Page 183 of Since You Stole My Heart

Viraj’s head whipped towards him. ‘You’re lying.’

‘I’m not.’

Viraj grabbed Karthik’s arm in a desperate grip. ‘You can’t do this to me. I did everything you asked. You can’t just throw me under the bus like this.’

Karthik yanked his arm free, and his patience snapped. ‘This is your fault. You left your laptop out like an idiot. Now deal with this mess.’

Viraj recoiled. ‘You think I’ll just take this? I’ll expose you too!’

Karthik’s gaze flashed with rage. ‘Are you threatening me?’

Kashvi clicked her tongue softly. ‘See? All you ever do is buy loyalty with fear. In reality, none of them gives a crap about you.’

Dhruv smirked as he looked at Karthik. ‘Exactly. I mean, look at Viraj. He kept a folder of transaction records between the two of you. I thought he’d betray you the second Kashvi gave him the money. Turns out, I was right.’

Fury blazed through Karthik. ‘You greedy, ungrateful idiot! I knew you were shameless, but this?’

Viraj’s jaw tightened. ‘You’re screwing me over too, so I’d say we’re even.’

Then he turned to Kashvi and waved her phone in his hand. He spat venomously, ‘You whore. I’ll leak your pictures right now before anyone can drag me to court.’

The ground seemed to tilt beneath her as her gaze locked onto the glowing screen in his hand. Every instinct screamed at her to stop him, but Swayam held her firmly against him.

Swayam’s amused laugh echoed through the room as he mused, ‘Maasi fed you almonds all these years and none of them worked, huh? What a waste.’

Viraj blinked, visibly thrown off. ‘What?’

Swayam let out a disappointed sigh. ‘You still don’t understand, do you? You’ve already lost, Viraj. And now your mother will finally see you for what you really are. A loser.’

Viraj’s grip tightened around the phone hard enough until his hand trembled.

Kashvi’s heart lurched into her throat at the sight. The same alarm flashed across Siya’s face, while Dhruv looked seconds away from launching himself across the room to snatch the phone away.

But Swayam remained completely calm, and terrifyingly controlled while Viraj spiralled into madness right in front of him.

‘I understand your anger. You think Maasi loves me more than you, but you’re wrong. She loves you the most. You’re her only son,’ Swayam said, his smile slowly turning furious. ‘Youshould’ve been worried about your father. He’s the one who loved me so much that he nearly adopted me.’

‘Shut the fuck up!’ Viraj shouted.

Instead, Swayam took a step closer. ‘And you hated that, didn’t you?’

‘I do! I’ve always hated you!’ Viraj roared, the words exploding out of him. ‘Mom and Dad wanted me to think of you as family, but I never wanted a brother! You barged in and stole everything that was supposed to be only mine!’

Swayam chuckled. ‘I feel sorry for you, Viraj. It must be difficult to constantly live under my shadow.’

Viraj’s expression turned bitter. ‘They like you because they pity you. You always sat at our dinner table with that mopey, pathetic face, making everyone feel sorry for you.’

Swayam let out a hollow laugh. ‘Do you think it was easy for me to be in your home? Do you know what it does to a kid waiting for his parents to come back home? Your parents chose you, every single day, while mine abandoned me without a second thought. Honestly, I was jealous of you. How could I not be?’

Kashvi’s heart clenched as pain flashed in his eyes.

Swayam glanced at her once before pointing towards their group. ‘I mean, I didn’t even know what it felt like to be part of a family until I met all of them. But I didn’t trick them, and neither did I trick Mausa. He loves me because he knows I’m better than you.’

Viraj’s breathing turned ragged as he yelled, ‘If you don’t stop talking about my father, I will break your jaw.’

Swayam snorted and rolled his shoulders. ‘You can try, but you won’t get close. I’ve been kickboxing with him for years while you were whimpering every time someone pinched your cheeks.’

Humiliation fuelled his outrage. ‘You went with him because you’re an attention whore!’