My Ruination

Chapter 17.

~Zaeden~

Keshav Damani whispered something in her ear that has Maahira awkwardly crushed against his chest and looking like she would rather bathe in acid than touch her father. It has my blood pressure rising through the roof. Maahira was skilled at many things, but pretending she was not. A little twinkle in her doe eyes, a soft smile or a little scrunch of her nose, she always gave herself away. I want to rip him off her and ask her about every little thing he did that broke her heart but I can't. Not right now.

I was a villain in her story and he was just a failed relationship. Can I isolate her from her family enough for her to forgive me for Keshav's murder? I thought about it as I reached for my son, pulling him out of his chair and wipe his face with a cloth. He giggled, tugging at my stubble, his heart still full from the prank he thought he pulled on me with Maahira.

The surface of the refrigerator was reflective so even with the three of them trying to be sneaky, I had watched Maahira had spoonful of tea in his cup and pretended to be oblivious. The only thing that tethers Maahira's soul to this house is my son and neither was I going to take away that kind of affection from him. "Daddy, who is that man? Why he is hugging Maahi?"
He said quickly, innocent concern in his voice. "He is Maahira's father, Rayn." I signalled Neerja to come forward to and take Darsh away from here.

"Why does she look so upset? Because he did not bring gifts?" I guess reading the room was something genetically inherited but I wasn't going to let this bastard create cracks to my son's childishness. "This is nothing you need to think about, okay? Daddy is here." I assured him, besides, I don't think Keshav Damani has the audacity to come to my doorstep empty-handed.

Neerja reluctantly took Darsh to his room, throwing nasty looks at Keshav Damani. She wasn't about to accept this but she had started to worship Maahira like a goddess. Bribing her with perfectly brewed teas and stocking enough of her migraine medicines to alert the NCA. She was now naturally protective of her but she also knew I was standing right here, watching and waiting for him to give me a reason, just one.

Keshav finally retired of fake-coddling his daughter, who immediately stepped away and watched him calmly, and approached me. His nose was held so high in the air like he was superior than the queen herself and I was the scum of Earth. In some way, it was true. He was standing on the same marble, I had dragged a bloody corpse in and out of this house. "I have been an ignorant father all her life but never have I had any of my enemies threaten her life and also, live freely after." I smirked at the last words and found Maahira, who was now avoiding my eyes and rubbing her throat. "You're the last person who I would want marital or fatherly advices from." I could burst his bubble and describe in great detail what I did to Maahira's attacker but his fragile heart wouldn't be able to take that.

"Good. Because I am not here to give advice. I am here to take actions." He said and pulled out a bunch of papers from the inside of his suit jacket. "I had my lawyers draw up this contract, keeping the terms beneficial to both you and my daughter and I want you to go through this and sign the deal." My fists clenched closed at my sides. I know what kind of contract that was. Marriages were his way of sealing business transactions and bringing your nemesis to your team, nothing to do with the husband and the wife. And just like transactions had terms and conditions, expiration dates and forfeit for breaching the rules, this one did to.

"What kind of contract is that?" Maahira questioned, still unaware of her father's intentions. Or maybe she was too good at pretending. She never came around to accept this marriage and this was a planned and discussed move. "It is actually a more orthodox version of a prenup you sign before marriage." He turned to face me, "To simply put, after one year of this marriage, you will have to get a divorce and provide my daughter with enough financial stability for her future."

Violence like I have never known before thrummed in my veins as I suffocated my urge to grab his thick neck and bash his skull on the nearest wall. Let his daughter go after an year? With financial stability? I watched Maahira, who looked stunted and frozen at her place. She quickly pulled herself together and wiped her face clean of everything she felt.

"How is that going to benefit me?" He cannot offer me enough money to agree to this deal so I knew it had to be something good. "You remember the Portville plot. The most coveted piece of land that has had industrialists tear each other apart for? I had secured the ownership few years ago." I remember the Portville fiasco like the back of my hand. It was a dream for every businessman to own just a piece of the land. I had done the gruntwork of clearing out all the trailer houses in their and legalizing the illegal papers but this bastard had just taken off with it.

"I will give full and final ownership of the Portville plot. The legal papers and absolute no money required, but only if you sign this deal." He handed the papers smugly, knowing it had presented a very impressive deal. Ofcourse, I wanted the plot but I knew this is the most idiotic way anyone could let go of this plot. And all this loss just to get Maahira away from me? He was trying to hide the smell of acid with perfume and he was desperate at this point.

"Dad, you're letting Portville go for absolutely nothing. Are you serious? Does Rudra know about this?" Maahira begun, internally enraged about the plot and not about the divorce. She has being getting on my last nerves more casually now, making me so fucking mad I imagine pounding into her tight cunt until she screams for mercy. Soon.

"Rudra is willing to bring our family on the streets just to get you freed from his clutches but that is not how this works." He answered, without looking at her, as if that explains this poor business decisions. I accepted the papers and give it a quick look over.

"So you're going to accept this deal?" Keshav questioned. If I were to sign this, it would make him feel superior and the puppet master even if he was going to incur a huge loss. This is how he functioned, having the upper-hand was necessary even if the hands were weak. Sadly for him, weak hands do not stay at the top for long. They break beyond repair and get devoured.

"Your loss is my gain. I am ready to sign these papers as soon as my lawyers look it over." I carefully place the papers on the glass table, pleasing Keshav a little more. "You are willing to exchange her for this land?" He reiterates, frustrating me with undiagnosed hearing issues. Exchange Maahira with something materialistic and he called himself a father.

"No woman is worth more than a profitable business deal. They are expendable like currency. And currency needs to changed regularly so you do not get bored." I said, lacing my words with bitterness I personally felt. Maahira looks betrayed, there is no better word for how she glares at me with disdain and an angry tear escaped her honey brown eyes and quickly wipes it away. Break for me, show me every fucking thing you feel, tell me every thing you think.

Keshav misread her reaction as her response to my disrespect and scoffed. "You remember how the men in our family treat their wives as Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity herself. How we believe their footsteps in our house is lucky enough to bring money, power and glory. I am sorry you couldn't expierence the same respect here." He reassured her.

"It's alright, Dad. This marriage is going to be a lesson on how to choose my next husband. Lesson no. 1? Someone's loss is someone's gain."