Chapter 171 - Growing Desires

|Eshan|

The human mind brilliantly plays the loop of 'what if's' when you're already playing down. I did not want to be stuck in that. When one had control over our brain? As I gazed more at the woman in the painting, I could not stop my brain from wandering into a vicious and painful cycle of imagining the different scenarios.

They circled from her father to how would have her life turned out if not for that monster. What if, we would have met earlier? Wouldn't it have been great if I had her by my side in those days?

My mind could not stop projecting those ideas, and as the thoughts grew larger my heart turned heavier. I exhaled loudly, holding my head in hands. I should have never let Rey in the office. My mood was ruined. My desire of staying and working in the office was ruined. All I wanted to do was to run back to my home, where I would not have to worry about anything.

I gathered my distressed senses together. I made my decision. For all I knew, I was not going to be able to work, then what was the point of wasting my time in the office? I would rather be with Innaya, holding her soft, warm body and burying my head in her those dark, silky, smooth hair. Thinking about Innaya, and how I would spend my time with her in my arms, made me straighten up. I looked forward to holding her in my arms.

Maybe, I could steal a couple of kisses from her to calm down my estranged nerves. I would have to be careful though. Unconsciously I raised my fingers to the corners of my lips. I smiled when I recalled how she had bitten like a kitten when I had lost control. I needed to make sure this time to not hurt her.

With all these thoughts replacing my earlier depressing one, my spirits were lifted greatly. I had not forgotten about the negative memories. The only difference was, I could push them at the back of my mind.

I left the room after glancing for the last time in those beautiful eyes of my wife.

***

I directly took my personal lift for the bas.e.m.e.nt. Leaving as early as I could, was the only thought on my mind. Parth was bewildered when I announced I was leaving. The poor fellow did not know how to stop me from the board meeting. In the end, I asked him to do with the video call.

With Innaya being around me, I could make any number of video calls or any amount of work. The only requirement was Innaya's presence. I would not be able to work with a troubled heart, then what was the point of wasting everybody's time and effort?

Instead, it would be better, if I worked from home for a while. In that way, people would not have to see my angered self, trying to snap at them as if they committed a grave sin. Working that way would ensure the peacefulness in my company. If the boss was happy, employees would be in a better mood as well.

The lift reached the bas.e.m.e.nt. When the door opened, and I walked ahead, my mood dampened once again.

My eyes narrowed down dangerously when I saw the figure leaning against my car. There goes my entire slightly better mood in the drainage. Could this guy, not leave me alone for a once? I had enough of the headache he brought with his visit every time. Wasn't the scene created upstairs enough? That he stood there, waiting for me so that he could cause another ruckus?

"Would you only understand when you are beaten up?" I snarled.

Rey flinched visibly. My heart softened for a moment, catching the glimpse of a little boy who couldn't handle scolding in childhood. He would hide behind me, saying his big brother was best.

I sighed. Any desire to strangle him flew out of the window watching him trying hard to say something, yet failing miserably.

"Sorry. I didn't know about her," he confessed in a timid voice.

"But, you know how to trail and threaten me?" Though my heart did soften for a bit, the anger surged back as I recalled those photos he used to threaten me.

I could not overlook that matter so easily.

"Those shares belong to me," he replied stubbornly, trying to justify his actions. He had no arrogance of that day when he had barged inside my cabin, fully drunk. I preferred the current sober look on his face. His words made my blood boil. 'Belongs to him?' What a joke!

"What qualification do you have to claim that? Did you work for it?

What's your contribution to it? Do you think we're liable to provide you just because you're related by blood to us? Grow up!" I sternly reprimanded him before I got into the driver's seat.

Rey's face turned pale. His lips moved a couple of times but no sound came. Without waiting for him to waste my time, turning on the ignition I drove the car away. In the rearview mirror, I watched his tall figure in a pink hoodie and black pants growing smaller and smaller.

That alone, lonely figure of his brought back strange helplessness in my heart. Why was I having this sort of emotion for him? Hadn't I decided to not partake in the internal struggle of my family? I sighed, shaking my head to shove away those thoughts. I would need to figure out the way to solve the growing knot in my heart.

Putting Carl on Rey's case again was the only option I could think for now. My other plan of having him in the company with four percentages of shares on his name was already in the action.

Though those shares were in his hand, but in reality that was not the case. How could I give him shares so easily from my company? It was my company. No one could mess with my hard work, not even my family.

***

When I returned to the house, I was greeted with the excited Fortune. His excitement was on an altogether different level. Once I stepped inside, he jumped onto me, with his paw he tried to reach to my face by putting his weight on his hind legs. The bag in my hand was quickly placed on the ground before I supported him.

"Hey, hey. Slow down, buddy."

Fortune's way of greeting me caused my mind to relax and my nerves slowly starting settling down.

Raising my eyes, I noticed that Innaya was not around. I could not hear any voice from the kitchen as well. That just pointed to the fact that she was upstairs. My eyes then moved to the stairs. The person responsible for my heart to fall in the web of peacefulness was nowhere in the sight.

"Innaya?" I called out to make sure that she wasn't downstairs. Lack of response asserted my doubts about her absence.

Fortune's level of excitement amazed me when the smiling face of his refused to change. He couldn't be this happy because I returned early, could he? Shaking my head, I attempted to calm him down by gentle coaxing.

"We'll play later. Let me get freshened up."

"Woof woof."

Why did I feel that Fortune saw through my excuse? Could it be the case that now he could also see my desire of rushing to my wife?

Never mind.

Even if he could see, what could he do? Giving him one last pat, I climbed up the stairs, two at a time. I was looking forward to surprising her. Who knew the one to be get disappointed would be me.

When I entered our bedroom, it was empty. On carefully listening, I heard the sound of water from inside. I sighed loudly. So much for wishing to hold my wife!

I plopped my butt on the bed as I sat facing the door of the bathroom. I did not how much time it would take for her inside. I wanted to observe every bit of expression on her face when she would see me. This way, I did not realize how fifteen minutes of wait felt like an eternity. Thankfully, the fact that she was only a door

away from me was enough to help me pass this duration.

The sound of water ceased from inside. Roughly around five minutes, the sound of knob turning was heard and then the door was pushed open from the inside.

I prepared myself to get up when my entire body froze.

I did not know, the desire of seeking comfort from her would change its meaning completely when I saw her. Clad only in a white towel wrapped around her body, my wife would stand before my eyes. For a moment, I had an impulse to rub my eyes. I wanted to check if I was imagining things or not. Was I being too much of a pervert to have fantasies of this kind?

Once I had this thought I wanted to smack myself. Pervert?

Fantasy? She was my wife, if not for her then for whom I was going to have such thoughts? Then again, I seriously had no such kind of intentions.

The way I was surprised, shocked, I could see the same on Innaya's face. She was frozen in her place.

The towel barely covered her legs. Being wrapped in that towel, made it look like she was wearing a very short off-shoulder dress that barely touched her mid-thigh.

My eyes were firstly stuck on those n.a.k.e.d shoulder blades. The bones moved under her ivory skin. Her long hair was tied up on her head in a bun, which left everything open in the vivid details, without hiding anything.

My throat went dry when my eyes shamelessly moved past her shoulder to her slender legs.

'Ah. Damn.'

My desires were growing, and my thoughts ran haphazardly in all sorts of directions without a single break. In a daze, I stood up.

***