-• vengeance •-

Walking into Yuvraaj's office is like entering a minefield. You don't know what step you take will be your last. That's exactly how it feels. So imagine my surprise when I walk into his office and he rushes over to me looking worried sick.

His first words to me aren't, "What's the meaning of this?" Or "You know the consequences," but rather "Are you okay? Did he do anything? He didn't harm you right? Tell me if he touched you the wrong way and I'll make sure he never sees the light of the day."

I simply shake my head, too flabbergasted to say anything.

He releases a deep breath and backs up, raking a hand through his wildly unkempt hair. This is the first time I've seen him so disheveled, from his shirt that's half untucked to his sleeves being messily rolled up, revealing the hint of the dark lines crawling up his arms like the prominent veins.

"What are you doing, Taranya?" He finally looks at me, disappointment shining through his tone.

"Wh- What did I do?"

"What did you do?" He seethes, practically growling in rage. I step back in fear, my hands curling into fists by my side. "You willingly tampered with a patient's life, that's what you did!"

I flinch hard at his tone.

Why was I at the receiving end of his anger when it was the guy he intends to keep a secret that literally forced me to obey? I was just doing what I was told.

"He- He said it's safe. And that- and that I'm helping Shourya." I murmur weakly.

"And you believed him?" He looks at me in disbelief.

My blood runs cold at his insinuation. "Wait. What do you mean? Did he lie to me?"

Yuvraaj turns around looking exasperated. I wait impatiently as he leans against the window and inhales a few sharp breaths before facing me again. "That's not the point, Tara. You believing a random stranger is."

"He said you both know each other!" I snap back, frustrated with him painting me as the stupid one. Why else would I even listen to that monster if not for my brother having some sort of connection with him!? That's what gave me confidence to go along with this whole fucked up plan. "And don't you, Bhai? Wasn't it you who told me to keep him a secret!?"

"Just because we know each other doesn't mean we're friends! You don't know the whole situation!"

"Then what was I supposed to do!?" I scream.

"You should have said no!"

"Your logic is fucked up!" I argue breathlessly. "You're telling me not to trust him and then suggesting I should have said no to him! He was scary! He hacked into my phone, knew I was there, dragged me into some random room then proceeded to scare the shit out of me for the next two hours, tapped into my conversation with my friend, blackmailed me to not cross him, threatened me with messages, and practically forced me to go along with his plan! What was I supposed to do!?" I burst out.

"You should have called me," he still goes on.

"I did. I tried to call you." I whisper, tears rolling down my eyes so fast I can't even see him properly. "But as I said before," I grit out. "He hacked into my phone. And when I tried to call you, he turned it off, before turning it back on only to threaten me through text messages." I explain in a calm voice, completely opposite to what I was feeling from within.

Yuvraaj loses his temper so fast I don't even have a chance to react before he's turning around and punching the wall. I step back hurriedly, my hands flying to my mouth in shock.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him," he grips the table to the point his knuckles turn white. "How dare he involves you into this! How fucking dare he!?" And then he flips it over.

Scared to my core, I whirl around to scurry out of the room when the door opens and Yuvaan barges in, his dark eyes taking in the scene in front of him before he grabs my hand and yanks me behind him. I grip the back of his shirt, trembling in my boots as I hear my eldest brother taking deep breaths to calm himself. I've never seen such extreme form of violence right in front of my eyes. Maybe on the screen, but never in real life. It made me realise how sheltered my life had been before they came.

"What the hell, Bhai!?" Yuvaan demands roughly.

Yuvraaj stands straight and reaches to fix the lamp. It pitifully falls back to the floor so he gives up.

"What happened?"

Yuvraaj shakes his head. "Nothing. We had a fall out over something. It's insignificant."

"It's not if you resorted to this," Yuvaan points to the mess on the floor.

"I said it's nothing." Yuvraaj glares at him. "Go."

Yuvaan sighs in defeat and turns around. I make sure I don't come in the sight of my eldest brother as I step closer to Yuvaan, almost hiding into his chest. He wraps an around my shaking shoulders and makes a move to lead me out of the room.

"Not you, Tara." Yuvraaj speaks up, suspending me from moving any further. I look up at Yuvaan, begging him with my eyes to not leave me alone.

He heeds to my words and turns around. "It's better if you both speak later, Bhai. You're not in the right state of mind to proceed calmly and she's petrified."

