Chapter Seventy Eight #2
Ira listened as her expression softening. She gently flattened her hand against his broad chest.
"After a few months, my mother decided it was time we were engaged.."
he continued, "And in that moment... I foolishly thought that perhaps if I just committed to the arrangement, the emotion would eventually follow. I gave her everything, Ira. Every luxury, every comfort she could possibly desire, even if I couldn't give her my heart."
He turned his head, his gaze fixing on the pale moonlight spilling through the window, suddenly his expression hardened.
"And then she betrayed me. I discovered she was, working directly with Samar in the shadows. She was the one who caused the accident." a muscle ticking furiously in his cheek. "She took everything I provided, only to drive a knife into my back and leave me broken."
Ira's breath hitched.
"That is exactly why I refused to have a female caregiver.."
he rasped, pure disgust lacing his words.
"I was convinced every woman who stepped into my estate was carved from the same deceitful cloth. The nurses they sent didn't see a patient, they saw a billionaire's bank account or a man they can take advantage of. They constantly threw themselves at me, reeking of greed and desperate ambition.
It was nauseating."
Slowly, he turned his head back to her. The cold darkness in his eyes completely melted away.
"And then... you walked in, Ira."
A silence settled over the bed.
"At first, it was mere curiosity.." he confessed. "You were completely different from the rest of them. You executed your duties with flawless precision, and you actively avoided my proximity.. You didn't want my attention. And that..."
He paused, "...that was when I felt it. The first real thud of my heart. I began to obsess over your mind, wondering why you were so detached."
His dark eyes dropped to her neck, tracing the line of her pulse.
"And your scent... God, your scent. It drove me to the edge of my sanity. I loved it so fiercely, the way it lingered in the air long after you left my room. I would breathe you in when I was completely alone."
Ira blinked rapidly, stunned.
"I don't even know the exact moment the addiction took hold. It was so absolute. I began to track your every move. Stalking you... starving for the briefest brush of your fingers, desperate for even a fraction of your affection."
Suddenly unable to maintain eye contact after admitting the possessive depth of his obsession, he abruptly looked away toward the far wall.
A raw territorial darkness that shadowed his face.
"Then, I discovered you had a man."
The words were ground out through clenched teeth.
"That... that nearly drove me to insanity. I had his entire existence torn apart. I looked for a fault, a weakness, a hidden sin, absolutely anything I could use to destroy him and rip him away from you. But he was sickeningly clean."
his hands curling into the bedsheets.
"I was suffocating on my own jealousy, Ira. Frustrated. Utterly desperate. For the first time in years, you actually made my dead heart beat, and I was terrified of losing the only thing keeping me alive."
He finally turned his head, locking his intense, burning gaze with hers.
Ira stared back at him, her mind suddenly snapping the pieces of their past together.
"I remember when you interrogated me about my age preferences in a relationship." she murmured, her eyes widening slightly in realization. "You were probing for yourself, weren't you?"
Devraj didn't hesitate, he gave a stiff nod, completely unashamed of his past tactics.
A chuckle slipped from Ira's lips, breaking the heavy tension in the room.
"I am sorry to disappoint your frantic jealousy.." she smiled. "But when I am faithful to a man, my mind simply shuts down outside interference. I am completely blind to signals from anyone else. And if someone is foolish enough to ask directly, I just tell them I am taken."
A relieved smile broke across Devraj face, insecurities seemed to evaporate.
Unable to resist the pull for another second, he reached out. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, hauling her flush against his chest in a fierce deeply possessive embrace.
"Good.." he whispered roughly, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
"Don't ever give another man a signal ever again... please." His voice vibrated against her skin.
Ira smiled softly into his embrace, lifting her arms to wrap securely around his broad shoulders.
"I'm not planning to.." she promised calmly.
Devraj crushed her even tighter against his heart.
Ira gently ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair, the motion slowly draining the remaining tension from him.
Soon, Ira felt the heavy weight of Devraj's body leaning fully against hers as his muscles completely relaxed.
