Fatal Attraction

Part 32

"W-what?! Missed her dose? What do you mean?" he asked, the medial edges of his eyebrows approximating.

Neerja shook her head and rubbed her forehead, letting out a puff of exasperation. "She needs anti-depressants, but I inject her with drugs that would intensify her anxiety. She missed this month's dose, and the effect of the drug faded away. She'll be back to her docile self by the next week, but you need to remain persistent if you want to win her."

Daksh's head reeled with the incredulity of Neerja's words and their implications. He almost lost his footing and stumbled backwards, only to find himself against the wall. "But why? W-why would you do that?!"

He had not expected to see the gleam of unadulterated hatred in her narrowed eyes in response to his query. Her mandibular teeth pressed against her maxillary teeth with vehemence and repulsion that made a shudder run down his spine.

"She's the thorn in the path leading to the happy ending of my romance with Vikas. Someday, her neediness and mood swings will put him off, and I'm waiting to seize that moment. When Vikas abandons her, it will provide just the opportunity you need to enter her good books," she said in a determined tone.

Daksh Malhotra did not rise the rungs of the fashion industry without the fabric of cynicism entwined with his resolve, and the maniac glint in Neerja's eyes had almost mirrored his own. His tense shoulders eased and the gears in his conniving mind turned, stretching his lips into a triumphant smirk.

"Wow! Now I get why you acted that way when we first met. You understood me, because we were in the same boat. Great!" he said, flexing his arms before pushing his palms into his pockets and confidence replaced his initial confusion.

A crease ran from the side of Neerja's nose as she mirrored Daksh's sly smirk. "Glad you understand! You get what you wanted, and so will I! Some persistence and a bit of patience will do the job!"

"Yeah! Thanks for your help, Dr. Neerja!" he said, with a slight bow of his neck before he pushed himself off the wall. Neerja acknowledged his gratitude with a blink, nod, and chuckle, and made her way towards her cabin.

Daksh's smirk deepened as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, fixing his gaze at the closed door of Neerja's cabin. He scoffed and shook his head before he turned towards the opposite wall to enter a number in his keypad from the list of contact numbers.

With long and determined strides, which had a new jump to them, Daksh smiled at the receptionist, baffling her with his rather unexpected enthusiasm, before exiting the clinic.

He walked to his black Mercedes and rang the number he had entered the keypad a few moments ago. He drummed his fingers against the warm body of the car, waiting for the receiver to answer his call.

"Hello. Maya Singh."

He had almost pressed the disconnect option after pulling the phone away from his ears when her feeble voice reverberated in the silence surrounding him. His grip on the phone tightened when he heard her address herself with the last name of the man she had declared as her savior and superior to him.

But Daksh Malhotra knew better than to fret. At least not when he toyed with the Queen piece in the rather exhausting game of chess. "You claim he loves you enough to wait for a lifetime, don't you? So naive of you, Asmita. So naive!"

Asmita's jaw clenched, and she supported her throbbing and heavy head with her free hand. "You..."

"The one who trapped you in an inextricable tangle of debt, plotted with his lover to get rid of you and find his happy ending with her. You sing the praises of his patience, but you don't know how it is just a facade, Asmita. And you know who is his lover? The therapist who could not bring you out of your misery - Dr. Neerja."

Asmita had forgotten how to blink or breathe. She sunk into her chair, but her heart had sunk right through the ground and into the bowels of the Hell. Tears pooled in her eyes and the agonizing disbelief choked her as though someone had pushed down powdered glass down her parched throat.

"Do you feel better than you usually do, Asmita? Well, that's because you missed your monthly dose of anti-depressants. And guess what your dear husband and his lover dose you with? Drugs which worsen your anxiety and intensify your vulnerability. Some love!"

The dark chuckle which followed his derisive remark made a whimper escape her parted and quivering lips. The flicker of despondence, fueled by desperation, consumed her entire form, and his vision blurred.

Daksh's heart skipped a beat when her whimpers fell on his sharp ears. The determination to conquer killed his empathy before it could engulf him, and reminded how her agony would pave way for the triumph of his love.

He would shelter her devastated and desolate self like a knight-in-shining armor when the man she felt indebted to revealed his true colors, or so his relentless brain had told him before his sympathy found its footing.

Her nostrils flared and vertical creases appeared in between her lowered eyebrows. She shot a glare at the phone through her squinted eyes and dumped it into a drawer she opened in a swift, reckless move. She pulled herself to her feet, wiping her hot tears from her flushed cheeks, and shut the drawer.

Her heart raced and her lower lip quivered as she paced towards Vikas's room down the corridor. She clenched her fists when the housekeeping staff stared at her with incredulity swirling in their widened eyes.

"Yes, the school said tomorrow would work..."

She threw the door open, forcing the discussion to an abrupt end. Vikas and their HR manager, Sukanya, appeared taken aback by her sudden actions.

"Uh, I'll be back later, sir!" said Sukanya, picking the files with an awkward smile after she gave a nod of acknowledgement to Asmita, who could not care less about her.

Sukanya closed the door behind her and Vikas took careful and purposeful steps towards Asmita's seething self. "Are you okay, Asmita? Did he say something during the session- "

"Why did you think it was a good idea for me to be his therapist, Vikas?" she asked in a raspy whisper. Her eyes bore streaks of crimson running across them and the lacrimation would not stop despite her best attempts.

"I thought it will help you let go of the past, Asmita. You blamed yourself for whatever happened, and it was never your fault."

"Why did you let Neerja be my therapist instead of being my therapist yourself?" she asked, taking a predatory step towards him.

Vikas's eyebrows arched and his jaw fell slack. He struggled to find the right words, and he swallowed with discomfort etched into his features. He had not expected that question from her after their discussions in the past.

"Neerja is better than me- "

"Do you love her?"

"WHAT?! Wait, are you asking these questions because of something he had said in the session?" asked Vikas, with his eyes narrowed.

"Answer the question, Vikas. Why Neerja? Did you know she dosed me with medications that worsen anxiety?"

Asmita's words left Vikas with his jaw dropped. "WHAT!!"

Tears streamed down Asmita's crimson cheeks, but she could not care less. "Did you ask me to see Daksh hoping to get rid of me, because you reached the limit of your patience? Just tell the truth, Vikas. I won't blame you, but I need the truth, please."

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Daksh & Neerja = -_-

Daksh played Neerja to become the knight-in-shining-armor for Asmita, not because he cared for her. Just a clarification. What do you think is an appropriate punishment for Daksh and Neerja? Please VOTE and COMMENT!