Story Time

Shikhawat finally reached home and retired to his room. He was quite impressed on his get up, although slightly annoyed at his son at the same time. He knew that he was the best artist due to the amount of time he had dedicated to mastering his craft, but his son of all people, should have been able to identify him.

*How could he not identify him, even after he had looked directly at him! This thought was running continuously through his mind, which was pushing him to his limits. But some part of him also knew that he needed to get his anger under control, because he didn't have anyone at this time to vent his anger on...apart from Sia. Yes that girl...that girl had been born with a knack for getting on his nerves- and how could she not, given whose daughter she was? But still, she had started reaching new heights these days.*

He thought and yanked his shoulders free of his jacket, sitting down on the chair. He pulled out the files from the nearest drawer and spoke, as he gave the pages a cursory glance. “There you are, Miss.Sia Rahal...ahem! There should be a correction, Rahal was never a part of your name, it never should have been...so you can't be Sia Rahal, right? And most importantly, the life you are living right now belongs to my Shambhav. And I want to make sure he gets what is righfully his, so you will have to die. Would that be alright? You know what, you don't actually have an option! You need to die...otherwise, how will my Shambhav get access to the life I have always dreamt for him, which he is worthy of? Do you know, due to your mother's business ethic, everything was gifted to her on a silver platter. Everyone thought that she would be the one who would take the Prajapati empire to a new heights. But tell me, tell me one thing...where is my father's name in this Prajapati groups? Just because he had been given his shares, they were eligible to just kick him out? How cruel this world is, isn't it child? Let us suppose the same thing would have happened with you and your mother, or your family? The thought is scary, right? But let me assure you, death is not scary at all. And the next best thing is, you don't have to struggle anymore- well, for anything apart from breathing, that is. Don't worry, that struggle won't last very long, it will all be over in a short time! While we're on the topic, let me tell you a story only I can narrate, the story of how I killed your mother. I have already given away parts of this story for you, but let me give you the back drop properly. So apparently, when your Manya di will be shouting and saying that I am alive, it will not be because she is getting rigorous episodes of PTSD, but because she is right. I am indeed alive, because I was never in the car that toppled over that day. The day before the accident- you see, everything had been planned meticulously- I took them out for dinner . And there, I managed to steal your mother's phone! Don't worry, I simply put it back after the accident; but not before I messaged your massi! I informed her about a fake scenario, which was completely a figment of my imagination. I had drugged their food, which I knew would affect everyone's brain functioning, making it slower. I gave the heaviest dose that would be tolerable to a human body to your sister, because she was my main pawn on the chess board. I needed to support her, because it was very crucial at that time- even now, in fact. But anyway, your mother was not as simple to not get it, so she somehow managed to catch me red handed. But despite that, I was still contemplating the option of not killing her, of leaving her alive and taking her assets- but no! She needed to bad mouth my family and test my patience! I mean, excuse me- nobody in hell has the right to criticize my family- the family I chose to keep with me. Anyway, let's get back to the story.

So you see, the story started with four friends in Dharangarh, where they had the potential to do whatever business ideas they opted for, as mining activities had started in their area and they needed to vacate that place. They had been given ample amount of money by the government for vacating the premises, and they already had their own sum to add to it. The first thing they set-up with that money was a school, the iron ore industry was next. These businesses started flourishing day-by-day; sooner than anyone had expected, they achieved the benchmark for breaking-even, and within a few months, surpassed it as well. It was then that they decided to venture into different businesses at the same time- and you know what, once again, they forced my father to choose the least promising idea to invest into! While their business were flourishing day-by-day, my baba was suffering losses, one after the other. It was sad, don't you think? But still, my old man didn't care about it- his friends were dearer to him than that. But the twist in the story came the summer when we were all visiting the village once again; that Parajapati, along with Meenal's dad, found the crystals. What crystals you ask, only the crystals which could change our future! The rare gem was yet to be discovered in India, and all we needed to do, was to fashion it into the jewelry- and then just sit back and observe the world going crazy for that as we made piles of cash! It was the greatest idea, proposed by my baba...but no! Once again, no one deemed it fit to listen to him. They promptly sidelined him, and decided to give the gems and submit the address of where they had found them, to the government. This time, things escalated and led to a fight. Meenal's dad had an attack, poor guy! What was my baba's fault in that; if that guy did not have a strong enough heart, then he shouldn't have called the fight! I wonder why he couldn't simply have accepted it, these people who cling so desperately to their morals baffle me to no end. It was the greatest offer he would have gotten , and any sensible person would have seen the merit. The old fellow then died. And before you feel too bad for him, I will tell you that it was definitely a good thing that he died himself, otherwise I would have killed him for sure. But then, all three families put the blame on my father, as if he was the sole culprit. Then they left after, leaving us there to wallow in that guilt- because apparently, my kind baba took every blame thrust upon him to heart, and got sick because of that. We had to seek treatment; and my mother and I had to go to negotiate for it. But you know what, I see even more clearly now, what a b*tch Meenal's mother was! She wasn't ready to accept our offer, far from it- she was not even willing to consider the fact that it was her own husband's fault that he died. What can you do, some people are really stubborn like that, and I would say that the two matched each other!

