Chapter 27: Chapter 27

“Where were you?”, Abhiraj’s cold voice was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.

There was a pin drop silence in the living room of Khurana Mansion as Abhiraj angrily marched towards Advaith while other three ladies were praying that no big issue happen out of this.

“I am asking you something, Mr. Advaith Abhiraj Singh Khurana. Where were you?”, Abhiraj asked as he came almost at one hand distance with Advaith.

Advaith looked up at his father and then looked behind him at three ladies, until his eyes rested on Aarohi for moment before he looked back at his father and said, “I was out to meet one of my friend.”

“Friend? Hah—do you hear this Priya.”, Abhiraj chuckled loudly and looked at Priya who looked back at him with pleading eyes while Abhiraj clenched his jaw and looked back at Advaith before saying with gritted teeth, “So, you are saying that you did not attend this meeting because you had gone out to meet some bloody friend of yours!? Are you even in your senses, Advaith? Do you know what you have costed to us, to our company and to all those employees working day and night in our company to earn that small amount of money so that they can meet their end? Just because you are the CEO of the company, you take this as some sort of fun or joke?”

“I am sure this friend of bhai is Aamira.”, Aashi whispered to Aarohi who immediately showed her eyes back to her asking her not to say anything right now as Priya was standing just beside them.

Though Priya heard Aashi but did not gave much thoughts to that as right now calming Abhiraj’s anger was her first priority.

“Abhir—“, Looking at how Abhiraj’s anger going out of control, Priya tried intervene but one stern look from Abhiraj and she knew that today no one can interfere between her son and her husband.

“I had an emergency.”, Advaith whispered looking straight into space, not daring to say a word more.

He knew he was at fault. He should have at least informed his P.A. before leaving the office premises or should have asked some professional to attend the meeting on his behalf. But the news of Aamira’s suicide attempt was so much shocking for him that he was not at all in his senses after that. He just wanted to reach to his love and hold her in his arms until he was confirmed that she is safe with him.

“What emergency? I am asking you that what emergency you had that you could not even inform someone before eloping from the office just before the clients arrived? I thought that at least in business you are sincere and not hopeless. But no – you again proved that you are of no use.”, Abhiraj yelled angrily and Advaith looked at his father with hurtful eyes.

Tears stringed his eyes but he controlled before yelling back, “So? I never asked you to hand over your business to me. I never asked you to make me CEO of your beloved company. Hell, I did not even wanted to be a cruel and insensitive businessman like you who cannot even say two words of appreciation for his son. It was you – only you who forced me to enter into this business world. You know what, you may be the best businessman in your business world but you are a failed father, who cannot even understand his children’s heart.”

All the three ladies gasped as Advaith spurted those bitter words at his father for the first time in his whole life. All the frustration bottled up from all this years was finally out and in the worst manner ever.

“Advaith!!”, Priya’s loud voice thundered into the room as she angrily marched towards Advaith before saying, “This is not the way you talk to your father. Say sorry to him right now.”

“I won’t”, Advaith said looking straight into his father’s eyes before looking at his mother and his eyes turned tender as he said, “You did not said anything when he asked me to let go off my only dream, my music but forced me into this business. You also did not say anything to him when he forcefully decided upon my marriage with Aarohi that too without asking for my permission. And today also you are not saying anything to him when he is calling me ‘hopeless’ in front of you.”

Priya looked guilty as she knew that he was saying all right. But how to explain him that all this is for his own good. He might not getting right now but later he would be thankful to Abhiraj for all the decisions he took for him.

Advaith looked at his mother in disbelief who was still standing there without saying anything to his father and so he immediately went upstairs not wanting to have another round of arguments.

“Aarohi, dear go after him. Right now he is so much angry that he can even hurt himself”, Priya requested Aarohi to go up and have a look at Advaith as she knew her son’s anger.

