55| Game of seduction.
"Mrs. Aaina oberoi?" Tara murmurs with curiosity, turning toward aashika who's driving "Why does no one talk about her in the family? There's not even a single photo of hers in the palace? And why did suic-"
"You should avoid speaking when you don't know the things" Aashika cuts her off "She didn't do suicide."
"Then-?" Tara spits, without pausing for a moment.
Silence follows. Aashika doesn't look back at her. Her focus is on driving, or maybe she's hiding the burn of the scars she's carrying for years.
Tara's brow twists in suspicion. But she doesn't push, knowing Aashika is not willing to talk about this thing or it might trigger her.
"Sometimes, the more we try to understand others, the more we end up losing ourselves." Aashika's eyes shift to her, face achingly calm "And I don't want my brother's love to get into this mess."
'My brother's love'.
Tara was never expecting such words from her-Should she call Aashika a hypocrite for being mysteriously gentle one moment and so coldly deceptive the other?
She exhales and turns toward the window, letting the cool air touch her face as she mutters in her breath "Both siblings are weirdo."
Hearing this, a small smile forms over Aashika's lips.
At the center of the courtyard, a man is lying. And he is no one but Volkov Bratva, the pakhan of Russia's leading mafia organisation 'Bratva'. And who was plotting against aayansh since the day aayansh conquered Russia, thinking him planning a war would make the king back off from his territory.
And yet?
He's ending up here. Shuddering but Alive, Conscious but entirely unaware what's going to happen with him in the coming few seconds.
Men donning in black stands there quietly, their eyes glued to the floor. But their breath hitches the moment they hear footsteps heading inside. None of them lift their heads and Volkov? He whimpers. Begs silently to get off from here somehow.
No one moves, as if they've forgotten to breathe.
The one who has entered the courtyard is Aayansh. Cladding in a black jacket, pants, hair not perfectly settled, face as usual calm and cold-He's looking like death himself.
Aayansh sits on a dark leather chair in front, unbothered when Volkov stutters "Let- let me go, Russia is already y-yours?" Sweat drips down his forehead, terror seeping into his every nerve. He writhes on the floor like an insect, crawling to save his life.
Aayansh doesn't spare a glance toward him. Unaffected, he presses a cigar between his lips, dragging slow hits. A dark and deadly aura surrounding him.
"Boss, they're here" One of his men informs in a low, almost trembling voice, aayansh doesn't react.
Then comes two shadows, moving across the hallway slowly, sharply like predators. Their golden eyes are cold, glowing in the dim light like a lethal warning. They don't growl, they don't roar, just their arrival makes the breath stick of the men present here.
Twin panthers. Ruthlessly trained, who knows when to rip the flesh, and when to move like a shadow, waiting, watching. Then Hunting.
Seeing them, Volkov? He whimpers, but doesn't dare to move as he's aware he would make his suffering worse with this.
"Boss, they're professionally trained panthers" The same man says, motioning toward the beasts moving like a silent death. "Trustworthy, sharp and lethal." He commands them to stop at their place.
Aayansh crushes the cigar aside and tilts his head toward the panthers standing a few steps away from him, their focus is now on Him.
Unblinking. He stares into their predatory eyes for a moment. His dark blue eyes are calm, cold and lethal as if he's scrutinizing something within them. His own gaze is more like a predator living in the skin of humans.
A few seconds of silence.
And the other moment, the beast bows their heads in submission. As if they know who owns the darkness they're living in the skin of.
A sadistic grin spreads across aayansh's lips.
"Let's take a loyalty test" He mutters in a dangerous tone, eyes shifting from the panthers to Volkov who's thrashing. He rises up from the chair, letting out a small crack on his neck as he heads toward Volkov, making him tremble and crawl backwards.
The low, terrifying roars of the panthers echo. They're starving for flesh, for blood and foremost... They're starving to hunt.
And Aayansh knows it.
