𝑲𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑨𝑻 - 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓

I hadn't woken up in such a good mood in the past month. I was sore but smiling, though my head was spinning-hangover. I didn't want to get up, but today was my last day in Cape Town, so Get up babes.

Cuddled under my blanket, it took me a minute to realize I was in nothing but a shirt and cotton underwear. That's weird. I should have been in dress.

Nevermind, this shirt is more comfortable. I lingered in bed for a while, waiting for my eyes to fully open.

After five sluggish minutes, I finally sat up straight, stretching my arms wide as my shirt slid up with the movement. What a lovely morning.

I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. It looked like I had taken a shower last night before going to bed, but considering how drunk I was, I needed a man to take me to the bathroom.

You should control your drinking habits, Kai.

I looked at myself. Wait! Wait! This black shirt wasn't mine. I didn't bring any male shirt in my luggage. Then where did I get it?

Curiosity took over me, and I lifted the collar to my nose, scrunching it while inhaling the scent of the fabric. Italian cologne.

Italian is my weakness. And it could be anything food, cologne, alcohol or man.

Did this shirt belong to him? That stripper? But when did he undress me. I tried to remember last night but my brain cells couldn't decode the faded memory.

I slowly moving my eyes from the bed to the rest of the room. My eyes widened. My room was a mess-my dress hung over the couch, heels scattered on the floor, earrings tossed across the dresser, and a burning cigar mark seared into the wall.

Holy fuck! What happened last night?

Pressing my temples hard, I tried to recall the events again. Fuck! I have no memory of last night-not even a bit. I could only vaguely remember someone sucking on me, binding me to the railing, as the red marks on my wrists confirmed.

But I didn't remember his face or where we ended our filthy business. Why couldn't I remember anything except hiring a stripper?

And who cleaned me up and changed my clothes? Probably the stripper? Did he wrap me in his shirt? But I didn't remember paying him for that kind of service.

Never mind, I don't have enough time to recall what happened last night. Whatever it was, it was good. I needed to take a shower because I had a flight to catch, and I couldn't miss it.

✧✧✧

"Congratulation, new CEO." Molly said, raising her glass in my direction, her legs half dipped in the pool. We were still enjoying the pool service on the cruise one last time, but I wasn't really a part of it. I'd already taken a shower before coming here for breakfast.

"Thanks," I replied, scrolling business news shelter when back-to-back Instagram notifications popping up on my screen.

#QueenKainaat is trending after the media leaked the news of my takeover of Rai Singhania Group as CEO, and now I'm the star of every headline. God, social media really has the power to make anyone popular.

But instead of enjoying the limelight, I was more focused on finding the source who was selling my product formula to my biggest rival, Daniel Scott. Liquor industry has its own competition, and I had no intention of being last in the food chain.

I just hate backstabbers, and I'm waiting for my tech department to reveal the name of that black sheep. I swear I'll teach that bastard a best lesson so that he'll never even dare to betray anyone again-especially not the one providing him two times food.

"You're trending, babes," Molly words earned my attention. "Your family is going to burn to ashes." I couldn't help but laugh.

She is right. My family is male-oriented, so working and independent women aren't exactly appreciated in my house.

Let's put them aside and talk about Molly Terrell.

Molly was my best friend and colleague. We had known each other since we were assigned to the same suite in freshman year at New York, and our bond was instantly formed. Of course, we were the only two students in the room, so we couldn't resist talking to each other, and we quickly became friends.

With her slim figure, stunning looks, and genetically tall height, she looked more like a runway model than the advertising executive for a liquor company. But she has no interest in modelling.

Her parents belonged to completely different cultures, her mother was an Indian and her father of African American heritage. And the result of this mixed culture was her skin tone-a shade slightly darker than her Indian mother's and lighter than her African father's-along with long brown hair and big brown eyes that turned honey-brown if you looked closely.

When I returned to India after graduating and decided to start Braxton Liquor, I stole Molly for the marketing part because she is a genius at that. And since we are best buddies, she agreed.

She was the first person to show faith in me, believing that I could do something big. She was not judgmental unlike my family.

"I love your dress," she said. "Isn't it from Kanvi Raichand's summer collection?"