Aarohi nodded and immediately went upstairs to their room praying that she does not have to bear another torture from her beloved husband.

~~~~~

“Have this soup. It will help you to recover soon.”, Moloy passed a bowl of soup to Aamira who looked at her father with blank face.

She knew that her father was psychotic but somewhere she had this small hope that he also loves her just like any other fathers. But today all her hopes were shattered when he hurt her so much that she could have lost her life as well if she was not treated on time. Today she understood that she was no more than a pawn in this game of revenge where he is just using her to fulfill his wish of destroying Abhiraj. She finally understood that he would not even care if she lost her life for this revenge of his’.

“Why are you doing this? Don’t you love me? I am your daugh—“, Aamira asked crying which did nothing but irritated Moloy.

“Don’t you love your father? Can’t you do this small thing for your father’s revenge? You lost your mother because of that Abhiraj Khurana. Not for me but at least for your mother’s death you need to take this revenge.”, Moloy wickedly played with words to manipulate Aamira.

“Can’t you forget all this for once and let it go, baba?”, Aamira requested and this angered Moloy more.

“You won’t understand sweet words, do you? Fine, don’t listen to me. But remember one thing that whether you want or not, you will do only those things which I will ask you to, understand?”, Moloy asked and at last raised his voice scaring Aamira.

“And if you won’t listen to me then you will starve. You won’t have anything to eat today.”, Moloy said angrily and snatched the bowl of soup from her hands.

“I wish I could tell you all the truth about what I and my father is doing to you and your innocent heart. But I am selfish enough to not to loose you. I don’t know what should I do. Oh god, please help me please.”, Aamira scooted to the corner of the bed and hugging her knees to her chest, she digged her face in her lap sobbing at her miserable life.

~~~~~

“Abhiraj, Today you really crossed your limits. What was the need of saying all this to him? Only one deal has been canceled. Ever since he has joined office and has taken over the business, he has not committed a single mistake. And this is the first time in so many years that he did not attend the meeting. You shouldn't have talk to him like that.”, Priya said angrily sitting on the bed and Abhiraj looked at her being little guilty.

“Priya, this deal was really important—“, Abhiraj tried explaining but Priya’s one glare and he immediately shut his mouth.

“Business, deal, projects! I just keep hearing this from both of you father and son. Aside from business deals, have you ever had any normal conversation with each other!? Who will say that both of you are father and son. And is this business deal of yours more important than our son?”, Priya asked and Abhiraj sighed.

“Ok, I agree I might have said more than I should have. But this deal was important for our company. And this company is not just mine, Priya. Thousands of employees work in this company and I have to think about them all. And you don’t know that so many companies were already looking for one chance to have meeting with this client. If this deal is done with some other company, then the shares of our company will fall immediately in the market. Our company and every member of this company will have to face a lot of loss.”, Abhiraj explained and now Priya also felt that somewhere him being angry was justifiable.

“But the way you talked to him is not done. Already you have issues with him after you denied him to pursue music as his career four years back. Now I don’t want to see any more tension between you two, please.”, Priya requested and Abhiraj nodded as this time he was wrong.

