Legacy

Prologue

"What's your expectations from this marriage?" Ranvijay spoke in his cold voice looking at his wife Myra. If she wasn't a doubtful Italian girl, he wouldn't waste a chance to claim her beautiful pink lips. Every part of her body was enough to drive any man crazy. People could die happily just by looking at her eyes. Ranvijay had a big doubt that Myra already had plenty of admirers.

"Niente in quanto tale." (Nothing as such)

Hearing the first sentence from his newly wedded wife Ranvijay frowned.

"Pardon. I mean nothing as such." Myra rectified while looking down on the floor with her heavy lehenga and golden and diamond jewelleries.

"So you're obsessed, traitor father didn't even teach you English or Hindi properly?"

"I know English, and partially Hindi too." Well she lied on the Hindi part to save herself from embarrassment. She was no longer interested to look for Randhir or Arjun who would translate for her.

"I can see. I wonder how your father could say that you are his daughter. Illegitimate daughter for sure." Ranvijay put a stress on the last part of the sentence.

"Excuse me. I think you are now crossing all the boundaries of mannerisms. I am half Indian and half Italian. I am the legal daughter of Rana Pratap Singh Solanki."

"And that is why you have to suffer. This marriage is a part of the contract. Don't be so happy about it. Your father made the biggest mistake of his life and to reimburse that he chose you to send in our family as per our age-old tradition. But the only difference in this case is, you would not be treated like those who used to get married in our family from Solankis."

"Oh mio dio. Perché?" (Oh my god, why?) Myra was a little shocked hearing from Ranvijay that he would not be easy on her. As usual her mother tongue came out in reflex.

"Each of your Italian sentences would cause immense pain for you Myra Singh Sekhawat. You are no longer Myra Singh Solanki."

"I don't know about you and your family. I did what I found right to do for my father whom I met after 19 years. I didn't want to lose him once more."

That part was a pure dramatic sentence that Myra told him. She was not interested in saving Rana Pratap. She had never even called that man her father. But she couldn't tell him the broken relationship. That would give him the upper hand. She chose this path to save innocents and the Legacy of Solanki. If Ragini hadn't done that dumb work, she might not be in this situation.

"And here you are. You would pay for his betrayal. Welcome to the hell Mrs. Sekhawat. I Hope you survive this journey."

"I will survive. And the day I would pass all this, you would no longer be able to reach me." That was an open challenge that Myra threw directly to Ranvijay making him startled at his position.

"Don't you dare to forget its India? It's not your fucking Italy. Here wives don't talk back to their husbands. You are supposed to do what I would order you to do."

"I must say that the women of your society don't know how to stand up for their rights. così triste (so sad)."

Now Ranvijay understood what he had actually brought in his house. A pure rebel.

After finishing her words Myra stood still looking straight in his eyes.

Ranvijay took a few steps towards her thinking that she would be afraid of seeing the rage in his eyes. Myra gave a pure ignorant look and looked directly into his eyes without blinking for a second.

Taking the rose from the nearby vase he held her hand in his and gently placed the rose on her palm. Myra looked confused but sensed something seeing a sudden smirk on his face. Without wasting a time, he placed another palm on it wrapping around the stem. Pressing her both palms together he gave a huge pressure making those thrones of the rose pierced through her skin inside her palms. She stood dumbfounded for some seconds due to a sudden jerk of pain. She couldn't let out her scream. Blood started dripping from her hands on the floor. Her face was depicting immense pain, but she clenched her teeth and didn't let a single whimper or sob reach his ears. Seeing her pale face and no scream Ranvijay became frustrated inside and applied more pressure. The result he expected and the result he got didn't match. He left both of her hands from his grip and moved away. Myra stood still in the same position holding the rose and its stem in her close grip.

Bringing down his face Ranvijay whispered in her ears.

"Each drop of your blood is just saving each second of your father's life. It's your father's blood, right? Royal Solanki bloodline."

Myra opened her grip and dropped the bloodied rose on the floor.

Looking straight through his eyes she replied with a sardonic smile.

"Each drop of my blood has a fair share of Italian Moretti family. I can say each drop of my blood is also decreasing each minute of your life too."

"You..." Before he could speak some more words his phone started ringing and he left her on her own. Wounded, shattered.

He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Moretti bloodline. Italy.

Broken, bloodied, betrayed by her own father Myra sat on the ground with her heavy Lahenga beside those blood spots. She didn't understand whom to blame. Her decision of coming back to Italy, or her decision of saving Solanki, or her decision of saving Ragini.

Outside the room Ranvijay received his phone.

