Ananya reached the office the next day. The morning was busy as she had to work with Avinash. During lunch, she had an unexpected guest.
Shriya stormed into her office.
"Why did you return, ha? What do you want?" She asked directly.
Ananya went dumbstruck at her aggressiveness. She thought things were at least normal, between them but Shriya's voice opposed her thoughts.
"Excuse me?"
"I know everything. You have claimed that you are my dad's other daughter. My dad left your mother and you. And now you have come back. For what? Money, property?" She said spitefully.
"Stop right there Shriya, or I will forget that..."
"You will forget what, ha? Ok, I get it. My dad cheated on your mother. So what? Your mother couldn't give him the love my mother gave..."
"Shriya, you don't know what you are saying. I feel disgusting that you have the guts to defend cheating. He cheated on my mother." Ananya said a little loud. She's trying hard to keep her calm.
"Ok, my father is a cheater. He's a bad person. Then why are you here? He rejected you people. Still, you are here claiming to be his daughter. Don't you have any self-respect? You want property right? I'm sure, your mother was just as greedy as you. Probably that's why Dad left her because he knew how much a greedy woman..."
The room filled with a sound of a hard smack.
"Shut the fuck up, you idiot girl."
If it was possible Ananya would have burnt the girl in front of her with her eyes, by now. Her whole body was seething from anger. Shriya looked back at her stunned rubbing her cheeks.
"Truth always hurts." Shriya taunted hatefully.
Just that moment Arjun entered the room looking surprised at both of the ladies' appearance. They looked like wounded tigers and were about to attack each other.
"What's going on?" He asked with seriousness.
"Shriya, what are you doing here?" He asked again after not getting an answer from any of them. This time they came back to their senses at his presence.
Shriya looked tearfully at Arjun while Ananya just avoided looking at him. She looked other ways making a straight face.
"She slapped me." Shriya burst out and came close to Arjun as she pointed her cheek. He noticed the mark of fingers vividly. The slap was hard.
"Have you two forgotten that it's a company? My company. Not a fighting ring." He said targeting both of them.
Ananya kept mum. It made Arjun irritated as she refused to give any explanation or even look at him.
"Seriously, Arjun. She just slapped and all you can say are these. Of course, I guess she has manipulated you, too. What a pathetic witch she is..."
Ananya looked back at her angrily and was about to slap her again but Arjun came standing between them, looking at her intensely. Shriya cried out from behind.
"I told you, she wanted to hurt me."
"Ms Roy, is this the place for creating such scenes? You are violating the office ethics." He stated calmly but strictly. But Ananya refused to acknowledge him or explain.
"Did you slap her? Ananya I'm asking you something. Did you hurt her?" He asked raising his voice a little. Her ignorance was making him lose his patience. Ananya came out of her trance a little and looked at him. The air in the room turned tense with their intense eyes digging into each other.
"Yes."
"Why?" Again he got no answer only her staring back at him.
"Why? Have you forgotten your manners in your office or did you forget that I told you to stay away from her?"
Arjun said provokingly. Both of them stared at each other fuming. Ananya felt jealous seeing him standing in front of Shriya as if he was shielding her from her.
"I'm sorry." She said as her fingers scratched against her palm.
"I am not. You know what, first you should ask your dear friend to learn some manners. I am older than her, right? Tell her to learn how to behave with her elders. She misbehaved and disrespected me. So, I just taught her a lesson that she missed while growing up." Ananya's words cut through the air clearly as Shriya felt belittled in front of their domineering presence.
Arjun and Ananya eyed each other. But this time Arjun's eyes showed concern more than anger.
He took Shriya out of Ananya's cabin.
"What were you doing there, Shri?"
"Arjun...I was...forget it."
"Don't come here, again."
"What?"
"When you will have an answer you can come, till then, don't." He ordered.
"You can't do this."
"Yes, I can." At this moment he didn't look like her friend.
"Fine, what about her? Why don't you throw her out, too? If she can, I shall come too."
"Ok, but don't blame me if my security stops you."
"God, Arjun. I'm your best friend. How could you?"
"Then, tell me what happened there? What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"So, she just slapped you like this? Do I look like a fool to you, little girl?" Arjun's booming voice shook her to the core.
"You will fight with me for that bitch?" Shriya asked accusingly.
"Shut up. Don't provoke me Shriya. You know my anger very well. Leave before I do anything you might regret." Arjun warned her menacingly. Shriya got petrified at his appearance. This Arjun was scary, authoritative.
She left looking at him fearfully, one last time.
Arjun went to Ananya's cabin but it was empty. She had left. He sat down in her chair feeling frustrated. Both of the girls were hiding something.
Ananya was seating in her room feeling the rage inside her. She hated that man so much. First, he hurt her mother, and now her. And how dare she! She accused her mother of...
She couldn't think anymore. She threw the glass near her and it broke hitting the floor. She felt like destroying everything. She would kill that man and then his family one by one.
