Chapter Fifty Six.
Ira watched him, her eyes tracking every muscle in his face as he finished the call.
The cold executioner was gone, replaced by a man who looked intoxicated by his own victory.
He hung up and stepped into her personal space, his presence looming over her like a shadow.
"It’s done, Ira." he said. "I’ve canceled everything. Your father is the rightful owner again.."
Ira felt a wave of nausea hit her. He was handing her back her own life as if it were a gift he’d bought her.
She gulped, her throat tight, and gave a stiff nod.
"Um... thank you. I... I should be going now. I need to tell my father the news. He’s... he’s been through enough today."
She turned to leave, but Devraj’s face fell instantly, the light in his eyes turning into a wounded frown.
"Let me drop you." he said.
"No!" Ira snapped, the word exploding out of her before she could catch it.
She quickly lowered her voice, clearing her throat to mask the tremor in her hands.
"I... I mean, look at you. You’re dressed for the office. You have a company to run. I’m fine, Devraj. I can take a cab or rickshaw. I can go myself. So, No."
Devraj’s jaw tightened, his face petrifying back into that cold mask.
He didn't like the word No from her. He didn't like the distance she was always trying to put between them.
"I want to drop you, Ira." he said, stepping even closer until she could smell the expensive scent of his cologne.
"You are my woman now. Providing for you, protecting you, transporting you... it’s my right. Correct? You had a principle..that only the man you are with is allowed to be closer to you right? Close enough to drop you. Is that not your discipline?"
Ira’s fists clenched so hard her nails bit into her palms.
He’d taken her own values, her own sense of self-respect, and turned them into a cage.
She forced her lips into a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Um... well, my Papa is still a bit... sensitive. He’s upset, Devraj. Seeing you show up at the house right now will only make him more pissed off. You wouldn't want to ruin the good news by causing a heart attack, would you?"
Devraj’s face hardened at the mention of her father’s disapproval.
He didn't care about the man’s heart, he cared about the woman standing in front of him, and he hated that he was already being pushed away.
"I’ve cleared what happened.." Devraj said, as if he hadn't just held her entire world for ransom.
That doesn’t just fix it, you crazy man! the thought screamed in Ira’s mind. She bit her tongue so hard forcing the retort back down her throat.
"Devraj.." she said, her voice strained as she tried to maintain her sweet self. "I just want to go alone. Just for now. I need to breathe."
"I don't want you to go... alone." Devraj countered. He moved into her space again, his presence so overwhelming it felt like the walls of the mansion were closing in on her.
"Why are you being so clingy?" The frustration finally cracked.
Devraj simply tilted his head, his dark hair falling slightly over his forehead as he studied her like a collector admiring a rare gem.
"Only to you.." he breathed..
She gulped, the intensity in his amber eyes making her vision swim, and she forced herself to look away.
"Okay, fine! You can drop me off.." Ira sighed, She turned and walked toward the massive front doors.
I need to find a way to make him sick of me... she thought. At least if I pretend to date him, he won’t hunt me like prey. I’ll be the most suffocating, annoying woman he’s ever met. I’ll turn his obsession into a headache.
She kept walking, her back straight and rigid, never once looking behind her.
Devraj stood in the center of the hall, watching her retreat. As she moved further away, his face didn't soften, it darkened, his features petrifying into a hunger.
His eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to consume the very light in the room.
He ran his hand over his hair, then dragged his fingers slowly down his face, peering at her through the gaps in his hand like a man watching a beautiful dangerous hallucination.
"I have you already.." he whispered to the empty air. "But the intensity... it only grows, Ira. I want you fully to myself. I want you hidden away from the world, away from everyone’s eyes. I want your care only for me, your eyes only on me."
A terrifying glint sparked in the depths of his gaze a flash of madness.
"I don't care how far I have to go." he murmured, his fingers curling as if he were already locking the invisible cage around her. "You are mine. Only mine."
~??~
Devraj’s car came to a silent stop in front of her house.
"Thank you." she said quickly. She reached for the handle, her heart leaping at the thought of escape, but the door remained stubbornly electronically locked.
She turned to ask him to open it, but the words died in her throat. Her breath hitched as she realized he was already leaning over her, his broad shoulders blocking the light.
He was so close she could feel the radiating heat of his body. Ira instinctively pressed her back into the plush leather seat, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
"Um... can you open the door?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Devraj’s face was set in a hard pained line, his jaw ticking. He looked at her as if she were a dream he was afraid to wake up from.
"I don't want you to leave..." he said, his voice breathless.
Ira wanted to scream. She wanted to hit his head against the steering wheel to knock some sense into him.
It’s been twenty minutes, you obsessive freak! But she remembered her plan. She had to play the part.
