A B H I M A A N

I keep staring at the closed door as the entire SINGH fucking family is inside. It's been a few days since Kriti got a discharge and came back from the hospital and I swear on all the things unholy when I say this,

Rajat Singh is back.

Veer Rajat Singh is back.

Which means, that the most UNHINGED PSYCHO’S of the underworld are back and now? The entire mafia will bow.

Cosa Nostra? Broke and bent.

La Cosa Nostra? Pledged loyalty.

Bratva? Shook.

Turkish Mafia, Irish Mafia, Yakuza? All bowing.

Because when Rajat Singh returns?

The world fucking listens.

All of them have seen and faced the wrath of The Rajat Singh and they won't hesitate to find out the person behind Kriti’s kidnapping and prove their loyalty to him and his silver-spooned psycho son.

They have been inside for what seems like an eternity. What does Kriti remember? Did that bastard Neel say anything to her about me? Does she doubt me now? Does Rajat suspect me now? My thoughts come to an abrupt halt when the huge mahogany doors open, revealing Veer.

Just Fucking Great.

“What happened inside? How is she?” I walk towards him but he stops me, pressing his palm against my chest, stopping me dead in my tracks.

Veer is shorter than me by just 2-3 inches, whilst I'm 6’3 ft, all muscles that aren't bulky but cut but Veer?

He's 6’1ft, power walking. Broad shoulders that make him look like he fucking owns the world. Thick biceps, chest thick like a shield and thighs?

Well, I've seen mafia's go feral over his thighs because when Veer enters the room? He owns it.

The attention.

The command.

You pick a fight with Veer Rajat Singh? You'll be kissing the floor even before you get a chance to blink.

And that is what Rajat has us both, while he uses his strength, I use my mind.

A balance.

However there is something about him that I think is missing in me, maybe strength? Yes, definitely because his one hand is enough to stop four people like me but don't get confused.

I have my own strengths, the ones where he lacks, whilst he's loud and visible? I'm a quiet storm, they don't see me coming but directly feel the impact.

“What the fuck happened now?” I mutter, taking a step back as I straighten my shirt.

“You are not allowed to see her”.

“And why is that?”

“Because I don't trust you especially after knowing that you were with that ASSHOLE once upon a time”. He says dryly while I am on the verge of losing my shite.

“Don't fuck with me now, Veer. Let me through.” He mutter, pushing past him but he pushes me back, making me groan.

This sorry fucker.

“No, who is she to you?” He grits out.

I stare at him. What should I say? Lover? Obsession? A weapon to their downfall? But I settle with the most appropriate answer.

“My best friend's daughter and my student.” I say nonchalantly but before he could say anything, the doors open and Rajat steps out whilst the maids close it.

“What happened to her? How is she? Can I see her-”

“Abhimaan.” He mutters, taking a step closer to me but before I could comprehend anything, his hand wraps around my throat, choking me as he presses me against the wall.

What. The. Fuck.

“R-rajat what the h-ell are you doing?” I choke out.

“Do. Not. Say. Anything. Unless you want to be buried six feet under. You will answer truthfully or else you know what we do to traitors.”

I stare at him. Fuck, he doubts me.

I nod, “Anything.”

“Good. Now tell me everything you know about Neel Malhotra.”

The huge wall clock in the living room ticks loudly, the birds chirping outside, the water fountain, the oven’s timer going off in the kitchen, the gardener pruning in the garden and my damned heartbeat are the only sounds that I can hear whilst both the father- son are looking at me and Veer? That man is one second away from committing a felony and call it a warmup.

“Neel is the only son of Vaibhav Malhotra and Jasmine Arora.” I swallow as he keeps his hand around my throat breathing evenly, his eyes not leaving my face, not even for a second.

“Jasmine?” He murmurs, voice cold and controlled.

I nod, “Naina’s friend-” I gasp as he tightens his grip around my neck, cutting off the air supply making me tap his wrist but he doesn't care as the blanket of betrayal and revenge is covering his eyes.

“Raj-” I breathe out weakly, my vision blurring but before it could go dark, he releases me. I breathe heavily, coughing harshly, trying to bring my breathing back to normal.

“Speak. You can breathe later, my daughter is more precious than your life.” He murmurs calmly, earning a glare from me but he's unphased by it.

Arsehole.

He keeps staring at me while Veer is busy cracking his knuckles.

Fingers.

Neck.

Wrist.

I gulp.

They won't kill me right? I mean, they can't afterall I'm Abhimaan Singh Rathore, The Devil—

“You realise that you don't have the entire day to fuck with us, do you?” Veer muses as a smirk graces his lips.

I ignore him and look back at Rajat who's glaring daggers at me. I take a deep breath along with a step closer to him after all confidence is the key here.

“He's the only son of-”

“Vaibhav and Jasmine, we fucking know that. Give us the information, Champ.” Veer says sarcastically, making me clench my jaw. I will shove this bastard in the fucking wall and the gauge his eye balls out while simultaneously crushing his balls with a hot tong and as if sensing my thoughts, Rajat clears his throat.

“Veer!”.

“Sorry papa.”

“Abhimaan?”

“Neel is a fucking psychopath. If you think Veer is unhinged? Wait till you see that motherfucker.”

“Be more specific.”

I nod, “Once there was a security breach and-” I let out a shuddering breath before continuing, “He well made him watch his wife having sex with one of his bodyguards as they were having an affair and he knew and when he got bored, he shot the two dead in the head.” I gulp.

“Go on.”

