My Ruination

Chapter 13.

~Maahira~

I reluctantly accepted the phone from Debra but the voice on the other line wasn't Zaeden. "Hiiii Maahi" Darsh said in a childish sing-song voice and I couldn't help but smile. "Hi Darsh." I replied sweetly. He was breathing heavily, almost as if he was running while holding the phone.

"Maahi, we miss you and...Daddy misses you too." He said and his breathe became even more choppier. "He...he said that we could go back today and next time, bring you with us." He said. He was probably running from his father while being chased because Zaeden wouldn't allow him to vomit all his secrets to me.

"I miss you too Darsh and I cannot wait for you to come back." I said. Even though we didn't spend much time together, this kid was the light of the mansion. He was notorious and energetic, running around the mansion all day and emotionally torturing Neerja all day to bake him brownies.

"And about Daddy? Do you miss Daddy?" He questioned, still breathing heavily and giggling mischievously. Did I miss Zaeden? Obviously not. It has been only, what? 1 day since they left for Birmingham which is just 2 hours away from London. There was nothing to be missed about him, anyway. But why couldn't I open my mouth and speak the truth?

"Answer the question, Maahira. Do you miss Daddy?" This wasn't Darsh anymore, this voice was much harsher and masculine, the voice that was starting to mess with the dynamics of my brain. Darsh was still in the background, giggling and whining to get back on the phone but Zaeden stayed on the line, waiting for an answer. "Yes, Zaeden, I miss you." I said, "like how a prisoner misses the prison after being freed."

I swallowed a giggle myself as he sighed on the phone, clearly annoyed with mine and his son's antics. "Maahi, will bake brownies for me?" Darsh said in the background, but Zaeden replied before I could, "You can ask her that question after a month because brownies are banned for you till then."

"You're funny, Daddy." He laughed and possibly ran off because I couldn't hear his voice anymore. I laughed this time, unable to control it anymore. He was trying to hard to assert his dominance in both of ours life and failing to do so gloriously. "The first time you should have visited my office and my store should have been with me." He stated, leaving no room for an argument or discussion like this was a rule.

"What has that got to do with anything? I am here because Arjun wanted to buy rings for Antara and Heer. I even suggested that he should get it from a better place but he wouldn't listen." I initially hadn't thought of letting him know of my clear disapproval but he was starting to sound so smug, I couldn't resist tickling his feather.

"Did you now?" He asked, his voice a little hoarsh and heavier now. "Yes, infact, Heer and I were planning to get matching bracelets next time but from a different place."

"Do that, Maahira and you will be responsible for a man losing the entirety of his business." He threatened, the finality of his words clear in his tone. "Wait. I couldn't hear you. We should get those bracelets today and send you the bill?" I laughed again this time, pressing my hand on my mouth to suppress the sound.

"What are you giggling about, doll?" Another strangly alarming voice spoke from behind me and the phone was snatched from my hand. I whipped around to find a man, wearing a ski mask, his hand covered with thin gloves and he pressed the phone to his ear and said, "Would you like to say goodbye to your wife for the final time? No? Okay." The phone went skittering down on the floor and the screen cracked.

Several other men dressed like him went marching in with guns in their hands and pointed them at the employees as the leader pulled out a switchblade from his pocket and forced me towards him, pressing the blade against my neck. The alarms went off immediately and the employees stiffened, watching him hold me in unadulterated fear.

"Listen up you bounty little fuckers, put every last bit of cash and jewellery in the bags and hand them over or I will cut her head off and you can display that on one of your glass boxes." He threatened and his men trained the guns of the employees as the latter scrambled to do as ordered. Markov stepped in first, moving closer to me with his gun pointed at the man, "You want the money, you will get it. But if you such bring a scratch on her, he is going to rip you apart."

That was supposed to be threatening but it only seems to egg him on. He felt excitedly challenged and pressed the blade deeper into my throat, nicking it slightly. The pain from the cut hit slowly after and subsides quickly but now the wound feels wet and soaked, surely with blood. "What is her husband going to about this, huh? Call the cops and file a complaint?" He laughed maliciously under his mask.

"No, Maahi." My sister sobbed loud and Arjun pressed Heer's face into his shoulders, preventing her from looking at the scene. Antara was not always the bravest person in the room. She always choose flight over fight but right now, she looked so defiant and angry enough to run them off the road. If this robbery were to end badly, I knew I wouldn't be unloved in the last moments.

I couldn't picture robbers being so fearless while stealing from Zaeden but maybe this guy was as clueless as they come. As if on cue, one of men pointed a gun at a female employee's temple and screamed, "Fucking bitch." To his leader, he said, "Boss, they pressed this fucking button behind here and called for emergency backup. We need to leave, now." The goons started grabbing ahold of the bags and whatever content was filled in them and ran towards the exit. The guy holding me pressed the blade deeper one last time before pushing me down on the ground and running as fast as he could.

Zaeden's men, who were apparently holding back because of me, became feral, drawing out all their guns and storming after them. Antara is the first one to run upto to me and went down on her knees, holding my shoulders and assaying the wound. "Maahi, take short breaths, please. We will get you first aid right away. Don't faint on me."

It is when Antara said that I realized I haven't been breathing at all, I was practically wheezing and starving myself off oxygen. The wound didn't even matter anymore but my mind felt morbidly numb. The cops filled in soon after but my internal panic subsided to something that left me exposed and vulnerable.