32 Narrow minded

"Hello, elder sisters, you are very beautiful." Jatin who had not spoken until now smiled brightly as he praised Maahi and Qaima. He had tossed aside his cigarette.

Maahi turned her attention away from Bhadra to face Jatin with the same gentle smile as she said, "thank you so much. You must be Jatin, right?"

Qaima brows also relaxed a little when she heard Jatin compliment as she smiled calmly while nodding. Qaima practically knew as much as Maahi as she was usually forced to chat with Maahi about her Aditya and her plans for him. Though Qaima knew that Maahi had an eccentric personality of hiding her true emotions, till date no innocent person was harmed by Maahi. Qaima felt that Maahi put on this mask to protect her own inner self from getting hurt rather than for fun.

Despite Jatin being a typical playboy, he was very different from other guys like Karan on a fundamental level. He always maintained his bottom line, he only dated girls who had similar interests but did not force anyone. Also, any girl or woman who was associated with his friend in any way was off limits for him. This was what he requested from himself for he always valued friendship over having fun with girls. Of course in the future, if he seriously pursued a girl, that would be a different priority.

So, no matter how beautiful these two women were, he would not lose his cool or break his rules. Beauty for Jatin was always something that could be bought with money and anything that could be bought with money was not valuable for him. He genuinely respected these women as they were related to one of his best friends. Frankly, Jatin only viewed Bhadra as his best friend.

Given his years of experience flirting around with all kind of girls and even mature women, Jatin knew within a few seconds that both these women were unique and different. Especially, when he saw Maahi elder sister, his only thought was 'never get on the bad side of this woman'. That is why he immediately raised a white flag in an attempt to establish friendly relations with her.

Maahi eyes sparkled when she saw through Jatin's thinking. Although it had been months since she last conversed with Aditya, she knew everything about him, his relations and friends. Needless to say, she knew all about Jatin also. In a way, both of them had similar lives. Both of them were born in a rich family, they owned everything that money could buy, both of them were prodigies, both did not have any emotional connection with their fathers while their mothers died long ago.

Jatin tried to overcome his loneliness and lack of affection by being a playboy while the only true relations he acknowledged were his friends, mainly Bhadra. She, on the other hand, had taken up making more money as her passion while the only real relationships she acknowledged were Aditya's mother Nirmala and Aditya himself. She did not look down on Jatin's lifestyle, she did not approve of it either. But due to these similarities, Maahi also knew that she would be able to establish a good rapport with this person who she met for the first time.

"Elder sister Maahi, since you have taken Bhadra as your younger brother, then I shall also call you as elder sister, by the way, what did the administrative dean had to say about revoking Aditya's suspension." Jatin inquired. Bhadra watched with trepidation at the calmness with which Jatin talked with Maahi elder sister.

"Oh right I forgot about it," Maahi patted her forehead lightly with her delicate hands in a graceful manner as she looked at Qaima.

Qaima also nodded sternly as she took out her cell and made a call while walking a little distance away from the gathering.

"Is Big brother Aditya going to be alright? How is he right now?" Yu Yan gathered up her courage as she finally probed in an adorable accent with Maahi while trying hard to look straight in her eyes. Yu Yan was usually an introvert, living in a foreign country with an exotic culture did not help her condition either. Though she had friends who liked her despite many barriers, she still found it hard to become confident when dealing with social interactions. But she did not know that her meek personality was actually a deadly attraction for boys all by itself.

Maahi focused on this east Asian girl who looked like a doll with black silky straight hair, chubby cheeks with a tinge of red, small eyes which looked lovable. She smiled joyfully as she held Yu Yan's small hand and pulled her towards herself as she said, "You must be Yu Yan, what a cute girl, your big brother Aditya is currently have the most relaxed time of his life, so you don't have to feel guilty about his suspension, it was that rascal's plan all along to escape school in one way or the other. He definitely wants to thank you right now because you gave him an easy route."

Maahi rubbed Yu Yan's head as she continued, "Don't worry too much about him, he will go back to school shortly now that I am here."