He grabs a dagger, and staring at the sharp blade, his evil smirk deepens. Volkov freezes, cornered between the starving beasts and Aayansh, a predator himself.
"Pl-please le-ave me" Volkov begs, shuddering "Have m-mercy please."
He instructs his men to unchain the panthers.
Aayansh rests his one foot on the chair kept near Volkov. "My panthers are hungry, Volkov. They need food and I want entertainment" He tilts his head, watching him calmly, his expressions darkening as he adds "And you are 'Both' for us."
Volkov begs, thrashes more impulsively.
And the second Volkov tries to get up, Aayansh plunges the dagger into his mouth, dragging him down back on the floor and tearing his throat off as in a terrifying voice, he mouths "I-hate-disobedience."
Volkov whimpers with unbearable pain, his blood splattering on Aayansh's face, pooling down from Volkov's own body. With both his hands, he tries to free himself. But nothing helps.
Aayansh pushes the dagger deeper in his throat, dragging it downward as he starts tearing Volkov's body like a piece of clothing, making him suffer every bit of the pain.
He rips his oxygen pipe apart, then his chest-slashing his heart into two pieces. Blood flooding down his body with an unhinged pace.
He is dead.
Aayansh wouldn't have killed him this easily, but he infuriated him.
He pulls the dagger out from his body and turns toward the panthers who are waiting like hungry monsters, he doesn't glance at them, just a silent command and they rush to Volkov's torn body.
The men present here shivers, cold sweat tickling down their bowed foreheads.
Aayansh stares at the panthers who are ripping Volkov's already shredded organs with hunger. The floor has turned the whole crimson, Volkov's organs spreading here and there like trash.
Just a few moments-
Blood oozing down panthers' mouths, they roar terrifyingly. And volkov? Just a few tiny pieces of his body are left, blood pooling across the floor.
Aayansh who's himself drenched in blood, with a handkerchief, cleans the crimson from his face, commanding his men in a cold tone "Send these pieces to his other 'Bratva' Brothers."
"Got it, Boss," they acknowledge.
The second aayansh heads out, the men present here exhale the breath they were holding since he stepped in.
Outside, Aayansh is standing leaning against his car's bonnet, staring up at the dark sky as he's smoking. Something is going on in his mind, something only he knows.
His phone rings. Without glancing at the screen, he picks the call and Arsh's voice crackles from the other end, "First you killed Volkov and now you're sending his body to the other Bratva Brothers? What on earth are you planning?"
"Planning is not my thing, Brother-in-law," Aayansh answers, exhaling the smoke in the air "They all knew they'd be hunted from the moment they stepped into my territory."
"And now they're just waiting to be hunted." He adds, and disconnects.
His eyes are still in the dark sky, expressions as lethal as death.
-AFTER AROUND ONE AND A HALF HOUR-
The snow is falling gently outside, the warmth of the fireplace settling in the room.
Aayansh steps out of the closet, wearing casual black trousers. His wet hair messed up his forehead, water drops glistening from his bare chest.
He sits on the sofa and reaches for the remote to turn on the large screen stretching across the front wall. Each angle of their floor appears. Bedroom, pool area, study, lawn etc.
But Tara is nowhere in sight.
Aayansh takes a slow sip of whisky from the glass. Unaffected, his eyes glued to the screen. And then?
From the balcony, Tara enters the frame- laced in a black lingerie beneath a sheer net shrug. Her curls fall free around her shoulders, a soft smudge of kajal framing her big eyes... And she's looking breathtaking.
Aayansh's gaze scans her from head to toe, a sinful smirk curving his lips as he leans back on the sofa, staring at her with an intensity that can make hearts stutter.
She walks to the boudoir table lazily, he watches her movements calmly as he takes another sip of whisky.
"Alexa, what should I do when I'm feeling horny and my husband is not with me?" She questions, brushing her hair gently.
To remark, she's ovulating.
