Page 242 of The Redemption
“I feel so sorry for Dad,” she whispers. “I knew Samarjeet was never happy after Dad adopted me. He always fought with him over it.”
I swallow. Finally, Siya is telling me herself that she was adopted. That she isn’t a Vardhaan. I stay quiet and let her speak.
“Dad loved me so much, and Samarjeet hated that. He was always afraid that whatever money, property, or share existed would eventually be divided between the two of us. And he wasn’t ready for that.”
She shakes her head slowly.
“There were so many times I saw him fighting with Dad over it. I even told him that I didn’t want anything. That I wanted nothing that belonged to the Vardhaans. He could have it all if he wanted. I never cared about any of it.”
Her eyes fill again.
“All I wanted from him was for him to stop disrespecting Dad,” she pauses. “To show some love and affection towards Mom. That was the only thing I fought with him about since childhood. But he never cared. I don’t know what got into his head that he could do something like this.”
For a few moments, neither of us speaks. The storm inside her has calmed slightly, but the silence only makes the other revelation echo louder inside my head.
“Siya...”
She raises her eyes to mine.
“If you’re not Shamsher Vardhaan’s daughter...” I pause. “Then who are you?”
Something changes in her expression. The rage disappears. Even the grief seems to take a step back. She just looks at me and says the last thing I ever expected to hear.
“I’m Ranjit Gill’s daughter.”
Ifreeze.
Siya notices the shock on my face and adds, “The same Ranjit Gill… your closest bodyguard.”
No.For a second, I forget how to breathe. I can’t believe it.
Siya is Ranjit Gill’s daughter?The daughter of the man who had meant more to me than my own father during my childhood?
“I was nine years old when I got the news that your father, Tej Khurana, had shot my Dad,” Siya continues. “I was shattered and all alone. I had no idea what to do or nowhere to go to.”
Her fingers tighten slightly around mine. “And that’s when Shamsher Vardhaan walked into our house. He placed his hand on my head and took me with him.”
A faint, bittersweet smile appears on her lips.
“He’d always admired my father’s loyalty. My father, Ranjit, was a good man, and he was fiercely loyal to Tej Khurana. That was something Shamsher Vardhaan respected.”
She looks down at our joined hands.
“For years, he had tried to convince my father to come and work for him, but Dad always refused. He kept saying he would never leave the Bat Gang for anyone else. And now I know why.”
I frown.
“He wasn’t loyal to your father, Raghav. He was loyal to you. He didn’t stay for Tej Khurana. He stayed foryou. To protect you.”
She gives me a sad smile.
“Being your bodyguard was never just a job for him. And that’s why he never left, even when Shamsher Vardhaan offeredhim more money.” A tear slides down her cheek. “He still refused.”
Yes. Because Ranjit loved me like a son.
“Who would’ve thought that the same love he had for you would one day become the reason he was killed?”
My eyes fill with tears.
