Page 63 of Born in Ruin

When someone broke your heart, shattered it into a million, little pieces and then ground it into the dust with their shoe, you were meant to curl up in bed, sobbing, a pale imitation of yourself. Mayukhi wasn’t interested in what she was meant to do. She preferred working through her rage and pain, terrorising her staff while she did so. The best kind of therapy.

Shawn walked into her cabin, shutting the door behind him so no one could listen in. “Listen, you crazy person. We are on track for the launch. The final cut of all the designs will be ready for you by tomorrow end of day. Now, do you want to take a breath and tell me what bee flew up your arse?”

“I would like to ensure the success of this company’s launch which has a lot of money riding on it. This company’s money. If this launch fails, if we fail, we might have to close the labeldown and then you’ll be out of a job. We all will and guess what, that stupid white t-shirt you’re wearing that cost you twenty five thousand bucks is going to be the last big purchase you can afford!”

The wild rant came out in a screech that had staff outside fleeing but Shawn, the stalwart, held his ground. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. “You don’t like my t-shirt?”

Mayukhi’s chest heaved, suppressed emotion making it hard to get another word out. “I want to see them on my desk by end of today’s work day, not tomorrow’s.” She spat the words out when she could finally wrest back some control.

“That’s not possible.”

Shawn’s gaze raked over her face. What he saw in it, she didn’t know, but his face went from annoyed to concerned in a heartbeat.

“What’s going on honey?”

“Nothing.”

It was nothing, she told herself. All of this was nothing. She didn’t need anybody. It was easy enough to live life on the fringes. She’d done it for years. Mayukhi Chatterjee had gone through life not needing anybody. She sure as hell didn’t need him or his stupid jokes or his mission or anything else. She hoped his trophy ended up at the bottom of the ocean. She’d throw it there herself. That’s what she was going to do. She was going to find his trophy and –

“Mayukhi.” Payal hovered, tentatively, by the door. “There’s someone here to see you.”

“I’m busy.” She looked at Shawn. “Go get rid of whoever it is, please.”

“It’s me.”

Dhrithi’s voice had her freezing for a second. The pain and hurt within her ratcheted up a notch, her entire being a tightly wound spring that was about to snap.

“Everybody out,” she snapped, keeping her eyes on Dhrithi who walked in, smiling sweetly at Payal and Shawn as they filed out. The door shut behind them a second later.

“You should leave too,” she told Dhrithi, who ignored her and sat down.

“How are you?” Dhrithi asked, her eyes filling with a level of compassion that made Mayukhi want to throw something at the wall.

“I’m fabulous,” Mayukhi answered, sarcasm mixing with venom as she spoke.

It wasn’t Dhrithi’s fault. None of this was Dhrithi’s fault. She knew that and yet the petty side to her resented Dhrithi for being so loved when Mayukhi never was. She saw the way Amay looked at her, the way he worshipped the ground she walked on but it wasn’t just that. She also saw the affection Virat and THE ASSHOLE WHOSE NAME WOULD NOT BE MENTIONED held for her and her heart wept for the lack of it in her life.

She really wanted to hate Dhrithi for having what she didn’t but she didn’t. Hating Dhrithi was like trying to hate a lost puppy. Mayukhi had a feeling she looked at Dhrithi with a hell of a lot affection too and dammit she didn’t want that. She wanted these people out of her life. All of them.

“I’m sorry,” Dhrithi said gently, reaching over to take the hand Mayukhi had resting on her table.

Mayukhi yanked it away, her movement the very opposite of gentle. “For what?” she snapped. “You didn’t do anything.”

“I’m sorry that I’ve been the catalyst for everything that’s been happening. And I’m sorry you got hurt because of it.”

“Dickhead made his choices. That’s not on you. It’s on him.”

“Yes,” Dhrithi agreed. “It’s on him. He’s made several bad choices but the worst one, Yukhi, was hurting you the way he did yesterday.”

“If you’re here to make excuses for him,” Mayukhi interrupted. “You need to stop now. I don’t want to hear it.”

“There is no excuse for what he did.” Dhrithi’s steely tone surprised her. “That’s the last thing I’m here for.”

“Then why are you here?” Mayukhi really needed her to leave before she lost what was left of her composure.

“I’m here because I thought my friend needed me.” Dhrithi leaned forward, closing her hands over Mayukhi’s clenched ones.

“Yourfriend isn’t here,” Mayukhi said pointedly.

---