Chapter Fifty five
Ira got off the back of Ritika’s scooter.
Throughout the entire ride from her house, she hadn't uttered a single word. Her face was cold.
"Thank you." Ira said, her voice tight as she handed the helmet back to a bewildered Ritika.
She turned to walk away, but Ritika reached out and caught the edge of her dupatta.
"Ira..." Ritika called, she was concern. "Are you okay? You’ve been acting... different since I picked you up.. What’s wrong? Why are we even here?"
Ira didn't turn around. She stared at the gates of the Rathore estate.
"Can we talk later, Ritika? Please."
Ritika let out a shaky sigh but slowly released the fabric.
"Okay. Just... be careful, Ira. Please." She gave a side glance.
Ira offered a stiff nod, not a single trace of her usual smile...and walked toward the gate.
Ritika watched, her brow furrowed in deep confusion, as Ira spoke words to the security guard. To her shock, the gate buzzed open instantly.
"I hope she’s okay." Ritika mumbled to herself, her heart sinking. "And most importantly... why the hell is she back here?" She kicked her scooter into gear and drove off.
Ira walked into the main building with a fierce force.
The guards in the foyer went to intercept her, but one look at the raw fury in her eyes made them rethink.
They stood aside as she crossed the marble floors, her wedge sandle thudding like a countdown to an explosion.
Inside the grand living room, the Rathore family was gathered in a deceptive tableau of morning peace.
Mrs. Rathore was giving quiet instructions to Rani.. Vivaan was hunched over his phone, thumbs flying across the screen and Mr. Rathore sat regally, his eyes fixed on a tablet, a cup of black coffee steaming beside him.
The peace didn't last.
"DEVRAJ SINGH RATHORE!"
Ira’s voice rang out, a piercing call that echoed off the high ceilings and shattered the morning silence.
All three Rathores including Rani looked up in perfect stunned synchronization.
"Ira?" Mrs. Rathore breathed, her eyes widening as she took in the trembling rage radiating from the girl standing in the center of her home.
Mrs. Rathore stepped forward, her silk sari rustling, her face a mask of elegant confusion.
"Ira? What–"
"Where is your son?!" Ira cut her off, She didn't offer the traditional respect.. "Get him down here!"
"DEVRAJ SINGH RATHORE! GET DOWN HERE!"
Rani, standing near Mrs. Rathore, let out a scoff. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing.
"Don’t you have any shame? Coming into a man’s home at this hour just to screech like a commoner? Have you forgotten your place?"
Ira whipped her head around, her green eyes flashing with a emerald storm that made Rani’s words die in her throat.
"You shut your mouth right now." Ira hissed, "or I will do it for you. Permanently."
The sternness in Ira’s tone sent a chill down Rani’s spine. She knew Ira was feisty, but not this angry.
"Is she... always this angry?" Rani mumbled, crumbling as she instinctively shrunk back.
Vivaan blinked, his phone forgotten in his hand as he moved cautiously toward Ira, his palms raised in a peacemaking gesture.
"Ira? What is going on? Talk to me."
She snapped her gaze to him, her knuckles white as she gripped her dupatta.
"Where is your brother, Vivaan? Don't make me ask again."
Vivaan gulped, his eyes darting to his mother, who stood paralyzed by the audacity of the scene.
He looked back at Ira, trying to maintain his composure.
"Just tell me what’s wrong. What did he do?"
"That dimwitted, arrogant brother of yours is pushing me to the brink of insanity!" Ira gritted out, her teeth bared in a silent snarl. "Where is he hiding?!"
Vivaan’s jaw dropped. No one...no one...called the Heir of Rathore dimwitted and lived to tell the tale.
"Why on earth would he be getting on your nerves?" Rani chirped again, rolling her eyes in an attempt to regain her dignity.
"He's probably doing you a favor by–"
"I told you.." Ira said, her voice terrifyingly calm that made the hair on Vivaan’s neck stand up. "I don’t want to hear your voice again until I leave this house. Do you understand?"
Ira’s aura was so oppressive that Rani actually cowed back a step, her mouth snapping shut as she sought the safety of Mrs. Rathore’s shadow.
