Page 22 of Born in Ruin

“Is that what this is? A childhood vendetta?” She looked around at their tense faces. “I know they got you guys expelled or something. Are you trying to get even by smearing their reputations now?”

Her phone started to ring. Mayukhi silenced it again without even glancing at it.

“Their reputations,” Amay muttered. “Their fucking reputations.”

But before he could continue further, Virat spoke up, “No. It’s not a childhood vendetta.”

“No?” Mayukhi challenged.

“It’s an adult one,” he said quietly. “Whether you help us or not, Mayukhi, you should know this. We are going to destroy every single one of them. We will leave them with nothing. We will leave themasnothing.”

“Why should I help you?” Mayukhi demanded. “This is my world, my circle you’re talking about destroying.”

“I already hold your world in the palm of my hand,” Ishaan interrupted harshly. “Don’t give me a reason to grind it to dust beneath my boots.”

Fury erupted inside her at the cold reminder of what he’d done to her family. “You think reminding me of how much of an asshole you are is helping your case, Adajania? My father and I had nothing to do with whatever this shit is you have going on with the Crestwood crowd. We are nothing but collateral damage.”

Ishaan looked unmoved by her outburst. “I don’t need to help my case. You’ll do what I say or you’ll be the first one we leave standing with nothing. We are going to do this, Mayukhi. You are either with us or against us.”

“You don’t even know if there is something going on,” Mayukhi yelled. “You know nothing. Other than the fact that Varun slapped Dhrithi or something.”

Silence as cold as an iceberg melting in their midst blanketed the room. Dhrithi, her face pale and set, turned in her seat, her hands going to the edge of her t-shirt. She yanked it up, exposing her back to the room.

Mayukhi went still, her eyes going to the lattice of scars that crisscrossed Dhrithi’s back, each one with a tale to tell.

“It was a bit more than a slap,” Dhrithi said, her voice cool and remote, like her mind had taken her somewhere far, far away.

Mayukhi inhaled, a shaky breath.

“I could fax you my medical records so you could see the catalogue of broken bones and stitched up gashes but I think the bottom line is, you’re right, Yukhi. We could force you to help us but it’s not going to work unless you want to help us. I know they’ve been up to something and when that comes out, and it will, there will be no hole deep enough for them to hide.”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Mayukhi’s hands shook, the image of Dhrithi’s mutilated back seared into her brain.

“You knew Varun. Would he have let me?”

All the oxygen had left the room. Mayukhi took in a shuddering breath but it didn’t seem to help. Her vision darkened, patches of grey expanding and contracting in front of her.

“Yukhi?” Dhrithi’s concerned voice reached her from a distance.

“Breathe Kraken.” Ishaan’s rough voice penetrated her gasping daze. “You’re not actually going to be the drama queen who faints at the first sign of trouble, are you?”

Irritation swam through her as she smacked away the hand he had braced on her back.

“God, you’re so much work,” he continued to complain. “You’re supposed to be a hard ass and you can’t even get through one difficult conversation without swooning.”

Mayukhi’s head popped up, her eyes spitting fire. “Fuck you.”

“There you go,” he smirked, patting her back condescendingly. “Feeling better?”

Mayukhi’s phone rang again. Ashish this time. She stared at the screen for an endless moment before turning to meet Dhrithi’s eyes.

“I dated him, you know,” she murmured.

“Ashish?” Dhrithi frowned.

“Varun.” Mayukhi could feel the tightness of her chest return with the memories. “I dumped him two days before he started dating you.

They stared at each other, an endless moment.

---