The Prince's Indentured Bride

unhealed wounds

"Hello Ladies. Well here. It's nice to meet you. Please have a safe trip." Scary trip he meant?

"Well, what the heck is this? From where are you talking?" I asked being confused as hell, while Rashmi tapped the navigator as if it were the speaker, which was definitely the case. And wasn't this like breaking my privacy and using his skills in the wrong hacking centre?

"I've kept a tracker in your car, for safety purpose, of course. Don't get mad." He said as if I was about to get angry, which was quite the build.

"I don't need a babysitter–wait. Oh My God!" I hit the steering in utter chaos as Rashmi stared at me in lunatic freebie; partly distressed for a happening accident in progress.

"What happened? There is a car following you." He must have hacked into a nearby CCTV, don't know how though. "What if our whole angle and theory is wrong?"

I was getting really excited with this sudden tracking thing. "What are you talking about?" Well asked through the navigator.

"We have been searching for any suspicious person inside the BBQ place and in the security panel for, how did they know the exact timing, right?" I started with my hypothesis, genuinely hoping it to be the case. I was desperate.

"Yes. And?" Rashmi took a deep interest in this; father must have been an important role in her life too. "What if someone was tracking Dad?"

"Bingo. They wouldn't need a manual labour on site to execute and tail." Well said, then added the most hated word of the planet; "But,"

"But, what?" Rashmi asked; her voice eager and a bit emotional? "To hack Sir's phone and then track him will leave traces which the cyber team at CBI can easily find out. It must be a bug, glued manually."

He concluded and I felt a rush of happiness; we found a different way, but now what? Who could have done it? Maybe someone whom he met before the murder. The list starts with Syed Meher; the most recent one, whom we are on the way to meet.

"Tell my PI to make a filtered list of possible suspects who could have put that bug on him. Maybe in his watch, but he changed the watches constantly, phone?" I commanded Rashmi in a terrible haste. "Already on it!"

She is efficient with her work and maybe that's why I tolerate her presence. "And could you ask Mrs Shikta to provide me another list of Dad's things found with the . . body?"

"Okay." Rashmi said. "I will try to find what more ways could a bug be planted and accessed. Have a great trip." Well said and seems like the navigator was back to its original version as the green line showed two more minutes to ETA after a right turn.

I need to complete this meeting with a productive output too, for the exciting mood to continue on till lunch; which I am supposed to have with Kriag.

"Good. We are here. Stay inside." I uttered after parking the car at the left side of the road behind a truck. Taking the green bag from the backseat I put on my sunglasses and went into the small garage like shed; the rusted metal welcomed my nostrils and the woman in question, dressed in a white suit from head to toes, with a nude makeup and a high pony tail which was making her look the part of a PA, Meher, was sitting on one of the chairs. She had aged said the lines under her eyes.

"Long time no see." I said after trying to block unnecessary air into my nostrils. One of the car's was hanging from the ceiling as if waiting for me to sit, and crash on my head to end all this, that didn't sound promising.

"Vhrea." She replied standing up from her seat as I kept the bag on the dusty table and scrunched my nose due to the particles in air, "Let me get straight to the point. Why did you meet my Father?"

"You really have changed a lot." She commented instead of answering. "Yes. It was way easier to betray my expired version."

"Could you not let that go?" She asked as if I was the one at fault. "I was just turning twenty and had to break my heart, on such a large scale."

"That is a misunderstanding and you said you would forgive me." She really did believe in my words, but forgiveness is not easy. Forgetting monstrous memories for a while is the priority, forgiveness will always remain an extra option.

"I never said I would act on my words. Here, I have something for you. Open it." I ordered her to open the bag. Her beautifully manicured hands slid the zip open and her face horrified after seeing the contents inside.

"What is this?" The nerve in her voice made me smile. It was good to see the baffled look into the eyes of people who think they have succeeded after destroying my life, I laughed crazily. "You like money. Don't you?"

"No, I don't!"

"I knew. That's why I've made them into a costume. A dress made of coins and paper notes. You don't like it?" I pouted childishly. She closed the bag and pushed it back to me. "You are trying to buy me?"

"No. It is just an incentive. I'm a payer, you know that. And you become the best mole in the history."

"I would like to decline your pay." She replied defensively, as if! "Okay! Give me a call if you need it. We never know what type of fashion places you might have to attend."

"Well, you have matured a lot." She presented her observation. "Of course. Seeing your father get killed does make one a vengeful person."

"Now, why did you meet my father?"

"As you see I work for daily paper and he wanted to know about some real estate notice we had printed. I was in charge." I don't believe her.

"Lie. Bahrain, Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai, Chennai and Pondicherry; he has one villa and a few estates in each of these places. At least make your lie believable."

I know my father; he would never meet someone without a lawyer for land and house purpose. "It was about a paper company you don't know about."

She finally spoke but it looked like another lie or a stab into my heart. "My father didn't have a paper company. His business was clean." I defended. She smirked, maybe liking the blank void on my face and the bleeding of my heart if any of this is true. Does Jules know about this?

"Are you not in touch with Gabriel?" She asked me, as if mocking me for being so broken. "Not a business which is required to discuss here."

"It must be a no then. He is doing a good job as a King. People of his nation really love him." She said not knowing I didn't understand anything of what she was talking about.

"Of course, he is.” I played along.

What's with all Royal, Queen and King things people have been talking about Gabriel? Did he open some weird club? Golf or b**m?

Maybe I should ask Kriag about it while lunch today. And first thing on the list, confirm with Jules if father owned a paper company and figure out the bug on the phone angle of the case.

Whoa! Too many things to do.

"Vhrea, I am sorry." For what? My loss? For screwing me up five years back? “I didn’t–”

“Don’t you dare say choice. Everyone has a choice, even the beggars.”

“You still don’t see the pain in others.” Humans are just unbelievable. If I haven’t seen the pain in her then I would’ve ended her everything the day she released the scandalous photos of me and Gabriel.

"I don't forgive. I become a hound for any wounds.”