Her phone went off. Maybe another call from Arjun. She hated him too.
But as she checked the number was unknown. She picked up this time.
"Hello, whose this?"
"Ananya, it's me your father." Her mind sent waves of rage and hatred. That man still had the audacity to call her.
"Sorry, you called the wrong number. I don't have any father." She was about to cut but his desperate voice came through the phone.
"Ananya please don't disconnect. I know Shri went to you today. I'm sorry on her behalf. She shouldn't have behaved that way."
"Oh? I thought you are going to send me to jail for attacking your dear daughter." Ananya snarled.
"No beta. You are her elder sister. You do have the right to scold her if she does anything wrong." His words turned her fury to another level. This man was insane.
"Will you just stop this drama of yours? Whose sister? What sister? I don't have any sisters and neither any fathers. You were a mere sperm donor for me. So what? Do you want money for bestowing that honour on my mother? Fine, tell me the price?" She mocked him angrily.
No voice came from the other side for some time.
"I'm sorry beta. But please I beg you, don't talk to me like that. I never knew about your existence, Ananya. If I knew I wouldn't have left you. She never told me."
"Oh, so should I worship you now for that? Sorry, I don't like you. And don't you dare to sound like blaming my mom? I'm thankful that she didn't tell you. I'm thankful that she kept me away from such a bad person like you. So goodbye and don't ever try to call me again." She disconnected the call. Her body was humming from shouting over the phone.
After staying for some time her body calmed down but she broke down in tears. She cried holding her pillow close to her chest.
"Mom, mom, mom" she continued calling her mother as she cried her heart out.
It was near the evening when her phone started ringing again. She picked up absent-mindedly.
"Hello"
"Come outside" Arjun's deep voice came with authority.
"What!"
"You heard me," Arjun said with finality but Ananya was in no mood to talk to him.
"I won't. Tell me on the phone whatever you want." Ananya replied feeling distressed.
"Fine, then I'll come and I am going to have a nice chat with Dadi. As you know how straightforward I am there might be one or two things that could come out of my sweet mouth, Dadi might not like. For example, your little show of revenge."
"What the...You are blackmailing me. Anyway, Dadi is not home."
"I will wait here for 5 more minutes and then I will be coming and wait there for her to return." He hung up the call immediately.
"Arjun... Arjun " The sound of cutting the call came only. This man was infuriating. He was blackmailing her.
Is he going to do what he told?
But there was something in his voice that told her not to disobey him. So, she decided to meet him and see what he has to say
She got up from the bed and came downstairs. But when she entered his car she was stunned to see his condition. He had cuts over his face and blood oozing out from his nose. Signing dust and blood on his fist and shirt.
"What happened to you?" She panicked seeing his condition and started to reach him but he caught her hands. She glanced at his eyes.
And the look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. He looked dazed. His eyes were red. She also found a broken glass and blood was laced at it.
"I did something." He whispered looking at her with those same dazed pair of eyes.
"What?"
"What you always wanted?"
Ananya gulped as his eyes roamed on her face. He touched her face with his bloody palms. She felt sickening as the red liquid traced her cheeks.
"What are you talking about?"
"I killed her."
"Killed whom?"
"Shriya," he said looking at her with adoration.
"What!!" Ananya shrieked out and threw his hands away. "Are you crazy?"
"Why are you getting so panicked? I promise I haven't kept any proof. It's just between you and me."
"Ok, that's enough." She said trying to keep her voice regular. "Stop lying."
"I'm not lying," Arjun confirmed looking in front.
Ananya really felt panicked this time. She eyed him carefully.
"Why would you do that? Are you out of your mind? She's your friend."
"So what? She was your enemy. So she's my enemy too. You can want to hurt her so I did the deed for you." He said like a crazy person.
Ananya looked at him, her eyeball seemed to come out of her eyes. Her face crunched at his madness.
"You are lying. I don't trust you "
"Do I look like I'm lying? Do you want to see proof?" Arjun's eyes looked at her with seriousness. He showed her a photo of Shriya's bloodied body. Her eyes widened seeing the image.
"I can do anything for you, sweetheart." His fingers flew to her hair as he started caressing them.
"Actually I didn't want to kill her just hurt her a little but she realized it was me trying to harm her. So I have to kill her. Otherwise, your name would have been out too including me. Anything for you, darling."
"You mad person, you crazy man, you ashole, what are you talking about? You shithead. She is not my enemy. How could you hurt her? Tell me you are lying. Tell me. What kind shitty game is this. You fucking idiot, she's not my enemy. How dare you try to hurt her?"
"I'm crazy? No, I'm not. I love you and I can do anything for you. Didn't you want revenge on her? You wanted to see her in pain. Now that I did it for you why are you getting mad? Just forget that spoilt useless bitch." Arjun blabbered the words and came to hug her.
Ananya jerked him away and slapped him.
"She's my sister, you psycho. I did everything out of anger. But I never wanted to hurt her." Ananya spat out the words holding his collar like a crazy woman.