Curling my hands around the steel railing, I was gazing at the sunrays reflecting on the water's surface. It looked like thousands of stars sparkling in daylight. I don't know why the depth of water always gives me an extraordinary peace.

"Yeah." I wore a white summer dress that swirled around my thighs. "I saw it at Milan Fashion Week and thought it would be perfect for Cape Town."

Kanvi Raichand was a highly popular supermodel, and I was a huge fan of hers because she had achieved so much success at such a young age.

I still had three hours left for my flight. I'd already finished packing and completing the checkout formalities. Speaking of that, I inquired about the stripper I hired last night, but the manager told me he wasn't well and couldn't meet me.

I didn't know why, but I still had a nagging doubt that I wasn't with him last night. I was with someone else. And the million-dollar question is... whom?

"Did you find anything about the culprit?" Molly asked about the same traitor I was looking for.

I let out a heavy sigh, sinking into the lounger, throwing my phone. "Nope!" She raised her eyebrow. "But I'll get the details by tomorrow morning."

She nodded. "Okay, take this." She passed me a champagne flute. Smelling it first, I took a sip-Moët & Chandon, my favorite drink.

"I love it." Taking another sip, I realized my tension was slowly melting away. "Now, I feel more energized and ready to kick any butt."

She chuckled softly. "Remember our dorm days when we needed two mugs of coffee just to fully wake up?" I nodded. Sometimes, I even used to splash her with a bucket of water so she'd wake up on time for her class.

"But we aren't kids anymore," she sang, getting out of the pool. "We are grown up women, now."

"Uh-huh, exactly." I raised my flute in her direction before taking another sip. She buckled the belt of her white bathrobe and took a seat beside me. "How did it go yesterday?"

"I told you already."

"A text in the morning that says 'It was a blast' explains nothing to me. I need details..."

"Molly..."

"Uncensored." This bitch was waiting for me to spill the details about the filthy things I did last night, and the irony was, I had nothing to spill. So disappointing.

"Molly, you need to get laid." In response, she wrapped her lips around her straw and slurped her Blue Hawaii as fully as her little mouth would allow.

"Stop doing that. You suck at it." And she put her glass down. "Exactly, and I suck at getting laid, too." A beat passed and we burst into laughter. "That's not true."

Molly had an inexplicable fascination with knowing other people's sex lives-probably because hers was non-existent. Yes, she was still a virgin. And the reason she just spilled.

Taking another sip of her drink, Molly continued, "Look babe, I'm not like you-who has a great pair of tits and an ass to make mouths water." Well, Molly isn't exactly wrong-at least about having great tits and an ass to die for.

"It's nothing like that. You've had plenty of opportunities. You just don't take them." I searched the pool deck for the waiter so I could order another croissant.

"Don't deflect, bitch." She snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Tell me, was he good at making you come?" Her tone turned seductive. "So hard." She's probably an evil woman.

For a second, I again avoided her and lost myself in my thoughts, but her croaky voice snapped me out of it.

"Kainaat Rai Singhania, spill the fucking details."

"Or what?" I shrugged.

"Or I will get my way anyway," she said, preparing her fist to punch me.

Sighing, I then told her the gist of what went down yesterday and the meeting with the stripper in my room, though I wasn't sure if he actually was one.

And in the middle of telling her everything, I tried to clear my foggy mind again, but unfortunately, I still had no picture in my head of where his hands were, where his tongue had been, or how hard he had made me come. It was as if I had been having a wild fantasy dream that shattered with the morning rays.

"Fuck you," she yelled after I finished, looking disappointed. "My advice, stop drinking." Well, this is my new morning resolution.

"Wait, wait, hold on-" Molly dropped her voice to a whisper as she leaned forward, and even I leaned closer, curious to hear what she had to say. "Did he have a small dick?"

"Seriously?"

"I thought, just in case," her shoulders shrugged. "You don't want to talk about that..." How judgmental is she? By the way, he was huge.

As far as I remember. So much faith in the mystery guy. Great.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't exactly get a chance to measure his... dick," I said dryly, making her laugh. "You just ruined my entire fantasy." Is she fantasizing about my sex positions all night? Scandalous.

"I thought that ullu da pata would be good in sex."

