Page 33 of The Redemption
Losing that pendant feels like losing a piece of my life, a part of who I am. I slam my fist against the wall, trying to recall the last clear memory I have of it touching my skin.Water!I felt it against my neck when I was underwater earlier tonight. Which means there is a possibility it slipped off there.At the poolside.
Grabbing my iPad from the desk, I pull up the CCTV feeds. My estate has cameras covering every corner, including the pool area. It takes only a few seconds to locate the footage from the exact time I was there. The video begins to play.
There she is, Siya, sitting at the edge of the pool. And there I am, standing in front of her. The entire argument plays out again through the camera’s lens. The pendant is clearly visible against my neck as we talk. But the moment I turn away to leave, the tiny clasp holding the pendant to the chain gives way. The chain remains intact, but the pendant loosens and slips free… and I don’t even realise it.
But she does.
As I walk away, unaware, Siya bends down behind me, picks it up, and studies it.
My fingers slowly curl around the edge of the tablet. I’ve never let anyone touch that pendant. It’s mine, and hold aspecial place in my heart. The next instant, I hear her voice in the recording, just before she takes the pendant away with her.
“If you’re careless enough to lose something like this, then that’s your problem, RK.”
That’s it. I end the video and place the iPad back on the desk. F*cking hell! She could have returned it. She knew it was mine, and she still chose not to.
Without wasting another second, I get dressed. She has taken something that belongs tome, athatis a mistake people rarely get away with. Tonight, the Vardhaan princess will learn that stealingfrom me always comes with consequences.
SIYA
Few Minutes Later – Siya’s cottage suite
This day truly refuses to end. I’d thought stepping outside to breathe in the cool night air would settle the thoughts bothering me. Instead, it has done the opposite. Even now, under the hot shower, the same image returns the moment I close my eyes.
Raghav… standing in the pool… watching me.
It’s so distracting. I turn off the shower knob. The water stops, but the thoughts do not. I reach for the white Turkish bathrobe and slip it over my damp skin, tying it loosely around my waist. My hair is still wet, the water droplets dripping down my skin, but I don’t bother to dry it. I just need to step out of the bathroom and put an end to this loop in my head.
But the moment I walk out, I freeze. For a second, my mind refuses to process what I’m seeing. There’s someone in my room. Even in the dim light, even with his back turned towards me, there is no mistaking who it is.
Raghav.Inside my suite. Searching for something frantically.
His hands move restlessly, going through my shelves, opening drawers, pushing aside things that don’t belong to him, as if none of it matters. A few items tilt dangerously when he brushes past them. One drawer is pulled open too hard and left hanging, half out. For a second, I just stare at him, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. And then the anger hits.
“What the hell are you doing in my room?” I shout.
He doesn’t even turn to look at me and continues to ignore my presence. That only makes my anger spike higher.
“I’m talking to you, RK. And how did you even get inside?” I demand, taking a step closer. “Didn’t my guards outside stop you?”
Still nothing.
He brushes past me and moves towards my bed, his attention still focused on whatever it is he’s looking for.
What the f*ck!
Seeing him in my bedroom, walking around so causally, is enough to mess with my head. How did he even get in? A duplicate key? Well, this resort is his, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
And my guards? The one stationed outside my cottage, must definitely be snoring again, completely oblivious of what is happening around him. It’s all my fault for not informing Michael about him sleeping on duty yet.
But even if he had been alert, I know it wouldn’t have made much difference. Someone like Raghav cannot be stopped by a man like that.
He now opens my bedside drawer and starts rummaging through it, and I’m done watching.
“Get out of here, RK,” I snap. “Or I’ll call my guards right away.”
I move towards him, ready to force his attention if I have to, but he simply shifts to the other side of the bed and opens the other drawer. The charging cables of my phone and iPad get in his way, and he pushes them aside carelessly. They fall to the floor, tangling with each other.
Urgh. The audacity of this man.
