Chapter Seventy Eight
Devraj's jaw clenched, but he remained silent.
"Why would you do something like that, Devraj? Why would you send anyone to such a... such a vile, tainted place-"
"Rani was the woman.." Devraj interrupted, "The one Samar told you about."
All the breath left Ira's lungs. The room suddenly felt suffocatingly small.
"W... wait.." she stammered, her mind scrambling to connect the dots. "Rani was the one who sent Samar??"
"Yes. It was her.." Devraj answered flatly, his eyes entirely devoid of remorse.
"There is no need for such shock, Ira." Mr. Rathore interjected.
Ira whipped her head toward the older man, her eyes still wide with disbelief.
"She brought this entirely upon herself the moment she decided to target you." Mr. Rathore stated.
Ira blinked rapidly, her moral compass clashing with the brutal reality of the Rathore world.
"B... but this is wrong.." she whispered, looking at Mr. Rathore with sad, desperate eyes. "Human trafficking is a monster's game. It's evil."
Mr. Rathore merely raised a brow.
"You are feeling pity?" he asked, a hint of dark amusement lacing his words.
Ira lowered her gaze, her fingers trembling slightly.
"You are mourning the fate of a woman who fully intended for you to suffer that exact nightmare?" Mr. Rathore continued, taking a slow step closer. "Imagine, for just one moment, if you had actually gone through what she planned."
"I would never have let that happen." Devraj growled instantly..
Ira reached out, her hands gripping Devraj's solid bicep.
"Please... Devraj.." she pleaded. "Can you both just let her go? This is going too far."
"Let her go?" Mr. Rathore repeated. This time, he chuckled, a dark, chilling sound.
"You are far too naive, my dear. You are incredibly lucky Devraj intervened when he did."
Mr. Rathore said.. "Rani has an extensive, hidden track record of disposing of people in this exact manner. Women who threatened her social standing, people she simply wanted gone. It just so happens that this time, she contracted Samar for the job... and she picked the worst target."
Ira stood completely speechless, the truth freezing the blood in her veins.
Devraj pulled her closer, wrapping his arms securely around her and pulling her tight against his chest.
She leaned into his warmth, tilting her head up to meet his gaze, her eyes clouded with deep, conflicted sadness.
"Ira."
She turned her attention to Mr. Rathore, finding his eyes fixed keenly upon her.
"What is it you truly want?" he asked calmly. "I haven't allowed Rani to be fully handed over yet. I pulled rank and halted the trafficking. She was on the verge of being sold to the syndicate, but my men intercepted the handoff the moment the news reached my desk."
Devraj's entire body went rigid against Ira's.
"You did what?" he snarled, a restrained fury bleeding into his voice. "Why the hell would you interfere?"
"You are not the one passing final judgment tonight, Devraj." his father commanded. He shifted his attention back to Ira. "The ball is entirely in your court, Ira. No one in this family will question whatever verdict you deliver now."
He paused for a bit.
"But know this..handing her over to the police will not help you, if that is what you are considering. Rani's family has thoroughly documented her with a severe 'mental instability' loophole. If you send her to the authorities, she will be released on medical grounds,
and your life will be in constant jeopardy once again."
Ira swallowed hard.
The police aren't an option?
The reality of the world she was stepping into crashed over her.
Rani had meticulously plotted to have her ruined, violated, and ultimately murdered.
If Samar hadn't been twistedly obsessed enough to hold the orders, and if Devraj hadn't searched the country apart to find her...
she would already be dead. All of it orchestrated by a spoiled, untouchable heiress over a man.
She slowly turned her head, looking back up at Devraj.
He was staring down at her in a yielding devotion meant only for her.
"I will listen to whatever you decide, Ira." he murmured, "Whatever you say."
She turned her gaze back to the Mr. Rathore.
"I want her locked in a room for a month." Ira stated.
Devraj actually blinked, Mr. Rathore simply froze, completely stunned.
"Excuse me?" Mr. Rathore raised a brow.
"No matter how desperately Rani wanted to destroy me, I cannot bring myself to subject another woman to that kind of vile, physical violation."
Ira explained, "I am disgusted by what she planned, but sending her to a syndicate makes us no better. So, leave her in the dark. Make sure she is fed and kept alive. But for one entire month, no light, no sound, no human contact whatsoever. Let her sit alone with her own mind.
That is a far more fitting punishment."
Mr. Rathore stared at her, bewildered for a moment.
