My Ruination

Chapter 6.

~Maahira~

I was assured that if I open my eyes, my head will split apart. It had to be or how else can I explain the pounding headache thawing my skull like it was under a hydraulic crusher. I slowly opened my eyes, fighting the resistance as soft sunlight danced on the either side of my king size mattress and the white curtains parted, providing me the view of greenery, desolate and withering but greenery.

I pushed myself up, leaning against the cushioned headboard and nervously watching every small corners and larger hiding spaces of the magnificent room, as if hoping for something, anything to jump out and point their guns at my fucking head. My stepmother's nettle lemon still lingered as I had fainted in her embrace. From there to ending up in a strange mansion, it was a clean slate.

The door to the room opened and in walked a stubby, short woman with a rolling tray stand. She looked like she was in her early fifties with head full of graying hair and a disturbing grin on her face. Why does everyone in this house look like a character from Gone Girl when they grin?

Judging with the looks of her uniform, she didn't look like a family member which makes her the housekeeper. Every rich person had one of them in their mansions, even in my family but she was a snorty woman.

"Good morning, my dear. I hope you didn't have too much of a rough night." She said in a soothing voice, that fortunately for her, didn't trigger my incinerating migraine further. She handed me a glass of orange juice and three pills. They were missing their containers or their wrappers so I was completely in dark about them.

"Yeah, no." I carefully shook my head in denial, "I am not accepting any pills or any food from Zaeden or his employees. You can take them back, thank you." In complete honesty, I really needed the pills for my migraine and my throat was parched dried like I had swallowed sandpaper. But I couldn't just sit here and accept possible drugs or roofies from them.

"My dear, please accept these pills. They will help your headache. I assure they are the pills prescribed by your doctor." The lady promised as if her life depended on the pills, reeking of desperation and underlying fear.

"I will take the pills if you can show me the containers. If not, flush them out and tell your Boss I swallowed them." I closed my eyes and rested my head against the cushioned headboard. I am not sure how long after I turned down the pills, does the woman leave but she left nevertheless. I reached for my phone lying upturned under the covers, to find multiple missed calls, voice-mails and texts from Rudra, Antara, Arjun and Athira.

They must be worried sick and losing their sleep and appetite over me. I desperately needed them to lean on but I wasn't raised to be so feeble and decrepit. If I wasn't dying and suffering from something incredibly tragic, they didn't need to worry about me. I played the latest voice-mail from Rudra he left just an hour ago and dumped my phone back into the mattress.

"Are you making a habit out of disobeying my orders everytime?" An estranged, gravelly baritone reverberated in the room and I opened my eyes to find Zaeden near the edge of bed. The sunlight filtering through the window held no power over the darkness his shadows conversed in. He was wearing a dark blue three piece suit, his day-old scruff sharply contrasting against the cool tone.

His whiskey eyes looked weathered and stripped bare of all compassion or consideration that could make his depraved soul seem trivially humane. Everything about him demanded unwavering attention and domination- sheer, unmistakable monarchy.

"I am not stupid enough to accept pills from you or your lapdogs, especially after last night. I can survive without the leniency of being drugged or worse, paralyzed." I rolled my eyes and immediately regretted the choice of action because now I felt like my eyeballs were expanding on their will against my eye sockets.

"On the contrary, you can have faith on the nature of the pills after last night. I do not require to resort to trickery to make you defeat and crumble." The corner of his mouth lifted in an evil smirk that made me want to inanely aggressive and ashamed. If last night was any evidence, nothing about Zaeden was duplicitous. His predatory intentions were as clear as the daylight.

"A wise person will be careful of the all the snakes in a pit of snakes even if only one of them is venomous. You can either get me the containers or leave me the hell alone." I turned my face away from him but cautiously watched out from the corner of my eyes. Zaeden held the noose of my life in the palm of his hands and my attitude wasn't exactly untempting to not tighten the noose. He scared me in ways I could never bring myself to admit.

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks and stared sharply at me, looking slightly amused and majorly unbothered. The action made his suit stretch across his bulging chest and protruding biceps, reeking of herculean strength. I knew my tantrums and demands were futile against his heavy-built frame and his wicked mind but I wasn't giving up, if ever.

"You can either voluntarily swallow the pills or I can arrange for the doctor to prepare a syringe." He stated and I immediately wanted to stomp my foot on the bed like a petulant child. I was abnormally phobic to syringes and needles. The doctors had a fucking field-trip on the days I was supposed to get vaccinated. They had actually celebrated with fish and chips when I received my last major vaccine at 18.

I reluctantly moved, picking up the pills and the glass of orange juice, swallowing the pills and drowning the glass because my famished brain could never function appropriately. I planted the empty glass on the tray table rather violently and leaned back onto the headrest.

"Don't get used to having your way everytime by providing by hideous alternatives. This is not going to be a pattern." I mentioned after shutting my eyes tight to avoid watching the cocky victory on his face.

The strong scent of his masculine, vetiver and leather cologne grew suffocatingly stronger and I assumed he had moved closer but I didn't dare open my eyes. The close proximity of his mouth and the storm swirling in those whiskey eyes weren't my choice of poison.

"I will be looking forward for your obedience." He said and marched right away, towards the bedroom door but I knew I have had enough of him getting under my skin.

"I will be going to the temple today. I need my car that I was forced to leave at the townhouse." I smiled sarcastically as he turned to face me. It wasn't amusing anymore. If the glint of dark, malevolent eyes were any indication, he was gravely suspicious.

"You want to go to the temple?" He questioned, almost provoking me to get annoyed and challenge him but I held onto my composure firmly.
"Yes. I visit the Shiv temple every Monday. It is a Monday, isn't it?" I cocked my eyebrow, challenging him to find any loopholes in my words because I knew there were none.

"You will not be getting your car back. Markov will be present with you at all times and driving you anywhere you wish to be." He stated, the firmness and finality in his voice like his words were carved in stone.

"I don't need a driver or a bodyguard. I can drive myself." I argued.

"If I ever receive an uncooperative note from Markov, you can forget the world that exists outside this mansion and that pesky degree of yours forever." He ordered, slamming the door shut behind himself and leaving me equally vulnerable and starved.