Yu Yan felt warmth in her heart that Aditya's elder sister not only had not blamed her but treated her intimately. She looked at Maahi with her adorable eyes as she asked, " Does that mean Big brother Aditya would be returning?"

Maahi shook her head as she spoke clearly, "No, Adi will not come back here. He will join another school. I am still looking into alternatives."

Yu Yan felt a tinge of disappointment that Aditya would not be coming back to this school. She was a pure introverted girl whose heart was basically a blank sheet when she suffered from bullying, this handsome person had not only saved her in a cool manner but also treated her with sincerity. Of course, this young girl's heart would have a good impression of that person, she wanted to spend more time with him, get to know him. But it looked like it was not possible any more. Was that person destined to remain as a beautiful memory in her soul?

Maahi observed this small girl's transforming reactions on her face like it was studying a book. With her experience in dealing with people in the corporate world where every little body language, twitches in facial muscles, pupil movements had to be taken into consideration for knowing your opponents' mindset and their bottom lines in negotiations, it was too easy for her to know what this naive and unsullied girl was thinking.

Maahi shook her head as she asked innocently, "How can Adi come to this place when there was no school here?"

Jatin's pupils shrank when he heard those words. By his understanding, he had long expected that this capable woman would not take this matter lying down. He had thought there will be some sort of retaliation but it looks like he was still thinking too optimistically.

Bhadra also caught something as he asked cautiously, "What do you mean elder sister Maahi?"

"Just saying, you guys might want to start considering changing schools as well, even if you want to stay here, your parents might not feel assured anymore having you people attend this school," Maahi spoke in a manner of an elder person advising an unguided child.

"Bhadra, what are guys doing?" Kavya walked towards them while pulling Anupama's hand. Anupama had a calm expression on her beautiful face. No one knew what she was thinking as she looked at Maahi elder sister with discerning eyes.

"Elder sister Maahi, this is Kavya, my girlfriend. Kavya, this is Aditya's elder sister Maahi." Bhadra played the role of an intermediary as he introduced them to each other.

"Elder sister Maahi, this is..." when Bhadra wanted to introduce Anupama to Maahi, he was stopped by Maahi who waved her hands and walked towards Anupama while smiling 'that' smile. Bhadra knew at that moment that something bad was going to happen.

Maahi extended her arm to shake Anupama's hands while speaking in a 'friendly' manner, "You must be Anupama right, Aditya used to speak so much about you back then. He did not exaggerate about your beauty."

Anupama who had extended her hand instinctively to shake Maahi's hands grew stiff when she heard her words. The concern and memories that she had buried in the corner of her heart seemed to resurface. Whenever she remembered Aditya's words when he left this school, she felt that she missed something which she was going to regret for the rest of her life. She always felt that she was crystal clear about what to expect from herself and for her future. For the first time, she felt unsure about herself. She even asked herself, it's not like Aditya had asked her out and she had rejected him. But since Aditya walked away from her life, it was a fact that she felt a vacuum, an emptiness.

Anupama smiled back as she said, "its a pleasant surprise that Adi… tya mentioned me, he was one of the best friends I ever had. You are also very beautiful, elder sister."

Maahi's eyes glinted as she continued asking with the same smile, "your mother is Vandana Sharma right? She is a State cabinet minister of Information Technology, right. I heard that she was raising a male actor as her sweetheart while one of your father Mithun Acharya's mistresses is also an actress. I heard that both these male and female actors are playing male and a female lead in a new upcoming movie in the local film industry. How do you feel about the fact that your father's mistress is romancing your mother's sweetheart on the silver screen." Maahi looked straight at Anupama while still holding her hand, with childlike expectation in her eyes.

'Vicious, this woman has pure venom on her tongue' Jatin praised with awe in his heart, he felt happy that he surrendered early.

Anupama eyes reddened as her lips started trembling followed by her shoulders. She had never expected that a woman whom she had met for the first time would pierce directly through the dark secrets of her life in such a blunt manner in front of everybody whom she recognized as close acquaintances if not friends.