So I made God's plan easier, to send her where her husband had already gone to, by dropping the bottle of shampoos in the washroom. I then asked my mother to take her there by any means- ahh, what do I tell you about my mother...she was a good mother, but she was also a massive coward too. She freaked out as soon as Meenal's mother slipped on the floor, and blood started gushing out; but I handled everything. As you must have expected by now, your Massi and your mother were too smart for their own good. They managed to see through the whole thing, and put everything on me. Time has given me perspective on most things, but I am yet to make up my mind about whether that old Prajapati was a somewhat kind person, or a hypocrite. He didn't file a case, but instead took everything from us, leaving us with mere coins; while adopting Meenal as his own daughter! That was when I decided that I will make everyone realize just how wrong they were. I sold whatever land and assets we had, and went abroad to learn everything I needed! And then, I returned back to started my revenge. But you might want to ask me why I am taking it slow, aren't you curious about it, kid? Let me reveal this as well! I am taking it slow, because I have set an another goal, for which your sister is the bet!”

He smiled after his long monologue, as if deriving mirth from the thought. His smile was dark, as if it was antithetical to joy and all things pure.

He then blinked, as if reminding himself that he was in the middle of something, and continued his narration.

“Oh I am sorry, I think I lost track of what I was saying. Where were we? Ah yes, how I killed your mother...Hmm, so let's see. Actually, everything was going great; and I was about to achieve everything I had been planning for, from so long. But I happened to mention in front of your mother, that blood makes me squeamish; and, somehow the fact slipped from my mind. And you...you were never helpful to me, not even as a baby! No wonder I hate you so much- I was faking my love at that time, engaging everyone in the fantasy of a loving family, where I had to play the part of a caring father. Meanwhile, you were just playing with toys, oblivious to your part. Somehow, you ended up getting a cut on your finger, from a sharp edge, perhaps. So being the good father that I was, I took you inside and put ointment on your fingers after cleaning them. And that act of kindness that most women would fawn over, that did not escape your mother's notice. She somehow took notice of that.

Those days, Shambhav was suffering through high fever, and now you tell me, how could I have left my only son alone in that situation? So I sneaked out, making an excuse about my business. But the insolent woman had hired spies, for me! Can you believe it?! And you know, she had the audacity to ask me who that boy was, for whom I had been lying to her. She wanted to me tell her everything clearly, and threatened that she would tell everything to my family- as if I would let her get away with that! So I took you as bait, and tried to run away, thinking that they would definitely come to rescue you, and that would be my opportunity to ask for the assets which I had been craving for, from eternity. But no ! They drew up the will, without informing Roy. If not my baba, the guys could not even remain loyal to any of their friends! An here I had thought, that your mother always loved you; but nope, she also transferred everything to Manya. You know what, you were that unwanted child who was desired by no one, amnd still, you are here with perfect immunity. Look at you, who will care if you die today; but you won't even got sick! And now, look at Manya the most desired kid of the family! She was born with weak immunity and is still struggling with so many ailments- this the difference between a weed and a pure, high quality crop! But you won't be able to understand it, and I don't bother to make you understand , I am just getting angrier by every passing minutes remembering how mother had such a thick skin like you only ... she survived the accident.... even thrive the attacks I have arranged for her and at the last I myself had to choke her to death with was also a stressful work because the woman wasn't ready to die even after choking her throat continuously for the one minute straight ... but I finally made it ...I finally killed her . He let out a loud laughter. ....as he was most latest devil's incarnation and was sitting here planning to kill all the angels one by one!”

He then took a latest picture of Sia from the file and picked up the knife from the table. Pushing the knife on the table, he shouted “You know what, I am really angry now! And since you are of no use to me, I am thinking of getting rid of you as soon as I can! So I will kill you within two days, and don't worry- I will kill you by the same medium which was the reason for me being exposed. So baby, enjoy! Sorry, dad has planned something earlier than your Birthday- have fun for the rest of two days of your life, Baby girl!”

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A/N - Hello my dear readers! How are you all? Today's chapter contains some dark emotions, and I would suggest that if you are not feeling well, please read it a little later!

Sending my love to everyone ♥️♥️