My Ruination

Chapter 8.

~Zaeden~

International clients and a six billion dollar deal was what I had to leave behind when Markov sent me a picture of her. She had successfully tricked him, escaping through the other exit with her brother. She couldn't ever get too far anyway, I would have dragged her back into my house from every corner on this universe. But my wife was unaware of how bewitching she was, how difficult she made it for me to keep my hands to myself.

I have seen beautiful woman before, appealing woman well-bred to impress rich men like myself, some on the tips of their toes and some on their knees before me. But I was assured that there was only one woman with her golden complexion, only one woman whose skin coruscated brighter when wrapped in red, only one woman who looked mine.

The vermilion and the ensemble was a pretense ofcourse, because she was not alone in the picture. Rudra was holding Maahira. It doesn't matter that every brother would naturally want to protect their sisters. And she was entertaining him, escaping with him and following him like his faithful pet.

Rudra jumped back up on his feet but he doesn't look blindsided. His cocky attitude made it sufficiently clear that he had expected my intervention when pulling this stunt with Maahira.
"My sister has you and your guard dogs wrapped around her little finger already, I see." He laughed with mock intrigue and red filled my vision.

"Rudra." Maahira scolded from behind me, the tremors and the horror in her voice instigating me to beat her brother's face in.

"No. This is actually the perfect moment to have this confrontation because after this, you can walk free." He addressed her, looking at her behind me and exchanged his sight back onto me.
"You wanted to marry my sister and you fucking succeeded. But this marriage doesn't actually hold any significance to you or to her. None of us have accepted this union. So you shouldn't care if Maahi leaves your cursed mansion and doesn't show herself to you every morning. Let her walk away, let her live with us or anywhere in this world."

I have preferred using my gun over my fists, saving myself the time and the filth. But momentarily, I was aware that I wanted his blood staining my hand and dripping from between my fingers. I wanted to feel his skin burst with my hits and the blood pooling. Rudra might not survive but I much rather preferred he does, so he will be suffering in a hospital bed, explaining the injuries to his family.

Until I heard the sonorous rhythm of her bangles. Until I felt the softness of her palm enclosing around my wrists. Until I could smell her warm cucumber melon scent on myself now. Until I heard her pleading in her throaty quivering voice.

"Please don't do this, Zaeden. Please. Not here."

But God had no influence over my thoughts and actions. He was nonexistent for me, a figment of someone's demented imagination. He couldn't possibly exist if violence was forbidden at his place but betrayal was acceptable, justified even.

"This is your last and your final goddamn warning. If you ever think about taking my wife away or execute something like this again, I will have your body buried right under my mansion. And she will not be the one saving you. Because the ring on her finger is mine. The vermilion and the mangalsutra is my possession on her. And my word will be her law."

I unclenched my fists and caught her hand that were still holding me back and dragged her away from him. The only person whose opinions were going to matter in this marriage was mine. Maahira and her siblings could either accept her fate peacefully or they could make peace with the consequences of their rebellion.

Speaking of rebellion, Maahira jerked her hand out of my grip and paused, refusing to continue walking with me.
She was supposed to be a mere acquisition, an object to curb my distraction. But my eyes raked down her figure and I had begun picturing her on my bed, my hands raking through the curves on her waist.