The door to the balcony clicked open. “Dessert will be ready in a few minutes,” Lyani said. Smiling, she reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Rito’s ear. “Don’t keep us waiting, okay?”

“I won’t,” she nodded as her mother withdrew. The sounds of laughter and cheering floated in from the dining room.

Her family’s obsession with cricket had annoyed Rito for as long as she could remember. It was the only thing that drew their attention away from her. And Rito had never dealt well with not being the center of attention.

But in that moment, she couldn’t think of a sweeter sound in the universe.

Papa was…well, it wouldn’t be accurate to say he was just like before. This wasn’t before. This was now. And he was getting better. He was laughing again, arguing with Abhi, cheering for some random team in some random cricket match.

The doctors said he was sleeping better too. The shadows under his eyes had begun to fade. And if she was completely honest with herself she’d have to admit that, even before his resignation, she didn’t remember the last time she’d seen her father so relaxed, so carefree.

Her fingers itched for a cigarette. She sighed. One of the drawbacks of living at home – no smoking.

In the drawing room, Rajat whistled. This was followed by a groan from Abhijat and a laugh from Lyani. The game was over, and from the looks of it, her brother had lost his bet with their father.

Reaching into her pocket, she wrapped her fingers around her phone. She tipped her head back and drank in the cool winter air. No more procrastinating. It was time.

Four missed calls. Four missed calls from the soon-to-be chief minister of Eraon. She closed her eyes, half hoping it would all disappear when she opened them once again.

No such luck. Still four missed calls, flashing on her screen in angry red. Sucking in a deep breath, Rito pressed ‘return call’.

“You know, for a moment there, I almost thought you were ignoring me,” Rinisa’s saccharine voice cooed over the line. Rito forced herself not to throw the phone out of the balcony. No point in making herself poorer just to spite the psychotic bitch.

“What do you want from me?” she snapped instead.

“You’ve got a temper, I see. Runs in the family, doesn’t it? Still, there’s no need for such...hostility. I just need you to do me one little favor.”

“Yeah? Blackmailing my friends, threatening innocent kids…that your idea of asking for a favor?”

Rinisa sighed theatrically; Rito’s hands itched to punch her. “There there, you shouldn’t hold grudges, my dear Miss Shian. It’s not good for the skin.”

“Creepy and psychotic. The list just keeps growing, doesn’t it?”

“Why you fucking–” Rinisa hissed. Then, that saccharine tone was back. “I can understand, of course, why you would be upset. It’s very natural. But here’s the thing, Miss Shian – can I call you Rito? I gather that’s what your friends call you. And I really do hope we can be friends.”

Rito let out a mirthless laugh, but said nothing.

Rinisa ignored her silence. “The thing is, you see, I have absolutely nothing against you. Or your family, for that matter.” A pregnant pause, then she continued. “No, I deeply regret having to drag you into this. It wasn’t my intention to cause you any trouble, I swear.”

“Yeah? You arm-twisted my friends to get my number so you could invite me to a sleepover?”

“Delightful as that sounds,” she giggled. “No. I called you because Jehan Fasih stole something from me. And I’d really appreciate it if you could steal it back.”

Rito snorted. “Are you insane, lady? You want me to steal? And steal from the fucking prime minister, of all people?”

“You seem to think this is a negotiation,” Rinisa said sweetly. “I can assure you, it is not.”

“Meaning?”

“Simply that I meant what I said before. I really do have nothing against you. Hell, I like you. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t cause you some very real problems, if I wanted to. You know, like leaking some…ah…sensitive information to the press, let’s say.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

For a second, Rito was too surprised to form words. Then, she laughed. “Are you serious right now? You’re trying to…to blackmail me?”

“I don’t really care what you call it, my dear. But what I do know, is that you won’t like it when it happens. Not one tiny little bit, trust me on that. You’re no stranger to being a public figure, with your impeccable pedigree and all that. So you’d know better than most, some stories are not meant for…public consumption.”

“And what is this story, exactly, that I’m supposed to be so eager to hide? Eager enough to steal from the prime minister?

“Let me guess. Does this have something to do with the fact that I had a girlfriend at Weritlan University? Or that I…ah, what do they call it? Play for the other team? Is that it?” Rito chuckled. “And you think any of this is a secret? Lord, you must think I live an exciting life.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Ms. Rayeek. I’m an open book, you see, and my life’s blander than vanilla.” She sighed. “My biggest secret is that I flunked geography in seventh grade. Apart from that, all other salacious details of my misspent youth are already available for…what did you call it? Oh yes, public consumption.”

