TRS shuru hone khushi mein. Two more hours to go ✨

the confession was a mistake guys, I didn't edit that part out. Sorry

-• my perfect reflection •-

Rudra

In the wake of my death,
I'll ask for you before I ask for life again

The shrill sound of my burner phone interrupts me the second time. I let it ring. It stops after a minute, exhausted, and I focus back on the computer screen. A few minutes later, my phone is ringing again, but this time, it is Yuvraaj calling me on my smartphone. I pick it up and answer the call, pressing the screen to my ear. "Hello,"

"He reached out to me through my secretary. He's desperate, Rudra. I think it's high time you give him the attention he's been vying for the last three days."

I smile. "You think so?"

"Yes."

"Alright, fix a meeting with him. Tell him it's time we talk face to face."

Yuvraaj quietens uncharacteristically. "You sure?"

I look at Yara on the screen. He gives me a smile upon receiving my attention. "Yes." I answer. "He has been taking me for granted thinking hiding is my weakness."

"Because it is." Yuvraaj says in a deadpan.

"Well, he doesn't need to know that. Nobody does." I roll my eyes. "Anyway, fix a meeting. I'll take care of the rest."

"I still think-" I hang up.

Not a second goes by and he calls me again. I answer.

"Did you just hang up on me?"

I look heavenwards wishfully. I need patience to deal with this man's superiority complex. "No, the line cut off abruptly."

"I don't trust you."

"Ouch. I'm heartbroken. But I'll get over it." I mutter nonchalantly.

He snorts. "I can't ever understand my sister's fascination towards you."

"Because you're not a woman. And you're straight."

"Even if I wasn't, you'd be the last man I'll go for."

"Fine. But in my version, you both are lovers."

I chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?"

I lean back relaxed. "Did you know your sister once thought we were lovers?"

He gasps.

My brows jump in surprise.

And I thought there is nothing that will shake the Yuvraaj Singh Chauhan. Turns out, being called my lover is actually shock inducing to him.

"Disgusting."

"The assumption or the possibility?"

"Both." He grunts.

I sit straight, strangely offended. "You know I'm much better than you, right?"

"No." The answer is so straight and blunt that for a moment I believe it before realising what a backhanded insult it is to my personality.

"Yeah, well, at least my wife is with me."

"Don't go there." He warns me.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare to. I've better things to do than remind you of your married life, or the lack thereof. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow in the office. Good night." Hanging up, I toss the phone on the desk and pull myself closer to the screen, resuming my work.

Hearing the door open, I spare Taranya a glance as she walks inside the room. Looking back at the screen, I ignore the obvious, breathtaking presence surrounding me.

I wanted to get over it.

It's not a big deal.

Except that, for me, it feels like.

They didn't kiss.

And I've been telling the same to myself for the last week, berating myself every time I couldn't look into her eyes without remembering she had closed them when he was about to kiss her. I don't like Shourya, and now, I almost hate him. But I also want to thank him. Because if he hadn't stopped, she would have allowed him to kiss her and the thought sends my temper through the roof. The fact that he stopped and she didn't, it's fucking with my head. I can't help it. And I don't know what my reaction would have been if they had really kissed each other. I won't give up on her. I can't. That's not an option. But I cannot brush aside the hurt so easily. And until I can look at her without feeling this indescribable need to destroy something, I'm going to ignore her. That's the best I can do to not escalate the things from bad to worse between us.

"We need to talk."

Except that she isn't making it easy for me.

I settle on humming my response, my eyes wishing to go astray to catch a glimpse of her. But I force myself to keep looking at the screen.

"Rudra, I said we need to talk."

"I'm listening." I reply.

She's not onboard with my communication methods. Her hand reaches out past me, next to my desk, and she turns off the switches. My jaw drops. "Tara!" I jolt back in shock. I was working God damnit and I hadn't saved the progress. "What the fuck is wrong with you, woman!?" I growl, pushing the chair back and getting up, turning on the computers. She goes to turn them off again when I grab her wrist and yank her arm to my chest. The fierce blues clash with mine and I breathe harshly, doing my hardest to not blow up. "Stop."