"What? Are you sure? She is Moretti? Myra Moretti?"

"Yes brother. Her maiden name is Moretti. I hope we didn't do anything wrong by accepting this marriage proposal. She is the same girl we met 19 years back."

"You are forgetting Randhir, "Takht" (the throne) does deal with the Mafia world. We are the king of Mafias in India. But if I get to know that Solankis played a big game then he would lose his Legacy forever. There will be no alliance, no treaty. The war of blood will be declared again, and the Legacy will be finished off."

Disconnecting the call Ranvijay moved inside the room and frowned seeing the details of her on his phone. Randhir was telling the truth. She is Myra Moretti. Then how come she was the daughter of Rana Pratap Singh Solanki. How she became Myra Singh Solanki.

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"Myra Moretti. Please come here. The surgeon wants to talk to you." A nurse called her name and guided her to the nearby room.

"Good afternoon Dr. Blake." A 21-year-old girl with a height of 5 feet 11 inch stood in front of a surgeon while greeting. She was wearing a black jeans and a white t-shirt. Her long waist length golden brown hair was tied in a ponytail. The most beautiful feature in her appearance is her big, ocean blue eyes. She is indeed a beautiful creation of god. She got her eyes from her mother. Her mother Minerva has the same ocean blue eyes as her.

"We are trying our best, but we don't know how long she can survive. The chemo is going on, but the expansion of the malignancy is too fast. And your mother is trying to cope up but...." Dr Blake stopped midway when she looked in his eyes.

"I know. It's been three years since she is fighting with this cancer and we are trying our best with it. Thank you for your immense support always but let's try again if this chemo can do something better." Myra's voice was heavy, but she didn't let her pain reflect in her voice. Her eyes held millions of drops of tears welled up in them but her inner strength made a strong dam to hold them back. She moved out of the room and reached her mom's cabin.

There lay Minerva Moretti, an Italian woman with similar features like Myra. Her face was pale but her smile on her face was just heavenly.

"mamma, come stai?"(mom, how are you?) Myra asked her mom.

"assolutamente bene". (Absolutely fine). Minerva replied with joy in her eyes.

A silence took place in between them. A duo of mother and daughter sat together holding each other's hand.

"Myra, you know what, when I was your age, I was very stubborn and always confident on every step that I used to take. I can see the same reflection in you."

"Of course, mamma. I am your daughter only so obviously I would be just like you."

"I am sorry Myra that I have kept you away from your father for so long. Someday you will understand why I did so."

"It's ok mamma. I do not have any grief for you on that part. I was a kid 12 years back and that's why I was mad about having my father or meeting him. But mom I am happy with you. You will always be with me."

"Dear, I don't know how long I will survive. After me you would be alone, I know but I am sure that I have made you strong enough to survive in this world."

"Mamma, how many times do I have to say that I don't say such words. Nothing would happen. Everything would be fine. We would go back to our old life again. We will roam in Sicily again."

"Myra remembers one thing. Even if I won't be there, you are not alone. There is always a person to look after you. Someone would reach you whenever you would be in need."

"Mamma, stop thinking too much. You made good progress in your health. You will be discharged after two days."

"I know I will be fine."

A small tale of white lies found its way to sooth the pain of each other's heart.

"How is your boyfriend by the way?" Minerva asked her daughter.

"Mamma. Not again. I told you I don't have one." Myra pouted her lips.

"Get one my girl. What would you do being alone? Have some life. Don't tell me you would marry some stranger."

"No mamma. I won't marry a stranger. But boyfriend also is not required right now. Will think about it later."

"What a joke. Come on girl."

"Should I find someone for you? What do you say mamma?" Myra pinched her with a big smile.

"Don't you dare, girl?" Minerva laughed her heart out. They both hugged each other, and Myra kept her head on her mother's bed.

"You know mom, I love you." She whispered.

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Meanwhile In India

Solanki Family

"Mom, I said I am not going to marry the Sekhawat's bastard."

"Ragini, do you have any idea what you are saying! Are you out of your mind? You have still one year left for you. Don't be so stubborn, beta."

"Rana Pratap Singh Solanki is known for his words and how could you think of denying the proposal." A man of 6 feet 2-inch height entered the room where his wife Mayabati and her daughter Ragini were having an argument.

"Words or deal? Papa tell me the truth." Ragini hissed.

"Behave yourself Rini. Is this the way you are supposed to talk to your father?" Ragini's brother Arjun Singh Solanki replied standing behind his father.

"Is this a way a father is supposed to deal with the happiness of his daughter? Tell me bhai."

