Kyra

Over the next couple of weeks, All of us slipped into a comfortable routine, things couldn't be any better.

Reyansh would be the first one awake and he would prepare breakfast for us late risers, we'd then sit and eat breakfast together family style, then Krish would go off to college, we'd spend some time with the kitties and get them ready for the pet day care, Reyansh and me would head off to his, no, our office and we would work on the expansion.

I'd taken up possession of the new office while Reyansh would oscillate between the existing and new office. We would then meet for lunch, I'd kiss the kittens and sometimes my husband goodbye and then head to the Oberoi office. After all I was given a bigger share in the business, my responsibilities had only increased, I wasn't going to ignore my duties. I would then spend the next few hours working. In the evening, Reyansh and the kittens would pick me up, on the way home.

Later all the 3 humans would make and eat dinner together and watch a movie or play a board game (I was the undisputed Monopoly champion), or go for a drive or a dinner or just spend a quiet night in with the Kittens, who had very easily settled in.

Some days when I had to work longer or had important meetings, Reyansh would drop the kittens home and come back to the office to patiently wait for me.

Everything was great, too great infact and as we all know, Change is the only constant in life.

On a Monday at around 5:30 pm, I was in the Oberoi office working and I received an anonymous email on my personal ID. I was usually very apprehensive of opening anonymous emails as they were mostly scams, but my curiosity got the better of me, because my email Id was very safely guarded and very few had knowledge of it, the subject said, "Billionaire Kyra Oberoi's husband caught red handed".

The Email contained the following words, "I've sent the first draft to you. It's a beautiful picture, isn't it? It'll look sinful and scandalous, displayed on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper and every other media outlet and news article, don't you think so?"

I apprehensively opened the attached pictures and received the shock of my life, the first picture showed Reyansh in today's suit with a scantily clad woman, stuck to his front and he had his arms wrapped around her forearms. She was all but wrapped around him, her face was hidden in his chest. The second picture was a back view, it showed her in his arms, he was carrying her into a hotel.

I picked up the glass globe paper weight from my desk and hurled it at the opposite wall. It resulted in a loud bang and a glass shattering noise, my PA ran in, "Ma'am, are you alright? Do you need some something? I heard a loud bang."

My mind was in chaos, I screamed at her to, "Get out". Not my finest moment, but...........

I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself and think clearly. Eventually after a few minutes, I thought back over the day and it had seemed ordinary, even Reyansh was his usual self. But the pictures spoke volumes, the suit worn in this picture was the same one he had on today and he was wearing the watch, I had recently gifted him. The woman who's face was hidden, looked like a prostitute or a stripper at the very least.

Before I did anything else, I had to first verify the authenticity of these pictures , because nowadays technology was very advanced and marvellous atrocities could be created artificially.

But somehow I had a feeling that these were not fake. I asked my legal team to make an NDA, then called an employee whom I knew from the IT department and made them sign it and take a vow of secrecy, then asked her to check the authenticity of the pictures.

While she was working, my mind started spinning, I couldn't believe Reyansh would do something like that to me, he seemed principled and did not seem like the type to cheat. Even if he would I knew he was smart enough to be careful and to not get caught.

I then started thinking on ways to do damage control, so that the Oberoi reputation remains unharmed and the business doesn't get affected. Because this news had the potential of wreaking havoc.

After a while, the IT employee confirmed, what I had been dreading all this while, my intuition on its authenticity had been proven right. The pictures were real and not doctored. Reyansh had met a woman of dubious nature and had hugged her and carried her into a hotel.

I was going to kill him, how dare he cheat on me, Kyra Oberoi? I won't let him get away with making a mockery of me or ruining my reputation.

But first, I called up all the major new companies and all but threatened them with financial ruin, and warned them  against buying or releasing any scandalous articles about me or my husband. The news spread like wildfire among the circle I was targeting and I knew they would heed my warning and not risk my wrath.

The only way the person who sent me the pictures could release it was by directly posting it on social media. This anonymous person had to be tracked down and be physically stopped from doing so.

I decided to leave that task to my husband, after all this was his mess.

Think of the devil and he shall call you, ironically enough Reyansh was calling me at this very moment, I had half the mind to pick up and scream at him. But the rational part of my brain won over, I left the office and headed to a bar to drink my worries away.

He called me again while I was sipping a vodka and admiring the view of the city from the 40th floor of the rooftop bar, when I cut his call and silenced my phone.

Evening had turned to night and as I was sipping on my 3rd drink in the private balcony cum VIP area, surprisingly Smart and rational Kyra made an appearance. Reyansh was way too smart to figuratively be caught with his pants down, he was very clever. This could be a trap or a ploy by some mutual enemy. Also I had gotten to know him to a certain degree at least over the past month. He cared about me and I cared about him.

It was up to me now, I had two choices; either ruin everything with him, walk away and not trust him or take a chance and trust him, and hear him out.

I was 50/50, but then I decided to do the impossible and trust him, I was gonna hear him out first before jumping to any further conclusions and taking any drastic steps. I decided to get up and head back home.

Just then the door banged open and Reyansh came storming in, looking pissed and worried.

He came up to me grabbed my forearms and said, "Where the hell were you Kyra? Do you even know how worried I was? You didn't pick my calls, your phone was then switched off. No one knew where you were, I was on the verge of panicking and here you are drinking, all chilled and relaxed?"

I shook his hands off me and moved back and said with a scoff, "Chilled and relaxed? That's what you think I am?"