"Oh yeah? In that case, you can pleasure yourself, princess. Use your fingers or should I-"
Aayansh's eyes darken, as he tilts his head, staring at Tara the same way.
"Ewww, No way." Tara snaps, making a disgusted face, Alexa apologizes.
"Okay what should I do when I'm missing him so much? I'm craving to hug him, kiss him and sleep in his arms?" She presses again.
"I can't help you here, I apologize" The robotic voice resounds and she lets out a sigh.
She gets her phone from the rack, scrolling through the contacts, her fingers fumble over the number saved as 'Horny Oberoi'.
Eyes fixed on the screen, Aayansh picks the call and Tara blurts out "I want to see you, Aayansh. It's been three days."
(Use the song "Dil mein chhupa lunga" as Bg)
"You will see me, very soon" He says, his voice is slow and deliberate as he ogles at her beautiful face "Very close."
Her cheeks turn rosy, biting her inner cheeks as she murmurs "You know how am I looking at this moment? I've-"
"So Fucking Ruinable" He cuts her off, his gaze sweeping the entirety of her delicate frame with a burning intensity.
Not with lust, but mesmerized with the way she appears so undone and flushed in that fragile black fabric.
Tara blushes, but then she realises something and her eyes flick wide. She stands up on the bed in urgency, hissing like a child "What the- You can see me?! This is wrong Aayansh, i want to see you too."
An evil smirk tugs at his lips, watching her desperate as he answers "I can see you because I want to, and you can't because I love watching my wife crave me like this."
His words fuel her frustration.
"I hate you" She snaps.
"Let these words touch your tongue again and I'll fuck this hate out of your soul-" He pauses, voice dropping to menacing whisper "until you pass out screaming the opposite of it."
Her cheeks burn, lashes fluttering in hesitation and bewilderment. She stays quiet, what can she even say?
Tara shouldn't blush, but can't help. She's just a girl who's ovulating and has no control on her hormones for now.
"Are we clear-" Aayansh presses, noticing her gestures, his voice husky and demanding "Wife?"
Tara blinks awake into her senses, fingers instinctively fixing her hair as her eyes scan the room, trying to guess from which angle he's watching her.
"Yes" She says, then an idea blooms in her 'not so cunning' brain. Her expressions shift, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face.
She's still standing on the bed.
With seductive ease, she removes the shrug from her body, slowly and gracefully, leaving herself just in a black lingerie.
Aayansh's eyes don't shift to her body, not yet, he's still ogling at her facial expressions. A dark smirk working on his lips, watching her doing exactly what he wanted as he takes another sip of whisky.
The intoxication rising within him is not of the alcohol, but it's her intoxicated eyes, her seduction.
She tosses the shrug aside, eyes narrowing as she mouths "Losing control, are we, husband?"
Aayansh's eyes drop to her almost bare chest and neck, staring at his 'art' all over her soft flesh.
With every inch of her body-Her neck, chest and stomach is marked with hickeys which have turned purple, especially the bruise just above her left breast, dark and deliberate.
"Look at yourself, Amour" He whispers intensely, eyes shifting to hers "I've tasted every bit of you, you are so full of me."
Tara hesitates for a beat, then she glances down at her own self, tracing the bruises he had left on every inch of her.
Heat rushes to her cheeks, embarrassment hitting her out of nowhere. She quickly reaches for the blanket and covers her chest, mumbling "This... this is because you always eat me like a hungry animal."
A dark yet unreadable ache gleams through his eyes, as if they're saying 'His hunger for Her has no limits, he can consume her whole and still die a starving man'.
Tara yanks the blanket up, busy hiding the marks.
"You can hide them" Aayansh croons intensely, "But you can never erase them."
She lifts her head up, joining her brows together "What?"
"Mere Nishan" He murmurs, voice low and intense. Sinful.
Her heart flutters, lips parting slightly.
