Veins of Elysium: The Ruined Soul

Chapter~6 | She is nobody?

ARYAMAN'S P.O.V

I was sitting outside in the lawn area of the Singhania mansion, waiting for the rituals to commence. My family had gone inside to shower Jeev's body with flowers, but I stayed back. There was no way I could bring myself to do that, not for the man who had turned my family into a laughingstock. From where I sat, I could see my mother consoling Jeev's daughter, Tanya, and his sister, Sulekha. God, how I hate Sulekha. Even when our families were on good terms, I could never stand her. There's something about her aura that irritates me and whenever I see her, I always want her to know one thing: stay away, you bitch!

About twenty minutes later, I saw my family coming out and taking their respective seats at the table. The whole ceremony felt like a movie set. There were reporters and cameras everywhere I looked, and it made my skin crawl. I took a sip of water and noticed a commotion near the entrance of the mansion. Reporters and cameramen were gathered there, eagerly waiting for someone to arrive. They were so focused, as if they were expecting a celebrity to step out of a car any moment now, and they didn't want to miss a single shot.

I had no idea who they were waiting for, but my heart started pounding in my chest. It was a strange feeling, one that I've been experiencing a lot lately. I couldn't explain it, but it felt like my heart was yearning for something or someone. It was a sensation of being pulled towards something and the feeling was driving me crazy, disrupting the peace in my life. I hated it. I hated how it made me feel out of control, how it made my heart race and my mind spin. It was frustrating, and I wanted it to stop.

As I sat there, I couldn't shake off the strange feeling. It was as if something significant was about to happen, and I was on edge, waiting for it. The minutes dragged on, each one feeling like an eternity. The reporters remained at the ready, their cameras poised. I wondered who could command such attention, who could make my heart race like this. And then, amidst the sea of people, I saw a figure emerging from a car. The crowd surged forward, cameras flashing, and I strained to see who it was.

As the figure came into focus, my breath caught in my throat. Her presence was nothing short of magical. There was a captivating aura about her that made everything else fade into the background. She was breathtaking, and I couldn't deny it. Her beauty was stunning, and the necklace she wore seemed to add an ethereal glow to her appearance. Her dark, long black hair, pulled back in a clip, framed her face perfectly. Her eyes, a beautiful shade of light brown and hazel, held a depth that drew me in, and her skin had a blessed tanned texture that made her look radiant.

I couldn't help but notice the freckles dusting her nose and cheeks, giving her an almost ethereal charm. Standing at 5'8", she had an impressive height that commanded attention, something rare and striking. My mind began to wander, imagining her in a pair of shorts, envisioning her long legs. I shook my head, trying to snap out of it. What was I thinking? She was nobody to me. I needed to stop this before it went any further.

"Get her out of your head, Aryaman," I muttered to myself. She didn't deserve my attention. Sure, she was beautiful, but she wasn't my type. I had always hated how women seemed to be attracted to me for my money and reputation. I doubted she was any different. But then, a small voice inside me whispered, "What if she is?" This internal struggle was maddening.

I watched her as she moved through the crowd, her grace evident in every step she took. The reporters were all over her, but she handled it with a calm composure that was impressive. My heart raced, and I felt a mix of emotions that I couldn't quite understand. Anger, longing, confusion-they all swirled inside me, making it hard to think straight.

Why was she affecting me this way? I tried to rationalize it, telling myself that she was just another woman, another person who would eventually disappoint me. But there was a nagging doubt, a feeling that maybe she was different, that maybe she wasn't just another face in the crowd.

I hated this. I hated how she made me feel, how she disturbed the peace I had built around myself. I had vowed to keep women at arm's length, to not let anyone get close enough to hurt me again. And yet, here I was, drawn to her in a way that I couldn't explain.

I was struggling with my thoughts when my mom interrupted, saying, "Oh, so she is Baani, the elder daughter of Jeev and Ishita. She is really very beautiful. Her presence has that assertiveness; damn, she has captivated all the eyes here." A few seconds later, Dad added, "Yes, that's impressive! I never knew Jeev had such an authoritative, presentable, and beautiful daughter!"

Hearing my dad praise her, I felt my lips curl into a slight smile, but I quickly composed myself. So she is Baani, the elder daughter of that scoundrel Jeev. It's sad she got stuck with him as her father, but as his daughter, I expect nothing less than a scent of betrayal from her. Having a beautiful face doesn't make any difference-though, I begrudgingly admit, it is having an effect on me. "Oh god, Aryaman, shut your thoughts! She is nothing. Get over this, dude!" I chided myself.

But if she is Jeev's daughter, where has she been all this time? I was lost in these thoughts when Yanisha started to speak," Some say Jeev disowned her because she behaved like a whore. Others claimed she held a secret Jeev didn't want anyone to know, so he sent her away. Some people believed she wanted a simple life and chose to study abroad and some say-" I cut her off sharply. "Oh god, Yaanu, just stop talking about her! She's nobody and doesn't deserve the attention you're giving her."

She gave me an annoyed look and hit my shoulder hard, but I didn't even flinch. My mom and dad were still watching Baani, and I was a little shocked because I had never seen my dad so interested in someone. I quickly dismissed the idea and focused on Baani, who maintained a stoic expression as she walked inside the mansion, ignoring the incessant blabbering of the reporters around her.

As she entered the mansion, the bodyguards blocked the reporters, who exchanged frustrated looks, clearly not getting the satisfaction they wanted. She didn't give them any answers, treating them as if they were invisible. She had an undeniable attitude. "Oh god, Aryaman, stop thinking about her! She is nobody... just nobody. Chill your mind!" I told myself again, but my thoughts kept returning to her.