Bound by Blood: A Tale of Mafia and Medicine

14.

Aditya handed the dinner plate to Soyra, who wasted no time in accepting it and diving into her meal. Meanwhile, he just stared at her porcelain skin, which showed deep red marks of her father's fingers. Filled with rage, he tightly clenched his fists, lamenting the harsh slap she had received from her father. Despite the turmoil, Soyra enjoyed her meal serenely, even sharing a few bites with Aditya before finishing her food.

After finishing, she went to the washroom to clean her hands, while Aditya headed to the kitchen to return the plates that had been used. When he came back, he saw her standing on the balcony, facing away from him. He walked towards her and stood beside her, making her turn to look at him. While he stayed still, staring at the moon, she kept observing his calm face, eagerly waiting for him to speak.

"Soyra" Exhaling deeply, his eyes sparkled with a brilliance that was a direct consequence of the moonlight gracing his presence.

"Kya hua?" She replied, her voice tired.

"Baitho mujhe tumse kuch zaroori kehna hai"

He motioned for her to take a seat on the swing, on his balcony. She glimpsed back at the swing, then again at him. Hesitatingly, she sat on the edge of the swing, while he leaned on the railing, crossing his arms and directed his gaze towards her.

"Kya hua, Aditya?" She let it out calmly, blinking at him.

"Baat ye hai Soyra, ki hum Malhotra's, aur tumhare Papa, business world ke sabse bade rivals hai. Meri family ka sabse bada dushman hai voh Gaikwad"

"Voh kaise?"

"Usne humare company ke saath collab karke ek bahut bada fraud kiya, aur Maa, Papa Ji ka naam aage kar diya. Maa aur Papa ko 5 saal jail jana pada tha, hum teeno bhai behen ko akela chodh kar. Muskan tab business me nayi nayi aayi thi, Raj tab college me tha, aur mai, Malhotra empire ko akela sambhal raha tha. Tab maine kya kya nahi kiya unn dono pe lage allegations zhoote sabit karne ke liye, aur finally unhe jail se nikal diya. "

"Maine uss din than le liya tha ki tumhare baap ko zinda nahi chodhunga, lekin police surveillance hone ki vajah se uss Gaikwad ka mai kuch nahi kar paaya."

"Ohh.."

"Uss incident ke baad se saare business partners hum par shak karne lage the, aadhe logo ne humari company se deals bhi cancel kar di thi. Hume bahut papad belne pade the, unn sabka trust gain karne ke liye."

Saying this, he took a deep breath, his face constant, looking down at his toes, he continued.

"Tabse, maine aur meri family ne khoon paseena ek karke ye Malhotra empire khada kiya hai."

"Sorry, tumhe itna sab sehna pada baba ke vajah se"

Soyra expressed her sympathy as she spoke softly, acknowledging the hardships he had to endure due to her father.

"Nahi, tumhe sorry kehne ki koi zarurat nahi hai" He reassured her.

"Mujhe bhi kuch kehna hai" After a long pause, she asserted.

"Kaho?"

"Yehi, ki baba ne kabhi mujhe apne business me aane nahi diya, naa he maine kabhi unke kaamo me interest dikhaya. Unhone kabhi mujhe apni beti ki tarah treat nahi kiya, isliye maine bhi than li thi ki mujhe unke kadmo par kadam nahi rakhna hai. Bahut scholarships aur exams deke, khudki kamai se doctor bani hu, and I have no regrets."

"Maine kabhi unke business ke baare me suna nahi, voh kya karte the, use mujhe kuch lena dena nahi tha. Mujhe toh ye bhi nahi malum tha ki unhone Malhotra's ke saath koi deal bhi ki thi"

Aditya took a deep breath as she revealed her story, believing your enemy's daughter is somewhat crazy. He thought. Yet, the sincerity in her eyes made it clear that every word she spoke was genuine. While his mind was uncertain, his heart pondered the idea of trusting her.

"Ab asli problem ye hai ki hum teeno ko he ye baat pata hai ki tum Gaikwad ki beti ho. I know ki tumhara usse koi lena dena nahi hai, lekin Maa aur Papa ye baat sunkar....."

"Samajh sakti hu mai, isliye mai kal subhe Radhika ke ghar jaa rahi hu, tumne aaj jo mere liye kiya uske liye Thanks. Thankyou so much, aur sorry, baba ki taraf se." Her eyes welled up, she looked down at her fidgeting fingers.

"Hey hey hey, Dosti ho chuki thi shayad humari? Ye kya sorry thankyou laga rakha hai?" Aditya was deeply moved by the sight of her tearful eyes, causing his heart to swell. He reacted dramatically, successfully brightening her mood with a smile.

"Haa par yeh kehna zaruri hai" She chuckled, with teary eyes.

"Tumhe Radhika ke ghar jane ki zarurat nahi hai, yaha pe reh sakti ho tum. Maa aur Papa se mai koi bahana bana lunga."

"Nahi please, already bahut takleef huyi hai tumhe meri vajah se, aur mere liye Maa Papa se zhoot mat kaho, mujhe acha nahi lagega."

"Dekho tum-"

"Aditya, please?" She replied with pleading eyes, which made him change his decision to let her go to her friend's house.

"Theek hai, lekin tumhare saath mai security bhej raha hu. Aur iske upar mujhe kuch nahi sunna"

She couldn't resist the commanding tone of his deep voice, causing her heart to skip a beat as she silently agreed with him.

"Ab sojao, thak gayi hogi tum"

"Haa, tum bhi, Good Night" She plastered a tired smile at him, and he reciprocated it back.

"Good night"

Getting up from the swing, she walked away from him. His gaze remained fixated on her as she left the room, closing the door behind her. While resting on the swing, he leaned back halfway, his eyes closed, deep in thought about his next course of action. He reached into his pocket and quickly dialled his lifeline, his most trusted confidant - Tanishk.

After a few rings, Tanishk picked up and answered in a sleepy voice.

"Hello? Ha kaun?"

"Tera baap saale" Aditya replied. Taking a good pause, he spoke from the other side-

"Bolo pitashree"

"Pehli baat toh tu das baje soo kaise raha hai?"

"Bhai ab soo raha hu toh bhi problem nahi soya toh bhi problem."

"Acha voh sab chodh, kal subhe office me mil, matter hogaya hai."

"Mehra ka kuch hai kya?"

"Mehra nahi, Gaikwad."

Tanishk's eyes widened and he blinked rapidly upon hearing Gaikwad's name, his brows furrowing as memories of their rivalry flooded back after all these years.

"Voh madarch* , usne kya kiya ab wapis?"

"Batata hu, kal mil"

After ending the call, he proceeded towards Raj's room. Upon entering, he noticed Raj was already awake, engrossed in playing FIFA on the TV.

"Bhaiiya jaldi join karo"

A smile formed on his face as he observed his brother, and he decided to join in. They spent the next hour or two playing together before eventually falling asleep side by side.

In Muskan's room, the two girls engaged in a gossip session. Muskan shared the details of their lives without parents for five years and how her older brother, Aditya, successfully managed everything. Soyra listened attentively and felt a mix of pride and guilt in her eyes, regretting the circumstances they had to endure but also admiring Aditya's ability to handle it all. After engaging in hours of conversation, they eventually found themselves drifting into slumber.