He looked at his son, then back at the small woman standing beside him.
"You are a remarkably interesting woman, Ira.." he murmured, giving her a respectful nod. "Consider it done."
He turned, heading toward the door, but paused right at the threshold, glancing back over his shoulder.
"Please visit the Rathore estate soon, Ira.." he said, his voice carrying a genuine warmth.. "We... miss you."
Ira blinked in surprise, a soft smile touching her lips as the door shut behind him.
"You are intentionally trying to break her mind.." he stated.
Ira turned to look up at him, a small chuckle escaping her.
"A little bit. I mean, it's just the little I can do, after hearing the horrible things she had done."
Her smile slowly faded..
"It is just so tragic that a woman could wish such a horrific fate upon another woman. But as for the dark room? Well... if no police force can keep her in check, and the law is useless, then tearing her down psychologically is the most logical move. Let her own thoughts be her prison."
Devraj watched the shadow of sadness cross her delicate face.
he leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to the soft skin of her cheek.
"You are strong, Ira.." he murmured. "I am so damn proud of you." He smiled..
A warm affection blossomed in her chest, and she returned his smile.
"Devraj..." she called softly.
He gave her his full attention, his eye locking onto hers with focus.
"Please, next time... don't pass a judgment like tha.," she requested. "You let your emotions completely override your head. I know what she did was unforgivable, but there are far better, more effective ways to hand out punishment than resorting to chaos."
Rather than bristling at the correction, the ruthless titan simply smiled, a look of complete surrender crossing his face as he nodded.
"I am sorry, Ira. I was just... blinded by it. The blinding anger." he admitted.
The memory of nearly losing her flashed darkly in his eyes.
"I kept thinking about what would have happened if-"
He cut himself off, his jaw tightening.
"Thank you for saving me, Devraj." she said softly.
In one move, he swept her entirely off her feet, catching her securely against his chest in a bridal carry.
"Ah!" Ira yelped, her hands instinctively flying up to grasp his broad, solid shoulders to steady herself.
"What are you doing?" she giggled.
She looked up at his face, fully expecting to see his usual arrogant smirk.
Instead, she found him pointedly looking away from her, his jaw set in a stubborn line as he walked down the hallway, completely unable to hide the faint blush that still stained his neck and cheeks.
~??~
Devraj carefully lowered her onto the bed, still steadfastly refusing to meet her gaze.
As he turned to step away, her small fingers wrapping securely around his thick wrist.
With a tug, she pulled him off balance, he collapsed onto the bed beside her.
"Where do you think you're going?" a playful glint in her eye.
She reached out, a single finger tracing a slow line down the center of his clothed chest, trailing over the hard planes of his stomach. Devraj swallowed hard, the bob of his adam's apple betraying his composure.
Ira tilted her head, her gaze turning keen as she noticed the minute shudder running through him.
"Devraj?" she whispered. "You are trembling."
His hands curled into tight fists against the silk bedsheets, physically restraining himself from pulling her beneath him.
"You know exactly what you are doing, meri jaan." he warned.
Ira chuckled, before she slowly paused, her mind latching onto an unresolved puzzle.
"Devraj... can I ask you something?" she asked, her tone shifting.
He nodded.
"I don't mean to stir up the past." she began carefully. "But... if you never actually liked Alia, why date her? I don't know the exact chemistry you two shared, but-" She stopped, suddenly unsure. "I'm sorry for asking."
"You never have to apologize to me for your curiosity."
Devraj answered immediately. "It is the truth. I never liked Alia. My mother was relentlessly pushing for a union, a proper societal match. So, I analyzed the options and picked Alia because she presented an illusion of kindness. She seemed nice. Or at least, that was the mask I saw."
Ira's brows furrowed in confusion.
"But why would you commit to someone you have absolutely no feelings for, simply because they are 'kind'?"
Devraj looked away. His eyes grew distant, staring up at the ceiling as he confessed a vulnerability he had never spoken aloud.
"Perhaps I foolishly thought I could learn love from her, i was almost 30 with no love or know how feeling feels" he admitted, his voice rough. "I didn't know how else to do it. Women... people in general... never enticed me. I felt nothing for anyone."
A bitter, disgusted sneer curled his lips as the memory surfaced.
"But almost immediately after I picked her, I realized I had made a mistake. Her mere touch disgusted me. Her perfume was a choking cloud, and day by day, her sickeningly sweet fakeness kept slipping..."