“You made her a whore. You sold her to your friends. You let them rape her.”
“Shut up, little girl.” Joshi stalked toward Mia.
“No, I will not shut up. You did this to us.”
As Joshi reached the back of the kitchen, I pushed Mia behind me, leaped over the bench, and blocked her father’s path.
“Have you lost your mind? What are you doing?”I shouted into Joshi’s face.
“Stay out of this, Devani.”
“You need to calm down and handle this rationally.”
“I am handling a family matter. This girl lacks discipline.”
He tried to shift around me, but I countered his movement, separating him from Mia.
“Discipline me, then. Let Devani see the type of family she is joining,”Mia taunted from over my shoulder.“Then maybe she will come to her senses and run as far away as possible.”
“I’m warning you, Mia.”
Ignoring him, she continued. “Tell her our big family secret. The one you go to such great lengths to hide.”
“Shut your mouth right now.”
“Tell her you’re sterile. Tell her how you prostituted your model wife in exchange for sons and lucrative business dealings. Tell her you aren’t sure which of your asshole friends was Luke’s father, and Neil’s is someone you hate. Tell her the man who fathered me produced a girl, and you found a way to get rid of him.”
Well, we just went from bad to a nuclear-level shitstorm.
I could really use some help here, Neil.
If only telepathy was a real thing.
“How dare you?”He tried to move around me, grasping at Mia’s shoulder, but I shoved him in the chest with my forearm, sending him back three feet.
Surprise flashed on his cheeks.
Yeah, fucker. I so plan to teach your daughter the very same move to protect herself from jackasses like you.
“Don’t you dare touch her,”I warned him.“She’s a child.”
“No one insults me in my home. Least of all, a spoiled brat.”
“Go ahead and hit me. It wouldn’t be the first time.”Mia shifted around me, daring Joshi to make good on his threats.
In the next second, his hand collided with her face. Then out of reflex, I punched him in the jaw, which brought blood spewing from his mouth.
Anger boiled inside me, and my fingers itched to tear this man to shreds.
But I couldn’t, I wouldn’t. Not now, anyway.
I locked down my rage and allowed my training to wash over me. Calm, collected, logical…mostly.
“You will not hit a child in my presence. You will not hit a child out of my presence.”My voice no longer held any grace of the socialite, only the cool edge of the weapon created as a child.“Listen very carefully. You attempt to touch her again, I will take great pleasure in breaking every one of your fingers.”
The room grew quiet as my threat pierced through the chaos of the altercation in the kitchen. The staff continued to work. However, they moved at a much more unassuming pace, as if afraid to make a sound.
I highly doubted anyone ever stood up to Arun Joshi, and if they had, they’d faced his wrath.