She shoves me back on the chest and lunges for the switches across the desk, turning them off stubbornly. I rake a hand through my hair, opening the first few buttons of my shirt to breathe freely. I've temper issues. I won't lie. But I've always reined them in around her. She's making it harder as days go by. Especially since that night when Shourya revealed he was going to kiss her. The last thing this woman should be doing is piss me off more.

"Where's Sara?"

Her question takes me aback. "What?"

"Where's Sara?"

"Who Sara?" I try the roundabout.

She scoffs. "Don't fuck with me, Rudra. Where's your sister?"

I shrug. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Virendra told me you know where she is." She states.

I close my eyes momentarily. If only I hadn't made the mistake of talking to her in the office where I knew I could be eavesdropped easily. Because guess what? That's exactly what happened.

"He's making up shit." I walk past her to reach the bed. She turns around and grabs my bicep, whipping me back to face her. I look down at her, our eyes colliding again, her surfaces peering with intrigue into my depths.

"He's not." She simply says.

"You believe him over me?" I whisper.

She frowns, and the uncertainty flashes through her blue eyes, before she looks up at me and hardens her gaze. "Yes. He's a fucking monster, but I don't remember him ever lying to me."

"We're talking about lies?" I turn around fully and grab her arms in my hands. She cowers away from me, trying to curl into herself. I hook my knuckle under her chin, keeping our eyes connected. "Like how you lied to me?"

"I never lied to you." She whispers, lashes fluttering nervously. "I didn't tell you the truth. But I didn't lie."

I scoff out a chuckle. "So we're changing the perspective of honesty as per our convenience?" I ask sarcastically. "Well, then, Taranya, I never lied to you regarding Sara either. I don't know what bullshit he fed you and I'm not about to entertain it now. I'm busy." I grit out, leaving her with a jerk. She flinches.

When I turn around to leave, "My brother has been waiting for over a decade, close to two. He deserves to know."

I clench my jaw, unbuttoning my shirt as I walk up to my side of the bed. She follows me. "You've been with him for so many years. I'm sure you both care about each other. If he trusted you with his sister, why can't you do the same?" She asks softly.

I shake my head in disbelief. She did not just go there. As if both the situations are even comparable. I didn't marry his sister out of obligation, disrespected her throughout the time we were married and then one night asked her to get the fuck out of my life. What did he think he'll get in return if not divorce papers? Fucking candies?

Moving towards the closet, I remove the shirt and drop it on the island. Taranya lingers behind me.

"Rudra, please, my brother has been waiting-"

"Tara, stop!" I snap, fed up with her "my brother" chant. "Your brother is the reason their marriage fell apart. Your brother is the reason they're not together anymore. If he's waiting for her, that's his choice. She did not ask him to wait for her. Heck, she doesn't even want him to wait for her."

"So you know where she is."

I clench my jaw. "Yes. And I'm not telling you."

"But you'll have to answer him." She says confidently, holding the phone to my face, Yuvraaj's contact on display.

I shake my head. "No. But sure, go on, drive a wedge between me and your brother. Make things nasty between us. Ruin the progress we have made so far. Do it." I challenge her.

She hesitates, the phone gripped tightly in her hand. "Why would you not tell him?"

"She doesn't want him back."

Her eyes grow dull. "He's waiting for her."

"His fault."

Taranya steps back. "Funny isn't it?" She smiles mirthlessly. "She doesn't want him to wait for her then what is she hiding for? Why not say it to my brother on the face?"

"Because Mrs. Rawal," I lean in closer, "When your partner sends you divorce papers, it usually means they're done with your shit and want to move on seperately. Seems like being ignorant towards others' feelings is a Chauhan family trait." I jibe.

"Look who's talking!" Taranya looks at me furiously. "And I didn't kiss him."

"Because he stopped." I snarl back.

"And why do you think he stopped, Rudra? Do you think he stopped because he didn't want to kiss me? No, Rudra, he stopped because he realised I don't want to kiss him. He stopped because I was uncomfortable and shaking. He stopped because I didn't want it." She whispers, vulnerability softening her beautiful, placid blues. My erratic heart suddenly settles, as if slowly pumping the blood back into my brain, helping me think rationally again. "Even though he thought of me as his wife, somewhere he knew I was never his."