My head fell into my hands at Molly's Hindi. I don't know why she has a kink for speaking incorrect Hindi in public places. Basically, Molly is more fascinated with Indian culture. Her English is impressive, but her Hindi is terrifying.

"Molly, it's ullu-da-pattha not ullu da pata." I corrected her. "Oh, stop correcting me," she shut me up immediately.

"Okay." Surrendering, I threw my hands up. "You do not have anything spicy from last night. Not even a solo French kiss." She looked more disappointed than me. "Hard to digest."

I snorted. "Trust me, it's like... everything vanished into thin air or something. And I'd blame the alcohol for that, but..." Dramatic pause. "We did something wild last night." I nodded toward the red marks on my wrists.

I told her about the torn fabric of my thong I found in my room and the little bruise on my bottom lip, some on my lower abdomen. Honestly, last night was the best night in the history of my visits to Cape Town.

"Oh, Daddy was so wild that your mind just couldn't handle it," she teased. "You know what they say-mind-blowing sex has a way of wiping the slate clean." I wrinkled my nose while she burst into laughter.

"Ha-ha, very funny," I really do hate her. After ten minutes a male voice interrupted us. "Ma'am."

I looked up to see a waiter standing at the edge of the pool deck, holding an extravagant bouquet of black roses. There must've been at least four dozen roses arranged in a slender crystal vase, and their scent instantly enveloped my thoughts, bringing an odd smile to my face.

"This just arrived for you," he said, handing me the bouquet. Molly eyes widened, filled with curiosity. Even mine too.

Furrowing, I took the bouquet. "Have a good day, ma'am," he said with a curt nod before disappearing. My heart fluttered for a moment. Who could it be? And how did he know I love black roses?

"Oh, my fucking God." Molly's jaws dropped to the floor, her eyes gleaming like Page Three reporter who'd stumbled upon a spicy society secret as she touched the rose petals with her fingers.

"These roses must've cost hundreds of dollars. Ugh, a secret admirer in a foreign land?" I cut her off immediately. "Oh, come on,"

My eyes wide with surprise when molly mentioned. "I think it's Idhvay." No way.

Idhvay has never sent me flowers before, and considering our history, I wouldn't have been shocked if he had sent an assassin to kill me instead. After all, I rejected his marriage proposal, arranged by my beloved father-the man who has never asked about my well-being in years-who was now trying to find a good groom for me. Sounds weird.

Talking about Idhvay, not every man is good at handling rejection, and Idhvay Suryavanshi, with an ego bigger than his wealth, could never handle being rejected. And I didn't give a damn about it.

I skimmed my fingers over the soft petals, searching through the extravagant bouquet until I found a tiny black card attached at the bottom. I plucked it out, and my heart dropped into my stomach. "It's not him."

"Then who's..." Before I could respond, Molly threw herself across the table and snatched the card from my hand like a thief on a bike snatching chains from a girl's neck. "Whoa, personal space-respect that."

She didn't give a damn about my words, as she was so focused on reading the letters written on the tiny card, as if it could give her a million dollars.

You smell like a drug, amore. Hope you like my flowers. I'll be seeing you soon...

Love,

Your mystery man

"Amore?" Molly repeated aloud. "So, you've got a mystery man!" She looked at me.

"Is he from last night?" I glanced around suspiciously, wondering if he was still here somewhere, watching me with his creepy eyes. Why the hell are stalkers increasing day by day in the 21st century?

"I don't know." I sighed, pushing the uneasiness aside.

"Whoever he is, looks like he wanted to get laid again." In his dreams.

✧✧✧

"You're fired, Mr. Lee."

"You can't do that." My eyes rolled up as I looked at him-an ideal statue of innocence. "And why can't I?"

"As far as I remember, I'm your fucking boss." I leaned back in my chair, caressing my nails.

"Still, my contract hasn't expired, so you can't." Ohmygod. This jerk is reminding me of company rules. A humorless smirk touched the corner of my lips. Men, half of the time clueless and half of the time riding high on their own delusion.

I loved dealing with arrogant nuts like him as much as I hated them. Because it was fun to show them their real place-a gutter where they all belonged.

"If you want me to sue you for firing me before my contract expired, we can go that way." He replied smugly, placing his ass on the chair. I hadn't offered him a seat yet.

