In a dimly lit office, Angad sat behind a large wooden desk, his expression stern and unwavering. Mr. Ravi Parmar, the party president, stood on the other side, his face flushed with frustration and desperation.

“Angad Ji, there's no chance we will win in Rajgarh if we didn't give the ticket to Vikrant Sinha,” Mr. Parmar insisted, leaning forward with an almost pleading look in his eyes.

Angad's eyes narrowed as he replied, his voice cold, “That man is accused of assaulting women. Minor girls included. If you gave him the ticket then I will make sure your political career ends before the elections happen,” He punctuated his statement by standing up and placing both hands firmly on his desk.

Mr. Parmar’s eyes widened in shock, “Why aren't you understanding my concern? That man controls entire Rajgarh city. We have been winning in Rajgrah for so many years only because of his family's influence,” he argued, his voice rising in desperation.

Angad stepped around the desk to stand directly in front of him, “Mr Parmar, let me make this clear, I have some principles, unlike you politicians. That rapist will be no more a part of our party. And if you disagree, you can resign from party president's seat.” He stared down at Mr. Parmar, his eyes burning with conviction.

“You can't threaten me like that, Angad Ji!” Mr. Parmar shot back, trying to muster as much authority as he could.

“Yes, I am threatening you. You might be okay with giving ticket to a rapist, but I'm not,” Angad responded, his tone unwavering. He turned his back on Mr. Parmar, walking toward the window and looking out at the city below.

“Please listen to me-” Mr. Parmar began, but his voice faltered.

“Mr Parmar, please don't waste your time," Angad interrupted, turning back around with a dismissive wave of his hand and continued, "Please go back and do your work. Your constituency isn't satisfied with your work either. I'm afraid you'll lose even more embarrassingly than Smriti Irani did.”

Mr. Parmar’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He turned and left the office, the door closing with a soft thud behind him. Angad sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair, and returned to his desk, the weight of his decision heavy but necessary. It was his father's mistake that he didn't do anything about the criminals sitting in the party. But he wasn't going to ignore them.

✿ ✿ ✿

As expected, the same evening, a very furious Vikrant Sinha barged into Angad’s office, slamming the door open with a resounding bang. The office, dimly lit and filled with stacks of paperwork, seemed to shrink under the weight of Sinha’s anger. Angad looked up from his desk, his face calm but resolute.

“How dare you cancel my ticket? I'm the reason why the party is consecutively winning in Rajgarh. Do you really think you can win the seat in Rajgarh without me?” Sinha's voice was a thunderous roar as he stormed toward Angad’s desk, his eyes blazing with fury.

Angad slowly rose from his chair, meeting Sinha’s gaze without flinching. “I don't care about the win, Mr. Sinha. I'm just doing pest control in the party,” he said evenly, his tone steady and unyielding.

“Oh, so now I am a pest, haan?” Sinha spat, his fists clenching at his sides.

“Yeah, a man with three sisters and two daughters, who has assaulted sisters and daughters of others. Are you any better than a pest? No, you are worse than that,” Angad replied, his voice cold and cutting. He stepped out from behind his desk, standing toe-to-toe with Sinha.

“You will regret your decision when you will lose Rajgarh in the elections,” Sinha snarled, his face inches from Angad’s, his breath hot with rage.

“Have a good day, Mr. Sinha,” Angad said, his voice dismissive as he turned away, signaling the end of the conversation. He sat down on the desk and continued doing the paperwork.

Sinha stood there for a moment, seething with anger, before finally turning on his heel and storming out of the office, the door slamming shut behind him.

“You did well, Angad. You did well,” Angad patted himself and sighed in relief.

✿ ✿ ✿

Angad settled beside Raina on the bed, his gaze softening as he observed her downturned expression. The room was dimly lit, casting a warm glow over the two of them. Raina lay propped up on her elbows, the fabric of her saree pooling around her like a shimmering sea. Angad’s hand brushed gently against her arm, an attempt to offer comfort.

“You look sad,” Angad murmured softly as his hand traveled to her belly.

Raina sighed, shifting slightly to face him. “I have only two friends here. Payali and Noor. And both of them are leaving soon.”

Angad’s brow furrowed, “I know Noor Bhabhi. She is Waris Bhai's lover and he did tell me that he will take her to his hometown. Who is Payali, though?”

“Payali is pregnant with Raja Adhiraj Scindia's child.” Raina informed him.

Angad’s eyes widened, his expression a mix of surprise and disbelief, “Wait, what!? But that man is already married and he has a son too. What an asshole!”

Raina patted his hand that rested against her belly, “Angad, it's not as disgusting as it sounds. He doesn't want to live with his wife anymore but that woman is not ready to divorce him. In simple words, she is more concerned about her reputation in the high society.”

“So she let him have an affair?”

“Yes, it happens a lot among the elite couples. They live together just for sake of reputation.”

“But your friend is ready to be a mistress?”

“Being a mistress is better than being a prostitute. Payali's case is different though. She loves Raja Sahab and he loves her too. He has promised her that their child will get the title of prince or princess.”

Angad hummed thoughtfully, “Hmm, I hope their baby lives a good life.”

“Anything is better than getting raised in a brothel.” Raina added with a heavy sigh.

Angad used his free hand to tuck her hair strand behind her ear, “Why would you say that? You are a well-educated woman yourself.”

“Angad, my whole life revolves around sex and only sex. If it was upto me I would do a job and work part-time as a Kathak teacher.”

Angad’s eyes lit up, “Then leave the brothel. I can arrange everything for you. Job, house, everything.”

Raina raised an eyebrow, a wry smile playing on her lips. “Angad, it's not that simple. You can only leave the brothel after buying your freedom. Or just wait till you turn forty.”

“I'll buy your freedom then,” Angad declared.

Raina shook her head, her gaze both amused and exasperated. “Your family will disown you if you did that. Money doesn't grow on trees.”

“In my case, yes, money does grow on trees. Trust me, I can buy your freedom,” Angad added confidently.

“And what will you do after that? What will you tell your parents? Mom, Dad, I want to marry a prostitute,” Raina argued, her idiot lover wasn't being practical.

Angad chuckled, his hand resting on her waist. “Of course, I will tell them about your background. But my heart says they will support me.”

“What about your sister then?”

“Oh, she will smack me a few times and then will get busy with her politics.” Angad replied with a grin.

Raina scolded him, “Angad! Your political career will be ruined if my identity got leaked by any chance.”

Raina tried to turn away, but Angad’s hand gently held her arm. “Raina, don't be paranoid. Just say yes to my proposal and I'll handle everything.”

“No, I can't let you ruin your reputation.”

“If you don't agree yourself, then I will kidnap you and make you mine,” Angad joked.

Raina rolled her eyes, trying to stifle a yawn, “I'm sleepy now.”

“Aye, I'm serious, haan,” Angad said, his voice laced with both amusement and affection.

But Raina, now turned away from him, simply ignored his protests and tried to settle into sleep, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, contented smile.

“At least, give me a kiss before falling asleep,” Angad requested and rested his head on her shoulder.

Raina turned her face towards his and cupped his cheek, bringing her lips closer to his soft ones. They devoured each other's lips at a slow pace and parted when they went breathless.

“Go home, Angad. Your mom must be waiting for you,” Raina mumbled against his lips.

“So eager to push me away, huh,” He wrapped his arms around her and hid his face in the crook of her neck. Raina sighed defeatedly and caressed his hair.

So he wasn't going to leave her. At least, for a while.

•••

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