I stare at him, is this old man serious? Nonetheless I continue, “After beating him bloody, he rubbed salt on his wounds and left in the middle of his land or how he likes to call it, ‘Neel ka pehla pyaar’ with his bloodhounds behind that man and not to mention that their collars were tagged and he watched it live as his hounds ate the man alive.”

“Names?” Rajat utters quietly whilst rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Names?” I stare at him dumbfounded.

“Hounds. I'm sure as fuck he has given them a name, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me.”

“Scar and Shadow.”

He nods and looks at Veer who has a mischievous glint in his eyes, amusement even.

Psycho.

“Family?”

“Mother died, more like murdered by your ex wife after Neel was born-” Within one second his hand is back on my throat and I am gasping for air, yet again.

“Raj-”

“Don't fucking bring her into this.” He snarls.

“She killed her with Vai-”

I gasp as my vision blurs again, my knees on the verge of giving up but he leaves me just in time before I could hit the ground. I cough like a madman while looking at him.

“You will kill me.”

“Speak.”

After taking several deep breaths, I continue, “Jasmine was mentally unstable when she found about Vaibhav and Naina and she even tried ending her life but-”

“I saved her.” He murmurs and I nod and Veer looks pixilated.

“Excuse me but what? Who saved who and what? Papa, don't tell me you fricking saved a psycho in the making?” Veer states.

Rajat sighs and I breathe for the first time in the last two hours.

“After I found out about Naina's infidelity which was a rumor back then, I was returning home when I saw a woman on the bridge, standing on it, crying. I should've left her but after I saw her belly? I couldn't stop myself but by the time I stopped the car, she jumped and it happened so fast that one second I was in the car and next in the water, swimming upwards while holding her.”

Veer keeps staring at him and me? Hell, even I am staring as I didn't know this part.

“What happened then?” Veer mutters but his voice is clipped.

“Brought her home, got her treated and dropped her to her house.”

“That's it? You didn't ask her about her man? Why was she doing that in the first place while carrying another life inside of her?” Veer snaps, making me flinch and Rajat glare at him.

“You do not talk to me in that tone.”

“Pap-”

“Am I clear?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“She died two years later when Neel was two and Kriti was maybe three months old.” I say in a low voice.

“Fucking fuck. So that psycho is taking revenge?” Veer chuckles maniacally.

“Yes and no.”

“The fuck do you mean by that Abhimaan?”

“Yes as I left them and joined Rajat and no because he doesn't know that Naina killed Jasmine, yet.”

“That sorry fuck-”

We all freeze as we hear a glass falling down and shattering and upon turning we find a horrified yet annoyed and still so infuriatingly hot Kirti staring at us with a bandaid on her forehead, cheek and a plaster around her forearm.

“Princess-” Veer takes a step closer but stops dead in his tracks as Kriti shows him her hand.

“Don't. Just don't”. She mutters.

“Beta-”

“Nahi Papa! All this while I thought Ma died in a fucking car crash like how you told me but no! She fucking left me for someone else! Huh? Who the fuck is this Vaibhav Malhotra? You lied papa! You lied!” She shouts at them as tears sting her eyes and walks in her room while slamming the door shut.

‘Well, that was quite a show’, but I bite this as I don't want my head flying across the room.

“Papa?”

“Not now, Veer.”

“Then when? You always say Not now and because of that she thinks that you lied to her, oh wait-” he laughs humorlessly, “You actually lied. Nothing new there.”

“That's enough, Veer!” Rajat roars but Veer just chuckles and walks out while muttering something about how he let the two of them down by protecting something that had absolutely no place in their lives.

𝜗𝜚

I enter the room with a knock and without waiting for my response, “I'm coming in, Rajat.”

He is sitting on the mahogany armchair with a whiskey glass that is untouched given there is only one tiny ice cube left which is going to melt soon.

“Rajat.” I murmur, taking a step closer, “Talk to me.”

He sighs and nods and taking this as a cue, I take a seat next to him on the couch that is kept near the chair.

I wait patiently as he sighs.

“Jasmine and I-” he sighs, keeping the glass on the table, “We both loved each other. She was my ex.”

I stare at him. What the fuck is happening in this family? What in the game of thrones is happening here? I shake my head.

“The one who cheated on you?”

He nods, “She never cheated but it was shown in such a way that she did and when I found out about it? I was beyond devastated only for her to beg me and tell me she didn't.” He laughs humorlessly, “Mafia ego, eh? It didn't let me see the truth of the only woman whom I loved and you know the mastermind behind this? Vaibhav Malhotra.”

He clenches his jaw and chugs down the entire whiskey in one go, groaning at the taste.

“So, you lied to Veer about just bringing her home and getting her treated and letting her go?” I murmur and he nods.

“Yes, I saw her after six years, heavily pregnant with someone else's bastard who could've been mine and the worst part? I couldn't do anything. I wanted to kill Vaibhav but jasmine begged so I didn't.” He snarls.

“She fucking left me again for that bastard’s son and then was murdered by them.” He growls, looking me dead in the eye and the nerve on his forehead is popping.

“Naina?” I whisper, “What did you do with her? I know you wouldn't have left her just like that.”

“True.”

“Fucking answer me, Rajat.” I shout, standing up and pacing around the room, “Do you know how Kriti must be feeling?”

“Kriti is fine! She knows her mother left her for someone else and that's enough!”

“No, it's not! Are you even hearing yourself?” I snap again. I walk towards him and grab his collar,

“Rajat, what did you do with Naina?”

He removes my hands from his collars easily, “Don't forget who's in charge here.” He speaks calmly, making me lose my shit again.

“What did you do with Naina?” I ask again in a calm tone.

“Killed her.”

𝜗𝜚