Chapter 5

Sitting on the floor in the petite loggia of her hostel room, she hugged her legs tightly and glanced at the dusk with an empty stare,  a grieve made her black doe eyes dull, she felt numbness inside,  a downcast on her face explained her grief. Tara doesn’t understand How is life changes in a minute…!!! Why does this problem suddenly come into her life…!!! As everything is going smoothly and happily then just one wrong move and now she has to face this trouble.

Flashback

“Then… there is one deal…”, he whimpered in his profound voice, staring at her with rapacious eyes. Ryan's entire focus was only on her, with the oceanic assessor orbs he examined each expression, even though she tried to avoid the direct gaze but the rapid blinking of her long eyelashes and beads of sweat on her forehead expressed her anxiety.

With trembling luscious pink lips, she shuttered, “Wh…What..is..that..???...”, lowering her head, she said in a tremulous voice so that he cannot glimpse her trepidation which results from his intent look. But Tara doesn’t know Ryan feels her nervousness and shiver that run inside her vein, and he knows that it is because of his proximity and he enjoyed it.

His lips raised in leer, he moved back and gave some distance to her, immediately Tara took a gulp of breath which held it for long.

“So, the deal is that you have to work for me to compensate for whatever damage you have done…OK!!!...”, Ryan uttered gutturally,  his orbs observing Tara see her reaction.

Tara's eyes widened, a baffled she looks at Ryan but the one person who shocked her to the core was Jim, with a perplexed he stared at Ryan, as he accepted that Ryan will definitely demand jailed for her, as he was very possessive over his things and that Black SUV was his favorite one, Jim remember the incident when the driver mistakenly put a thin line scratch on the car, Ryan beat him cruelly that the driver landed in the hospital and here this girl totally damage the SUV, he suggests a job to her and that too to be his PA. Jim doesn’t understand What was going on in Ryan’s mind…!!! He doesn't allow any outsider or stranger in his life easily.

“What..!!!..”, Tara said in a puzzled tone.

“Yes!!!... you have to be my PA till you pay the loss…!...”, Ryan added, his orbs slightly squinting in a sarcastic smile, “So…you agree with it!!!..”, he asked her with a puckered of his angular brow.

Tara stares off and has long paused as she does not clearly think about What to do…?... She just wants to do a part-time job to earn some money but here is the offer to become a PA of a Richy rich, even though she doesn’t know anything about him but the way his attire and his personality and the people in the police station look at him, he is not less than any celebrity.

“Quick…!... young lady…Quick…”, Ryan sounded raucous, breaking the chain of thoughts of Tara, “I hate to wait…”, gnashing his teeth, he muttered croakily.

Tara’s heartbeat raises in accelerating speed, and her mind gets blocked due to the apprehension. She doesn’t want to accept this deal as his just presence makes her quiver with an unknown fear and his blue oceanic orbs which stare at her as a predator looking at his prey, chilled down her spine then How will she work under him..!!!... but if her answer is No, then she must have to be jailed…!

“No!!!.. I don’t wanna be!…”, she screeched in her mind and shook her head, looking at Ryan with clammy eyes, she accepted in a low tone, “OK… I agree to the deal…”.

Ryan's lips raised in evil smirked,  he turned behind and called, “Jim… make a legal bond with her…She has to do a job under me until she heals my loss…”, then he again turned his gaze at Tara who still in confound, “If She broke this bond for any reason…then…make sure that she has to be in jailed… as I don’t like to give a second chance to anyone…”, he declared which fixing his intense orbs on her pale face.

Tara gasped hearing Ryan's statement,  a cold sweat formed on her forehead, she grabbed her top and bite her lower lips. Ryan marched toward her and gawked at her lips, he freed her lower lips with his thumb and a slim beam emerged on his striking face when his thumb felt the softness of her luscious pink lips. Tara flinched back, her black doe enlarged when his thumb caressed her lips, she sensed a negative vibe from him that made her rethink her decision.

“Start your work from tomorrow…”, he whispered roughly with a blank expression and turned to leave the police station.

Flashback Over

At Present

Tara reminisces about the incident that happened in a day. A matter, again and again, revolves in her mind, Why did he offer her a job..???...  Is it because he just wants to compensate for his loss …!!! Or there is something else…!

These questions made her frustrated and frightful as his predatory stare again flashed in her vision shooting a restlessness inside her, she stands and glances outside, suddenly her phone started to ring, she picked up the call and first wipe the moisture off her teary eyes, and take a breath to relax as the phone call is from her mother, she doesn’t want to share this incident with her parents, it will make them more vexed and she doesn’t like to give more stress to her parents.

“Mom…How are you…???... How is Dad’s health..???... and What about Preeti’s study..?.. Is she concentrating on studying or not…!!!..”, Tara asked in one breath, trying to hide her anxiety.