Yuvraaj lifts his gaze to look at us. "You know I'd never hurt her,"

Yuvaan nods. "I do. But now is not the right time to talk."

"It's me who decides that," Yuvraaj says curtly. "Leave without her." He nods to the door.

"Bhai-"

"Don't argue."

Yuvaan exhales exasperatedly and turns around to face me. I see the defeat written right across his face. Honestly, I didn't think he'd last this long. But I'm glad he stood up for me at least. His face falls when I nod at him in understanding and step aside to let him go. He looks slightly embarrassed, probably for being subjugated by his brother so quickly when he was not in the wrong, yet walks off helplessly and closes the door behind him.

I stand in my place fiddling with my watch.

"What else did he say?"

"That he's not above teaching me a lesson or two so I learn not to cross him," I answer.

Visibly, Yuvraaj grows even more furious. His hands curl in fists and tremble in barely controlled rage. I take another step back to be out of his radar if he pops like a burning volcano once again.

"Did he get physical with you?" He looks at me with bloodshot eyes.

My thoughts run back to how the guy intimidated me with his overpowering stature and then flung me around like a rag doll when I tried to escape. "As in violently or intimately?"

"Both," he grits out.

"He was slightly violent. But nothing to the point that would hurt me." I reply. "And intimately he didn't look interested in me."

Yuvraaj places one hand on his hips as he rakes the other through his tousled hair. After a few seconds of trying to calm down, he starts to fix the appearance of the room. I initiate to help him but he raises his hand, pausing me right in the place. "I'll do it. Just stand back so you don't hurt yourself."

I nod and plaster myself to the doorframe, prepared to book it if he looses his shit again.

He flips over the desk, stacks the papers and magazines properly in their places, arranges the chair, throws the broken into the dustbin, picks up the glass of the monitor, vacuums whole place and opens the window wider to let the sunlight in.

"Come over, sit there," he refers to the couch near the shelf. I walk in and sit down, tapping my feet nervously, not really prepared to find out where the conversation from here will go but equally curious. He then steps behind the adjacent sofa chair and leans in, his bruised knuckles clutching the head of the chair tightly as he looks at me keenly. I've hard time looking away from his hands. The cuts looks painful and I really have this strong urge to treat them before we carry on. "If this happens again and you feel cornered," I meet his eyes. "Don't ever get scared of him, okay? In that moment, you may feel like he has power but no, he doesn't. You do. Because I'm on your side."

"Are you two not a team?"

He lets out a scoff.

This is the first time I've seen Yuvraaj go through a series of emotions. They may belong to the same spectrum, all negative, but it was fascinating as much as it was frightening.

"Not after he dragged you into this,"

I frown at his vague words. "Just tell me I didn't harm Shourya."

He shakes his head. "You didn't."

I sigh in relief.

"I don't know what's going on and while I'm curious, I also know you're not letting me into it. So do me a favor and keep me out of this." I tell him in a clipped tone.

He walks around and settles on the sofa chair. "Taranya, I'm not happy about this either."

"I know. I saw it." I shrug.

"This will never happen again. I promise you. And if he ever approaches you in the future, tell me. Let me know. I've power over him. I can subdue him."

I scrutinize his face, considering his words, comparing them to the memories of that night and trying to see if it's really true. Because the way that guy handled me, treated me, talked to me, he didn't look like he feared anyone.

"He didn't look like he cared," I say in response to his words. "Can I at least know who he is?" I ask him, my voice uneasy.

Yuvraaj looks at me and for a moment I feel like he considers telling me but then shakes his head, looking resolute of his decision. "Just stay away from him."

"I'm not the one who goes seeking him out," I counter. "What does he want anyway?"

"Vengeance," Yuvraaj answers, looking straight at me. "I don't blame him." He looks away. "Anyone in his place would want the same."

"Why?"

"You're not getting anything else out of me." He leans back on the chair. "I indulged you because I owe you that much. If you happen to meet him again, I need to know the very next second. Don't trust him, Tara. Don't be afraid of him. Just cut him off like a bad memory, put it behind you and never bring this up again. I'll make sure he knows you're not worth losing my support. That'll stop him from playing these stupid games with you."

I look down at my feet, trying to make sense of his words. He says the guy's dangerous, but he's still supporting him? I thought after knowing what the man did to me, he'll turn him in, expose him and put him in the jail. Isn't that what normal people do?