I blink and look away.

"I hated every second of that moment. And when he stopped, instead of feeling relieved that I didn't have to kiss a man I don't like, I was more concerned about your feelings. Because I didn't want to hurt you."

Snatching a t-shirt from the wardrobe, I put it on. My eyes shift back to her and she peers up at me nervously.

"She isn't hiding from your brother. She never was. She is protecting a secret. And until I tell her to come back home, she's staying where she has been for so many years."

Her countenance loses its glow. "Why can't my brother know?"

"Because feelings complicate everything. Emotions and business never go hand in hand." I tell her.

"And you'd know?"

I look into her eyes. "Of course, I'd know. Aren't you my wife now?" I brush past her.

"Wait a minute," she follows me out. "Are you saying I complicated things for you?"

I fix the bedding and fluff up the pillows.

"Rudra!" She addresses me sternly. "Are you regretting marrying me?"

I roll my eyes. "I don't ever regret my decisions."

She storms up to me and jerks me around to face her. "Say you love me."

I part my lips to breath, my lungs struggling to catch air into them.

"Say it." She demands.

"I love you."

Her mouth is on mine before I can blink. I drop the pillows and fall back on the bed, gasping into her mouth, my arm coiling around her waist securely. She straddles me around the hips and sits up, panting roughly, her hands on my face. They trail down slowly, onto my broad shoulders, and over my chest, stopping at my torso. "Again,"

I groan, "God, I love you."

Dropping her forehead against mine, she cups my cheek and brushes her lips fleetingly over mine. "I don't care if you regret marrying me. I don't give a fuck. You're mine, Rudra. And I'll fucking kill you if you ever thought of pulling the stunt that your sister pulled on my brother." She growls softly, teething and nibbling my chin. "You're not getting rid of me. Not now. Not ever." She pulls away to look into my eyes.

I nod. "I don't intend to."

"Good." She kisses me again, deeper, her tongue sliding against mine, and she moans, causing me to grow harder in my pants. "I missed this. I missed you." She whimpers when I grind my hips into hers. "Want you inside me," sitting up straighter, she slides off the top and unsnaps the bra, hissing under her breath when I cup her breasts. "Your turn." She gets off me and I undress clumsily, making a quick work of the condom on my leaking cock before we fall messily into the sheets and spend an hour fucking the life out of each other.

I stay in the bed this time, cuddling her, trailing my fingers through her hair as she draws circles on my chest with her index. Feeling her gaze on me, I tilt my chin down and meet her eyes. She smiles, reaching over to press a chaste kiss to my lips. "I love this!" She gushes, hugging me tighter. I chuckle and drop a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Rudra, what are we doing after this all ends? After you get your revenge?"

I shrug, brushing my lips over her forehead. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

She runs her nails down my neckline, tickling me over the shoulders. "We should go to some place with beaches and fuck on the sand."

I laugh.

"In the boat too."

I shake my head in amusement. She hooks her chin on my chest and stares at me fondly. "What?" I whisper, the smile etched on my face, never to be removed again.

"It's beautiful,"

I raise a confused brow. "What is?"

"The possibility of a lifetime with you." She murmurs.

I bite my lower lip.

"Do you want kids?" She asks, taking me aback with the question.

"Yeah, if it's with you, I want everything there is to life." I answer honestly.

She presses a soft kiss to my bare chest before coming over to straddle me again. The shiny cascade of her hair conceals her bare breasts. I flick them behind her shoulders, revealing her all to me. "You're so gorgeous."

"So are you, sweetheart." She smiles and leans over to kiss me passionately. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I flip us, my hand flapping on the nightstand to turn off the lamp.

"Good night, Esther. I love you." I whisper against her hair.

She nuzzles her face in my chest. "Good night."

The next morning, I finally peel myself off the soft body next to me. Taranya stirs and opens her eyes, making grabby hands at me like kids would do. I smile tenderly at the woman and lean in to kiss her forehead. "Want to come to gym with me?"