“Even I don’t want to end all problems between us. Every time when I decide that I don’t have to get angry on him anymore, he would do one or the other thing which makes me more angry.”, Abhiraj said and Priya nodded her head in disbelief.

~~~~~

Aarohi came into their room which was total mess by now. Curtains were pulled off and thrown on the floor. His files, laptop, side lamp, books everything was lying mess on the floor. Even the closet was mess with all the clothes out.

But what caught her attention was broken glass pieces and blood drops on the floor. She checked balcony, bathroom, closet everywhere but did not find Advaith

She immediately came out of room and heard noises coming from some other room at the end of the floor.

It had been already a month to their marriage but Aarohi had never explored the Khurana Mansion fully. And knowing that this whole floor belongs to Advaith, she never dared to trespass his territory and never entered any of the other rooms on this floor except their bedroom.

Walking ahead she entered the last room on that floor and saw a huge room with different music instruments. Her eyes widen in amaze as probably it was first time she was watching a music room live that too this huge in size.

A sob from the balcony caught her attention and her mind debate with her heart that whether to go further in or not. Going with the choice of her heart, she slowly walked towards the balcony and the sounds of sobs become intense.

“Advaith.”, Aarohi exclaimed with shock as she saw blood oozing out of his right palm on the floor and him all messed up.

His coat was thrown on other side and his tie was half undone. His right palm was bleeding vigorously due the huge cut. His knees were hugged close to his heart and him weeping like a small child who is denied for something, his condition churned something in Aarohi’s heart.

She couldn’t believe that the guy who behaves tough and rude in front of her is crying like a small child.

“Advaith you—Advaith get up, It is very chilled here.”, Aarohi said worriedly as the cold was increasing with passing hours.

Aarohi tried making him get up but halted when heard him saying something.

“Why don’t he love me?”, Advaith asked, just like a small child ask something curiously to his mother.

“It is not like that, Advaith. You first get up and come inside or else you will catch—“, Even before Aarohi can complete her words, Advaith pulled her down beside him before taking her into a tight hug, shocking her to the core.

Holding her tightly in his embrace, he hide his face in her long hairs and sobbed more while Aarohi was still in shock and dilemma whether to hug him back or not.

~~~~~

“Boss, work is done.”, Mike informed as soon as he entered into the villa and saw Asad going through some files.

“Great. Now let’s wait for Abhiraj Singh Khurana’s reactions.”, Asad said with a sly smile and Mike nodded with a smirk.

“Aarohi Khurana has joined her father’s company where she used to work before her marriage was fixed with her former fiancee.”, Mike informed and Asad frowned before saying something and Mike immediately nodded in understanding.

“Boss, I have got an interesting news for you.”, Mike said before passing a file to Asad.

Asad went through the file and then looked up at Mike to confirm whether it is true or not, and Mike immediately nodded his head confirming Asad’s doubts.

“This is getting more and more interesting. Now we have to see is who does Aarohi choose?”, Asad said with a smirk looking at Aarohi’s wallpaper on the wall opposite to him.

~~~~~

Five minutes passed and now he was fine, yet still in her embrace. Aarohi was now hugged loosely by him, while her arms were around his back and her palm rubbing his back to calm him.

Suddenly Advaith realized their position and he immediately jerked her away and distanced himself from her. Getting up, he walked to their bedroom without a word while Aarohi sighed as she had expected this.

Following him into their room, Aarohi went into the closet to fetch the first-aid box while Advaith went into the washroom to wash off blood from his hand.

Coming out he saw Aarohi sitting on bed with first-aid and already waiting for him.

“You need a dressing.”, Aarohi said as she saw him walking out of the room, though she had expected him to unheard her words.

But she was shocked when saw him coming towards her nd then sitting beside her before he forward his wounded hand to her without any arguments.

Aarohi took the antiseptic liquid on cotton and dabbed it lightly on his hand, earning a hiss from him and she immediately started blowing air to soothe his pain.

Advaith kept looking at her that how much she cares for him and for first time he wanted to give chance to this marriage.

Only if he was not already in love with Aamira!

~~~~~

“Abhoy, what happen? You are looking worried?”, Mishti asked as she found her son behaving weird since he had returned from the office.

“Don’t know, Mom, but I feel that Aarohi and Advaith has some problems between them. Like she is not happy there but she is not telling us.”, Abhoy keep forward his worries.

“It is nothing like that. If this was the case then my Shona would have been the first to share with me. And anyway, in the situation in which Aru and Advaith have got married, in that situation they will take some time to settle down.” Mishti said and Abhoy nodded in understanding, though his heart was not agreeing to his mother’s words.

“I just hope that she is not enduring something wrong just so that we don’t get worried because of her.”, Abhoy thought and sighed tiredly.

~~~~~

Aarohi entered their bedroom after dinner when Advaith scared her by suddenly coming in front of her.

Aarohi frowned looking at the papers in front of her and asked, “What is this?”

Advaith debated for a moment whether to reply her answer or not, before whispering the words which broke Aarohi’s heart.

Divorce Papers!

-Aayrah.