And vengeance? What kind of vengeance? What does Yuvraaj have to do with any of that? Why is he the one helping that man? Why does no one else know about this? And why am I the only one to get involved in this?

My head feels exhausted with so many questions popping up one after another.

"Give me your phone," he stretches his hand forward.

Reluctantly, I reach out to my pocket and fish it out, placing it gently in his hand. My eyes turn wide in shock when he snaps it in two without a flinch.

"Bhai!"

"Relax, Princess," he mumbles tossing the phone on the table. "I'll get you a new one. With stronger security that'll be impossible to breach." He tames my growing annoyance and I sit back half-heartedly. "You can go now."

I nod and get up from the couch.

"And Taranya," I look over my shoulder. "I apologise for catching you off-guard with my outburst. You must have been overwhelmed."

Yeah, hearing you swear like a train was definitely not in my wishlist.

"It's okay," I whisper and turn to leave, but a certain thought stops me from moving forward. "Uhm, Bhai," he looks up from the floor, his eyes meeting mine. "Don't forget to get the injuries treated." His brows shoot up and he looks down at his knuckles, clenching and unclenching them, all with a composed face, not a wrinkle giving out to hint at the pain or discomfort.

"Yeah," he replies blankly, definitely not looking forward to waste his time in treating the petty injuries. I sigh in defeat and take my leave.

Yuvaan's presence in the corridor takes me aback. "You're still here?"

He casually straightens up from the wall and shrugs, his hands shoved deep inside the pockets. "I didn't want to leave you alone."

I resist from smiling broadly. "I'm fine."

"I can see that. Bye then," and he turns to leave.

So unemphatic. I roll my eyes and jog up to him, linking my arm with his as my eyes go up to meet his surprised ones. "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to my art room." He looks back to the front.

"Can I come along?" I tilt my head to the side.

"No."

"I'll take that as a yes." I chirp.

He sighs but doesn't say anything. We climb the stairs to the second floor and walk to the west of the floor. I open the door first while he follows from behind. Perry greets him right at the entrance as I venture in.

"I saw the sculpture you made at Rajawat Estate," I turn around, clasping my hands together.

He hums, his attention on Perry.

"It was beautiful. I loved it!" I compliment earnestly.

Yuvaan nods.

"I like someone,"

Yuvaan finally looks up, giving me all of his attention.

I chuckle. "Remember how you tricked me to come to your art room the first time? I thought you're about to lend me your painting supplies."

"I don't paint." He frowns. "Who's the guy you like?"

"But Agastya said you do everything that's art."

Yuvaan snorts. "No, I don't. I don't dance, or do music, or sing. Who's the guy you like?"

"But-"

"Tara!"

"No one!" I respond. "I just wanted your attention." I admit in embarrassment. "I'm leaving." I huff and walk out of the room past him.

On my way, I bump into Agastya. He has his hands locked on his back as he eyes me mischievously. "What?"

"Look up," he says and I crane my head, only to have a water balloon burst right all over my face.

I gasp and stumble back, wiping the water from my face while coughing and struggling to breath after I snorted it into the wind pipe through my nose. "Agastya!"

I hear him holler aloud with his head thrown back.

"You asshole! What is wrong with you!?" I glower at him, my eyes impossibly itchy.

"You have the face of a victim. I couldn't help it." He laughs.

"Oh, you're going to regret this!" I growl and charge after him. He clambers down the stairs, a laughing mess, unbothered about the house staff watching us. I don't give a fuck either, determined to hunt the asshole down and give him a taste of his own medicine.

We bump into Vivaan and he hides behind the lean man.

"Wh- What's going on?" Vivaan asks, looking dumbfounded with all the commotion.

"What's going on here?" That's Dad, walking into the living room after Vivaan.

"This man is infuriating!" I stab my finger in his direction as he grins at me from over Vivaan's shoulder. "Look what he did!" I point to my drenched body.

Ayush and Arush stop playing the video game because they find us more entertaining.

"Agastya," Vivaan sighs in disappointment and glances at the mentioned

"She was asking for it when she looked up!" He exclaims. "Like who does that!?"

"Apparently some stupid people," Arush comments.

"Did you finish your maths homework, Arush? Or is your ruler still missing the measurements?" I ask him sarcastically.

Arush flips me off.

I roll my eyes and focus on Agastya. "It's only fair if I get to do it to him."

"No!" Agastya denies.

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" I snap.

"I'm the subject of discussion!"