"I... I will call you." she lied.
The change in Devraj was instantaneous, his face lit up, a desperate hope crossing his features.
He reached out and captured her palm, lifting it to his face. He pressed her hand against his cheek, his eyes fluttering closed as he inhaled her scent. Ira felt a violent shiver run down her spine, not of pleasure, but of a cold, creeping dread.
"I love you so much, Ira... you have no idea.." he mumbled against her skin, his voice thick with a terrifying vulnerability. "Staying away from you... it’s like my heart is breaking every second."
Ira didn't wait for him to say more. She pulled her hand away, her skin feeling like it was on fire where he had touched it.
"Um, I... I will call. Please. Open the door."
Devraj blinked, the trance breaking. He gave a dazed nod and finally hit the unlock button.
The clack of the lock was the most beautiful sound Ira had ever heard.
She didn't give him a second glance. She scrambled out of the car, her wegde sandles hitting the pavement with a sense of relief.
She rounded the car and hurried toward her house, her back tingling as she felt his eyes boring into her through the glass.
Behind the wheel, Devraj watched her every step until she disappeared inside.
His grip on the leather steering wheel tightened until his knuckles went white. Then, slowly, the hard mask shattered.
A huge boyish blushing smile broke across his face, the kind of smile that didn't belong on a man who had just blackmailed a family.
He let out a breathy laugh, his heart beating fast against his ribs.
He was happy. He was dangerously deliriously happy.
She was finally His!
Satisfied, he finally shifted the car into gear and drove away, already counting the seconds until his phone rang.
~?~
The door clicked shut behind Ira, and she leaned against it for a second, letting out a long, shuddering sigh.
She turned around and three sets of eyes landing on her. Her father, mother, and Raghav were gathered in the living room, their expressions was confusion.
"Ira? Where have you been? And Who was that in the car?" her father asked, his brow furrowed as he tried to peer through the window at the car that had just sped away.
Ira was still reeling from the betrayal of finding that contract hidden under her mother's saris...the fact that they had tried to shield her from a monster who was already breathing down her neck.
But as she looked at her father’s haggard face, the anger softened into a weary protective resolve.
"Papa, the workshop is safe now.." she said, her voice steady as she walked further into the room. "The demolition order has been rescinded. No one is coming for your workshop."
Shock hit her parents, her mother gasped, clutching her chest, while her father stood frozen, his mouth opening but no words coming out.
"But... I’m really mad at you both.." Ira continued, a bit hurt. "You knew. You knew Devraj Singh Rathore was behind this the whole time. Was that why you told me to stay out of it, Maa? Because you knew he was the one holding the leash?"
Her mother let out a shaky sigh, her eyes downcast.
"Ira, I just didn't want you to put yourself in danger...."
Well, that’s too late now..Ira mumbled to herself.
She had already walked into the trap..what's the point now?
She let out another long sigh, forcing her features to relax.
"Anyways, it’s over. He won't... he won't disturb you guys again. I’ve settled it."
"I'm so sorry, beta.." her father said, his voice thick with guilt. "For getting you worried all the time. For making you carry a burden that should have been mine."
Ira felt the last of her anger dissolve. She offered a tired, genuine smile...and crossed the room.
She wrapped her arms around her father, burying her face in his shoulder as the exhaustion of the morning finally hit her.
"You guys have to tell me what’s going on next time." she whispered, her voice cracking just a little. "Hiding it doesn't make me worry less. It just makes me fight alone."
Her father pulled back slightly, his eyes misty with pride and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead.
"Never again, Ira. I promise."
"Wait a minute.." Raghav said, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer, his arms crossed over his chest.
"How exactly did you get Devraj to clear all this? To just stop a multimillion-dollar demolition and hand Papa back the ownership papers? People like him don’t just change their minds because of a conversation, Ira."
Ira pulled away from her father, her skin feeling clammy.
She felt the weight of their collective gaze...hopeful from her parents, but piercingly sharp from Raghav.
"I... I just talked to him–" she started, her voice faltering as she searched for a plausible lie.
Suddenly, her phone erupted into a loud ringtone in her bag.
The sound was like a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman. She nearly dropped the phone in her haste to pull it out.
"I have to take this. Excuse me!" she said, not even looking at the screen before she pivoted and practically bolted toward the stairs.
"Just talked to him? I don't buy that for a second.." Raghav mumbled, watching her retreat..
Ira didn't stop until she was safely inside her room with the door shut. She leaned her back against the wood. She took a deep breath and finally looked at the screen.
It wasn't Devraj.
Oh! thank God.
"Hello?" she whispered, her voice still shaky.
"Is this Miss Ira Verma?" a professional pleasant female voice asked.
