CHAPTER 58! Ill TRY
?The black SUV rolled to a quiet stop beneath the portico of the Agrawal mansion.
?It was late enough that most of the house had gone quiet. Only a few warm lights remained on behind the tall windows, casting soft golden rectangles across the dark fa?ade.
?Aryav stepped out of the vehicle. He adjusted the cuff of his black shirt, glanced once toward the upper floors, and walked toward the main entrance with the same measured calm he carried everywhere.
He pressed the doorbell. The sound echoed faintly through the house.
?A few seconds later, the heavy wooden door opened. Shaurya stood on the other side.
?For a moment, neither man said anything. They simply looked at each other.
?Shaurya's eyes moved over Aryav's face, taking in the shadow of exhaustion beneath his eyes and the unlit cigarette already tucked between his fingers.
Aryav, meanwhile, studied the man standing in front of him with an expression that revealed nothing.
?Then Aryav tilted his head toward the driveway. "Come outside."
?Shaurya frowned. "What?"
?"Outside."
?There was something in Aryav's tone that made further questions pointless. Shaurya stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him.
They walked toward Aryav's SUV, stopping near the bonnet.
?For several seconds, neither spoke.
?Aryav reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He placed it between his lips, lit it, inhaled slowly, and then held the pack toward Shaurya.
Shaurya stared at it for a second before taking one. Aryav struck the lighter again. The small flame briefly illuminated both their faces before disappearing into the darkness.
?Shaurya took a drag.
?A quiet understanding settled between them-the kind shared by two men who had known each other long enough to understand that words were sometimes unnecessary.
Smoke curled lazily into the cold night air, drifting off into the shadows of the driveway. They stood shoulder to shoulder, listening to the subtle hum of the night engine cooling down and watching the ash glow at the tips of their cigarettes.
?After a while, Aryav finally spoke. "Is Rajput paying you better than me?"
?Shaurya didn't answer immediately. He took another drag, his lips twitching into a slight smirk. "Money was never the problem."
?Aryav glanced at him. Money had never been the issue with Shaurya. Being indispensable was. "You were always expensive."
?Shaurya looked straight ahead into the dark yard. "You were always arrogant."
?A low chuckle escaped Aryav. It was brief, almost reluctant, but genuine. Shaurya looked at him from the corner of his eye.
For a moment, the dark surrounding them felt peaceful. They were simply two old friends standing beside a car, smoking in the night, like they had done countless times before.
?Then Aryav lowered his cigarette, his thumb flicking the ash off into the gravel before dropping his hand completely to his side. The casual ease between them evaporated in an instant.
?Shaurya noticed the shift immediately. He stopped mid-drag, his eyes narrowing as he watched Aryav's posture lock back into rigid focus.
?"I want to take Aadhira home," Aryav said.
?Shaurya's face hardened instantly. "Don't even think about it."
?Aryav didn't react to the sudden sharp hostility. "She's not safe here."
?"I'll protect her."
?"You can't."
?Shaurya turned to him sharply.
?Aryav looked back at him, unblinking. "You can protect her from something you know about, Shaurya. Not from something you don't."
?Shaurya's brows pulled together. "What does that mean?"
?Aryav turned his gaze toward the mansion. For a moment, he said nothing, letting the space stretch until the tension grew palpable.
?"The Commissioner," Aryav said quietly.
?Shaurya's cigarette paused halfway to his lips. "What about him?"
?"He was the one who ordered the truck."
?The words seemed to take a moment to register. Shaurya slowly lowered his hand. "The accident?"
?Aryav nodded.
?"You're sure?"
?"Yes."
?The air around them suddenly felt heavier. Shaurya's jaw tightened as a hundred questions collided in his mind.
"Why would he want Kashvi dead?"
?Aryav took another slow drag.
"He wasn't trying to kill Kashvi."
?Shaurya frowned. "Then who?"
?Aryav looked directly at him.
"Ayaan."
?The cigarette slipped from Shaurya's fingers. It hit the pavement and rolled beneath the SUV, the glowing ember dying against the dark concrete.
For several seconds, Shaurya didn't move. He simply stared at Aryav, the color drained completely from his face.
?"Ayaan?"
?Aryav nodded once.
?Shaurya's breathing grew heavy. He had spent the last week thinking about the accident-the truck, the injuries, the fear. But this-
?Shaurya stared at him, the man who always seemed to have an answer suddenly having none.
