CHAPTER 14 （A new beginning）
TRISHA
I stepped through the ornate gates of the Shergill Mansion, my heart pounding. The lavish exterior was adorned with twinkling lights and colourful flower arrangements, all set for the Director’s wedding. Ayaan Shergill was getting married to the Deputy CM’s daughter, Meher Walia tomorrow.
Just yesterday, I received an unexpected call from Sudesh about this new assignment.
After wrapping up my last mission—giving protection to a VIP in Europe, the last thing I expected was to be summoned back to Mumbai by Director Ayaan himself.
And here I was, anxious and intrigued with what my next mission would be.
A smiling older man in a crisp suit greeted me.
“You must be Trisha. Ayaan and Kailash are expecting you.”
“Hello, and you are?”
“Bhaskar, Kailash Shergill’s assistant. You can call me Bhaskar uncle like everyone else does,” he replied. “The Haldi ceremony hasn’t begun yet. Ayaan will see you shortly in his study room. Right through there.” He gestured towards an imposing wooden door.
I thanked him, trying to appear calm and professional despite my nerves. Taking a steadying breath, I turned the handle and entered the study.
The spacious room was dominated by a large leather chair, already occupied by someone whose back was turned towards me. Assuming it was Ayaan, I stood at stiff attention. “Hello, Director, it’s nice to meet you again.”
But when the chair swivelled around, I froze. It wasn’t Ayaan in that seat.
It was Krish.
His eyes locked onto mine, and the world seemed to stop spinning. Krish—my... well, whatever we had been to each other two years ago—before I had foolishly thrown it all away and left him broken.
It had been two long years since our almost breakup, yet here we were, facing each other once more. I never anticipated this reunion, never wanted it. But fate had its own plans they said, and it seemed Krish and I were destined to cross paths again.
As Krish rose from his chair, I couldn’t help but notice the change in him.
He looked different than I remembered—older, more rugged and handsome in an effortlessly cool way.
The warmth in his smile seemed to have faded, leaving behind a sombre expression.
His expression was unreadable as he circled the desk and leaned back against it with his arms crossed.
The silence between us stretched on, unnaturally cold and heavy with unspoken tension.
“Really?” he asked flatly when I didn’t speak.
My mouth felt dry as a desert. What was he doing here? Of course, he and Ayaan were best friends, and since Ayaan was getting married, he had to be here too. But seeing Krish so unexpectedly unleashed a stampede of emotions I hadn’t been prepared for.
I struggled to compose myself.
“Where is Director Ayaan? He called me here.”
“Ayaan will be here shortly,” Krish replied coolly. “And don’t call him Director here. No one knows about our roles at GLEN.”
I blinked in surprise at that revelation, but Krish continued without missing a beat. “Ayaan asked me to brief you on the role he wants you to take.”
My heart stuttered as he explained further.
“Ayaan wants you to protect his would-be wife, Meher Walia, starting tomorrow,” Krish explained, his words hanging heavily in the air. “You’ll need to ensure her safety around the clock, which means you’ll be staying here at the Shergill Mansion with us.”
“Us?” I interrupted, confusion evident in my tone. “You... I mean... you’re staying here too?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m stuck here with Ayaan until we uncover the identity of the gang that targeted Kailash uncle. The intel we have so far indicates that these people are dangerous, and both the Shergills and the Walias will need protection until we find them and understand their motives.”
This was already more complicated than I could have imagined. Not only was I being forced to work with Ayaan Shergill again, but now there was Krish as well. It would be hard, especially after the way I had destroyed his heart and trust in me.
“Did you recommend me for this role to Ayaan?” I asked, almost accusingly.
Krish let out a mirthless chuckle. “If it were up to me, Miss Trisha Chaudhary, I would never recommend you to Ayaan. Not after our last conversation.” His words felt like a slap. “So, no. This wasn’t my idea at all.”
I swallowed hard, taken aback by the cold fury simmering behind his eyes. This Krish was a far cry from the caring, affectionate man I had known. Understandably so, after how I had crushed him. But seeing the transformation up close pained me deeply.
“One last mission together,” he stated flatly, all business now. “Are you in or out?”
