CHAPTER 19 #3
I don’t even know how to thank him for this. But I will. Once this is all over, I will. Before I can stop myself, I close the distance between Trisha and me and hug her tightly. She freezes for a second before hugging me back.
“Thank you,” I whisper with teary eyes. “Thank you so much.”
She just pats my back, and suddenly, I don’t feel like I’m alone in this anymore. I have Trisha.
And most importantly, I have the support of the man who sent her here for me.
Raghav.
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Next Day (2 Days for the Wedding)
The next morning, Samarjeet is crossing the living room when he suddenly slows to a stop on seeing Trisha sitting across from me casually as I chat with her.
Mom is busy making coffee for us and is happy to see me relaxed.
I haven’t told her yet who Trisha is or who sent her here.
I will, but not when Samarjeet or his men are around.
Samarjeet narrows his eyes slightly as he reaches the living area and looks suspiciously between us.
“You getting along with a bodyguard now?” he asks, raising a brow. “Am I dreaming?”
I shrug before taking a sip of the coffee Mom has just placed in front of me.
“I still hate guards,” I reply easily. “That hasn’t changed. Maybe you should’ve hired female security years ago instead of those useless men following me around everywhere.”
Trisha lowers her head slightly, clearly hiding a smile.
I continue. “At least this one can hold her own in a fight with me. Your men usually end up flat on the floor within minutes.”
Samarjeet’s jaw tightens. His eyes flick towards Trisha again, studying her longer this time. As if trying to understand how she managed in one day what his entire security team failed to do in years.
“How long have you worked with Vipers Security?” he asks suddenly.
Trisha doesn’t even blink.
“Three years,” she replies smoothly.
“Directly under Parag’s network?”
“Mostly external assignments,” she replies in the same calm, professional tone. “High-risk escort operations, private protection, cross-border movement details. Mr. Reddy brought me in recently after reviewing my record.”
I almost admire how effortlessly the lies leave her lips.
Samarjeet continues watching her. “Who was your handler before this?”
“Victor Hale.” Her answer comes instantly. “Cape Town Division.”
Not a second of hesitation.
Damn.
Trisha really came prepared for this mission.
“And Parag trusts you enough to assign you to Siya?” Samarjeet asks, still probing.
“He trusts results,” Trisha says simply. “I deliver them.”
That seems to satisfy something in him. Not completely. But enough. His gaze lingers on her for another moment before finally shifting back to me.
“Hmm.” That’s all he says before turning and walking away, though I can still feel the suspicion hanging behind him like smoke. The moment he is gone, I exhale. Even Mom looks relieved as the atmosphere finally settles.
“Whatever you say, I’m happy to see this,” she says softly to Trisha before turning to me.
“It reassures me even more that you’re marrying the right man.
Because look,” she points at Trisha again, “he sent someone you’d actually be comfortable around instead of another guard who spends every second irritating you while doing their job. ”
“That, I totally agree with,” Trisha suddenly intervenes, smiling at Mom before looking at me. “His concern for Siya surprised even us.”
I glance at her sharply, knowing she is talking about Raghav, not Parag.
“I’ve never seen him this determined to safeguard someone before. Especially someone outside his family,” Trisha adds, her eyes drifting towards me knowingly. “Siya is special to him.”
My heart stumbles. And I hate that it does.
I cannot be special to Raghav. One kiss cannot make me special in his eyes.
He must have kissed countless beautiful women before me.
Yet, at that moment, when his lips touched mine, it felt as though, just like me, he was discovering what a kiss truly meant.
Ugh. Stop it, Siya.
I glare at Trisha, but she only grins. And while Mom and Trisha return to their small talk, I find myself feeling lost. Lost in decoding what’s going on in Raghav’s head?
He actually sent me a GLEN operative. A spy.
And not some random field agent either. Someone like Trisha, who is skilled enough to fight like that and smart enough to survive inside a syndicate like the Vardhaans.
Trisha already told me that GLEN does not interfere in mafia family affairs unless absolutely necessary. And Ayaan, as Director of GLEN, would never risk the life of one of his best agents for a mission like this. This means Raghav must have convinced him for this operation.
The same Raghav who refused to tell his family my real identity at RK Estate because he didn’t want them dragged into mafia problems. Now, that same man is willing to risk it all for me.
Why?
And now that Raghav is truly stepping back into that dark world because of me, I don’t know whether I should feel relieved… or terrified for him.