She drops on the bed, eyes filled with irritation "I'm craving for your arms, Aayansh."
His mouth curves evilly, teasing "But your core is craving for something else."
Her eyes get narrow, emotions mixing.
"I'm sleeping-" she slurs in a sleepy voice, "Good night."
With a hungry gaze, Aayansh stares at her who's lying in the bed lazily, already drowned in sleep like a tiny thing.
"Just two more days, then no one will be able to save you from me." He murmurs, dark eyes still glued to the screen.
Wind howls outside the chopper, but inside, silence reigns.
Arsh is sitting on a black leather seat, draped in a crisp white shirt under the overcoat and pants.
His one arm resting over the backrest, face unreadable and sharp and his focus is not on the oymyakan's city lights beneath, but something else.
Luca, Aariv and Braden are also there with him.
"Boss, why did king leave the other Bratva Brothers alive?" Aariv fills in, turning towards arsh "He could've killed them with Volkov and end this then and there only?"
"Something is going on in his mind, Aariv" Arsh answers, his voice thick with anticipation "This game is not of power anymore, it has turned lethal."
"But I don't have the energy to fight, Boss," Luca mumbles, feasting on a burger. Aariv and Braden shoot him a stabbing glance and he grins, "I meant I have fought death three times before, if I died this time, my bloodline will end with me. At least let me marry and have kid-"
"Bhai tu chupchap khaa na." Aariv snaps, Braden and Luca stare at him with confusion, trying to understand what he just said in Hindi.
A crooked smile curls Aariv's lips, as he throws some hindi curses on their faces "Gadhe. Suar ki aulaad dono ke dono. Nikamme, Jaahil-"
"Wait, Boss" Braden interrupts, "let me turn my translator on." While luca smiles innocently, thinking Aariv is praising him.
"No need" Aariv hinders Braden with the same smile, "My words reached your heart, that's enough for me."
Braden nods, while arsh is staring outside with a calm face.
Just as the sky begins to bruise deeper into dusk, another chopper slices through the air. Darker, sleeker and with loud roaring waves. The destination is the same... Oymyakan.
This is Aayansh's Chopper.
But the calm above the clouds doesn't last long.
Three more aircraft break through the fog, circling around the sky like vultures.
And clearly-they aren't here for a greeting-they're here for blood.
Whose blood?
We'll see.
Arsh's chopper is ahead. The three other aircraft hovering around the sky with a planned precision. Aayansh's chopper is in the middle.
Gun fire bursts from one side, jerking arsh's chopper left. Some more bullets graze the tail and the pilot panics.
"Another death chase?" Luca blurts out, tension coiling within him.
Aariv Braden brings their guns up right away.
Arsh gets up in urgency, pressing in a firm tone "This time, we're chasing Death."
He stares outside through a tinted glass, eyes narrowing. The First aircraft is shooting at his chopper, clearly trying to remove him from the sky.
Encircling Aayansh's chopper, the other two aircraft lock it between them. But they don't shoot, not yet.
Here, Arsh commands his pilot to take the chopper lower, the pilot follows. Dipping the cold silhouette down, the aircraft attacking them also shifts downwards and pouring bullets at their chopper from up.
"Boss, we don't have many bullets." Aariv breaks out, checking the pistols available with them.
Arsh stares up at the sky hunter, eyes firm and darkening as he orders "Shoot at the fuel tank, Everyone" He cocks a finger toward the direction.
Luca, aariv Braden follows, lurching down to save themselves as they shove all the bullets of their pistols to the fuel tank of the attacking steel predator.
After facing a heavy fire in the tank beneath, the attacking aircraft jerks violently, loses control and veers off course. It spirals downwards, nearly crashing.
Backwards, the other two aircraft are waiting for the king to appear. In each of those two aircrafts, sits the ones who are commanding all this-Volkov's Brother and sister?-Zayir Volkov and Zarya Volkov. Aiming both for revenge and preserving power in Russia after their Brother's sacrifice.
