Page 112 of Reckless Hate

Slightly relieved they weren’t talking about Ved, Samantha looked at her mother’s furious face. “He is my father. And he came to meet me because he loves me. And I love him too, especially after I realized I was fed lies by you all these years. My father never abandoned me.”

Her mother’s eyes flashed. “That man called to tell me that he is stopping all child support because you are no longer eighteen. He also threatened to file a case against me for feeding you lies regarding his abandonment.

“So, you want me to tell him not to file a case against you?”

This time it was her stepfather who replied. “We want you to give me and your mother complete control of your trust fund.”

Samantha’s heart jolted. The trust fund her father set up for her was the only security she had for Sohan’s future. In one and a half more years, she would have complete access to it.

“She will give access to just me,” her mother snapped at her husband. “Not to you. You already blew up the huge payout that came from the Simhas.”

“I blew it?” her stepfather demanded. “You were the one who spent it on parties and booze all these years.”

“At least I spent it on us, unlike you. You spend my money on floozies you kept on the side and the ones you had to pay off.”

Samantha’s heart raced while her mother and stepfather argued drunkenly. Her mind went blank. She had always prided herself to remain calm during crisis and many terrible situations. But all those situations had involved only her. And right then, fear of losing Sohan made her panic. She didn’t know what she could do to stop from signing away her trust fund. If she refused, they would cause a stink and put a stop to the adoption process.

Oh God. What do I do?

She wished she had Ved next to her. Although he could be quite reckless in many aspects, when it came to an emergency or crisis, he had proven ability to deal with it perfectly.

Her heart ached at the thought of him. She knew he must have thought she had bailed on him for dinner with his cousins and their girlfriends because she didn’t want to commit to him publicly.

He would most likely be furious and hurt. She badly hoped she could make him understand.

Oh God. I don’t want to lose him again. I love him so much.

Her eyes burned with unshed tears. She was angry that her mother was once again making her lose the person she loved.

While her mother and stepfather continued to argue, the sound of the doorbell ringing made everyone jump.

“Who is it at this time?” her mother asked.

Samantha watched as her stepfather walked towards the door and partially opened it. As soon as he did, the door was shoved open. Samantha was shocked when she saw Ved striding into the house towards her.

“Who the hell are you?” Samantha’s stepfather demanded.

Ved came to a stop in front of her and held her face. “Are you alright, Sam?” he asked softly.

She was too stunned at first to react. And then happiness hit her seeing him, followed by concern.

“My God! It’s him!” her stepfather more or less shouted in outrage. “It’s the punk who broke my hands and legs. I recognize his voice and his cologne! I’m calling the police.”

Samantha’s heart beat harder. Ved could get into serious trouble if her stepfather called the police. Although the Simha family were quite influential in India, she didn’t know if their influence would extend to France. And getting arrested would have Ved suspended from the university and impact his future as well.

Even as Samantha panicked, Ved was calm and collected.

“What happened, Sam?” he asked. “Why did you come here so urgently?”

She noticed that he didn’t demand an explanation of why she didn’t call him. He sensed something was wrong, and she loved him even more for his understanding. Tears prickled her eyes as she resisted the urge to hug him.

“I received a call from my mother asking me to come right away. She said Sohan’s well-being depended on it and she also warned me not to tell anyone.”

His eyes flashed in anger. When he turned towards her mother, Samantha saw her mother’s face pale significantly.

“Oh my God… Viraaj.” Her mother looked shocked.

Samantha knew Ved resembled his father a lot.

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