"Y... yes, speaking."
"Oh, wonderful! I'm calling from the HR department regarding your interview yesterday. We were all incredibly impressed with your portfolio and your vision. I’m delighted to formally offer you the position.
Our team is thrilled to have you on board, and we believe you'll be a fantastic asset to the firm! "
Ira’s eyes widened, the tension was suddenly replaced by a burst of joy.
Finally a job.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Ira beamed, the sparkle returning to her eyes. "I’m so happy to hear that!"
"The pleasure is ours, Ms. Ira. We’ll send over the formal offer letter and onboarding documents shortly. We’ll see you at 9:00 AM this Monday."
The call ended, and Ira let out a muffled squeal of delight, hugging her phone to her chest.
"Yes! Yes! I finally got a job!" she giggled.
A second later, her phone chimed with a notification. It was the email confirmation from the company. She tapped it open, her face glowing with triumph.
Finally, something was going right.
~???~
Devraj sat at the head of the meeting table, but he was light-years away from the profit margins being projected on the wall.
A faint, uncharacteristic flush colored his cheekbones, the heat Ira had left there earlier.
He stared at his phone, his pulse thrumming in his fingertips as he waited for the notification that would change the trajectory of his day.
Advik, sitting two seats down, glanced at him and did a double-take.
He’d seen Devraj lethal, he’d seen him bored, and he’d seen him furious, but he had never seen him...pining.
Is he actually okay? Advik thought, his brow furrowing. He looks like he’s caught a fever.
My Ira. She will call me soon.. Devraj mused, happiness blooming in his chest. He could almost hear her voice already.
But as the minutes ticked by, the happiness began to curdle into restlessness.
He checked the time. One hour. Sixty minutes of silence. The ticking of the clock in his head was starting to sound like a countdown to an explosion.
"S... Sir?" the young marketing executive at the front of the room stammered, his laser pointer trembling against the chart.
Devraj didn't hear him. His mind was miles away, inside the Verma household.
What is she doing? Is she busy? I wonder what she’s doing... he thought, his jaw tightening. Is she busy? Is she talking to someone else? Is she regretting her promise?
He gulped, the air in the room suddenly feeling too thin. His patience, never a strong suit, was disintegrating.
"Sir... the projections for the second quarter..." the voice came again, more insistent this time.
The sound snapped the final thread of Devraj’s restraint.
He looked up, his amber eyes glared, which made the executive nearly drop his remote.
"What?" he gritted out.
"Um... we were... the charts, we just needed your approval on the–"
"Do it again.." Devraj snapped. "All of it. This meeting is adjourned."
Without waiting for a response, he surged out of his chair and rushed out of the room. The staff sat in stunned, baffled silence.
Advik frowned, watching the glass doors swing shut behind his friend.
He sighed and stood up, smoothing his suit jacket. "Get back to work, guys. You heard him, redo the data." he said, before pivoting to follow Devraj.
~??~
Ira sat at her desk, as she drafted her acceptance email on her laptop.
Then, her phone began to vibrate against the wood. She glanced over, and the breath left her lungs.
"Oh gosh, i forgot to call him.." she mumbled.
She stared at the ringing device, the urge to throw it out the window fighting with the reality of the deal she’d made.
She was his now. And he wasn't a man who enjoyed being ignored.
She let out a grounding breath, before sliding the green icon across the screen.
"Meri Jaan.." Devraj’s voice came through the line. It was deep and carried a weight of possessiveness that made the hair on Ira’s arms stand up.
"D... Devraj..." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly at the sudden intimacy of the name.
Meri Jaan?
"I missed you.." he said, and she could hear his restlessness in every syllable. "I was waiting for your call, Ira. The silence was... unbearable."
Ira cleared her throat, forcing herself to sound apologetic.
"I... I’m sorry. I was... working."
"Working?" he repeated, "Why?"
Ira let out a bored sigh, her feisty nature flickering for a second.
"Um, because a woman is allowed to have a career, Devraj? It’s a pretty common concept in the 21st century."
To her shock, Devraj argue back. Instead, a genuine chuckle vibrated through the speaker, a sound so warm.
Ira’s frown deepened. She didn't want him happy, she wanted him annoyed.
"I want to see you.." he said, his voice shifting into a command. "Switch this to a video call."
"Um, no?" Ira countered quickly. "I'm not exactly camera ready right now."
"Why?" he pressed, his voice heartbreakingly soft. "I just want to see your face, Ira. Please."
Ira squeezed her eyes shut, her fist clenching so hard..
Endure it, Ira.. she coached herself. you have to play the part.
"O... okay.." she whispered.
She reached out with a trembling finger and tapped the video icon.