But wait, there's a twist!
In the left aircraft, Zarya is staring at Aayansh's chopper with confusion. Why didn't he react to the attack? No response.
But who's gonna tell her Aayansh is not in that chopper? He was never there.
But he's in one of her own attacking aircrafts- the right aircraft?-where her brother was supposed to be.
Her Brother is also there, dead.
In the right aircraft, Aayansh is sitting on the leather seat like a king, with Zayir Volkov's body beneath his foot as he enjoys the cat fight just pulled above.
Getting no response, Zarya grits her teeth with frustration and orders the snipers to shove Aayansh's chopper with bullets. They follow, firing at the chopper until it bursts into multiple pieces engraved in flames.
But who was there in that chopper?
Her own Bratva members. Some dead, some alive. Barely.
Here, when Zayir's actual two snipers steps into the passenger cabin and sees Zayir's body and Aayansh present there. Their eyes flick wide with the realisation.
But.it.is.too.late?-
They lift their gun up to shoot when in a beat, Aayansh throws a kick to one of their chest but doesn't let him fly back, instead, he throws him out of the aircraft with a push that breaks the gate away. That man? Gone.
The cool air and dust storms inside the shuddering vehicle.
The other man shoots at him. Once. Twice.
But it wouldn't be wrong if I say his target was perfect, but the man he tried to target was not.
Aayansh grabs his gun holding hand, he tries to get free when Aayansh twists his arm and breaks it. The sound of breaking bone thuds silently, Aayansh yanks him down on the seat. Too fast to let him breathe.
He shoves his pistol into that man's mouth, his eyes slightly red as he unleashes continues four bullets down his throat.
The man dies instantly, eyes wide open. Aayansh throws his body and the empty pistol aside.
The aircraft falters.
Here, Aariv, Braden and Luca have jumped off the damaged vehicle with parachutes. Arsh is still there, fearless and firm.
But enduring such force, he can sense the chopper can crash any second. He glances outside, but nothing is clear because of the clouds and dark smoke.
Then, he reaches for his phone and calls Aayansh, knowing he must be there in one of these vehicles.
Call gets picked, he doesn't wait, just throws "Where are you?"
"Not your business." Aayansh spits with a bored tone.
Arsh's chopper loses the balance, tilting downwards.
He wanted to give a shit, but as of now? He can't.
"Do whatever you want, just don't Die" He adds, trying to keep standing with the exerting pressure. Then thrashes impulsively, "I'm jumping off, the vehicle is crashing."
"Stop behaving like a pregnant woman, Brother in law." Aayansh nearly growls, "just steady yourself at first place."
And then?
An explosion.
It's a dark chamber, several men stand there quietly and some dead bodies.
Dead are the rest of the Bratva members or more precisely, Backstabbers.
"Boss, she's the only one left in Bratva" A man informs, turning toward zarya standing aside shamelessly after being destroyed.
"Should we kill he-" The man pauses with fear.
Zarya's breath catches.
Arsh, without sparing a glance toward her, shifts his gaze from the bodies to Aayansh who's sitting on his chair, his face sadistically calm as he twitches the gun within his palms.
"Leave her alive" Arsh interrupts, staring at Aayansh whose eyes are still on his gun "She's a woman."
Zarya lets out a sigh of relief.
Aayansh tilts his head, eyes dark. Glancing back at arsh, he lifts his hand toward Zarya's Direction and shoots constant three bullets into her forehead, without even turning in her direction and snatching her breath before anyone could even blink.
A shiver runs through the people present here.
"Cheaters are 'just' cheaters" He says, getting off the chair, his voice a menacing murmur.
Once I'm done with a relaxing bathing session, I step out in a black bathrobe. My damp hair falling free on my shoulders and back, a soft hue of pink coating my cheeks. After bath glow, we say.
I walk to the closet. Scanning my zone for a moment, boring. Not to lie, I can spend my entire life in his clothes, because I have no interest in my own.
