Reyansh

Over the course of the next few days I did not meet Kyra. I needed to give her time to process what had happened in the club. The ball was in her court now, regarding Abhay. Though she had kept a very low profile and mostly stayed home in her room.

I wanted to wait it out for a few more days to see what she would do, she could very easily reveal the sordid details of his affair to the world, or blackmail the Singhania's and get a better deal for herself and the company. She could've even told her family about this and let them do the dirty work for her, as I'm very sure they would be capable of doing such things. They had done worse after all.

My EA, Dhruv came rushing in to the office and announced, "Sir, sorry to barge in without knocking, but the matter is of grave importance. Mr Javier of the New Mexico Cartel (Mafia) has called and he requires your immediate assistance, his daughter has been kidnapped and they require your technical expertise to find her. They have tried every means, but have been unable to locate her and are very desperate for your help. They've even sent a private jet to take you to New Mexico."

I immediately responded, "Alright, there's no time to waste, every minute that the girl is missing is a higher chance that we might not find her alive. I want you to initiate the Autopilot protocol in the office. While I'm gone you are incharge and also inform Krish that I needed to leave India for some urgent work and will be back ASAP. Lastly keep an eye on Kyra, I don't want anything to happen to her in my absence."

He replied, "Yes Sir", and ran to do my bidding. I trusted Dhruv to handle things in my absence and moreover the "Autopilot" initiative invented by me, would ensure that things ran smoothly in my absence, I specifically designed it for this purpose.

I had found Dhruv in desolate conditions as a young man, and decided that he deserved a chance to prove himself and make something of his life. I gave him the necessary training and now, Dhruv was one of my most trusted Employee. He was very loyal and hardworking, and was aware of the morally grey work that Katech Inc. did from time to time and he had come to terms with it.

I quickly packed my laptop and collected my necessary things. I always kept a packed suitcase in my office which had the bare essentials required for any emergency trips. In my line of work time was of the essence, and with one last thought of Kyra, I rushed to airport to help my friend locate his daughter.

Kyra

Fate, what a funny and fickle thing it was. It weaved and entangled you in such a way that would leave you flabbergasted and gasping to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Abhay was a gay drug addict and had betrayed my trust from the very beginning, true that I had cheated on him with Reyansh the other night. But it wasn't the same thing...........

I couldn't even explain my feelings and behaviour to myself. Maybe karma was teaching me a lesson and making me pay for some past mistakes.

Frustrated with the conundrum I was in. I decided to cocoon myself in my room and hibernate for a few days.

Plus, Bridgerton my favourite series was returning with a new season after so very long. So I decided to binge watch it and catch up on some other trending movies and series like, My Fault; Red, White and Royal Blue; Laapata Ladies (Hindi movie) and the evergreen F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I also read various novels and gorged on endless snacks.

After a few days, I finally started to feel like myself and arranged for a meeting with Abhay to confront him, and get the truth once and for all.

We met for Lunch and spoke for hours, I revealed to him all that I knew and he told me about how he suffered from a drug addiction since he was a teenager. And how he had been admitted in various rehabilitation programs and centres. But he was never able to fully get it under control, from time to time he would lapse into old habits.

Then we spoke about him being Gay. I told him about how I had found him in a compromising position in the club, in the men's washroom specifically. He profusely apologised for deceiving me and admitted that he knew he was gay for as long as he remembered and really struggled with his sexuality in the beginning, that's what triggered his drug addiction. He also met the love of his life - Roman, they had an epic love story and he helped Abhay fight and curb his drug addiction. They were madly in love for over 5 years.

But unfortunately, Roman died of cancer 1 year ago and ever since then he was not the same. His drug habit came back with a vengeance and he was never truly himself after that. Roman had taken Abhay's heart and soul along with him to heaven.

I asked him if his family was aware and he mentioned that they were. In fact they couldn't accept it and would never let the news about him being gay be Public. They were the ones who would blackmail him (by threatening Roman's life) to take scandalous and inappropriate pictures with models to get those published in the media.

They were also the ones who coerced Abhay (by freezing all his accounts and finances) to agree to marry Kyra and never reveal the truth to her. So that no one would suspect the truth about Abhay being gay (Homophobic Assholes). They had also made him sign a separate deal stating that upon his marriage to Kyra he would be given a share of his fortune back and would get some independence from his family.

After listening to all this I was flabbergasted and heartbroken to hear about the life Abhay had led.

Talking to him made me remember all of the good times that we had spent with each other. He had also been my only real friend and support during my childhood, especially whenever I felt lonely or was in trouble with my family. Abhay was suffering a great deal now and there was only one way to save him.

I had to marry him, to help him get his fortune and freedom from his horrendous family. Also, I wanted to get out of the house and make a new life for myself. Plus it would be beneficial to the business as well, and I only had 2 months before my 24th birthday. If I wasn't married before then, I would lose my current inheritance and would not become the legal heir to the Oberoi Empire, time was of the essence for me as well.

We could mutually help each other by marrying and starting a new life together, based on friendship. Most marriages usually never started based on true love and even if they did, they never lasted happily or peacefully. I knew that we would never love each other in a romantic way, but we would have something better in our marriage- friendship and respect for each other, and I could live with that.

Thoughts of Reyansh suddenly plagued me, but I had sensed some hidden deep hatred and agenda towards me and my family. Even though I desired him, it was not enough of a reason to be with him and I didn't know if he even genuinely liked me.

Moreover, my childhood best friend - Abhay needed my help and support right now.

I decided that we would get married as per the contract signed by us. The marriage had to last for at least 5 years, we would get divorced after that and live our lives on our own terms. I told my plan to Abhay and he agreed, "Thank you,  Kyra for your kindness and support. I'm morally obligated to tell you that Roman was and will always be a part of me, I will never be able to love you but will treat you with respect and dignity, throughout our married life."

I became misty eyed and nodded my head, "Let's do this, let's get married and earn our freedom from our toxic families."

..