"What's your problem with Ranvijay Singh Sekhawat, bahen. Tell me."

"I don't like him. I have already chosen someone for myself."

"Our tradition doesn't allow that. You know it right?" Her father spoke with the same calm but heavy voice.

"But papa, my freedom allows me to choose my partner with whom I would like to spend my entire life."

"Who is he?" Arjun asked her sister.

"Shaurya Agnihotri."

"What?" Both of her mother and brother screamed in shock.

"Are you out of your mind? You have chosen somebody from Agnihotri? That Agnihotri family who became rivals of us and Sekhawat for the past two years. How could you choose your life in the hands of your enemy?"

"He might be the enemy for you but not for me. He is a far better person than Ranvijay. Who is this Ranvijay papa? He is a murderer, a mafia and currently in the leading political party. I don't trust my future or life with him."

"And who is this Shaurya? A saint? Right? He is not a murderer or not even a bad person. Did you forget how brutally he killed some men of another gang during the political rally? They tried to step into Sekhawats business areas also."

"So? Just the way we support Sekhawats, same way we can support Agnihotris to. Our family is the Royal family. We have enough influence to bias the votes then why not Agnihotri's dad. Why Sekhawats?"

"Some alliance was made long back over some words, trust and reasons. They are the protector of our Legacy. Our ancestors made some vows, we had never crossed each other's path and always protected each other's places. If we have Royalty, then they have strength. Don't try to break it with your shitty love game."

"Enough bhai. I won't get married to Sekhawat. That's my final decision. If you try to force things on me, the result would not be good."

"The daughter of our family would get married to Sekhawat's. That's my final decision. You have one year left in your hand to make up your mind." Rana Pratap is always a man of few words. He glared at his daughter and left the place.

Following him his son also left the room.

"I would also see papa, how would you make me marry that monster Ranvijay Singh Sekhawat."

Ragini moved away from her mother and closed the door of her room.

In the study room of Rana Pratap his son sat with his father.

"Should we force her for this marriage? Papa, I think we should rethink our decision." Arjun spoke in a low tone.

"I am not thinking about the decision. I am thinking about the Takht. We never got the power of it alone. We are still holding the alliance with Sekhawat. I know Agnihotris are not clean also. But if the king of the Takht gets replaced? Have you ever thought about it?"

"Papa, what are you saying? Our age-old alliance, trust and the relationship we share with Sekhawat. It was never bad. We always got what we wanted. Nobody had ever thought of betraying Sekhawats for Takht because we know that they are the real fighter and deserving candidates for it."

"You are forgetting one thing: that Takht was created by Solankins in the royal era. It was with Sekhawat to protect the dynasty."

"They have been protecting our Legacy since then. So what's the point of even bringing the thought of betraying them?"

"Sometimes some power is better to be kept on hand. Our ancestors did something that doesn't mean we have to follow the same."

Arjun couldn't believe his father's words. How could his father become so hungry for power? Even he was thinking of letting Agnihotris passively enter in their area. Arjun looked at his father in disbelief.

"Papa, do you have any plan to deal with Agnihotris? No. I can't trust my sister's life with him."

"Do you trust your sister's life with Sekhawats? Don't forget years back Ranvijay's father fell in love with someone from the outer cast. I had a fair chance to throw him away from the Takht making it an issue. But I failed. I will never forget that defeat. I had every chance to throw him away from Takht to claim it but I lost it."

Arjun understood that speaking with this man is of no use now. He won't stop. But Arjun has a choice. A choice of choosing the bond of Sekhawat and Solankis or the new bond of intruder Agnihotris and Solankis. He understood a big game has started already but nobody knows whom to trust and whom to follow.

Going against Sekhawat means losing life, going against Solankis means losing everything. Both are dangerous and the biggest knife is Agnihotris now. Who can cut both the families as they don't bother about virtues or morals?

"Papa, you have only one daughter and Ranvijay and Ragini are supposed to get married. If we married off Ragini with Agnihotri then whom will we send to marry Ranvijay? We don't have any more daughters."

"The world knows that. Let the world think. You don't need to bother about it. You start the preparation of Ragini and Ranvijay's wedding."

Arjun was too surprised now. What plan his father had, he had no idea. But he was never interested in marrying off her sister to Shaurya Agnihotri. The man is nothing more than a bastard. Ranvijay is merciless but Shaurya is the backstabber. Arjun was never interested in Takht. For him his family was more important. 18 years back he lost someone very close to him due to this war of power, crown or more. He is no longer interested to be a part of this anymore. How could his father be so hungry for power he never understood?