My irritation boiled up, but I was still dangerously smirking at his actions. Not everything required anger to be handled; sometimes, silence was the best answer.

"You know, I have a list of labour laws to protect my ass." I arched an eyebrow in response. Oh, poor guy. Thinking he was dealing with a pinky girl who would get scared after his big threat.

Now it's time to show him real women power.

"Let's get straight to the point-you're betraying me. You stole my product formula and handed it to my rivals. Not only that, but you're also leaking my financial strategies and upcoming projects to my competitors."

Which were totally faked. My vision team had already altered all the documents when we were alerted about the traitor.

"And yet, you're here lecturing me about labor laws." His mouth twitched at my accusations, but he decided to smile. His male ego refused to accept a reality check-especially when it was coming from a woman.

"Now tell me, why shouldn't you be behind bars in handcuffs?"

He smirked. "Because you don't have any proof against me, Ma'am." He placed extra emphasis on the last word, as though mocking me.

He leaned forward, propping his elbows on my desk, and continued, "Landing my butt behind bars will be your dream, ma'am," he mocked again.

"Why did you do it, Mr. Lee?" My patience was running thin, my blood boiling with the need to beat the shit out of him right away. But before that, I needed some answers. Once I had them, I would make him regret his mocking smile.

"For financial growth, ma'am." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs arrogantly. "I want to be in higher position-need more money, fame, and benefits. And since your company wasn't really taking care of my needs, I found a way to get what I wanted by going against you."

I couldn't believe I had been feeding a snake in my own company. "We are all opportunists. There is nothing wrong with what I've done on my side," he spat, raking a hand through his hair.

He was so fucking proud of himself.

"Big goals," I said, rolling the paperweight on my desk. "Look, I'm a man, and my mind has more creative ideas than hers."

Than who? "Your marketing head. I should be in that position." He answered my questionable look.

He was disgusted to see Molly in that role. Just another malevolent jerk who thought the world revolved around men because they could supposedly do better than women. Oh, fucking gender bias.

I had reached my mid-twenties, and throughout my journey, I had dealt with enough nuts like him. By now, I pretty much knew how to deal with these bastards.

I smiled at his words-so deeply coated in sugar that I was almost afraid they'd glue my own lips together.

"Excellent proposition." I clapped, mocking and insulting him at the same time. "Thank you," he snapped back.

He was too dumb to pick up on my obvious sarcasm. How intelligent was he? And he wanted to be the marketing head?

I must say, if Molly were here, she would've beaten him hard with her high heels-he wouldn't have ever desired to be in her position.

"So, you deserve a better position, or I can say the marketing head position, despite your poor knowledge in the department and your fraud in my company?" He nodded without even thinking over my words for a second.

Time to pull out my big guns and target his arrogant ass. "Let's go back to the first point: Proof, right?" I asked, while my assistant Kyra walked in, stealing his focus for a second.

As per my instructions, Kyra turned on the LED screen hung in my cabin, which I had used for conferences many times, and played the video from the day when Mr. Lee was sitting with Daniel Scott's PA, endorsing something to him on a pen drive and receiving wrapped bundles of notes in return.

I can see him out of the corner of my eyes, his humorless smile gone and now sweat dripping down his forehead. A mask of smugness broken down as he was looking at the thrilled movie of his life in full HD with blank expression.

I cleared my throat to get his attention. "Is that you, Mr. Lee?" He dismissively raised his eyebrow and then put it down.

"This video clearly proves that you're dealing with my rivals. And it's enough to land your ass behind bars." He looked shocked but even more terrified. He immediately rose from my seat and smashed the LED screen with the paperweight, making Kyra flinch, but she quickly balanced herself. Then, he grabbed the CCTV footage CD, split it into two pieces, and tossed it in the trash.

I followed his actions to the dustbin. "Now you have no proof." He smirked again, but it didn't reach his face.

I smiled like a devil, and his last bit of confidence burned to ashes. I pulled out my desk drawer, picked up another pen drive, and slid it in his direction across the desk. His confused eyes first fell on the pen drive and then on me.

