Fixation (Fatal Attraction #3)

Chapter 7

7

I t had been a full week of having his brothers around. A week filled with laughter and conversations. Also, a week filled with lots of sleeping and recovering for him. But he did feel stronger and better.

Mihir and Armaan had spent as much time as possible with him. They even took their meals with him. One of them was always around him. It was only during the nights that he insisted on them sleeping in their own rooms. It had been a good week indeed.

But now that time too was coming to an end. His brothers had to return to Dubai. Thanks to him being stuck here like an invalid, the two of them were inundated with work. He looked to the side, where Mihir was standing against a high table, working on his laptop—his standard way of working on most days. On the other side, Armaan was relaxing on the day bed, staring out of the window, most likely thinking of Navya. The moron still refused to talk to her or about her. But that battle was for later. Right now, Vedant had more pressing concerns.

“Guys…” Vedant pocketed his glasses. He didn’t wear them as often as he did now, considering he didn’t have much to read. “I need to talk to you.”

Immediately, both of them came to him.

“What’s wrong?” Armaan asked, sounding worried. “Are you okay?”

“Are you in pain?” Mihir checked. He looked one second away from rushing to the door and calling for his doctor.

“I’m fine,” he assured them. “We need to discuss Ivan and Karina.”

When his brothers shared a glance, Vedant held a hand out. “No, you cannot leave me out. These last days, we have spoken about everything under the sun except for what’s most important. I know you’re deliberately avoiding talking about them. But that ends now. And while I appreciate your care and concern, you cannot keep me out of this. I can help you. You know I have people in place everywhere. I was handling the Ivan situation until…” he shadowed a hand down his body “…this.”

Mihir sighed. “You’re right. We just didn’t want to stress you out.”

Vedant gentled his tone. “I know that.”

Armaan spoke up, “Okay, so let’s start with Ivan. As expected, he’s disappeared after launching that attack on the two of us. Since I was targeted outside Rajiv Mehra’s club, his people managed to detain three of the men who attacked me.”

Vedant’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know that. Did you interrogate them? Did they say anything?”

“Yes, we did,” Mihir replied. “We now know that their leader is one Karl Leipzig. Estonian, as were the three men. He’s missing now. We’re combing all the addresses the other three gave us, but he’s not turned up anywhere yet. However, the others had no clue of the attack on you. Looks like Ivan hired two independent groups.”

“But they had the same modus operandi here in London and there in Dubai,” Vedant said. “They attacked us both in basement parking lots.”

“Probably because not all basements have security cameras,” Mihir said. “I know because I checked both the places where you guys were attacked, and there were none at either of the places.”

“So, what now?” Vedant queried. “What are we doing with the three men who attacked Armaan?”

“They’re dead,” Armaan said.

“And now we’re being extra cautious,” Mihir continued. “You can see I’ve doubled the security here. I’ve done the same in Dubai. Also, Armaan and I are doing things out of pattern. We take the bodyguards’ cars at times. We even told the staff, including the bodyguards, that we were coming to London at the last minute.”

“Why? Do you suspect someone from our staff?”

The very thought of being betrayed by one of their own was heartbreaking and downright scary.

“We’re merely taking precautions, that’s all,” Armaan replied.

“So, we don’t have many leads on Ivan,” Vedant said. “He’s a viper, though—waiting for the right moment to strike. We cannot let our guard down. He thinks he’s the rightful heir of O-Corp, and hence he won’t stop coming for us.”

“Agreed, and that’s why the extra precautions,” Mihir said. “He will show up, and this time, we’ll be ready. I won’t allow him to harm either of you ever again.”

“Or you,” Vedant said. “You’re the majority stakeholder of O-Corp, and he’s always hated you the most.”

“He can try, but he will never get to me,” Mihir said confidently. “Unlike you both, I never take risks.”

“Actually, you should take risks; you should live a little, brother,” Vedant said. When Mihir threw him a glower, Vedant clarified, “I don’t mean with regards to Ivan and our safety. I mean in life in general, Mihir. You’re only working all the time. You barely go out except when it is to entertain clients. You don’t date at all, you’re so damn serious, and you always look hassled. You need to unwind.”

