He raised the gadget to his ears and said, "Hello Di."
He hoped that, under their grandmother's fervent demands, she didn't purchase the hotel management to report them. He knew all too well about her desperation to avoid a second marriage and wondered if she had resorted to bribing hotel staff.
"Don't hello me, Kaddu. Did you think you would go to a hotel to drape a veil over your actions, and we would not know?" Her staggered breaths and breathy tone revealed her indignation.
Adhrit gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes. If he was not on the receiving edge of his sister's demands, her disappointment would leave an amused smirk on his otherwise thinned out lips.
The person sharing his room and situation could see his distress and confusion through his wrinkled forehead and frowning brows. Adhrit Sinha's nonchalant demeanor changed significantly after hearing a message, which made her wonder about its content.
The proverb indicated that the antidote to poison is poison, so Adhrit felt compelled to use Purvi's weapon on her. He wondered if it would work on her the same way it had on him all these years. He prayed his plan was to bear fruit or he would have to choose between Scylla and Charybdis.
"Whatever made you think so, Di. Why would I do that? Don't you trust your brother?" he asked. Upon sensing the undertone of disappointment and agony, Mitali adjusted her dupatta and shifted her weight from one foot to another while arching her eyebrow in surprise.
"Of course I do, Kaddu," the answer came, making Adhrit let out the breath he had held in anticipation. "It caught my curiosity because it's unlike you to listen without any disagreement, and what I witnessed..."
The silence was so sudden that it made his blood run cold. A shudder ran down his spine as he realized her desperation had taken her deeper into the ocean than he had expected. His fingers trembled against the mobile as he bit his lower lip.
Taking a deep breath, Adhrit regained control of himself. Had she taken the plunge, he would have had fewer regrets in manipulating and misleading her.
"You hurt me, Di. Anyway, we will talk about it tomorrow. Good night!" he said, before disconnecting the call without waiting for his sister to answer him.
"I am sorry, Kaddu. I needed to make you believe that I was keeping an eye on you to follow through with this. Making this work is imperative to me, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I never wanted it to come to this," Purvi spoke while staring at her phone. She then flopped onto the couch and hung her head over the armrest.
Adhrit considered the humorous ways of Destiny as he tapped his mobile on his palm and looked at the bewildered woman in front of him. He refused to give in to fate. He was capable of altering destiny's plans and maneuvering his way around them. His success as an entrepreneur was due, in part, to his shrewdness and cunning wit.
Adhrit's lack of response caused greater confusion than what he said on the phone. She hadn't planned to overhear, but his surprise and bewilderment made her curious as she speculated if their talk was connected to the purported night with her and the man. Adhrit's determined and stoic face made her go blank before she could ask him about the conversation.
Adhrit's stare was more unsettling than anything she had ever encountered. He took tentative steps towards her, but his eyes blazed with passion.
It was only a matter of time before he was standing right next to her. They stood close, their breaths mingling as they delved into each other's souls. The situation was not ideal for either of them, despite one having questions and the other having answers and neither having much time.
In one swift motion, Adhrit picked up Mitali and took her to the bed, looking into her confused eyes. She thought his touch would disgust her, but it was soothing like a cool breeze after a long day of work under the sun.
Her heart raced against her ribcage, not with the expected fear in her gut, but with the same rush she felt when she summited a mountain. Although her thoughts were muddled, gazing into the calm eyes of the person embracing her was soothing as they reassured her that nothing would go awry.
One of his hands turned off the lights as he placed her on the soft bed and leaned towards her. Mitali's brief reverie was shattered by the sound of a switch being clicked. Her hands quickly moved to put some space between their bodies after she realized their position.
"Mr. Sin..." she began, only to be shushed by the man hovering over her. His brown ambers, illuminated by the moonlight through the full-length windows, begged her to trust him.
He leaned in close to her, his lips almost touching her ear, and spoke in a hoarse whisper. "There is a CCTV camera in this room. It's possible that Di was keeping a watchful eye on us. Even though the camera's microphone may not be functional, it's better to remain silent. Just sleep. Just listen to me once, Mitali."
The husky whisper led to her nodding in acceptance. He drifted away from her and settled down on the bed, next to her.. Above all else, her family was the most important thing to her, and she accepted the wrongs she committed to ensure their happiness. Her convictions never wavered, but her family remained a vulnerability she couldn't let go of. Seeing a man whose morals defied his family's wishes filled her with admiration.
He had reinstated her confidence by showing that a crime committed with the right intention and to protect someone may not always be a crime. She believed there was no clear distinction between right and wrong, despite others insisting that a crime was always a crime.
He was a reflection of her. They are alike, but different. He had a mysterious aura that pulled her towards him. The tug was too strong for her to resist.
Her preoccupation with her newfound admiration for the man was overshadowed by his thoughts of the woman who always put her self-respect first. He had encountered people trying to exploit him for fame, money, and power many times during his career. Nonetheless, beside him lay a woman who declined to take advantage of a privilege he had given her because she had not earned it herself.
Her comfort was not a concern, nor was her discomfort. Her self-respect and family were the only things that mattered to her.
He doubted integrity's existence after knowing his family, who were impervious to rejection, but she wouldn't let it fade away. Not only did she reignite a dying flame, but she also sparked something that had been dormant for years.
Destiny brought two strangers together that night, who lay in the same bed but were unaware of how much they had in common or how different they were, lost in their new emotions.
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Clarification - there's no CCTV camera in the room. Purvi misled Adhrit into believing it, but she had the hotel management on her payroll. What do you think about the changing dynamics between Adhrit and Mitali? Please VOTE and COMMENT!
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River & Desert
Romance"There's no need to go searching for a bride, Dadi. We don't need a bride. It's a surrogate that we need. In order to fulfill my obligation, I need a surrogate to bear the heir." **** "We have less than two days left to repay the money," said Mitali...
