CHAPTER 3

“Vivaan! What are you-” she started, shocked.

“You shouldn’t be here. Someone’s been following you. I can’t let this slide,” he said, his voice low but deadly serious.

“Who? I’m fine! I can handle myself!” she argued, yanking her arm back, her eyes flashing with defiance.

Vivaan’s eyes softened for a second, but his tone stayed urgent. “I know you can. But not everyone out there plays fair. Trust me on this.”

He looked over his shoulder briefly his eyes locking on the man in the crowd before dragging her toward the exit.

“Vivaan, stop! You can’t just.” Aarohi protested loudly.

But he didn’t. His grip stayed steady, his jaw tense.

I quickly followed, worried, weaving through the crowd behind them.

Outside, the cool air hit us. Aarohi jerked her arm free, glaring at him.

“What the hell was that, Vivaan? You embarrassed me in there!” she snapped.

He stared at her, anger and something deeper flickering in his eyes. “You think this is a game? I saw them, Aarohi. I saw the men who’ve been following you since you left the office.”

Her expression faltered, the fight in her eyes dimming for just a moment.

“They weren’t after me,” she said, softer now, but still defensive.

Vivaan leaned closer, his voice sharp & scary. “You don’t get it. They don’t care who it is- you, your friend, anyone close. They mean harm. And you’re walking straight into their hands, laughing, dancing, completely unaware.”

His words hung in the air, heavy.

Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away, his broad shoulders stiff, his anger almost tangible.

Aarohi stood frozen, her shock clear. She’d never seen him like this before so intense, so furious, and yet… so protective.

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Arohi…”

But she didn’t answer. Her eyes stayed locked on the road where Vivaan had disappeared, her silence heavier than the music still echoing from the club.

“We should go. It’s getting late… and if Vivaan was right, they might still be looking for us.”

I held her hand, opened the car door, and waited as she slipped inside. Behind the wheel, I noticed Vivaan’s car trailing mine close, steady, like he was guarding us.

I dropped her home first, then drove back to mine. Vivaan stayed until the last turn, then pulled away after I waved goodbye. I don’t have an elder brother, but tonight it felt like I found one. Strange, though Aarohi always says she fights with him, complains about him… yet I can’t shake the feeling he actually cares for her more than she knows.

I’ll ask her. Not tonight. But soon.

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The office was quiet, just the steady hum of the AC and the scratch of my pen across paper. Then my phone buzzed an unknown number.

I answered, already wary.

“Hello, my dear Vansh,” a mocking voice slithered through the line. “Hope you’re doing well. But your sister and her friends? Not so much. If you want them safe, transfer twenty lakhs to this account.”

The line went dead.

For a second, silence. Then the rage came boiling up. Whoever thought he could touch my family had no idea who he was dealing with. Money? I had it. But threats? Those I answered differently.

I pressed the intercom. “Vivaan. Track this call. Now.”

He appeared within minutes, phone in hand, expression grim. He nodded once. “Got him.”

“Good,” I said, sliding open the drawer beneath my desk. The weight of the gun in my palm was familiar, almost comforting. I slipped it inside my jacket. “Let’s go. We have work.”

The location was a half-broken neighborhood on the outskirts. Rusted shutters, stray dogs, the smell of sweat and smoke. And there they were sitting in a circle, laughing like fools, as if they hadn’t just declared war on me.

I moved carefully, each step soundless, but one of them caught sight of me and shouted. Panic broke out. They ran.

“Not tonight,” I muttered, raising my gun.

The first bullet ripped through a man’s leg; he collapsed screaming. My men closed in on him. Vivaan slammed another against a wall, pinning him like a ragdoll.

The third ran. I chased.

He led me through narrow alleys, the stench of garbage rising with every step. After half a kilometre he stopped, turned, and smiled a wicked, blood-chilling grin.

I fired. The bullet struck his thigh, and he crumpled to his knees, still smiling. The bastard.

Then his hand snapped up gun flashing. I barely twisted aside. The bullet seared across my shoulder, burning hot.

Pain flared, but I didn’t slow. I drove my fist into his face. He hit the ground hard, spitting blood, the crowd already gathering, hungry for drama. They didn’t care who lived or died just that they had something to watch.

I grabbed him by the collar, hauled him upright. My men arrived, panting.

“Take him,” I ordered coldly. “I have unfinished business with him.”

They dragged him away like the trash he was.

I uncapped a water bottle and splashed it over my wound. Blood mingled with dust and water, dripping down my arm. I felt nothing. No fear, no weakness. I was too used to it. That’s what scared me most.

The sirens came late. Police pushed through, glanced at the blood on the ground, the crowd, then looked away. Easier to forget than to ask questions.

Vivaan drove. His jaw was tight, eyes fixed on the road. Beside me, blood soaked the cotton he pressed into my shoulder.

“You’re bleeding too much, Vansh,” he said, handing me another wad. “Hold this. Don’t move. If you do, the blood will pour faster.”

I pressed down, though the pain was already fading into a dull throb. “We’ll go to the hospital, but quickly. I don’t want Mom to know. It’ll only worry her.”

“Security?” Vivaan asked.

“Double it. Saumya doesn’t step out without a bodyguard. And keep an eye on her friends too those animals might try again.”

Vivaan’s voice hardened. “Consider it done.”

At the hospital, the doctor’s face paled when he saw me. “Not again, Vansh. You’ve lost too much blood this time.” His hands trembled as he cut away my shirt to reveal the wound. “If you can’t think of yourself, at least think of your family. How do you expect them to live, seeing you like this over and over?”

“Doctor,” I said quietly, “no one needs to know. Especially not my family. Saumya must never find out how close she came to danger. I’ll handle it.”

Vivaan’s voice cut in. “Vansh, he’s right. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”

I gave him a faint smile, though it cost me effort. “As long as you’re with my family, I have nothing to worry about.”

The bullet came out in a slow, painful pull. Blood soaked the gauze, but my eyes stayed dry. The doctor bandaged me with a scowl that carried more concern than anger.

We left quietly. No one stopped us. The night outside was calm again, but in my chest the storm still raged. Whoever had tried this, whoever had dared threaten Saumya, they hadn’t seen the worst of me yet.

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