Flashback, Riv's childhood,
Four year old Riv playing with her teddy in the garden of an orphanage. A bully comes to disturb her peace.
Bully : Hey you crybaby, hand over that teddy to me right away.
Little Riv : Didn't you also get a teddy on our birthday? Why do you want mine then?
Bully : You are talking back to me. Let me show you what I can do….
The bully savagely ripped the teddy's head from its body, threw it brutally on Riva's face and ran away. She cried the whole day, holding her favourite teddy, beheaded. A weak and undernourished Riv fell sick frequently and same was that time too. However, this time it was quite extreme. The incident crumbled her heart and so did the fever. To start with, Riv had a hole in her heart, the principal reason behind her falling sick from time to time.This time after the visit to her doctor, she turned too quiet for her usual self for days. The poor girl understood her end was near and was nothing but a burden on the orphanage. She decided to leave the orphanage on her own to end the worries caused because of her. A few days later, she left the orphanage with nothing but the most precious pieces of fragile fragments she had treasured. Wandering aimlessly, she reached a bridge where the sun was setting. The setting sun looked just like a ripened mango. She adored the sparkling river and the red mango for a while. The scene and her tiredness made her hungry, ignoring this fact she moved forward,only to witness a tall man standing on the edge of the bridge to jump off. Riv heads close to the man.
Lil' Riv (cutely) : Is the view better up there than here? If yes, then I'll also...
That man (cold yet considerate) : Hey kiddo! Go back to your parents.
Nevertheless, lil' Riv stood beside the man staring at the setting sun. Riv however, looks down and gets scared. The man was about to jump off into the river but lil' Riv held his hand out of her own fear. Feeling those warm hands, the man softened and thought to wait until she was gone. Waiting, still not gone. Finally he lost his patience and asked
That man : Girl, won't your family be looking for you?
Lil' Riv : I don't have one. Do you? They would be looking for you too.
Vihaan :Probably not. I am a very bad person. (turns sad)
Lil' Riv : If bad people are like you, then I don't know what good people are like. People at the orphanage say that my mother abandoned me at the hospital. It is the opposite I think, I'm the bad one I guess. (puts on a forced smile) Go, your family is waiting….
Vihaan : And you?
Lil' Riv : What about me, nothing, I'll just wander and find someone who actually loves me.
Vihaan (trying to be friendly) : My name is Vihaan and what's yours?
Lil' Riv : The grown ups call me baby while the younger ones call me a crybaby.
Vihaan (secretly laughs and then says) : Really….. Alright let me give you a name (thinks) .... Riva, Riva it is, my ray of light (and gives her a warm smile)
They walk together on the road while Vihaan collects a little info about Riv. They took a cab. Upon reaching a certain place, Riv, who had fallen asleep, woke up to find herself back at the door of the orphanage she left early that morning. Riv rebels to not go inside but Vihaan went in anyway leaving Riv under the surveillance of the cab driver. Half an hour later, Vihaan walks out of the gate followed by the orphanage's owner. Riv clenches her fist with the seat belt.
Vihaan : So... let's go home.
Confused, Riv saw her other belongings in the owner's hands and that too she was smiling. She was adopted by a man she met a few hours ago. Upon reaching Vihaan's house, if correctly said Vihaan's mansion, his family was restlessly waiting for his return. Seeing a little girl by Vihaan's side, questions were obvious to which he explained. Riv was warmly welcomed. Riv's heart was also treated and she became healthy again. After only a few days in that house, Riv became everyone's favourite. Though Riv was adored by everyone, family members and househelp, there lurked someone whose hatred for her ran deeper than her very own soul.
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Before moving ahead there's a description of Riv's foster family. If any reader is uninterested in this part can skip this section. However, this would be helpful in understanding the relations in later chapters.
Her foster family had five members :
The Super Head of the Family : (Name : Yaswant) Grandpa, kind hearted, good to whoever is good to him, hates pretentious and meticulous people.
Her Adoptive Father : (Name : Vihaan) Big businessman man, busy yet spares time out for his family twice a month.
Her Adoptive Mother : (Name : Mira) Very understanding, always been a good daughter, a good wife and a good mother to all her children including Riv.
Step-brother : (Name : Ravien) 6-year elder to Riv. A good person, quick to adapt to dynamics and always a supporter of the right.
Step-sister : (Name: Roxine) An year elder to Riv obviously jealous of Riv just because of the fact that people around adore her wholeheartedly, she hates Riv to her guts.
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Roxine was not only jealous but her personality was somewhat that of a true devil. She is very possessive over her things. If she couldn't then no one else can. Torturing the weak, greed, possessive, on the top of the world, allergic to hearing no was who she was. Ever since Riv entered the place, Roxine already planned to drive her out of not only her house but everyone's thoughts as well. The following days were a bad omen for Riv. Anything she liked was either taken away by Roxine or was destroyed to pieces. Once Riv made a friend, the very next day he was hospitalized for having a fracture in his leg.
After that incident, Riv stopped showing her liking, even if she wanted it wholeheartedly, stopped eating together with the family and became distant and quiet. Nevertheless, Ravien, Grandpa and the househelp helped Riv howsoever possible.Vihaan just couldn't take the quietness of Riv so lightly. So, he trained Riv himself. After a few years, Riv transformed into a softer outer personality but stiff inside, enough to endure any adversity that came her way.
Back to present,
Riv walks out of the bathroom, gets ready for breakfast and prepares herself for the contract signing to be held at noon. Moreover, she packs her bags, so that she can escape all this trouble by the flight in the evening and so did Di.
Everything went well even after the contract signing. There was the troublemaker.
Khom (approaches Riv whispers to her) : So that your saviour is not here, we can have some real talk.