Is Love Enough ??

Chapter 45

"How dare you?" Preeti screeched even as she tried to mop the almost dried blood from Veer's face, "How could you be so brutal? Don't you have an ounce of gentleness within you?" she asked as tears fell down her cheeks and anger rose as she saw the damage done to her firstborn's face.

Maan stayed quiet. He could say a lot. And he would. But not right now. Anoop had walked in on them when he and Veer had been fighting. Soon, Kirti's immediate family had come in too except for Veer's father, Vansh and Anika. They were still outside. The second Preeti, Veer's mother had seen the blood on Veer's face she had rushed forward worried and started screaming. Kamal looked just as thoroughly worried, though she also wore the expression of displeasure. Anoop stood quiet, but the expression on his face was one of fury.

"I never knew your father to be this violent, no matter whatever else he is," Kamal said with disgust.

"Ma," Kirti exclaimed in distress, "without knowing details, please do not say things like that," she said.

"What else is there to know, he doesn't even have a scratch on his face, while Veer," Kamal yelled, "look at him, look at your brother, or is it that after being with him for as long as you have, you have taken a relish to violence," she accused, "what were you doing while he was delivering blows to Veer? Enjoying?" she asked. "Did you even try to stop him? Why didn't you come to us and tell us what was going on? We would have stopped this rogue from hitting the son of this family," she declared.

"Kamal," Anoop's voice boomed in the room, shutting everyone up. "What is the point of asking these questions to someone who has no care or concern for this family," he said tightly, "for all you know she is the one who instigated this whole thing," he said glancing towards Kirti who looked back in distress, "after all, a girl who wasn't loyal to her own family, what could be expected from her," he said and scoffed then looked at Aryaman, "and you...I don't know how you can trust her, or her sentiments," he said.

"I do trust her Mr. Singh," Maan said with the same assured arrogance that came to his rescue every time he was in the presence of anybody but Kirti, "there has never been a cause to not do so, just in case you are forgetting, I have known her since childhood too," he said with sarcasm and Anoop straightened to his full height as if someone had taken a whip to him, "the sad part is, you don't," he said and lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug, "none of you do," he said.

"How dare you stand under the roof of my house and say such things to my face," Anoop yelled, "we have known you too since childhood," he went on, "your family is the most untrustworthy family I have ever known, look at your father," he said with disgust, "look at how he conducts his life, in utter disregard for all morals and ethics," he said scathingly. Kirti quickly cast a glance at Maan unsure of how he was taking the insults coming his way, yet again. When will this stop? Why did everyone blame Maan for what his father was like? But all she saw was the calm cool indifferent mask back in place. He would take all people will hurl at him here and then keep it close to his skin. She shook her head in utter helplessness. Every time there was an attempt to completely do away with his shell, someone or the other pushed him back in there. "And your mother, I wonder what kind of woman can withstand a man like Ashok Khanna and still smile as if all was well," he said angrily, drawing hasty, uncomfortable glances from both Preeti and Kamal. "Look at your sister," Anoop went on unsparingly with a cold smile, "married then divorced then married again, you do know why her first husband divorced her right, and you are your father's son," he said wanting to hurt the tall, proud man who stood before him, without blinking his eyes, taking his insults without even looking uncomfortable forget about looking ruffled or embarrassed or anything else. Damn, where did he find so much control? "And you are standing here telling me...my family that we don't know anything," he said the sentence loudly. Showing how much he was affected not just by Aryaman Khanna's presence or his attitude but also, the way the younger man had challenged him.