Anupama took back her hand forcefully and ran away while covering her mouth as tears rolled down her eyes. Yu Yan also covered her mouth in shock, was this the elder sister who was so warm to her just a minute ago?

"I did not expect this from you," Kavya said angrily before following Anupama swiftly. Maahi looked back at Qaima, who had just returned after finishing her call, Qaima had a helpless expression on her face as she kept shaking her head, Maahi asked innocently, "What wrong did I do? Why did she run away like that? I was just curious."

Jatin and Bhadra immediately shook their head as they competed to agree with elder sister Maahi. Bhadra cursed Aditya in his mind, 'Why is it that you are happy while we get to be stuck with your elder sister. I would have thought twice before befriending you if I knew you had such a 'good' elder sister. How should I explain to Kavya? I was the one who asked them to come in the first place. Ahh!'

"Yu Yan, would you like to join the same school as Adi," Maahi asked Yu Yan as if the incident right now had nothing to do with her.

"Eld...Elder sister Maahi, I have forgotten something I had to do, I have to go right now, it was nice to meet you." Yu Yan stuttered as she looked like a trembling sheep caught in a cave with a dead end with a tiger blocking the only way out of the cave.

"Oh sure, please go, just let me know if you need any assistance, you can contact me through Bhadra." Maahi smilingly nodded as she patted Yu Yan's head once more before she escaped. "You boys also get going." Maahi waved her hands at Bhadra and Jatin.

Bhadra nodded vigorously as he chased after Kavya while Jatin stopped with an expression as if he was hesitating to speak about something.

Maahi looked at him with a smiled as she said, "Speak out."

"The incident about the electric shock…"

"Don't worry about that anymore, what do you think Saira elder sister is busy with these days?" Maahi answered in a manner which did not permit Jatin to dig further. He nodded as he went away, it was fine as long as he knew that Aditya was safe. As Maahi looked at the figure of students playing in a distance, Qaima walked up to her.

"Why do you have to do it? She was just a small girl." Qaima sighed as she said to Maahi. The smile vanished from Maahi's face as her eyes frosted over revealing a chilly aura around her as she said, "there can only be three ways of relationships I will maintain when dealing with women who have the potential to be closely associated with my younger brother Adi. One kind is those people who can be controlled and subjugated easily like that cute girl Yu Yan. I will be their elder and take care of them very well. The other kind is those who are beyond my control but like to maintain close relations with Adi. Though I might dislike them, I will not overly interfere with their lives as girls falling for Aditya is only natural. But" here Maahi's tone became as chilly as cold ice," the third kind are those for whom Adi paid a lot of time and emotions but his effort had not only being recognized but also rejected. These women or girls won't get any mercy from me. This is me, you may think I am a person of a narrow heart, it is might also be true. I don't care."

Maahi said as Qaima held her hand tightly and said, "Then I shall accompany you in this madness. But don't you fear that Aditya would become more distant."

"No, he can't even if he want to because I won't let him," Maahi spoke with a real smile as she remembered some past events.

A 9-year-old boy was spreading ointment on a 13-year-old girl who had bruises which looked like they had been caused lashes of a belt. He had tears rolling down his cheeks as he said, "Maahi elder sister, I won't let you be alone ever again, you can always count on me."

At that moment, that 13-year-old girl who did not have anything to aspire for in this world, who had been contemplating suicide at such a young age had decided that her life was going to be bound to this younger brother and the day she felt he didn't need her anymore would be the day she would leave this life. She had been committed to this ever since. All her passion for making money and expanding influence which was independent of her father was her way of ensuring her younger brother's safety and freedom.

"Is everything going on as planned?" Maahi came back from her thoughts as she asked Qaima softly.

"Yes."

"Good, let's go, I miss that rascal so much and can't wait to see him but Saira elder sister stopped me on the basis that it was easy to lure those bastards who are intent on harming him. I can only agree. Does not know whether he is facing any troubles working in a lowly garage."

"..."