I shift toward aayansh's closet space. Picking out one of his black hoodies, black again. This man has a special obsession with black, I mean yes he looks so sinfully hot in this colour, but c'mon, can he once dress like he's not attending a funeral for emotions?
No worries. Someday, I'mma fill his wardrobe with pink hoodies. And I can imagine how he's gonna look in pink.
I shake my head and slip back into the room.
I bring the hoodie close to my face, breathing in his scent lingering in the fabric. My eyes flutter shut as I feel myself wrapping in his cologne, as if I'm in his arms. Close like ever.
"Alexa, play a song for my love" I ordered, without opening my eyes.
"Here, princess" The robotic voice responds.
Jab tak hai zameen, jab tak hai aasman
Tum mere hi raho, bas itna hi armaan
I love the vibe of this song.
The quiet hum of music follows. I remove the knot of my bathrobe, letting it slide down my body as I drag Aayansh's hoodie over my bare skin, slowly, deliberately.
Tujhe baandh lun mai aanchal mein
Jaise chand rahe badal mein
I walk to the grand mirror, staring at my own reflection, his oversized hoodie swallowing my frame as if i'm being seized by him itself.
Ham jachte hain aise jaise
Saje nain kajal mein
With a smile on my face, arms wrapping around myself as I sway gently with the music. The hoodie slips slightly off my shoulder, but all I feel is heat, the heat of him.
Mehbooba, main teri mehbooba
Mehbooba, main teri mehbooba X2
My hands roam over my sides and waist, mimicking the way he holds me, the hold i'm craving.
Shuru ho rahi hain nayi manzile
Nayi zindagi ka safar
I turn slowly, letting the hem of the hoodie tease along my thighs and my hair moves with the rhythm.
Shaam utre waha chandni odh kar
Dhoop bikhri rahe jis jagah rait par
"Are you teasing me, amour?" His voice echoes within my ears and I feel a warmth hugging me.
I'm so delusional, i know.
Is jahan se pareh aa wahi ham chalen
Raat leti rahe apni chadar tale
I spin again, my smile widening and hair touching my face as I dance on the wooden floor like a key doll.
Main gudiya ban jaungi
Mere saath tum khelte rehna
Kabhi baahon mein jhoola jhulana
Kabhi dil se laga lena
The oversized hoodie swirls softly around my thighs as i stop in front of the mirror again, eyes filled with longing to see him and heartbeats quick.
Mehbooba, Main teri mehbooba
Mehbooba, Main teri mehbooba
I exhale, calming my diva self down.
I sit at the boudoir table and switch the dryer on, its hum filling the silence as I run my fingers through my damp hair.
I don't have anything special to do, recording sessions are pre-planned. And rest, Alia can handle. So I've decided to explore this palace itself, because till now, I've just seen our floor with precision.
But with the people living here, this whole place feels like it's hiding many things beneath.
Many things I need to know. Especially about Aayansh's mom, aashika is not willing to tell me anything and I'm in no mood to back off.
I get up and fix my appearance before leaving the floor. I reach the seventh floor with the lift, Aaryan and Anika Oberoi's place. I haven't seen Anika Oberoi for days, and to be honest, i don't even want to.
I avoid this place.
Riva-Rhea's and chacha-chachi's floor is of no use to me. Because the things I want to know, maybe I can get through them on Aashika's floor itself.
This is wrong, I know. But I need answers to my questions.
I press the fourth floor's button. Anticipation rises within me as I step into her bedroom directly. She's not here, and it's the best time.
I let my eyes scan around. Everything appears to be normal. There are not any such photos on the wall, i check the drawers, beneath the bedsheet, and everything possible but there is nothing.
Why do I feel like an investigator searching for non-existing proofs?
I let out a shaky breath, frustrated.
"Kya jaanna chahti ho?"
I freeze hearing these words.