“Hold on…Hold on, Tara… So many questions at once…”, Seema chuckled at her daughter’s exhilaration, she thought maybe Tara was missing and was worried for them but she doesn’t sense her daughter’s tension, “The First answer … I am fine… the Second answer, your Dad was absolutely fine and fit and last third …you very well know about Preeti, How serious she will always remain in her study…!!!...OK…now tell me about you Beta(Daughter)…How is everything there..?... and How is your studying going there…???...”, Seema added.

Tara bite her lip and closed her eyes for a second, she tried her best to suppress her sobs, “I am fine, Mom…and everything is perfect here and…I am also studying well…”, she lied to some extent, but her heart was insisting her that she must have to share this incident, with a low tone, she whimpered, “Mom…Can I ask you something…!...”.

“Sure, Beta (Daughter)…Anything…”, Seema replied gladly.

“Mom… What should we do, If we unintentionally cause someone a huge loss…???...”, Tara asked her Mom for advice so that she can make up her mind.

“Tara, First of all…we should apologize to that person…Even if we have done it unintentionally, but we responsible for the loss… and we should accept it and should take full responsibility for this and try our best to compensate for the loss of that person…”, Seema responds to her daughter’s query, “Tara!... Don’t know …Why you asked this question…!!!... But remember one thing…there are many problems in our lives and we should fight them firmly…”, Seema suddenly senses something unusual in Tara’s question, she feels maybe her daughter is in any kind of trouble but Whatever may be the problem Tara has to stand in the difficult situation also…! Seema herself is a confident woman, she and her husband work hard and handle many different situations to earn happiness as she wants to see her daughter fighting in every battle of life not just sit and cry like a loser, “I hope you understand…Tara…!...”, Seema said softly.

Seema's words spell some magic on Tara, she feels her confidence is back, “Yes, Mom…you are right...I will always remember this…”, and with a bright smile, she replied.

“That's like my Tara!... By the way, When will Neha arrive over there..?..”, Seema cheered his daughter.

 Tara’s face lit up and with a self-assured, she took a sign of positivity, “In next week, Mom, She informed me yesterday about it… and…Thank you!... Mom”, saying this she ends the conversation and cuts the call.

Tara's eyes widened and shone with self-belief, her long slender neck lifted, and head raised to see the sundown, “Now whatever the situation will…I will stand up to every problem …I came to fulfill my dreams and I definitely fulfill it….”.

******

At Ryan Mansion

He sits on the barstool and takes one after one shot, his eyes become slightly red in the alcohol effect but he doesn’t stop, as he thinks there is no such liquor in the world that can make him intoxicated…!!!

“Ryan!...”, suddenly Jim came toward him with a baffled face, “I did not understand …Why you did this...???...”, he questioned Ryan.

Ryan looked at him with a blank expression and again took another shot, “If you understand…What I think then your mind definitely will explode…”, he murmurs gravelly, making Jim more confused.

He stands from his seat and stretches his arms, clearly displaying his ripped muscles, “Ok…Jim…I’m very sleepy now…I ‘m going to sleep…Good night…”, saying this, he takes the steps forward.

“That girl…is going to come tomorrow morning…Tell me, what to do…!!!...”, Jim asked in a low tone, but his words made Ryan pause, he stood on the spot again with a blank expression. Ryan turns around and gazes at Jim but this time, there is a smirk on his face. This smirk is not just a simple smile but a malevolence that says something.

“Jim..!!!... You remember… four months ago …We were in India for a concert…”, Ryan muttered coarsely, to which Jim gets more befuddled, he really cannot understand What Ryan wants to say…!!!

“Yes..!... Ryan …but What a great thing about it!!!...throughout the year, we go to many countries ….in many palaces for concerts!!!...”, Jim said with wrinkling his forehead.

Ryan's sudden smirk disappeared, his blue orbs started to fill with a red colour of rage, his gesture sharp, lips curl, “It matters!...”, He growled, making Jim flinch, “Because In that concert, someone insulted me…. my music… and I never forget the person who disrespects me…” with gnashing his teeth, he expressed with protruding eyes.

Ryan has a sharp memory, and clearly remembers the minute details and incidents that affect him. On the Goa Concert night, he still memorized and especially the girl Who insults his music, his singing, and him as her face displayed on the jumbotron screen which is directly printed in Ryan's mind. His temples throbbing in fury reminisces her words, “He sings…like a torn drum…”.

Jim's face pale white, eyes damped and eyebrows slightly raised and mouth corners pointing downward, a fear spread on his face, When his mind registered Why Ryan offered a job to her…!!! But his pulse tensed, What will Ryan do!!! As he never spares the person who disreputes him in any way and that girl affronts him in front of his million fans. With shuttering words, he asked, “Wh..What will you want to do with her..???...”.

Ryan’s lips one corner lifted and eyes squinting, his furrowed angular eyebrows hinted at a wave of intense annoyance and abhorrence, his voice plunged into a low and grumpy tone, he whimpered, “Damage… Beyond Repair…!...”.

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