It was a rhetorical question, so he didn't answer me but looked at me with a quizzical expression and waited for me to continue.

I said, "Reyansh, I am going to give you one chance, so please don't break my trust and tell me where were you this afternoon?"

He immediately shut down and put on a neutral mask, he grinded his teeth and asked, "Are you spying on me now, Princess? Isn't trust the foundation of a marriage?"

I bitterly smiled and said, "Reyansh, now is honestly not the time to play mind games with me, and don't talk about trust until you can give me a straight answer and prove yourself to be trustworthy. I am going against my better instincts and giving you a chance to explain, so Where were you and with whom?"

He rolled up the sleeves of his black formal shirt and leaned against a table, my god why did he have to look so delicious and hot? But no this time his good looks would not be able to save him, I needed an explanation.

He said, "Well since you've asked I'll tell you, after you left in the afternoon, I got a call from Cherry. She is a.........a sex worker. I've known her for a few years and she called me up crying, saying that one of her clients had abused her and forced themselves on her. Her face was completely covered with bruises. She was very scared and didn't know who else to call. I was going to tell you all of that when I picked you up today evening. Now, were you spying on me Kyra?"

I listened patiently and I couldn't help but believe him. He looked very earnest when he spoke.

I said, "You should have told me this the moment it happened. Why did that woman have to call you?, you are not the police. Also no I'm not spying on you, I was sent those pictures by an anonymous source, so you can imagine my surprise when I see a scantily clad woman hug and then be carried off, by my husband."

He said in an emphatic tone, "Kyra, cherry was very sacred and in a state of panic, you're a woman, I'm sure you'll understand that she just reached out to me at a whim, because she trusted me and thought that I'll be able to save her. It's nothing deeper than that. Also show me the pictures, please."

I threw my phone towards him and he caught it and was reading the email and seeing the pictures, he shook with barely restrained anger. But I thought over what he said, and it was true, a woman will always reach out to someone she trusts and believes is good and strong, especially at such a moment, and I know firsthand that Reyansh emanates that energy and vibe, which can give a woman the feeling of safety, protection and power. Now I don't fault Cherry for reaching out to him.

She was a woman in distress and she did what she had to. If a person as shrewd as him believed her and her story, then I trust that she was in actual danger and I believe Reyansh.

Reyansh looked up at that moment and he must see my acceptance and belief in his story, because his face softens before he says, "Thanks for trusting me, Princess. The pictures are very misleading, if I saw such a picture of you even I would lose my mind. Someone is playing with us, because of how well timed the pictures are and how someone has sent it to you, to drive a wedge between us. But don't worry I will track that person down and make them pay for it."

I nodded. I was very tired and the alcohol was making me emotional. I couldn't help myself when I went and hugged him. Just knowing that he was here and his presence alone made me feel safe and protected. I knew he'll handle everything else and I can let go. He really did have that protector vibe.

He wrapped me in his embrace and said, "Thank you once again for trusting me, I know it couldn't have been easy to disregard the pictures and what they depicted. The reason I was carrying her in the second picture is because she had nearly fainted of stress and fear. I was heading towards my car to take her to a hospital. Cherry is currently in the hospital recovering and her perpetrator is behind bars."

I stepped out of his embrace to look him in the eyes and because I had to know I asked him, "When was the last time you.... Slept with her?"

Reyansh softened his voice and gently held me and said, "Kyra, the last time I used her...........services was the day, we officially met for the first time, on Holi. Never again did I want or need her after that. I have never nor will I ever cheat on you, the most beautiful woman I have ever had the honour of meeting."

I laughed and said, "Fine, fine I believe you. You don't need to butter me up with fake compliments."

He laughed and pulled me back into his embrace and I gladly went. He muttered into my hair, "It's 100% the truth and you know it."

He then said, "We'll need to do some damage control, Princess. If the news gets leaked then, that would be a huge problem."

I said, "Don't worry, no news agency or media house will dare to publish this article, I have already done damage control. The only thing you need to take care of, is the person who sent the email and threaten them and delete their copy of the pictures."

He said, "Having such a badass and powerful wife is an aphrodisiac. I'll track down the blackmailer and physically and digitally pay him a visit, after I drop you home."

I said, "Having such a strong and clever husband is also an aphrodisiac."

He immediately pulled out of the embrace and grabbed my chin, pulled it upwards and kissed me hungrily and with a fiery passion which I reciprocated fervently. I opened my mouth and he dived in, he groaned at the lemony and minty aftertaste of the cocktail. I grabbed his neck was trying to climb him like a koala bear, when a throat cleared and we sprung apart like two horny teenagers caught by an adult.

I turned my face to the opposite side to take in deep breaths and calm down and Reyansh spoke to the manager.

Reyansh then turned me towards him and said, "Princess, let's go you need to rest, it's been a long day and you've had a lot to drink. Plus I need to deal with our anonymous 'friend'."

My face was flushed and I nodded at him, because what he said made sense.

We drove home and Reyansh insisted on carrying me up, as I could fully feel the affects of the drinks now and I was not stable on my feet, so who was I to deny him? I gave him the golden opportunity to carry me up and he told me that Krish had a party tonight, so he was out.

I was thankful, because I did not want Krish to see me in such an inebriated state.

Reyansh tucked me in bed, removed my shoes, gave a glass of water, a kiss on my forehead and made a promise to return asap.
Within seconds it was lights out and I fell into a deep drunken slumber.