A marriage for revenge

Chapter 8

One minute Anu was walking back from the supermarket where she had to give an order for a month's grocery supply for the orphanage and the next minute she knew, she was shoved into a black jeep by four voluminous men. One look at them and you can say they were some kind of thugs. With dark-tanned skin, curly hair, and huge frames, they could very well fit the role of villains in South Indian movies.

"Who are you all? Where are you taking me?" She screamed frantically, fighting hard to get out of their tight grip but if at all it only tightened more.

What is this? A kidnap?

But who would want to kidnap a worthless nobody like her?

Did they mistake her for someone else?

"Leave me.." She cried out, struggling. "I am not the one you think I am.."

"You are exactly who we think you are. Now shut up.." The bulkiest one out of the four yelled at her.

"Please, let me go.."

"You should have simply accepted the offer when it was handed to you on a golden plate. This is what you get for being a snobby b***h and rejecting the offer.." Another guy sneered and that's when Anu understood what this was all about.

Two weeks ago she got a phone call from an unknown man who put forward an unforeseen offer to work in a renowned jewelry design company. She didn't bother to ask the name of the company as she had the least interest to join and moreover, she had still grown no guts in her bone to go back to Chennai, and maybe she never will. She was happy staying here in the orphanage in Ooty, helping out the sisters with office-related work and taking care of the children here.

The guilt and self-loathing were still present but working here helped her with forgetting the abominable human being that she was. Anu was trying to forget the things she'd destroyed in life and was steadily moving forward in life.

Sister Mary, who was the one who rescued her that night had enrolled her in an internship program with Vairam jewelry for a jewelry designing course after seeing some of the designs that she'd sketched in her free time. The owner of Vairam Jewellers had called it a raw talent when he first saw it but she would prefer to call it a product of her boredom.

Agreeing to join the online internship was her biggest mistake, she knew now. That's where the problem started but this is downright insane. Who would want to kidnap somebody for not agreeing to work for their company?

Soon she was blinded by a thick piece of fabric and when no amount of pleading convinced those men to let her go the only way to cope with her fear was to fall into a restless slumber.

When she opened her eyes again, shockingly, the blindfold was removed from around her eyes and she winced at the harsh morning sun rays.

"Where are we?" Even though she knew the answer to it well, she couldn't help but ask. She could practically taste the brine in the air around her.

"Welcome to Singara Chennai.." The bulkiest man announced with a grin and she bit back the urge to cry.

The city may be the most beautiful no doubt about it but it brought lots of painful and regretful memories back into her head all at once.

"You will be staying here from this day onwards, girl.." He continued. "Don't try to pull any stupid stunts because you will be hunted down again.."

God, what got her into this situation?

She can't stay in Chennai? She was quite popular on the internet, on television, and in magazines when she spread that awful rumor about Vinoth. What if someone saw her?

But if she had to stay here for a while, even if it was without her wish, she made up her mind to maintain a low profile. Chennai is a freakishly big city and it's not very common to spot a familiar person among the crowds that easily.

Yes, that way she wouldn't have to face anyone.

With little hope, she glanced at the fastly moving city outside. Although it had been a little more than five years, the memories from the past were as fresh as a recent wound. She never allowed herself to think about her akka who was more of a mother to her, and the betrayal she had done to such an angel.

How was she now? What wouldn't she give up to see her just once?

Did Vikram forgive her?

Of course, he'd have forgiven her. He loved her so much.

And then there was this man, she'd claimed to love but ended up breaking him like a toy with her 'if I couldn't have it, then nobody could have' attitude.

For the first few months, she followed all the news about his fast recovery and she was glad that he made it alive but she didn't continue further as she knew it would only make her miss him and want him more. If she wanted him to live happily, she had to let him go.

She wholeheartedly hoped that he was fine now and was married to Kaveri, the one true love of his life. After all, that was why Anu had cleared him of all the nonsense blame she had thrown on him before fleeing away from Chennai so that they both could resolve their misunderstandings caused by her and be together once again.

What a sly b***h she had been to everyone around her. Her self-hate which she had practiced to put under control was resurfacing and smothering her at once. This city where she spent most of her life was stirring unwanted emotions inside her.

She was so immersed in her river of negativity that she didn't notice when the car came to a halt in front of the tall building in the heart of the city. She had no time to look for the name banner of the company before she was harshly dragged into the building by those herd of rogues.

"Get in. Boss will be here soon.." The huge guy spoke before all of them left her alone in the office room.

She looked around the huge-looking space. It was sophisticated but looked glum. The room was practically weeping sorrow, and there was no life in it. Whoever the owner of this magnificent building was, she thought he was in a great depression.

Without pondering much about it, she looked ahead and her eyes caught the attention of a small wooden name board sitting in the center of the large desk. It was facing away from her so, she reached forward to turn it, and the next moment she thought her heart had paid a visit to her throat.

VINOTH SETHUPATHI, CEO, NERTTI JEWELERS

The name stared back at her in dark and bold letters. For a second there, she couldn't believe her own eyes. She's got to be imagining things right?

How could she end up just where she was not supposed to be?

Is this all a joke?

A silly dream her mind was playing with her.

If it was a dream, she wished to wake up from it right now but only it wasn't a dream.

When she realized it, she stood up hastily and looked around for the exit but before she could reach for the door, it was thrown open with a loud bang and she stood there like a helpless deer caught in highlights.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw the man in front of her.