"Devraj?" she called softly.
He only responded with a sleepy hum, pressing his face deeper into the crook of her neck.
"Your scent is so soothing..." he mumbled.
Ira smiled, her heart swelling with a affection.
she managed to shift backward, struggling slightly under his size as she moved him so they could both lay comfortably on the bed.
Even in his sleep hazed state, he refused to let go, his arms clinging to her.
Once they were settled, she lay perfectly still beside him. She studied the relaxed, breathtakingly handsome lines of his face.
"I guess my age preference in relationships did change after all." she whispered to herself.
~??~?~??~
Ira squirmed slightly, feeling entirely nervous under the unblinking, withering glare of her best friend.
They were seated in a quiet, upscale cafe, an array of sweets resting on the table between them.
"C-can you say something, at least?" Ira finally prompted, unable to take the heavy silence any longer.
Ritika's glare only hardened.
"I am currently searching for the exact right words to yell at you."
Ira offered her a small, highly apologetic smile.
"Because you are my best friend, and because of the hell you just survived... I won't get angry. Yet. But you are completely funding every single one of our outings from now on."
Ira giggled.."Of course. Consider it a deal."
Ritika looked at her, the anger melting into a soft grateful smile.
"I'm just so glad you are safe, Ira. And that you are better."
Ira nodded, reaching out to give her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Though, as for Rani..." Ritika's eyes narrowed. "Ugh! I had the perfect punishment in mind for her."
Ira chuckled, a ringtone shattered the cozy atmosphere. Ira's phone lit up on the table, displaying a very familiar name.
Ritika crossed her arms tightly around her chest.
"Why the hell is that man so incredibly clingy? Ugh!"
Ira chuckled softly, answering the call despite her best friend's dramatic sigh.
"Hey, Devraj."
"Are you still with your friend?" he demanded in a restless edge.
"Yes, I'm still with her."
"You are taking entirely too long, meri jaan." he rasped breathlessly.
Ira's smile widened.
"We are leaving now."
"Good. I am already on my way." Before Ira could even utter another word to coordinate, the line went dead. He had hung up.
"What did he say?" Ritika scoffed. "Is your billionaire leech coming to collect you already?"
Ira laughed, shaking her head.
"Let's go."
Gathering the shopping bags from their earlier shopping, they stepped out of the quiet sweet shop and onto the bustling pavement, making their way toward the designated curb to wait for Devraj.
"Well, at the very least, I highly approve of the retail therapy we did."
Ritika declared, swinging one of the bags.
"It almost makes me forgive you. Almost."
She looped her arm seamlessly through Ira's.
"And I seriously need to remind Devraj that I was here first. I loved you before he did, and he is monopolizing way too much of your time."
Ira was mid-giggle when an immovable force suddenly slammed into her shoulder.
She gasped, the impact jarring her bones and sending her shopping bags scattering across the concrete.
"Are you fucking blind?!" Ritika shrieked instantly.
Rubbing her aching shoulder, Ira frowned and turned around.. But the man hadn't stopped to apologize.
He was still walking away, cutting a broad, menacing figure through the crowd.
He was entirely in black, a long coat, thick combat boots, and a dark hood pulled securely over his head.
The muscular width of his shoulders suggested a highly trained, dangerous kind of strength.
As if feeling her stare, the stranger without stopping, Slowly, he turned his head over his shoulder a bit to look back.
A black tactical mask covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible beneath the hood.
Deep, piercing hazel eyes.
They locked directly onto Ira's.
An instant chill spiked down Ira's spine. it was a pure, instinctual terror. Her breath completely caught in her throat.
Then, just as quickly as the connection was made, the man turned his head away and seamlessly melted into the moving crowd.
Ira blinked rapidly, as she numbly bent down to retrieve her fallen bags.
"Stupid, arrogant people these days! Walking around like they own the damn pavement!" Ritika was still ranting, completely oblivious to the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
Ira swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of her neck as her hands trembled slightly against the handles of her bags.