FAMILY BEFORE ANYTHING - 3

CHAPTER - 22 THE BAJAJS'

"What happened?" Prerna asked, as she dabbed the antiseptic on her mother's wound. She already knew what happened, but she wanted to know, if her mother's answer would change this time. But as always, disappointment clawed at her insides, when words left her mother's mouth, "I fell down accidentally." Her voice so soft, so feeble, so.. lifeless. 

Not having in her to question and sadden her mother, more than she already is, she silently did the first aid, trying to get over the helplessness that was trying to swallow her. She sat beside her mother, until she fell asleep and walked out of the room. That is exactly when her phone rang and warmth spread in her chest. She answered the call with a smile and the question rained down before she could reply, "How are you? How is Mom? Is she fine? Are you fine? All well? .. Talk something Pree!"

"Well Hello to you too D!!" She could practically hear her brother rolling his eyes, from the other side. "Hello Pree! Now get to the details."

"Maa is fine... as fine as she always was. I am good. Tu bata... Where are you now?" She asked him, but frowned when she was met with silence, for a couple of seconds, "D, Are you there?" She asked, and he finally spoke, "He hit her again." He stated and its her turn to stay silent this time.

"He promised he wouldn't do it if I handled this project!!" He is furious and she knew she had to calm him down before his thread of sanity broke, "Calm down." She softened her tone, "He didn't exactly ... hit her...."

He cut her off, "I don't want the details Pree. He promised..."

"And she IS alive!" She snapped when he refused to calm down. As expected, he cut the call, undoubtedly smashing it to the closest wall. She sighed, and called his assistant, an assistant of her brother's choice, - another part of this deal - before assistant connected her with her brother, "Are you better now?" She asked, her voice as calm as she practiced it to be.

"How are you? Please tell me no spoiled rich brat is annoying you in that entitled college!" He diverted the topic, to not spoil his time with his dear sister. 

That made her smile before she settled down on her bed, to talk to her only best friend, her brother, "There are spoilt rich entitled brats. But no one is irritating me."

"Oh Don't lie Pree! I have been one of them. And I exactly know how much of assholes those idiots could be." He snorted. He is just as much happy as she is with her profession. Teaching isn't her passion. It was never her passion. Her goals.. her ambitions... they don't align with the standards of being Rahat Bajaj's daughter. His daughter is supposed to be a demure woman, polite to a fault, designed to please her future - another narcissistic asshole - husband. 

"Language Mr. Dhruv Bajaj! You are talking to a professor. You might want to revisit your choice of words."

They bantered, they talked, they shared, they laughed... until a knock startled her to straighten, "I'll call you back D. Miss me!!" She quipped before she cut the call and gave the butler her whole attention, "Sir ne aapko study mein bulaya hain Ma'am."

She frowned, "Abhi?"

"Ji." 

Her heart-beat raced, at the thought of having to face that man in his den but she nodded, nonetheless, with a straight face.

"Aapne bulaya Papa?" She asked, politely, like its expected out of her, when every fiber of her being wanted nothing but to kick the curse of a man sitting royally infront of her. 

"You are getting married." He informed her, nonchalantly, not even bothering himself to look up from his laptop screen.

"Excuse me!!" Her outrage was cut short when he finally looked up with a withering glare, clearly conveying that he didn't appreciate her raised voice. She swallowed thickly, trying to gain her balance before she looked at him blankly, "Lekin aapne kaha... that I still have time until the next academic year."