The Penalty

Book 1 of The CORE TEAM.

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Akira Oberoi is everything I hate. The cocky, annoying younger sister of my biggest rival, and who somehow manages to make my blood boil with every smirk, every word she throws my way. She's sassy, unapologetically confident, and always ready with a taunt that makes me want to throw her off the highest cliff.

I never expected to care about her. I never wanted to. But then... I saw her like that...

One night, I can't take it anymore. I drove to her dorm, the anger boiling in my veins, the need to do something overwhelming. I grab her-kidnap her, some might say-and drive her out of the city, straight to my private cabin in a forest.

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"What the hell is wrong with you? You can't just kidnap me!"

I shrugged, unapologetically. "I had to do something. If you don't know already then, Mujhe yeh waali Akira purani wali se bhi jyada buri lagri hai."

She stared at me for a long moment, her jaw clenched. "I hate you, Utsav."

I met her glare without flinching. "I know. But you're not allowed to hate yourself."

And that's when I realized- I wasn't just trying to fix her. Somewhere along the way, I'd started fixing myself, too.

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"I was just trying to get her back to her actual self but I never knew that in that I'll lose myself to her.

And...

She will end up breaking me.."
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