The forest was completely dark.
Meenakshi looked around for some source of light but there was none.
A strange feeling of alertness crept up her spine. Like of an eerie presence behind her.
At the moment, someone grabbed her by her waist. She turned around to find Dhruv holding her close. He was wearing his usual attire, his bare chest hitting her bosom. His warmth emanated and reached her body.
His masculine fragrance waffled her nose. He slowly moved his face closer to her,his grip tight on her waist.
Meenakshi shivered under the heat that generated as he trailed his nose on her face. His movements were slow and his breath warm.
"W-what are you doing?" her lips trembled.
"Hush!"he touched her soft lips with his index finger and swiftly moved his face close to her. His lips were only a few inches apart from hers.
Meenakshi closed her eyes to live in the moment,but something hit her that made her scream in pain.
She looked down to find her dress stain red. It was blood! She touched her waist to feel a bullet inside her waist.
Her teary eyes scanned the source , only to get suprised by a smirking Dhruv. His shaded eyes flashed sardonically at her.
"Do you think you are worthy of my love? Dhruv's love? Never! I just acted to kill you. Goodbye, baby."
He pulled the trigger and everything went darm.
Again she went back to darkness.
but there was a faint sound of laughter. with each passing second, the sound raised to octaves, occupying the darkness like it was one with it.
Metaphorical to the idea that the darkness around was laughing at her.
"Please stop!"She cupped her ears tightly, begging the voice to stop.
All of a sudden, everything went quite. Meenakshi gulped in the lump down her throat.
From somewhere,a sharp voice hit her ears defeaning her.
"You're always mine to destroy."
Meenakshi opened her eyes startled by the familiarity of the voice.
"Meenakshi. Come here. Come. Come here!"the voice commanded.
"No! this can't be! "Meenakshi felt her body shivering. sweatbeads clumped on her face, soaking her in fear.
"You can't escape."The voice kept chanting the words. Like they were meant to be for her.
"you can't escape"
"you can't escape."
"you can't live."
"you can't die."
"It's never your choice."
"Because you're mine."
"Please leave me alone!" she screamed.
She started to run ahead, unaware of the route she took.
"you can't escape!" the voice continued.
Her legs felt sore, but she kept moving. A few tears prickled down her orbs, accompanied by a few muffled sobs.
Suddenly, her body hit something and her foot slipped, pulling her into a hole. Her head throbbed with the impact.
She scanned the place around her. It looked like an old warehouse and there was no light. Her fingers crossed something hard and she grabbed it to feel a switch over it. She clicked the switch, a wave of light hitting her eyes, making them squeeze. It was a torch. She moved the torch around the place, the light illuminating the walls around. The whole place was rusted and damp.
Then , suddenly something huge appeared in front of the light, lying on the floor. Meenakshi didn't know why,but her heartbeat drummed rapidly against her chest as she approached it .
A huge gasp left her lips as she recognised what it was. Her own body lying cold on the floor, red bruises marked all over her body.
"No!!!"a sudden jolt and she opened her eyes to find herself lying in her bed. It was dark inside, the sunlight reaching from the window being the only source of light.
She closed her eyes, relaxing her tensed nerves.
Why did she get such a dream?
She moved out of her bed and looked at her phone. The screen flashed a picture of meenakshi with another boy.
Meenakshi smiled at the boy who looked back with a jolly expression.
"I wish you were here."
She turned off the screen with a melancholic face.
The thought of eyeing a notification on the screen crossed her mind . She walked back to check her phone.
2 missed calls.
She clicked in to check the caller. Her heartbeat rising with each second.
The caller id flashed the name ...
Ryan.
"Oh no.How didn't I hear it?"she pressed the call option.
lagawelu jab lipistic,
hilela arra distric.
okey...
tu, lagawelujab lipistic,
hilela arra distric
jila top lagelu
ho jila top lagelu
kamaria...
kamaria...
kamaria kare lpa lap, lollipop lagelu...
The callertune made her giggle. She internally laughed at her brother's choice of music.
After 5 and a half rings, the call was received. A slurry faint voice reached her ears, making her narrow her eyes.
"Ry. I'm so sorry. I was sleeping, so I didn't hear the phone." she started.
"Hmmm." was the only reply.
"Wake up! It's already 6a.m."
"Hmm.My snacks.He stoleee.He stole them."the voice mumbled over the phone.
"Snacks?who stole them?" Meenakshi was confused.
Silence responded to her queries.
"Ry? Are you there?"
A deep snoring voice attented her ears . She nodded her head in dissapointment.
"Fine. Call me when you get up.I will be waiting."
"Hmm."
She hung up the line and sighed.
"What am i going to do now?"