Vinoth

Without her knowledge, she let his name roll out of her mouth but he didn't seem to hear her as he was quite caught in his phone screen. As if by instinct, she stepped back until her back hit something hard, one of the leather chairs arranged in front of the desk. The unexpected hit caused her to lose her balance and she tumbled flat on her ass. And that's when exactly he decided to lift his eyes up to see her, spread on the ground.

It took him a couple of seconds to recognize her but when he did, she didn't miss the red-hot rage flooding from his pitch-black eyes.

"You?" He hissed and that one word was enough for Anu to know how much vengeance he imprisoned for her in his heart and she didn't blame him.

She closed her eyes at the sound of that voice. It was the first time she had heard it in over two years, and God how she had missed it. She had hungered for the sound of his voice and had often thought of calling him just to hear it but had dismissed that impulse as a dangerous and forbidden luxury.

When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to find that he had inched closer to where she was sprawled on the floor but hadn't bothered to get up. "What the f**k are you doing here?"

He gazed around as if he couldn't still believe her presence here in his office.

She shifted somewhat, lowering her eyes to the polished granite flooring, afraid to meet his glacial gaze. She was terrified of what she would see in those eyes and sneaked a peek at him from beneath her half-mast lids.

He was so big. Grown bigger than the last time she saw him.

He was now a sheer bulk of a man who had once been her love and her life. He stood six feet plus and had the brawn to match the height, huge shoulders, trim waist, and slim hips. He resembled some kind of war God with his darkly brown hair and the grim features that looked carved from granite. The only hints of softness in that roughly hewn face were his long, long lashes and his beautifully shaped mouth

"Ajay.. Ajay.." The scream that came from the top of his lungs was what pulled her from her stupor before a young guy came running behind him.

In the way hurriedly manner he entered the room, his arm impulsively brushed against the enormous white ceramic vase which was an artistic beauty a few seconds ago but now nothing more than a million shards. Anu flinched at the blaring sound with which it hit the floor, even the guy who ruined it to pieces did but Vinoth hardly blinked an eye.

Her anxious gaze swung toward him but he seemed oblivious. He was watching her like a filthy fly that had sat on his meal.

"Who let this b***h in?" She winced at the rudeness of his words but didn't she deserve it?

"Boss, she's Ms. Ananya, the intern from Vairam jewelers.." The guy spoke looking at the damage he'd caused on his way.

"What?" Vinoth probed again when he didn't catch him properly and that's when he noticed the ceramic pieces lying on the floor. If it was another normal day, he would have yelled at his stupid secretary for recklessly breaking the million dollars worth imported-from-Japan vase but right now it meant absolutely worthless to care about. He had much bigger things to concentrate on.

"Sorry, boss.." He muttered lowly and began to sign at him. "She's the intern from Vairam Jewellers.."

Anu stared at them both.

What was he doing with his hands?

As she stared at both the men cluelessly, Vinoth crouched down in front of her with a smirk that sent shivers spiraling down her spine.

"You really are audacious to be back after all the damage that you have done to me.."

She gulped and noticed that though he was the same man she once loved and still does, he didn't resemble that man at all. He was changed in so many ways to point at.

"Boss, should I send her away?" The secretary inquired.

Anu's eyes moved between the two men when Vinoth didn't respond to his subordinate for the second time in a duration of ten minutes. It was hard for her to figure out if he was doing it internationally or if there was another unsettling reason behind it.

With shocking realization, Anu's eyes shifted to the other young guy who was contemplating how to grab his boss's attention, "He can't hear you, can he?"

The younger man said nothing and merely continued to glare at her levelly. He didn't know what she did to extract such a reaction from her boss.

“Why don’t you ask me that question?” Vinoth asked mockingly, and she returned her gaze back to his face, realizing that he had heard her question. She berated herself for being ludicrous. Of course, he could hear her as he was still staring at her so intently, maybe he had read her lips.

Oh my God, he's deaf?

Without a doubt, she concluded that she did this to him.

When she grew wary of his stare, she gazed away but couldn't stop herself from muttering a 'sorry'.

“Look at me when you are talking!” He hissed furiously as he didn't like when people who knew of his hearing disability turned away while talking. They should be aware that he wouldn't be able to read their lips and when they failed to do it, it angered him.

The added fact that it was the woman he hated the most in the entire world amplified his fury tenfolds.

She had to lift her head to meet his cold eyes head-on and quaked before the sheer, unadulterated hatred she saw there. “You did this to me. You destroyed me, stripped me of my dignity, and left like nothing happened. And now you have the courage in you to come back and show your ugly face. You really are something.."

"I'm sorry.." She muttered again, by mistake looking down once more and that made Vinoth want to break her into pieces but he instead pushed the chair behind her angrily, knowing the sound it made would scare the s**t out of her and it truly did.

"Look at me, you damn it.." He yelled at her face this time and that made her keep her eyes strictly on him "You did this to me." He repeated and maybe would repeat it her whole life just to make her feel as miserable as he wanted her to. "The least you can do is look at me when you have something to say."

"Vinoth.." she managed weakly, staring up at him, even though it terrified her to meet his cold, cruel eyes that once shined with warmth and affection for her. "I.. I am sorry.."

He made an impatient sound and raised to his feet before turning his back on her. "It's a little too late for apologies.."

"Boss, should I send her away if you didn't like her?" The secretary asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I don't like her but no, she will not be going anywhere. I have other plans for her, now that she is here.." he growled dangerously, and Anu’s eyes widened when she didn't understand what he was insinuating but she knew the worse was coming.