She yanks the covers to hide her face. "I had enough exercise last night."

"Suits you." I kiss her belly over the sheets.

Getting off the bed, I grab my briefs and put them on, heading inside closet to change into my workout clothes. Taranya is snoring by the time I'm ready for gym. I close the door softly and head downstairs, towards the palace gym.

An hour later when I return, Taranya is in front of the dressing table, brushing her beautiful hair. I wrap my arm around her stomach and kiss her cheek from behind.

"Ew, you stink. Get off me!" She screeches, glaring at me through the mirror.

I laugh. Now she knows how I feel when she rolls on the bed after her gym sessions.

The shower lasts ten to fifteen minutes. I get dressed in a dark grey suit and white shirt. Straightening my collars, I fix the cufflinks and put a leather belt through the loops, flinching when slender pair of arms come around my waist. "I'll be home late tonight."

"Try to come home early, Esther. The Chairman hates it when you stay out late."

She snorts. "He hates me, so obviously he hates everything I do. But I'm not going to my brothers. I've to travel today."

"Travel?" I turn around, "Where?" A brow arches in question.

"Ratangarh." She mumbles.

I stiffen for a split second. "Oh,"

She nods. "I've to cover a story on the site."

I hum. "Alright, my love, do your work. Call me if you need me. I'll see you tonight." I lean in and press a kiss on her lips.

She cups the back of my neck, deepening what I intended to be a peck. But I'm not complaining. Scooping her up in my arms and sliding her over the closet island, I step between her knees and take her jaw in my hand, our mouths brazen together. "I gotta go," I pull back unwillingly, trying to regulate my breathing.

She nods. "You should."

"Fuck, why can't I get enough of you?" I growl accusingly and slam my mouth back on hers. She whimpers, tugging me closer by the belt loops.

I reach office late by an hour.

The Chairman looks at me disappointedly when I slink inside the conference room, taking my chair next to him. After the damage Rajawat Corporation has suffered, the last thing their CEO should be doing is coming office late because he was busy fucking his wife. Only if I had any extra fucks to give.

After spending hours brainstorming ideas and techniques to recover the loss, I call it quits at eight in the evening and head to my pride and joy, the tall building tucked in the countryside of Jaigarh, the headquarters of Esther Industries.

"Rachel, to my office," I command as I make my way to Yuvraaj's office. "Yuv," he looks up from the computer screen, "I've something to show you. C'mon!" I beckon him out excitedly. He follows me, curiousity overflowing his gaze.

"Rachel, sit down," I tell her and go around my desk, taking my laptop and placing it in front of her. She turns it on for me. I put off my glasses and instruct Yara through my phone.

"What's going on?" Yuvraaj inquires.

The laptop screen morphs to display an incoming video call through Skype. "Answer it," I tell Rachel.

She looks over her shoulder at me, and reluctantly moves the cursor to the green button. A man in suit fills the screen. Fuck, he looks so real. My breath catches in my throat at the sight of my creation.

"Wow," Rachel whispers.

"Hello, Rachel," Yara smiles.

She gasps. "His voice-" her head snaps to me.

Yuvraaj pushes me aside to look carefully into the screen.

"Hi, Yuvraaj, looking good tonight." Yara smirks.

Yuvraaj gapes at me in shock.

This is the second time he's giving me that reaction in the span of 24 hours.

"He is- he is-" I nod at him.

"Holy shit." Yuvraaj stands straight. "He looks so real."

I smile.

"I thought you were creating a hologram?" He looks at me in question.

"I still am, but holograms are virtual three-dimensional images created by the interference of light beams that reflect real physical objects. I can develop them here, in my space, but I can't show them moving and talking real time in the real world like normal humans do." I explain.

"So this is how you're meeting the investors and the Chief Minister?"

I nod. "Does he look convincing?"

"Convincing?" He repeats in disbelief, his eyes flickering to Yara who indulges Rachel in a casual conversation. "I bet on my entire fortune nobody is going to doubt he's anything but real."

And if I'm offered a life without you, I'll ask for death again.

Hmm, Taranya is in Ratangarh. What do you think is gonna happen?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment. Makes my day.