedrooms. “Baby, please... stop.”

  She stilled when she heard the agony in his voice. With hurried steps, he joined her and stood before her. He looked guilty and ashamed.

  “I was just a child,” she told him with a broken voice.

  “Don’t,” he said, looking devastated. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I’m sorry. I have absolutely no excuse for uttering those terrible words to you. All I can say is that I felt angry and helpless.”

  She didn’t reply.

  He wrapped his arms around her, until she could hear his heartbeat. “I feel angry and helpless because I want to wipe away that fear and pain from you,” he said.

  “You can’t,” she whispered.

  “I know. And it kills me,” he admitted.

  She was quiet. He kissed her on her forehead. “I was being a selfish asshole, letting my feelings take precedence over yours. This isn’t about me. It’s about you.”

  She raised her head to look at him. “It can’t always be about me,” she said softly.

  “In this case, it is. You were the victim of a horrific crime. And you survived it. Just because you are a survivor, I have no right to expect you to completely forget your past trauma and feel happy and whole all the time.”

  She was quiet.

  “Forgive me, baby,” he pleaded.

  She looked at him and realized something. Ajay wasn’t perfect.

  She understood where he was coming from when he questioned her about not getting help sooner. It was his helplessness that made him lash out. However, regardless of those reasons, for the first time, she stopped seeing Ajay with rose tinted glasses. She realized that he was human too, with flaws. Just like her.

  It somehow endeared him even more to her.

  “I forgive you,” she whispered, and let him lead her back to their room and hold her while they slept.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  They stood in front of a familiar sprawling majestic house.

  The Naidu Estate. Now, completely under Sia’s control.

  Ajay’s arm was wrapped around Sia’s shoulders protectively as she carried their child.

  They were standing outside, surrounded by the media who thankfully stood at a distance. There were also dozens of people from the village, watching Sia with a hostile look.

  Ajay knew that the people from Ghadhwal considered Jagadish Naidu and his son to be demi-gods as well as the rightful heirs to the Naidu Estate. But fortunately, most of those people were relatively harmless. Besides, it wasn’t other people or their opinion, Ajay was worried about. He was worried about one man—the one who held the power to break Sia.

  He subtly squeezed Sia’s arm in reassurance, and turned towards her, expecting her to be overwhelmed. He wanted to let her know that he was with her. But he needn’t have bothered.

  Because Sia was taking in everything with a steady gaze.

  Once again, he felt extremely proud of the woman he loved. He had married a true boss. He had married a woman who was not only a survivor, but also a fighter.

  Sia walked towards a small group of people that were her blood relatives, and greeted them calmly and politely. As though everything was completely normal. She sounded clear and confident, making eye contact with each and every person. Including her uncle.

  “Dharini,” her uncle greeted her with a guarded look.

  “Hello Uncle,” she said. “Sorry, I wasn’t able to greet you better when we met a few months ago.”

  The words, ‘Where you also left me bleeding on the stairs to die,’ were unspoken, but quite loud between them.

  Her uncle didn’t reply. Ajay knew that Sia’s uncle was still smarting from the blackmail. The camera footage had captured the struggle between Sia and him, and her uncle ultimately leaving her bleeding and hurt on the stairway.

  That very video was solely responsible to gain Jagadish Naidu’s cooperation, and in determining Sia as the rightful heir.

  * * *

  Sia continued to look at the man that had once been a father figure to her. He was able to earn her love and complete trust quite easily. Then, he had betrayed her in the cruelest and devastating way that no child ever deserved.

  “Dharini... I mean Sia, I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to reach out to you earlier. My lawyers had advised me against it. They told me that until we could be sure it was really you, I shouldn’t take any chances. Although I knew it in my heart that it was you.” He smiled. “Now that we know it’s you, I have been telling everyone how glad I am to have you back. I thought I had lost you.” His eyes appeared warm and inviting on the outside. But Sia could see the blackness deep within their depths. Even his smile held coldness. As a child, she had missed those signs completely. Maybe that’s how he was able to lure his young and innocent prey. His disguise ea
sily instilled trust, not betraying that he was a perverted monster who destroyed innocence.

  To the public, he was a logical and dynamic leader. Even at his age, he was physically fit. He also looked youthful with thick dark hair, glowing skin, and barely any wrinkles. But she knew he didn’t have any genuine compassion or empathy. The only softer emotion he had was the love for his son.

  During the investigation, she had found enough evidence to know that he genuinely loved his son. It took her a while, but she was finally convinced that her cousin didn’t know that his father was a serial pedophile.

  “Mrs. Manthena!” a few reporters shouted. “Please tell us why you are here,” they asked.

  “I’m here to claim all this,” said Sia—stretching her hands and indicating to the huge mansion and vast expanse of the lands outside— “My birthright.”

  It wasn’t the truth. She gave a damn about the birthright or anything that came with it. She was there to take away her uncle’s wealth. His connections. His reputation that he had built over the years. And the respect he commanded from the people around him.

  She wanted to ruin him.

  So that when he is completely broken, he will not be able to hurt anyone again.

  There was a flurry of activity and noise, while the reporters scrambled to take pictures. They also began to shout out more questions.

  “Mr. Naidu. You have been running the estate until now, and the people around these districts have always treated you like their leader. How do you feel about your niece taking over?”

  Jagadish Naidu smiled at the cameras. “I’m happy to have her back.” Then turning towards her, “Please come in,” he invited.

  Soon, they were seated at an elegant dining table that Sia remembered from her childhood. Her uncle sat at the head of the table—with Ajay and her on either side of him.

  While the food was being served, polite conversation ensued around her. Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs. Every piece of furniture and the surrounding rooms reminded her of the painful agony she suffered at his hands.