Chapter Thirty-Six
Kian
“I’m happy you invited me over, Kian,” says my mother nervously, sitting across from me at a small café near my office.
“I thought a lot about everything you told me. I want to let go of the past and get to know you.”
Her face instantly brightens with hope. “Thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“I have so many questions for you.”
“Ask them, please,” she urges earnestly. “I’ll tell you everything you wish to know.”
“Where did you grow up? You said you had no one when you became pregnant with me.”
“My parents died when I was young. I went to live with my aunt and her husband. Everything was good for the first two years. Once I was fifteen, things began to go downhill. My uncle lost his high-profile job, started drinking, which turned into addiction, and he became abusive.” A sheen covers her eyes as she sinks into the turbulent memory.
“He started to take out his anger on me and my aunt. She wasn’t brave enough to leave him, scared of what society might say, and I was stuck with them.
As soon as I turned eighteen and got accepted into a decent college on a scholarship, I didn’t look back. ”
“I am sorry to hear that,” I say calmly, even as anger burns through my veins. I could never hit a woman, certainly not in rage. Men like that are scum.
Wiping a tear, she smiles, “I studied hard and focused on my career. In college, I never paid attention to boys and kept to myself. Once I began earning a steady income and had a roof over my head, I yearned for more. It’s why I fell so easily for Rakesh’s lies.
After I lost you, I couldn’t hold on to a job and fell into a deep depression.
The pain of never getting to hold you, even once, was too much for me to bear.
It took me years to cope with the loss of you.
By then, I had lost the will to build a career.
I just wanted a simple job, enough for food and rent.
I’m truly sorry for abandoning you. I wish I was braver to fight for you.
It’s the one and only regret of my life. ”
Hearing the regret and pain in her voice, the lingering anger dissipates. I reach for her frail hand. “I forgive you. I know how much power my grandfather had; you could’ve never won against him.”
She sucks in a few breaths to gather her emotions. Holding on to my hand tightly, she smiles and switches the topic. “Would you tell me about your brother? You said you used to be close to him.”
I lean back, rubbing a hand across my jaw.
“He doesn’t know the truth. He’s hated me ever since I left him.
He reached out to me a couple of times, but he was young when I was kicked out and I didn’t want to complicate his world, so I kept my distance.
I thought once he grew older, I’d explain, but there’s too much bad blood between us now. ”
“Is it because of Iris?” Her tone is careful and judgment-free. “She was engaged to him when she met you.”
“They weren’t in love. It was a marriage of convenience.”
“May I ask how my coming forward will help?”
I contemplate how much to share with her.
Then I realize that if I wish to let her in, I need to trust her.
“My grandfather left a will. Whoever gets married first will have the controlling shares in Singhania and Sons as well as a seat on the board. Nathan thinks I’m going to steal the company from him.
Making Iris mine didn’t help either. I want to eradicate his fears by telling him I’m the illegitimate son.
That he’s worrying for no reason. I want him to stop coming after Iris and my relationship. ”
My mother blinks, processing it all. Focusing on me, she says, “Would he be willing to listen to you? After I tell him my story, will he believe me?”
Our honesty won’t be enough for him. He’d think I’m tricking him. I’d probably react the same if I were in his position.
“We’re going to give him irrefutable proof.”
***
“Do you think he’ll come?” Iris asks.
I tuck her hair behind her ear. “He’ll show up.”
This conversation has been a long time coming. I’m ready to say my piece, tell my story, and after that, I’m done. I’m putting the tragic parts of my life to rest. It’s what Iris deserves. Our future won’t be tainted by treacherous secrets.
It took ten days to get the proof I needed before I invited Nathan to meet me at The Mirage on my night off. I picked my club for a reason. It’s the one place where our father will not catch wind of our meeting. He cannot know that I found my biological mother.
Not until it’s time to strike.
Again, it all depends on how tonight goes.
“You don’t have to be here if you don’t want to,” I offer to Iris, skimming my fingers up and down her thighs as she sits on my desk. Wearing a yellow-and-orange summer dress, cinched at the top with a flowy skirt, she looks stunning.
Her hair falls in rivulets to the tops of her tits, those cute bangs of hers making her look innocent and tempting.
She places her palm on mine. “I’m not going anywhere.”
My gaze flicks to my computer beside her. I watch Nathan enter the social room on the live security feed. “He’s here.”
Iris slides off my desk and stands beside me with a hand on my shoulder. Together, we watch Nathan stroll deeper inside the club and pause near the red door, which leads to the private section. The guard scans his card to let him inside.
I look up from the screen to the open doorway of my office just as he appears in it. His cold eyes lock on Iris first, concealing whether he’s shocked or not at her presence, before they flit to mine and darken.
