Page 9 of Reckless Hate

“Either that or from the looks of it, he will go crashing down,” another guy stated.

Ved’s two cousins had come looking for him. Both of them knew that if he didn’t answer his phone, either he was at the computer lab or at the basketball court or out racing on his bike. But otherwise, he always answered his calls, even when he was hooking up with girls or out on dates.

He held the basketball still and turned to look at his cousins.

Abhi frowned. “You weren’t at the cafeteria during lunch or at the housing unit in the evening. Did you at least have dinner?”

Ved had skipped lunch, and he also didn’t realize it was past their usual dinner time. The thought of food when his mind was filled with rage and other emotions made him sick to the stomach.

He took a deep breath. “Ruby and Aravind Roy’s daughter is here at Simha,” he said.

There was shock in both his cousins’ eyes.

“Fuck,” said Abhi.

Ved knew his usually composed cousin cursed only when he was caught off-guard. And the last time Abhi had been caught off guard was the previous night at the welcome back party.

There was a thundering frown on Abhi’s face. “How the hell is it possible? Avanish Patel’s daughter and now Aravind Roy’s daughter. It’s one damn hell of a coincidence.”

“Unless it isn’t a coincidence,” said Rana.

Ved knew his other cousin was right. How could two of their family’s sworn enemies’ daughters simply show up at Simha University around the same time? It was too much of a damn coincidence.

Abhi scowled. “They must have planned it together before sending their daughters here at the same time.”

Ved knew there were possibilities of that happening. But what was the purpose apart from pissing him and his cousins off and upsetting their families? No sane person would want to upset the Simhas and not bear the full-blown consequences.

Abhi looked at Rana. “Do you think Dhanush Varma’s daughter might have joined Simha too?”

Rana shook his head. “I don’t think so. He won’t dare.”

Technically, the other two men wouldn’t dare to cross the Simhas either. And yet, their daughters were now at the university.

Samantha Roy.

Seeing her on campus and meeting her eyes was a complete shock to his system. Rage and hatred grew inside him.

“Except for her eyes, she looks exactly like her damn mother.”

He wanted to punch something or someone at the fact. But since he didn’t have the discipline or control of his two cousins, he stayed away from games like rugby or boxing, which his cousins were part of at the university. Instead, he stuck to letting his aggression out on an inanimate object like the basketball.

“What are you going to do?” Abhi asked.

Ved looked at his cousins. “I’m going to ask her to leave.”

There was a long pause. Ved knew what his cousins were thinking.

“Are you sure you can do that?” Abhi asked.

Ved’s jaw clenched. “Yes.”

He would make sure Samantha Roy is driven out of Simha University.

CHAPTER 6

Samantha had barely slept the night. Between worrying about her baby brother and the disturbing dreams and memories, she had spent a restless night tossing and turning until she finally gave up.

It was too early to make calls to France. So, she got up and sat in front of the small sewing machine she had brought along with her and worked on one of her accessories. It was a green headband. She cut the material so it was broad enough to cover a good portion of her forehead. Even though stitching and working on materials and designs calmed her, her hands shook slightly.

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