You Are My Obsession Till Eternity

Chapter-41

Author's POV,

Pihu listened, her heart strangely lighter. The image of the ruthless Rudra she once knew was replaced by a glimpse of a wounded soul, shaped by a harsh past she could only begin to imagine.

As Pihu sat in silence, a single question bloomed in her mind, fueled by a newfound curiosity: What had truly shaped Rudra into the man he was today?

Lost in her thoughts, Pihu was suddenly brought back to the present by Claire's question, delivered with a small smile. "How did you and Rudra meet, Pihu?"

Pihu felt a pang of unease at the question, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find an answer. She wasn't sure if she should tell Claire about her and Rudra. While she could talk to people about anything in her life, sharing her problems and sadness was something she reserved for her mother or Shivani only.

Before Pihu could decide whether to share her story with Claire, the ringing of Claire's phone cut through the air. She answered the phone and cut the call short, turning back to Pihu. "I have to leave for a short while as Laurent needs some files. You can rest for a while, and just let the maid know if you want to eat in the room. I'll be back soon."

Pihu nodded in understanding and said, "Okay, I will."

As Claire excused herself and left the room, Pihu couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. She murmured to herself, "I don't know how I'll ever be able to explain my marriage to anyone, as I don't even want to consider it one.

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Rudra slumped back in his chair, the plush leather offering little comfort. The weight of the negotiations hung on him like a leaden cloak, yet victory tasted like ash. He finally spoke, his voice rasped, raw and hoarse,"Did you find him, Laurent?"

Laurent sighed, the sound heavy in the quiet room. He knew the answer would bring another storm.

Rudra's fist slammed onto the desk, the sudden crack echoing through the office. Laurent flinched, not from fear, but from the raw emotion radiating from him. Rudra's ragged breaths filled the air, a counterpoint to the chilling silence that followed."Months!"Rudra roared, his voice laced with venom so thick it seemed to hang in the air. "Months of dead ends and that sniveling serpent Yashvardhan remains a ghost! Does he think he can burrow so deep the earth itself won't yield him up?"

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet alongside Rudra's mood. Laurent cleared his throat, his voice a steady anchor in the rising tide of fury. "Patience, Rudra. My men are the best. They will find him."

Rudra's eyes narrowed to slits, cold and calculating. "Calm is a luxury I can't afford, Laurent. Every passing day is an insult. He witnessed my rise, now it's time to make him witness the monster he helped create!"His voice hitched, a flicker of pain, a ghost of his former self, warring with the rage in his eyes for a fleeting moment. Laurent caught a glimpse of the darkness that festered beneath the surface, a horrifying echo of a past he only knew fragments of.

"He'll pay for what they did. Both him and his son. I want him alive, breathing, in front of me within the month. The waiting ends now."

The weight of Rudra's words hung heavy in the air. Laurent knew better than to argue. The fire of vengeance burned fiercely in Rudra's eyes, consuming any semblance of reason.

"We'll find him," Laurent promised, his voice firm. "Don't worry." He paused, then added, "This Matteo Ricci, however, is another thorn in our side. He disrupts the established order. We can't allow him to continue his interference."