“Invited me to flaunt your relationship in my face?”
“Have a seat,” I civilly say. I’m sick of fighting with him.
He comes forward, pushes his hand inside his pocket, but doesn’t sit. “Why am I here, Kian?”
“We’re going to talk like we should’ve done years ago.”
He freezes, his shoulders bunching rigidly. “What is there to say? You were pretty clear the last time. Stay the hell away from your woman. Yet here she is.”
“Listen to what he has to say, Nathan,” Iris speaks up in a resigned tone. “You’ve wanted an explanation for so long. Don’t you think you’ve hated him for long enough? Both of you need this. Please. Just sit.”
I expect him to lash out or walk away. What I don’t expect is for her soft words to get to him, a little bit of ice in his veins fizzling out. Betraying that their friendship was genuine. Or perhaps it’s my wishful thinking.
I squeeze Iris’s hands in thanks when Nathan lowers to the chair across from us, crossing one leg over his other knee. “Go on. Tell me why you abandoned your family, brother.”
“I was thrown out by our father.” His brows pull together, turning flabbergasted when I reveal, “I’m your half-brother, Nathan. I’m Rakesh’s illegitimate son from an affair he had with his assistant.”
Deafening silence hangs among the four walls.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Nathan rumbles. “That’s impossible. Don’t you hear how far-fetched it sounds?”
“It’s the truth. Rakesh never wasted the opportunity to remind me every single day.” Tilting my head, I say, “We might have grown up in the same house with the same family, but our upbringing was as different as day and night. Heaven and hell.”
He abruptly stands, pacing back and forth. “Dad kicked you out because…”
“Because he never wanted me,” I finish. “The only reason he raised me was because of Grandpa. As soon as I was born, Grandpa stole me from my mother and threatened her so she’d walk away. He made Dad think she left me on his doorstep.”
“You knew this and never told me?” he seethes, eyes livid. Doubt begins to swirl as he raises a hand. “How do I know you aren’t lying? What’s the proof?”
Reaching into my drawer, I take out the diary and slide it to him. “This is my mother’s diary, which Rakesh hid in my childhood room. It has the account of his affair from the beginning.”
“I accidentally found this,” admits Iris. “On the first night you took me to your place for your parents' anniversary.”
His hardened face snaps in her direction. “How convenient.”
“We’re not making this up,” argues Iris.
I pat her arm, calming her down. “I gain nothing by telling you this, Nathan. I’ve been wanting to confess for quite a while. I didn’t before because I didn’t want to taint your world with my ugly past.”
He laughs, hollow and sad.
Ignoring it, I keep going. “I am telling you this so you realize that even if I wanted to come after your legacy, I never could. As for our father bullying you or meddling in how you rule the company, this is the ace you need to make him back down. We both know he would never risk a scandal, especially not the one that tarnishes his name.”
“It’s a piece of paper, Kian,” snaps Nathan, pointing at the diary. “Even if what you’re saying is true, he’d deny it.”
Iris and I glance at each other. Taking the hint, she walks out.
“Where is she going?” demands Nathan.
I rise from my chair. Both of us turn toward the door upon hearing the two pairs of footsteps approaching us. Iris and my mother appear in the doorway. My brother frowns at the new person.
“Nathan, meet my mother, Sonya.”
His head jerks back in utter shock.
My mother steps toward him with an affectionate smile. “Hello, Nathan. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Nathan remains speechless, gaze swinging between her and me. Probably looking for similarities. Suddenly, his demeanor changes as he realizes I’m not lying.
From my desk, I pick up the white envelope and cross over to him. “This is the result of the DNA test to prove she’s my biological mother. The evidence that I am not lying. She will answer any questions you may have.”
“I’m also willing to take another test if you’re doubting we tampered with this one,” offers my mother. “Although I hope you believe your older brother.”
Nathan stares hard at the envelope for the longest moment.
Iris comes over and touches his arm until he peers at her. “Kian didn’t turn his back on you. It was all your father’s doing. You know he’s capable of doing something heinous like this.”
A torn look passes over his face as he exhales roughly. Masking it, he utters low, “I need time. This changes everything.”
“I know,” I reply, mirroring his emotion. “I never meant to hurt you, Nathan. You were the only one who mattered to me in that house.”
“You should’ve told me sooner, Kian. I could’ve handled the truth. I would’ve fought against our dad.”
“Exactly. No good would’ve come out of it. I don’t know what your relationship is like with him now, but he was proud of you back then.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Stepping back, he says, “I’m leaving.”
Without another word, he heads for the exit.
“What do we do, Kian?” Iris asks when it’s just us.
I tuck her against my side with an arm around her shoulders. “We wait.”