Addicted to you

Chapter Fifteen

I want to love you without clutching, appreciate you without judging, join you without invading, invite you without demanding, leave you without guilt, criticize you without blaming, and help you without insulting. If I can have the same from you, then we can truly meet and enrich each other.

~~ Virginia Satir ~~

Present Day

Mumbai

"He did what?" He asked incredulously, his face twisted as he stared at her. When he had received a call from her a couple of hours ago, he had thought that she would have realized yet another missing part of the puzzle that his sister was. They decided to meet up at his parents' house even though he wanted nothing but to go back to his flat and assure her that it was not anyone's fault but fate had other plans in store for all of them that they overlooked the signs that stared right back at them. But his parents to know, Lavanya had said over the phone.

Lavanya smiled dryly as she nodded, glancing at the door of his bedroom that was left ajar. She could hear faint noises from kitchen where his mother insisted she had a glass of milk while his father was in the study room, busy with his office work. She then turned to face Rohan who was standing at the window, leaning against its frame. "I know it's a shock. I can't believe he's now a major stakeholder and have the authority to make decisions."

She watched ruefully while Rohan shook his head, walking back to her, his shoulders taut and jaw clenched. He plonked on the bed beside her, lines of disbelief itched on his forehead. "Let me get this straight. Half of the board of directors is sold out by Arnav Singh Raizada? Right after Khushi met him? And he goes by some other name?"

She nodded. She could see how difficult it was for him to believe this. She was shocked out of her wits, too. The only solace when she found out the truth about Arnav was that he had everything in his power now and that Karan being the next CEO was no more guaranteed, if the sudden merger had anything to do with Khushi. But after hours of thinking, she couldn't help but wonder and scared at the prospect of him having the unnerving authority over the company. Their current circumstances were not helping either. "I don't think Khushi will ask for such thing even if Arnav is capable of doing it and much more." She voiced her concerns while looking at him. "That leaves us with two options. Arnav wanted to either expand his roots and this is purely a business strategy or, if at all it is because of her, to teach Karan a lesson. Even if it's about expanding, I don't think it's a sheer coincidence. Either way, Khushi plays a major part in his sudden interests."

She watched him, her eyes scanning his closed eyes. The tiredness finally showing its signs on his handsome face while his shoulders slumped with defeat and she knew nothing she would say or do now would help him overcome his guilt. She could see the effort he was putting in to smooth his features, his hand reaching hers just as she knew he would, he looked up at her with a smile that was cold and filled with self-hatred. "I don't even know her anymore, Lavanya. It is like I never knew her and I'm supposed to be her brother, the one who should know her inside out. I failed her terribly."

She shook her head, leaning in, taking his face in between her palms. "You haven't failed, Rohan. I accept that there were many things we wish to undo but all the while we were trying to look out for her. We would have helped her, supported her only if she let us in. Whatever happened all these years was meant to be in that way. Now that we know the nature of her relationship with that boy, man, we'll be there for her."