The inside of the car went silent as they both sat there looking at each other. Both of them panting after all the shouting and excitement.
Ananya started crying next holding her head in her palms.
"Finally" Arjun's body leaned in his seat as he looked in front of him. He looked relaxed.
"I would never forgive you. Never." Ananya started to get off the car but Arjun already locked it.
"Open the door. What do you want to do next? Kill me?"
"Maybe, if you try to leave me," Arjun replied sounding so casual and relaxed. Ananya's head jerked towards him.
"Fine, do it. Oh my God! Shriya. Open the door, you madman." She started turning the door latch desperately.
"Relax, she's fine," Arjun said in the same calm tone.
"What!" Ananya glanced at him again.
Arjun started the car instead of replying to her. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Ananya continued looking at him like a robot.
"You are right. I was lying, though some of the parts were true except the part where I killed Shriya. But I will not hesitate to commit any crime if it means saving you." Arjun confirmed eyeing her dishevelled condition.
"Stop the car." Ananya shrieked coming back to her sense.
"No."
"You betrayed me. You fooled me. I said stop the car." Ananya started hitting on the car door.
"Oh come on. Don't spoil the game. Tell me, you loved my acting." He said pompously.
"Of course, you should get an Oscar. What are you even doing here? You should apply for acting in movies. Now stop the car."
"I won't."
She started tugging on his arms.
"Stop that, Anu. We will meet an accident."
"Then, let it be."
"Really. Well, I am not scared to die. But think about your Dadi and my father. They would be devastated. Are you that selfish to leave them alone."
Finally, Arjun's words made her stop.
She sat in her seat stubbornly looking outside. But then an idea came to her as she pinched his bloodied nose shut and pressed on a cut on his arm.
"Aahh! What the hell?" Arjun cried out of pain.
"Ouch, they are real! I thought you are faking them, too. Tell me who did the honour to you. I will personally go and thank him." She mocked dramatically.
"Oh, I'm sure you would be delighted to know. It's your beloved ex-fiance cum your best friend cum your secret keeper. But I don't worry I didn't leave him unharmed either. You would pity him seeing his condition." He said teasingly.
Ananya didn't give any answer but soon anger started surfacing again in full force. She began to shake like an angry bull. She started hitting him feeling deceived.
"Why would you do that?" Why did you lie to me?" She started crying, her voice crooked from all the shouting.
"Because YOU ARE SO STUBBORN." He spat as the car stopped in front of his farmhouse. "You never tell me the truth. I have asked you but you always keep silent. If you can be stubborn then I can be too."
"I already got to know but I promised myself that I would make you say the words to me no matter what. And see here I am." He said cockily.
"Who told you?" Ananya asked glaring at him.
"Guess"
Arjun went inside Vishal's flat after failing to contact Ananya for the nth time. Rahul was also there.
"So what's the reason for your sulking, this time?" Vishal asked breaking the silence. Arjun didn't reply but kept sitting keeping his mouth shut.
"Ananya again?" He asked again.
"Shriya came to the office, today. Both of them fought, again."
"This thing between them is getting out of hand. Why can't they just accept each other."
Rahul chuckled finally.
"You actually expect two half-sisters to behave rationally after knowing about each other."
"Two what!" Both the guys glanced at him dumbfounded. None could believe their ears.
"You didn't know. Oh God! You got to be kidding me, right? Weren't you in a relationship with her?" Rahul's mocking tone cut through Arjun's skin.
"Ananya and Shriya are sisters." He whispered ignoring his taunts.
"What kind of relationship did you have? No wonder she doesn't trust you."
Arjun felt his blood boiling up.
"You knew it. Since when?"
"Since the first. She told me. She tells me everything."
Rahul stood up holding his wine glass proudly.
"You are lying."
"No, I am not. You knew, right that we are childhood friends. I know everything about her. I knew her before you even knew her existence. It's just that I let her go and she must have found a replacement for me for the time being."
A punch hit his face. He staggered and fell on the table.
"Shut up!"
"Why should I? Tell me why didn't she tell you the biggest secret of her life. Why? And why would she? You are friends with her enemy. She hates her."
"Rahul, stop." Vishal tried to intervene. Both of his friends looked ready to jump on each other.
"And soon she will hate you, too. You are just a time pass." Another punch landed.
"You fucker..." Arjun pushed him on the table but this time Rahul attacked back.
"She will leave you. I am her first love and would be her last too. You always got everything. But this time you won't. Ananya's true love is me. That's why she shares everything with me, not you. You will never know her like I do."
The fight took an ugly direction. Vishal started to stop them and ended up getting one or two punches on himself. He looked at them as they rolled over on the ground. None was ready to leave each other.
"Stay away from her. She's mine. Listen to me carefully, Ananya Roy is mine. Her, first last, middle every love is me and will always be in all her birth. Now go fuck yourself." Arjun roared at his bloodied face as he shook him back and forth like a rag doll by tugging at his collar.
He left before sending a final punch.