"Very smart,"

"At least I know my phrases right," he mocks back.

"That was just one time!" I groan.

"And years worth of humiliation. How do you survive with that brain?"

"Like you do with that one struggling brain cell!"

"At least mine are struggling. Yours are already dead!"

"For me to even stand here and argue with someone like you is a big deal. So I think I'm doing better than you." I retort.

"What do you mean by someone like me!?" He pushes Vivaan aside and steps forward.

I react fast and snatch the water balloon from his hand, holding him by his collar as I smash it on top of his head. Some of it spills on me but that's not the problem. I feel like I won a war when I step back and take in my art. A true masterpiece.

"Someone like you," I wag my finger up and down his body, a victorious smirk on my face.

Agastya pants like a wild animal and when he looks up, my smirk drops.

"Run, little sis," Ayush advises.

"But it's not fair!" I wail as I make a run for it. Agastya chases me like a savage wolf, dead set on his target. We pass several corridors and take different turns, finally ending up in the back garden where I accidently step on a hose and slip backward. Agastya tosses his wet hair back and stalks forward, pausing when I pick up the hose and point at him. "Let's call it even." I pant harshly, internally grateful to the man in front of me for taking me to run with him every morning. I wouldn't have lasted so long without the accelerated stamina.

"Put it down and come to me on your own," Agastya puts forth the ultimatum.

"You started it. I just got even." I try to justify.

"Don't make excuses."

"Don't give up, Tara!" I hear Ayush scream and throw a side glance, spotting Dad, Vivaan and the twins on the verandah, watching us with interest. My eyes snap back to Agastya, and I hold the hose tighter.

"Tara, put it down and come to me on your own."

I shake my head, clumsily getting on my feet as I raise the hose.

The moment he storms forward, I kick up the water pressure with my thumb and point it at him. He manages to reach me through the water shower, and twists the hose to my face as he grabs me in a headlock. I gasp for air, scratching at his chest to let me go. When he does, I turn around while he keeps spraying the water on me. I bend over and scoop the mud from the plant, throwing it aimlessly behind me, hoping it hits him.

Surprisingly, Ayush joins me and we manage to outwit the older. Well, that is until, the other twin teams up with Agastya and then it's a water and mud fight between four of us.

By the end of it all, none of us win, but all of us look worse than toddlers. I feel the taste of the mud in my mouth and wipe my tongue to the back of my hand, forgetting my hand is more covered in mud than my tongue. I spit it out and push my hair back with my arms, dusting off as much as I can from my clothes.

The remaining three are nothing different. But Ayush looks worse than everyone else.

"You look like a pig," Arush chuckles.

"Ha ha ha, as if you look any different. We all look like pigs." Arush remarks.

"Yeah, but you look the dirtiest of all."

Agastya and I snicker at the face Ayush makes.

"Tara, don't laugh! We're a team!" Ayush tries not to smile as he looks at me feigning disappointment.

"Yeah, but you really look like you took the worst hit."

"And didn't win," Agastya snorts.

"For the fallen soldier," Arush mocks a salute.

That has me bending over in laughter.

"Alright, kids, back inside c'mon! Enough of playing around." I hear Vivaan call out from the verandah where Dad and him have settled themselves on the swing.

"God, I'm hungry as fuck," Agastya grunts as we start walking towards the palace.

"What's for lunch today?" I ask no one in particular.

Ayush shrug, shivering slightly.

"What is this?" A familiar voice resonates and the four of us freeze in place before we can step on the shiny white marble of the verandah. "Why are the heirs of Chauhan family looking worse than dirty drenched rats!?"

"They were just playing around," Vivaan tries to pacify him.

"Like this?" Yuvraaj points at us. "Go back to where you came from." He commands and we retreat. "Stand in a line," we obey.

Unexpectedly, Yuvraaj picks up the running hose, stiffening the four of us.

"Yuvraaj, they are already shivering." Dad says from the verandah.

"They're not stepping inside the palace with those dirty feet." He states. "You either clean the floor afterwards or clean yourself and save the manual work. Choice is yours."

We four glance at each other.

"Whoever wants to go first, step forward." He instructs.

My three brothers step back, leaving me alone on the front-line. I look at them in disbelief.

"You didn't watch Dhamaal?" Agastya questions innocently.

Before I can ask what that is, cold water lunges at me with the force that has me gasping for air.

If anyone hasn't watched Dhamaal yet, what are you even doing with your life?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.