"I have many copies." His eyes widened. "And one has already been submitted to the police station. They will be here at any moment." Kyra's jaw dropped with my actions. She was so proud of her boss. Silly girl.

"I don't think we're running out of proof. What do you say, Mr. Lee?" I said, feeling quite amused after wiping off his smirk. He cluelessly sank into the chair, gripping his head tightly, trying to understand the magnitude of how suddenly the tables had turned.

I gestured toward Kyra, and she placed the confession letter where I had already listed all his deeds on the piece of paper. All he had to do was tick the box that says, "All information is true to the best of my knowledge."

"Sign the papers so I can proceed further," I replied when he rolled his innocent eyes at me.

"Please don't do this. My career won't survive. I just started my work, and I want to be successful in my life."

"While committing fraud," I cut him off. "Wait, I don't have any personal grudges against you. You just tested my limits. I hate the male superiority complex." I explained. Because of this complex, I'm no longer a part of my own family business.

"After signing the letter, you're going to jail for whatever minimum number of years the prison will apply to your crime. Plus, you're fired. I'm taking back all the necessities I was providing you as my hardworking employee, like your apartment and car service your pay cheques" I gave him an overview of the next steps.

"One more thing, I've already blacklisted you from my company." He was on the verge of crying, and I wouldn't be surprised if he fell at my feet begging for mercy.

You can call me heartless, but I have no mercy for people who are digging my own grave just for their benefit. That Kainaat died a long time ago. I'm just fed up with the thought that I'm a girl and that anyone can put their hands on me whenever they want.

I took a sip of my coffee, feeling so refreshed after crushing his male ego. "Here." Kyra passed him a pen, and he took it between his trembling fingers and signed the papers. The pitying look on his face was satisfying-poor guy trying to play a game with me that he couldn't handle.

After that, the police arrived and took him into custody. I didn't give a damn about how bad or regretful he was feeling now for betraying me. My company is better off without such employees.

"Ma'am, you're too good. It was fun to watch him cry for his mommy." I laughed at Kyra's words as she was arranging his papers in a file. "I need to take classes from you on 'how to kick arrogant ass.'

I chuckled softly. "I charge a high fee, Kyra." We burst into laughter. Kyra had been my assistant for the past year, and I can honestly say I'm very proud of her progress.

She was a less confident girl when she first joined, but she proved me wrong when I hired her for a trial week, and she performed tremendously.

"What's in my schedule?" I asked softly, opening my laptop and going through my emails.

"In fifteen minutes, you have a meeting with the product department," she replied, scrolling through her tablet. A notification popped up on my phone, but I ignored it like air.

Then her phone rang. "Excuse me, Ma'am." I gestured for her to pick up the call. She grabbed her phone from the table behind her. "Ma'am, I think it's for you," she said, showing me the caller ID.

Dharini Rai Singhania. My mother and my only well-wisher.

"Rani Shah is calling you," she said, passing me the phone, and now I couldn't ignore her. Sighing, I took the phone and placed it near my ear. "Maa."

"Where are you, Kai? Have you checked the calendar? I told you about the party and family get-together with Dadu Shah, yet you're still typing on your silly laptop in your office," she scolded me.

Yes, today my grandfather threw a big party in honour of the fiftieth glorious year of Rai Singhania Group, and today he is going to introduce me as the CEO.

I looked at Kyra, who was trying to hide her laughter behind her palms. How embarrassing this is. Maa shouldn't have called my assistant to check on me. I gave her this number for emergencies.

"Maa, I told you about my urgent meetings, and the party is at night. I'll be home before that," I said, making rough scribbles on the paper with my red marker.

The thought of going home always makes me anxious. It's not that I'm scared of my father or brother, but every day I try hard to avoid contact with those two unwanted faces so I can work in peace.

But only maa can influence me. And I can't say no to her.

"Postpone all your meetings right away and come home." Before I could respond, she cut me off with another order. "And I'm not in the mood to entertain your excuses."

✧✧✧

🖤 So here is the next chapter after so long!!

🖤 Tell me how it was. 🙎 Also, do vote and drop your comments.

🖤 Poor Kainaat doesn't know how psychotic stalker Vanraj is. Well, she will soon find out that one day he will scare her with his love.

COCO- Vanraj coming to India.