Armaan groaned. “He doesn’t know how to unwind.”

“You need to loosen up, Mihir,” Vedant said. “Go out with a woman. Spend a night with a willing one. Have fun.”

“I bet he’s forgotten how to even charm a woman, much less bed her.” Armaan gave Mihir a naughty look. “Do you even remember how to fuck? Shall I teach you? Send you some videos of?—”

“Shut up, you,” Mihir growled. “Why do all our conversations eventually end up with a discussion on my sex life?”

“Non-existent sex life,” Armaan coughed out.

Vedant laughed. “Mihir, find a woman you like and go out with her. It will improve your disposition.”

“He won’t do that,” Armaan said, “because he’s still pining over Anna —isn’t that what you call her?”

Mihir’s fists clenched and his face hardened. “I’m not talking about her .”

Ananya Mehra was Mihir’s Achilles heel. She was a sore point with him. Till date, Mihir believed she’d deceived him in the worst way possible.

“Don’t you think you should talk to her?” Vedant thought aloud. “You should have spoken to her on that yacht four years ago. We all know she gate-crashed our party for you . But instead of clearing things with her, you wanted to hold her captive. I don’t even know why. Just because she escaped, you decided to hold Navya and Sheena captive instead, hoping she’d return to bargain for them. But she chickened out and sent her brother instead. The whole thing was a fucking headache. Armaan added to it, because he got obsessed with Navya. And now that she wants him in her life, he’s ignoring her and refusing to clear the air with her. You both are fucking fools.”

“I’m not talking about Navya to you,” Armaan said firmly. The idiot.

Mihir’s jaw clenched. “And I never want to talk to her ever. I don’t even want to talk about her . She doesn’t deserve it. Not after she left me dying all those years ago.”

“It could be a misunderstanding,” Vedant pointed out. “Do you want to live the rest of your life not knowing if it is?”

“It isn’t,” Mihir snapped. “I lived her betrayal in real, and then I relived it in my head over and over for months. She deceived me, and I will never forgive her for that.”

Vedant studied him. Along with the anger vibrating through Mihir, there was so much hurt and angst. Sadness and shadows surrounded his brother like an aura. Vedant hated that he couldn’t help him. Even now, years later, Mihir didn’t really date much. Women swarmed over him because he oozed danger and darkness—a potent combination. And that scar running down one side of his face made his pull even stronger. Women wanted to learn his secrets and be the ones who erased his darkness. But he gave no one a chance. Vedant wasn’t even certain if he’d bedded any of the few women he’d dated over the years. He was practically a monk.

Yes, Mihir was definitely pining over Ananya Mehra. Four years back, he had decided to shift O-Corp’s headquarters from Moscow to Dubai. He could have moved to London; they already had a home and an office here. It would have been easier, but he’d chosen Dubai, and while Dubai definitely had several business benefits, Vedant suspected he’d done so because Ananya Mehra lived there.

All that meant Mihir still had unresolved feelings for Ananya Mehra, but he was too damn stubborn to accept it.

“She’s Navya’s sister,” Vedant stressed. “She may become an extended part of our lives once Armaan gets his head out of the sand and decides to patch up with Navya.”

“That is not happening,” Armaan said, his tone sharp. “Navya needs to stay away from me. It’s safer for her.”

“And you need to allow her to decide that,” Mihir replied.

“Like I said, I’m not talking about her,” Armaan declared with a finality.

Mihir focused on Armaan. “Even if you patch up with Navya, her sister will never be in my life, ever. Am I clear?”

“Ok, enough. Let’s discuss Karina,” Armaan deflected.

Vedant sighed. His brothers were so damn stubborn. Thank God, he never would fall in love. It just caused pain and heartbreak as was clear.

“What about Karina? Do we have news?” he asked Armaan.

“Unfortunately, not,” Armaan sighed.

“Now that we’re all finally together, let’s reiterate everything we know so that we’re certain we haven’t missed out on anything,” Mihir said.