I hesitated, knowing this could be emotionally devastating for me. For both of us. “Only if you don’t mix up your feelings with the mission this time,” I countered, my voice steadier than I felt.
Krish’s jaw clenched, his expression darkening. “Who said I still feel for you? I’ve stopped looking for love in you a long time ago.”
His harsh dismissal felt like a punch to the gut. Before I could muster a response, the study door swung open, and Ayaan strode in.
Pushing aside the storm of emotions, I straightened my spine and slipped into professional mode.
“Hello, Director,” I greeted Ayaan with a smile.
“Hey Trisha, good to see you again. I’m sure Krish has briefed you already. So, are you in or out?” Ayaan asked.
I swallowed nervously but straightened my posture.
“I’m in, Sir.”
“Good. Welcome back to the team, Agent Trisha,” Ayaan replied, offering his hand for a handshake.
I shook his hand, aware of Krish’s gaze on me.
I didn’t know if I had made the right choice.
But no matter what it cost me, I would be the flawless operative they needed.
My past with Krish would never cloud my judgement again.
I had made that mistake once before—I wouldn’t be so foolish twice.
***************
A day after…
After agreeing to this mission, I returned to Delhi yesterday to pack my belongings before moving into the Shergill Mansion in Mumbai again to start my new job as Meher Shergill’s bodyguard.
That’s why I missed Ayaan’s wedding. This morning, I had settled into the guest room and ventured out to find Meher, wanting to properly introduce myself.
As I stepped out of my room, I nearly collided with someone—Krish himself. His damp hair and casual clothes made him look incredibly attractive, but exhaustion clouded his eyes. Despite my efforts to appear professional, I couldn’t resist asking, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”
Krish looked surprised by my concern.
“Didn’t sleep at all. But don’t worry, not because of you,” he replied, with a mocking edge in his tone.
His jeering tone stung. Krish had never mocked me like this before. Lately, it felt like he took out all his frustrations on me at every opportunity. As he turned to leave, I blurted, “Would you be like this throughout now? Showing everyone around us that something is wrong between us?”
Krish stopped and slowly turned back to face me.
With a stern expression, he closed the distance between us until we were merely a foot apart.
Our bodies hadn’t been this close in so long.
And God knew how I wanted to slide my arms around him and embrace him.
But I fisted my fingers to ensure I didn’t make that mistake. Neither of us broke eye contact.
After a tense silence, Krish spoke, “Nothing was ever right between us in the past, Trisha. Whatever it was, you made it ugly for both of us. Why do you care now how coldly I behave with you in others’ presence?
Don’t worry, I won’t be like this in front of others.
Even I don’t want anybody here to know what a waste of time and feelings that was in the past.”
He took another step forward, our noses almost touching, but he held my gaze as he continued, “Waste of time for you... and waste of feelings for me...”
Clenching his jaw as if trying to control his simmering anger, Krish stepped back and turned away, leaving without another glance.
My heart pounded in my chest. This was the meanest behaviour and harshest words Krish had ever directed at me.
It definitely hurt. Krish’s proximity reignited feelings I had buried deep within me.
His words cut deep, reopening wounds I thought had healed.
But despite the hurt, the familiar warmth of his presence stirred something inside me.
As he walked away, a part of me yearned to reach out to him, to mend what was broken between us.
But I knew better than to let my emotions cloud my judgment again.
Before I could dwell on it, I saw Meher, Ayaan’s wife, enter the kitchen where Kailash Shergill was already cooking breakfast.
Deciding it was against professional ethics to think about Krish and his words right now, I made my way to the kitchen, intending to properly introduce myself to Meher Shergill as her appointed bodyguard.
***************
It had been four days since I started working as Meher’s bodyguard.
She was a wonderful woman, and an excellent daughter and sister who was processing the fact that she had a half-brother—Vishnu.
He had been staying at the Walia house, acting as her father’s bodyguard and handling security for the family.
Meher found out about this on her wedding night, and the next day she learned that her husband Ayaan had already known all along.
The newlyweds had a fight, but the good husband that Ayaan was, he convinced her, and there was peace between them again, which I was glad for.