“Well, you’re very brave, I’ll give you that. A quality you’d expect in the daughter of such an accomplished leader. But I don’t much care who you’re sleeping with. And neither will anybody else, I’m sure. The times, they’re a-changing.

“But while society may be more accepting of sexual...mavericks such as yourself, you know what they will not accept? A corrupt politician. A leader they cannot trust.”

“Sounds like you’ll need to start job-hunting, then.”

Rinisa let out a coy little laugh. “You have an...interesting sense of humor, Rito. Still, it isn’t me I’d worry about, if I were you. Especially seeing as the fortunes of your own family have dwindled quite significantly in recent months, no? I don’t know if the Shian name can withstand another blow.”

“What’re you getting at?” Rito hissed through gritted teeth.

“Just wondering how the people of this lovely nation might react to the news that their former – disgraced – prime minister allowed the metro terror attacks to happen, in exchange for a little...monetary consideration from the Maralanese government.”

A chill ran down Rito’s spine. She bit down on her tongue to keep herself from saying something she'd regret. She needed to know what the fuck Rinisa was talking about. “You’re lying,” she said at length, the nails of her free hand digging into her palm. “My father has never accepted a bribe in his life. And he’s most certainly not a murderer.”

“Of course he's not,” Rinisa agreed, a hint of a sneer in her voice. “Though I must say, your conviction is very touching. Family loyalty all the way!

“Your father wasn’t corrupt, it’s true. But people in his government were; ministers, bureaucrats, you get the picture. And when Fasih booted out half the Cabinet – along with your dear father, might I remind you – they left behind one hell of a paper trail.

“Fasih dragged your father’s name through the mud during his little...coup d'état. Remember that press conference of his? Still gives me nightmares. If your father hadn’t resigned voluntarily, an impeachment was almost inevitable.”

“What’s your point?” Rito snarled.

“Simply that the public doesn’t trust Rajat Shian anymore. People are already suspicious, wary of your family; Fasih has made sure of that. How hard do you think it will be for me to water those seeds of suspicion? Start some rumors in the media; push the...idea that the former PM may have been privy to the illicit dealings of his ministers. That he may have known more than he’s letting on, that he might even have been an active participant.”

“You’ll never be able to prove anything,” Rito snapped, her voice hoarse.

“You’re right, I wouldn’t. And the beauty of it, my dear, is that that’s completely irrelevant. I know I won’t be able to send Rajat to prison on charges of corruption or treason. But that won’t stop people from seeing him as a traitor. In fact, not going to prison will only hurt his reputation even more; make the common people think he used his wealth and privilege to get out of the punishment he deserved.

“He was a darling of the media only a few months ago, but that won’t stop them from hounding him to the ends of the world. You know how it is. It’ll all blow over eventually, of course. And your father will still be a free man at the end of it. If he hasn’t thrown himself off the nearest parapet by that point, that is.”

“My father is stronger than that.”

“Perhaps he is. But are you really willing to risk it? Are you willing to see your family crumble all over again? And all for Jehan Fasih, the man who betrayed your father and caused this whole fucking mess in the first place? That’s the real question here, isn’t it?”

“What you’re asking is not–”

“I’m not asking you to kill him, though God knows he deserves it. I’m not even asking you to hurt him in any way. Just to get something back to me that was rightfully mine all along. Something he stole from me.

“I mean, surely that can’t be a surprise to you. That’s what he does, you know that.” Abruptly, her voice softened. “Perhaps what he stole from you, from your family, was the most valuable thing of all – your dignity. And all for his personal gain, to get a position of power to which he had no right.

“He’s the one responsible for all of this. So why not kill two birds with one stone? Save your family some undeserved heartache and let that manipulative prick have a taste of his own medicine for a change. That way, we’ll both get what we want. You’ll have your revenge, keep your family safe and sound. And I’ll be a queen.”

The sounds of laughter floated in from the dining room. Through the curtain, Rito could just make out the silhouette of her father, leaning into Abhijat’s shoulder as he laughed about something her brother had said. It had been so long since she’d seen them like this…

“Fine. What exactly is it that you want me to steal from Fasih?”