Armaan began, “Our men have been following Dorab since he returned to India. We now know that he’s been working for an underworld don named JD for several years now. JD is some big crime boss in North India, based out of Delhi. He’s known for the severe torture tactics he unleashes on anyone who crosses him. Dorab is shit scared of him even though he has worked for him for years. Dorab’s like an under don in that crime organisation. However, JD has been living in Bangkok for the last couple of months. One of our men has managed to infiltrate that gang and is now working for them. He overheard Dorab telling someone about how he was held captive by us and that he didn’t know where Karina was.”

“Which probably means that he might actually not know,” Mihir added. “This also gives us hope that she managed to run away. Our guy also mentioned that Dorab has been trying to talk to this JD fellow, but JD isn’t taking Dorab’s calls.”

“We should also consider the possibility that this JD guy knows where she is and hasn’t told Dorab,” Vedant reminded them.

Armaan continued, “Our guys are still following Dorab. But there’s no news of JD yet. We don’t know if he will return. We are still waiting to see if they launch a search for Karina if he returns.”

“Our biggest fear continues to be Dorab,” Vedant pointed out. “He’s hated us since we were kids, and now he knows we are looking for her. It’s only a matter of time before he or JD realise that she’s our weakness. If they find her, then they can and will use her against us.”

“Which means we need to find her before them,” Mihir declared. “I still have to speak to some of our old caretakers in the orphanage and get an old picture of her. With both of you being targeted, I had no time to do that. But I’m convinced that with all this new AI technology, if we feed in an old picture of hers, then we can get a rough idea of what she may look like now.”

“That will help us expand our search for her,” Armaan sounded excited. “Please let’s get on this right away.”

Mihir nodded. “I’ll also talk to more people from our time in Rishikesh and find out if she contacted anyone, or if she ever returned and looked for us.”

“Discretion is of prime importance here,” Vedant said. “No one can know that we are looking for her. She cannot become a bargaining tool for our enemies.”

“Correct,” Armaan said. “It may take a lot of time, but we will find her.”

Hope bloomed in Vedant’s chest, replacing that constant sadness he’d felt every time he thought of his sister. He had to be positive that she was alive and well. He couldn’t even fathom thinking otherwise. He and his brothers would find her. And they could find her faster if he could help them.

He looked at his brothers. “If you talk to my doctor and convince her to let me use my laptop, I can help you both. You already have too much on your plates.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Mihir muttered. “Besides, your doctor hasn’t cleared you to use your laptop.”

“If it were up to her, then all I ought to do is sleep the whole fucking day,” Vedant complained.

Mihir grimaced. “I’m sure she knows what’s best for you. Listen to her.”

“And be nice to her, fucker,” Armaan said.

Vedant quirked his brows. “I’m the nice brother, or have you forgotten that bit?”

“Seriously?! You behave absolutely awful with her,” Armaan shot back. “She saved your life. A little kindness won’t hurt.”

“I agree on that,” Mihir said.

“Since when did you both start siding with someone else over me?” Vedant grumbled.

“Since you decided to be a dick to your doctor,” Armaan retaliated. “I’m serious, Vedant. Once Mihir and I leave tomorrow, you’re again going to be back in the hands of your medical team. While we were here, we wanted to spend maximum time with you, and hence, you had limited interaction with your doctors. But after we’re gone, you will have to rely on them again. So please listen to Reina... Dr. Singh.”

Vedant eyed his brother. How was Armaan on first name basis with Reina when he still wasn’t? She was his doctor, for God’s sake. If Vedant wasn’t certain that Armaan was utterly in love with Navya, then he would have entertained the possibility that his brother was interested in Reina. After all, Armaan had been a known playboy once.

Now, even knowing that wasn’t the case, it still bothered him no end. Which was again very strange. His brother’s interactions with women had never bothered him in the past, so why was this annoying him now?

“You need to get better,” Mihir picked up from Armaan. “Which means you need to do exactly as Dr. Singh says. Do you get it?”

“Fine. But from now on, I need you to leave my doctor to me, da ?” Vedant declared. “No more controlling everything from Dubai. If I have a problem, then trust me to figure it out with her. I’m better now, and I don’t want to be managed by either of you.”

Both his brothers nodded. Once they left, he’d once again be spending a lot of time with his medical team. His spirits lifted, and a new sort of excitement filled him. His doctor had been deliberately avoiding him for too long now. It was time to change that, and possibly even learn why he was so strangely fixated on her.