32.
"I need to call Aarav... no," Yug muttered to himself as he stepped out of the diagnostic lab, medical reports clutched tightly in his hand. "I'll tell him at home. It's better that way."
The sun hit his face like a slap—blinding, harsh. He squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes when—
Screech.
A black SUV swerved in front of him and came to a sudden halt.
"What the fuck—are you blind?!" Yug shouted, slamming a hand on the hood. He marched toward the driver's window and knocked hard. "I swear, I'll sue you for—"
His words died mid-sentence as the tinted window rolled down.
Ravi.
"What the fuck you doing here-" Yug yelled.
"Nice to see you too," Ravi said coolly, adjusting his sunglasses like he had all the time in the world.
Yug glared. "Pehle yeh chashma utaro. You nearly ran me over, you bastard!"
"Get in the car," Ravi said, unfazed.
"Oh, you're giving me orders now?" Yug raised an eyebrow, incredulous.
Without a word, Ravi reached out the window and snatched the file from Yug's hand.
"You motherf—give that back!" Yug shouted, stepping closer. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Car horns blared around them as the traffic built up behind. Yug groaned, the heat and noise adding fuel to his already short temper.
"Get in the car first," Ravi said calmly, ignoring the chaos like it didn't concern him.
Yug ran a hand through his hair in pure frustration, the other resting on his hip as he looked around helplessly. He muttered something under his breath before sighing dramatically.
Yug stormed around to the passenger side and yanking open the door.
He dropped into the seat, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Start talking," Yug said, his jaw tight. "What the hell is going on?"
"What do the reports say?" Ravi asked, handing the file back across the console.
Yug snatched it from him, flipping it open with a bitter smirk. "Well, surprise. Your precious boss was drugged. Isn't that just fucking perfect?"
Ravi's expression darkened. "Are you serious?"
Yug shot him a glare. "Do I look like I'm joking to you?"
Silence hung between them for a moment, broken only by the hum of traffic outside.
"I mean seriously, how the hell did you not notice?" Yug scoffed. "You, his so-called shadow, his goddamn bodyguard—how do you not know he was being drugged for god knows how long?"
He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "Kya mafia banega re woh. Shehzada lamba hai lekin akal ghutno mein".
Ravi didn't respond, jaw clenched, eyes forward.
"You all walk around like gods. Full of pride, thinking no one can touch you. But you're blind. All of you are puppets, and your strings are being pulled while you flex like kings," Yug muttered.
Ravi's voice cut through his rant, calm and measured. "Look behind. See that blue car?"
Yug turned slightly in his seat quite irritated. "Yeah. What about it? " He snapped.
"They've been following us."
"What the—" Yug sat up straighter, panic flickering in his eyes. "Why the hell are you so calm about? Why the hell are they following us?"
Ravi shrugged with maddening calm. "Relax. Shaurya's men—thirty of them—are followingthem as well.You're not going to get killed today."
Yug remained quite.
Ravi smirked. "Why so quiet now? Already scared?"
"Piss off," Yug muttered.
Ravi's tone shifted, hardening. "Listen, Khurana, do you think you have any logic on what exactly you were saying?"
Yug looked at him, eyebrows raised.
"You don't have the faintest fucking clue what kind of war Shaurya fights every day," Ravi continued, voice low but sharp.
"You think it's easy? Managing six mafia units, over 500 men in each, constant surveillance, enemy clans, politics, murders.
.. all that blood... and now this?
He was fucking drugged and you expect him to think about this? " Ravi scoffed.
Yug held his breath. The anger in Ravi wasn't just rage—it was devotion.
"Shaurya never thinks about himself. That's his flaw.
His strength, too," Ravi said. "And yeah, maybe we missed it.
Maybe I missed it. But you weren't the one dragging his half-dead body from firefights or shielding him during deals that could've gone nuclear.
So don't you dare stand here in your clean shirt and throw judgment.
You fucking don't have the right to run your mouth when your hands are not stained with blood.
One taste of the world we live in, you'll regret your life".
Yug looked at Ravi, eyebrows slightly raised.
"Aarav was right... you really are Shaurya's wife, huh," he said, half-amused, half-impressed.
Ravi ignored the jab, eyes still on the road.
"But seriously, where are we going now?" Yug asked, adjusting his seat.
"To Shaurya's place," Ravi replied.
Yug's eyes widened. "Wait—no, stop the car! Why the hell are we going there?"
"I think Shaurya needs to know. Sooner the better," Ravi said, voice firm.
"Oh, brilliant idea. Let's just walk in and tell the guy, 'Hey, you've been drugged for god knows how long, and now you're spiraling into madness—congrats!'"
Yug threw his hands up. "Should I prepare a speech too? Something like: 'Dear Shaurya Shekhawat, sorry to inform you but you have drugged. That is the reason you're insane.If this psychotic behavior of yours continues please consider checking into a rehab facility near you.'"
Ravi's jaw twitched. "Are you done?" he snapped, glancing sideways.
Yug slouched in the seat with a sigh. "I'm just saying—"
Ravi muttered under his breath, "Aarav really influences people."
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Ravi said, eyes still on the road, tone clipped. "Just... try to keep your mouth in check when we get there."
Yug scoffed.