That day was a busy one for everyone. They had to finish their work and attend the retirement party cum welcome party. The last board meeting left a sour taste in a few mouths. They thought one thing, but something else happened. The power dynamic shifted and not all were happy with it. Everyone wanted their clan to win but humans won.
Baraion was furious as Talindra won. She was now the owner of a 22% share of RMS while he had only 20%. She betrayed him, she left him, she humiliated him, and now she was winning which was more humiliating. He could not let her win. No one breaks the heart of a vampire that too a Dracul and lives to tell the tale.
He needed to teach her a lesson. He needed to get the upper hand. He had to show her that he was happy. He had to show her that her win had no impact on him. He decided to go to the party with girls in his arms to make her jealous. He decided to show off his wealth to make her jealous.
Was she coming with her boyfriends too, thought Baraion. She was away from everyone for a long time. Did she have a boyfriend or was she married? No, if she had married, it would be a big news. Then again, Drelduin and Edhelriel would do whatever she asked them to. Were they hiding Talindra's boyfriend or husband? He wanted to rip out the throat of her man. But why was he getting so worked up? He didn't want to think about her but only her thoughts occupied his mind.
On the other hand, Galhad and Airaj were happy but for different reasons. Galhad was happy as his daughter would come back after years and let him apologise for what he did, or rather what he did not do. He failed to protect her and Talindra hated him. It had been five years and in those five years, she only talked to him like 10 or 15 times, only when it was related to business. The last she talked to him was yesterday when he told her about her win.
Airaj was happy to receive a fat cheque. He duped a lot of people with their money. He promised each and every one that they would win but he went with Talindra who paid him the most. He retired rich. Moreover, his niece was set for life as she was promised an internship in VRIK, Boucherlow Island branch.
Drelduin had no time to think about what happened in the board room as he was looking after the final touches of the party along with Edhelriel. Champagne and edible blood were ordered, and food orders were placed in abundance. The decoration was on point. All the invites were sent. Nothing remained to be done except to receive the guests. But they were waiting for the guest of honour, Talindra.
Talindra was on a plane on her way to Dainava. She won yet she lost. She won but didn't want to go back to Dainava. It was the place that broke her heart. It was the place that turned her best day into the worst. It was the place that gave her a lifetime of pain. More than Dainava, she hated her dad and more than her dad, she hated Baraion. In short, she hated all the men in her life except Drelduin. He was the only one she talked to every day. He was the only one who knew every secret, every achievement, every failure, every trauma of her life.
The afternoon arrived and Talindra's plane landed. She had called her driver and her bodyguards who came to receive her. She came out of the airport and with a loud sigh looked at the sun. It was shining on her as if everything was the same. But she knew how different everything was. How she was forced to flee after a huge heartbreak and now she was back to take revenge. And she had already taken the first step. The battle was won, she was waiting for the war.
No matter what would happen, she was going to win. She would conquer all her enemies and be victorious. A sweet, charming girl was now turned into a stone-hearted person, and she had to instil fear in everyone's heart.
"Welcome, ma'am."
"Thank you. Take me home," she said indifferently.
"The name suits her, SH," said a bodyguard.
"Yeah, so much attitude, just because she is an heiress, just because she has money, just because she is Drelduin's sister, alpha's sister," said a second bodyguard.
"Neither her sister nor her brother is so cold-hearted," commented a third one.
"Let it be, we are getting paid a lot to be her bodyguard, and she treats us fine. Who cares if she talks to us or not," pointed out the first one.
They went and sat in a second car that was supposed to follow Talindra's car. No one was allowed to sit with her in a small compact space. Talindra went and sat in her car where she found her old, loyal driver, Opal. He was a man in his late fifties, married and had been driving Talindra around since she was a kid. All the windows were down even in the city's pollution and the heat. She refused to sit in a car with closed windows. She hated closed spaces.
She let out a soft exhale and calmed herself after chill after chill kept creeping down her spine. She didn't like being back in Dainava. All the memories started flooding in. How she was abused, how she was betrayed, how she had to run away, everything was fresh in her mind.
She was brought back to her senses by her driver. "You have grown so much," commented Opal and started the car.
"Hah," she scoffed. "I am the same, Opal uncle," she slightly bowed her head to show him respect.
"How are you, Ma'am?" smiled Opal. The whole world was afraid of her but not Opal. He had been with her since her childhood. He had seen how sweet and kind she was.
"Don't call me ma'am. I am still Talindra and I am fine, how are you? And how are the kids?"
"Everything is fine. Nava is working in an MNC and got married last year. Khalsi is in college. And all thanks to you," said Opal with gratitude and kept looking at her in his rearview mirror.
"Oh, please. I did nothing," she replied.
"No, you got him a job. You asked Drelduin sir to give my daughter admission in his college," Opal showed his appreciativeness.