Mr. Rathore remained seated, an amused smirk playing on his lips as he watched the firestorm. He didn’t intervene, he simply leaned back, fascinated by the girl who was currently dismantling his son’s dignity in front of the entire household.
"DEVRAJ SINGH RATHORE! GET DOWN HERE!" Ira yelled..
Devraj appeared, descending the steps slow He didn't look angry...
Ira didn't wait for him to reach the bottom. She stormed past Vivaan, her dupatta snapping behind her like a battle flag.
She met him at the foot of the stairs, her chest heaving.
"What the hell is this?!" she spat. She reached into her bag and shoved a single, crumpled page from the demolition contract...directly into his face.
Devraj didn't flinch. He reached out with a steady hand and took the paper from her, his gaze never leaving her face. He didn't even look at the evidence of his own cruelty.
"How are you, Ira?"
The question was calm. It was the only thing he said, and it hit Ira.
"How... how are you?" she repeated "That's all you have to say? After you've set my family pn the edge, you're asking me how I am?!"
"I can't believe you’re here again.." he added possessively. "I missed–"
The sociopathic arrogance of it snapped the last thread of Ira's restraint.
Before he could utter another word, her hand whipped through the air.
CRACK.
Devraj’s head tilted sharply to the side, the impact of her palm leaving a mark on his sculpted cheek.
The room gasped in a horrified breath. Vivaan froze, Rani’s jaw dropped, and even the staffs standing in the shadows looked like they wanted to vanish into the walls.
No one..no one..had ever laid a hand on the Devraj like that..
"Are you insane?!" Ira screamed, her eyes reddening with the weight of her tears and her fury.
"What is wrong with you? What did my family ever do to you?! Why are you trying to take the only thing we have when we’ve done nothing to you?! You monster!"
Devraj slowly brought his hand up to his face, his thumb grazing the spot where she had struck him.
His eyes, when they turned back to her, weren't angry, they were darker, hungrier, more obsessed than ever.
"Ira! How dare you slap–" Mrs. Rathore started as she rushed forward.
Devraj didn't even look at his mother. He simply raised his hand, a command that stopped her dead in her tracks. He never took his eyes off Ira.
"Are you calm now?" he asked "Or do you want to keep slapping me until you feel better?"
He let out a smile that made the skin on Ira's neck crawl. Behind them, the collective gasp of the household was audible.
"Everyone leave." Devraj commanded, his eyes never breaking contact with Ira’s emerald ones.
"What? Devraj, she just–" his mother was cut off..
"I said leave." he repeated.
One by one, they retreated.
Rani practically dragged a protesting Mrs. Rathore up the staircase.
Vivaan lingered for a second, his expression was a pity, before turning away.
Mr. Rathore was the last to move, he caught Ira’s eye for a fleeting amused second before disappearing into the hallway.
The moment the last footstep faded and the staff vanished, Devraj’s restraint snapped.
He reached out, his large hands clamping onto Ira’s waist as he surged forward, pulling her flush against his hard, expensive suit.
"Welcome home, Ira." he whispered, his voice hoarse.
Ira gritted her teeth, her hands fisted against his chest to keep some semblance of distance.
"You crazy, stupid man! Let go of me right now!"
"I can't.." he murmured, his grip tightening. "You came to me, Ira. You walked through those gates of your own free will."
"I did that, to come tell you to leave my family alone!" she yelled, "Why are you doing this?! Why are you trying to ruin my family and me?!"
Devraj looked at her with a terrifyingly soft expression, his thumb slowly brushing a stray, fiery strand of hair away from her damp cheek. He leaned down, his lips over her forehead, his breath hot against her skin.
"Tell me what you want, Ira." he whispered, his voice a seductive promise of absolute power. "Ask me for anything. I will do it."
Ira stared at him, her chest heaving. She didn't trust the softness in his eyes, but she had no choice but to play the only card she had.
"I want you to stop this demolition. I want you to leave my family's property alone. Rescind the order. Now."
"Done.." Devraj said instantly.
Ira’s breath hitched, her fury momentarily dampened by pure confusion. Her brow furrowed, her grip on his lapels loosening just a bit.
