Page 65 of The Redemption
I stare at her in shock. “You… contacted the Singhals?”
Siya exhales slowly. “Yes. A few days ago, after I got here.”
My hand shoots out again before she can finish, grabbing her arms tighter than before.
“You contacted the Singhals?” I repeat, my disbelief giving way to fury now. “Why the hell would you do that, Siya? They are against the Vardhaans. You know that. So why would you even think of getting in touch with them?”
Her chin lifted defiantly despite everything. “I contacted them to help me cancel my wedding.”
For a second, I think I must have misheard her. Then she continues, “They want their daughter to marry Parag, and I’m more than willing to let that happen. Samarjeet wouldn’t stop my marriage with Parag, so I needed someone who could. I thought—”
“So you went to the enemy,” I respond flatly. “You asked the opposite clan for help.”
My arm throbs, blood still seeping through the scarf wrapped around it, but I barely register the pain.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” I bark, unable to hold back my anger anymore. “Look at what that decision just cost you.”
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Siya says, looking confused. “I was willing to help them. I was ready to step aside for their benefit… then why would they send someone to kill me?”
A harsh, disbelieving laugh escapes me. She really does not see it. “Isn’t that obvious?”
I lean in closer.
“Why would they negotiate?” I reply. “They didn’t want any loose ends or the risk of you changing your mind. So instead of taking a chance on you, instead of trusting you… they chose to eliminate you. Forever. This way, their daughter could marry Parag without any resistance.”
Her face drains of colour. Too late.
“What if I hadn’t reached in time?” I ask. “What if that bullet had gone through you?”
Her eyes lift to mine, and something flashes there.
“So what?” she shoots back. “Dying would have been better than getting married into that life.”
Before I even think, I pull her flush against me, my frustration rising. This time there is no space between us. Not even for air to pass.
“I never took a mafia princess like you to be a coward.”
“I’m not a coward,” she fires back instantly. “And I don’t want to die either.”
“Then what the hell do you want, Siya?”
“I want out,” she finally spills out, pushing me away with force. “I want out of this mafia world. For me… and for my mom.”
What the f*ck does that mean?
“I want to leave all of this behind. These people. This life. I want a place where none of it can reach us. Where Samarjeet, the Reddys, or anyone from that world can never find us again.”
I go still as I study her face. There is no defiance there, no lies. Only a desperate need to leave the mafia world behind. I didn’t expect this. I knew she didn’t want the marriage, but this? Wanting to walk away from the entire underworld? That is not something people like us even consider.
She notices the moment the realisation hits me and continues. “That’s why I came to RK estate. To ask foryourhelp.”
That’s another shock for me. But I don’t respond. I need her to say it all.
“I could have asked anyone else to help me escape,” she says after a moment. “But everyone who tried before… they were found and killed by Samarjeet.”
Her eyes remain fixed on mine.
“But you,” she pauses. “Despite ruling the mafia world, despite being the Dark Prince, you still walked away. They all think you’re dead. No one ever found you. So if there’s anyone who knows how to disappear from that world, it’s you, RK.”