************
Veronica moved her thighs and folded them neatly on her seat. Her short bright yellow dress was extremely revealing on the desirable parts, attending to grab his attention.
After a few dabs of touch-up and checking herself in the mirror,she felt ready to face Dhruv.
The dinning table was occupied by no one except her. She figdegeted with her fingers in anticipation of his approach.
Her wait was over when Dhruv walked in the room with Iqbaal on his side.
Veronica stood up from the chair and greeted him with a glossy smile.
"Good morning , Dhruv." she greeted.
"Morning."his reply was cold and grave. like usual.
Iqbaal followed the maids to check if his boss's meal was ready or not. He knew Dhruv's temper very well and he didn't like his fresh morning to turn out worse.
Veronica walked around the table and occupied the chair beside him. She was quite dissapointed to find Dhruv's attention on his phone, while she tried to make a conversation with him.
She slowly moved her hand on the glass table and placed her palm on his hand.
Fortunately, it gained Dhruv's attention towards her,but transiently. His gaze diverted towards the stairs to find a figure descend.
Meenakshi came downstairs for some food when she found her breath hitching at the appearance of Dhruv.
She suddenly felt deflated and self-conscious.
"Why are you here?"
the sharp tone beside Dhruv caught Meenakshi 's attention. She gulped in fear, finding Veronica's fuming glare directed at her.
" I-I was hungry,so thought t-to cook something from the kitchen."
She couldn't figure out why she felt so weak and scared to speak in front of people. ryan used to scold her for being a scared cat when confronting people.
Veronica flashed a mocking smile.
"Yes Queen Elizabeth! This is your palace only!" Meenakshi couldn't catch the mockery in Veronica's tone.
" I-I don't... get..it."
" Oh dear. I can't fathom how much a person can have such a low standard?
I told you not to come near us. Don't you understand? Why do you keep coming back?"
Meenakshi felt her face burn with embarrassment and humiliation. A tear rolled down her cheek.
She looked at Dhruv who was eating his meal like nothing happened. Why would he even care.
"I'm sorry! I-I won't come again."She raced up the stairs in haste, tears falling from her eyes involuntarily.
****************
Someone knocked on the door. Meenakshi wiped her tears away with her palm and slightly opened it.
A tall man almost of the same age as dhruv stood in front of door holding a plate of pasta.
She recognised him to be the man whom she met in the car the first day. But she didn't know his name.
" Hello, Meenakshi. I'm Vijay. Can I come in? "
Meenakshi looked at him sceptically for a moment. She remembered Ryan's voice, requesting her to be careful there.
Vijay read her facial expression and gave a genuine smile.
"Don't worry. I don't mean anything bad! I just wanted to give you some food, since you must be hungry." he forwarded the plate.
Meenakshi blinked a few times, confused and sceptical of his intentions. but what worse could possibly happen to her, when her life was probably a living hell.
She opened the door for him to enter.
Vijay walked into the room and was shocked by looking at the interior.
"He gave you the storeroom to live? Fucking bast-"he controlled his tongue, while Meenakshi looked at him blandly.
"Nobody should treat a lady like this! That also his own wife!" Vijay commented furiously.
Meenakshi sighed in response.
He placed the plate on the bedside table and settled on the bed. The whole room was even smaller than the guestroom's bathroom.
"Sometimes, I am stunned by his ruthless behaviour. This is too much."
Meenakshi frowned at him. He was the first one to actually comment on her living condition. Maybe he was less rude than the others. Maybe.
" I'm sorry. I'm just trying to get myself used to this place. I'm scared to trust anyone." she said.
"Not your fault. Don't trust anyone. Not me even. And it's good that you're carefull. This place just looks grand from outside. But everything is so broken and cold inside."
"Aren't you one of them?" Meenakshi asked.
Vijay chuckled.
" Yes I am. But less inhuman. Atleast that's what I think I am. Depends on what you think.
I'm involved in dhruv's dark business but there are somethings I don't like about him. he's too ruthless and cold."
"He's the mafia lord. Isn't a mafia lord supposed to be ruthless and cold? "
Meenakshi settled beside Vijay , tired from standing so long.
"Yes, it is. But he's a different story. You can't predict his mood."
Meenakshi sensed Vijay's slight grudge towards his boss. Though it would be hypocritical of her to oppose the idea, she wanted to believe that there was a human inside the monster too.
"I guess he had a rough bringing up. And being a mafia means to be under constant risk. Maybe that's why he has turned so cold." Meenakshi defended.
Vijay stared at Meenakshi for a moment.
" What? Did i say something wrong?" She was confused about his stare at her.
"Do you like him?" Vijay asked.