Was it really this easy? Had she finally won?
"Good. Now let me go." Ira commanded, her voice trembling.
Devraj’s hands slid slowly off her waist, his fingers trailing over the fabric of her anarkali as if he were memorizing the texture of her presence.
"Is there anything else?" he murmured, his eyes tracking her every move.
"Don't ever disturb me again.." she spat, taking a step back to reclaim her space. "Stay away from me. Stay away from my home. Just... vanish from my life."
The soft indulgent expression on Devraj’s face vanished instantly.
"No." he said, the word was flat..
Ira gulped, her heart thudding against her ribs.
"What? You just told me to tell you what I wanted. You said you’d do it."
"I know what I said.." Devraj replied. He began to walk toward her, his silhouette eclipsing the light from the grand windows.
"But I will only listen to you... I will only grant your whims... when you are mine."
Ira stumbled back, "What... what do you mean?"
"You have to be mine, Ira. My woman. My world." he said, his eyes darkening until they were two pits of obsidian. "Give yourself to me, and the demolition order vanishes. Your father’s pride remains intact. But only if you belong to me."
Ira was left speechless, the breathtaking arrogance of his proposal choking her.
"W... what?"
"I. Want. You. Ira " he said, punctuating every word with a step forward.
Ira backed away.
"No.." she whispered, then found her voice. "No!"
Devraj halted, but he didn't argue. He simply stared at her for a long beat, his face devoid of all emotion.
"Okay." he said softly.
He turned his back on her without another word, a chilling finality as he began to walk toward the stairs.
Ira’s eyes widened, the realization hitting her hard.
He’s not going to stop. If she let him walk up those stairs, the bulldozers would move in.
Her father would lose everything.. his history, his dignity, his livelihood and she fear, her father’s workshop won't be the only thing he is targeting.
She thought of her father's sad smile and her mother's shaking hands, Raghav outburst..
Her father thought he could reason with this man today, but Ira knew the truth now.. Devraj Singh Rathore didn't reason, not one bit. He traded.
She watched his retreating back, the broad shoulders of the man who had burned down her world just to see if she’d run to him for shade.
Ira’s hands curled into tight, white-knuckled fists at her sides.
Her father’s weary face, the scent of grease in the workshop, the twenty years of history..it was all swirling in her head like a storm.
She was trapped in a cage made of Rathore gold, and the door was swinging shut.
God, please let this be the right choice.. she prayed, her eyes burning.
"Wait." Ira softly called out.
Devraj halted mid-step. When he finally turned to face her, his expression was still dark and terrifyingly patient.
"I... I..." Ira gulped, her throat feeling tight. "Okay. I... I accept."
For a split second, Devraj froze. Then, before Ira could even draw her next breath, he moved.
Before she could react, she was swept off her feet, wrapped in an embrace so fierce it felt like he was trying to pull her into his very skin.
"Finally..." Devraj groaned into the crook of her neck, his voice thick with a terrifying, triumphant relief. "Mine. You’re finally mine."
"D... Devraj! I can’t breathe!" Ira snapped, her muffled voice tight with panic as she struggled against his chest.
He released her instantly, though his hands lingered on her shoulders as if he feared she might vanish if he let go.
Ira scrambled back, putting precious inches between them, her face flushed and her l anarkali disheveled.
"Now stop it.." she whispered desperately. "Stop the demolition. Now."
Devraj didn't argue, He didn't even gloat. He simply nodded, his eyes bright with a sudden, puppy-like eagerness that turned Ira’s stomach.
He whipped out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen as he made the call that would call off his own hounds.
Ira watched him speak, her brow furrowing as she saw the happiness radiating from him.
It was sickening.
What on earth does he see in me? she wondered, her gaze hardening. What kind of man burns down a forest just to catch one bird?
She narrowed her eyes, a new, thought taking root in her mind.
Fine. Let him believe he’s won. I’ll play the part of his woman. I’ll be the perfect, suffocating woman until he’s sick of the sight of me.
She looked at his smiling face, a cold resolve washing over her.
I’m sorry for using your feelings, Devraj, but you started this war. And in my world, my family comes first.