His gaze drifted toward the mansion. Somewhere behind those walls was Ayaan. Safe. Laughing. Alive.
?Shaurya swallowed hard. "He's seven," he said, his voice barely audible.
?Aryav's expression didn't change.
"I know."
?"Seven. Aryav."
?"I know."
?Shaurya dragged a rough hand over his face. "How the hell does a man decide that a child is an acceptable target?"
?Aryav's gaze hardened. "Men like him don't see children, Shaurya. They see leverage."
?Shaurya bent down, picked up the dead cigarette, and crushed it beneath his shoe without even realizing what he was doing.
Another long beat passed. A cold breeze swept across the gravel driveway, rustling the high branches above, but neither man moved.
?Finally, Aryav broke the pause. "That's why I'm telling you to let me take her home."
?Shaurya's eyes lifted back toward him. "No."
?Aryav's expression remained unreadable.
?"I don't trust you with my sister," Shaurya said, the words blunt, stripped clean of any banter.
?Aryav didn't argue. He simply stood there, cigarette burning slowly down to the filter. Perhaps somewhere deep down, he understood.
If he were standing in Shaurya's place, he wouldn't trust himself either. Not when Aadhira's safety was tied so closely to his enemies.
?Shaurya looked back toward the house. "But I also can't put her life in danger knowing that people will keep coming after her because she's connected to you." He exhaled a ragged breath.
"She has to go with you. But you know her. If I tell her she's going, she'll refuse, argue, and blame me for betraying her."
?"Then don't convince her," Aryav crushed the end of his cigarette beneath his shoe. "Let me handle her."
?Shaurya stared at him, a flicker of dark amusement returning to his eyes. "You're very confident for someone she hates."
?"I have to be."
?"Why?"
?Aryav glanced toward the upper floor of the mansion, his gaze lingering for a second longer than necessary. "Because she's going to hate the idea."
?Shaurya watched him carefully. There was something in Aryav's voice that made him pause-something quiet, heavy, and absolute.
?"Fine," Shaurya finally sighed, pointing a stern warning finger at him. "But if you hurt her-"
?"I won't." The answer came too quickly. Too firmly.
?"I won't," Aryav repeated, his voice quieter this time, carrying a dark certainty that made the promise absolute.
Inside, the warmth of the mansion felt almost jarring after the cold driveway.
Padmini noticed him immediately. She had been sitting at the far end of the living room with a shawl around her shoulders, speaking quietly to one of the servants.
The moment her eyes settled on Aryav, her expression changed.
"Aryav?"
He stopped.
She studied him for a moment longer. There was something different about him tonight.
Not fear-Padmini had rarely seen fear in Aryav. Something heavier.
"Is everything alright, beta?"
Aryav's gaze flickered briefly toward the staircase. "I need to speak with Aadhira, aunty."
Padmini didn't move aside immediately. "At this hour?"
He gave a small nod.
She looked at his face again, searching for an answer he wasn't offering.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes."
The answer was quiet enough to make Padmini's fingers tighten around the edge of her shawl.
She knew Aryav well enough to understand that when he said yes, it usually meant something had already happened.
Still, she didn't press. Instead, she stepped aside. "Go."
Aryav gave her a brief nod. He had taken only two steps toward the staircase when Padmini called softly after him.
"Aryav."
He turned.
"Whatever it is," she said, "take care of Aadhira."
For the first time that evening, something in his expression shifted. Not quite an answer, but close.
"I will," he said.
Before Aryav could reach the stairs, soft, rapid footsteps thundered across the corridor.
"Papa!"
He turned. Ayaan came running toward him, hair slightly messy, one sock already halfway off his heel.
"Lift me up, Papa!"
Aryav barely had time to lower his hand before the boy collided with him. He caught him easily, balancing the boy's frame in one arm.
Ayaan immediately wrapped both arms around his neck, completely unconcerned with the fact that Aryav was still wearing his dark coat.
"You came late."
"Am I ?"
"You promised yesterday."
"And?."
Ayaan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You forgot?"
Aryav looked at him for a moment.
"No."
"Then why didn't you come?"
"I was working."
Ayaan sighed dramatically, as though dealing with an exceptionally difficult father. "You're always working."
Something almost resembling amusement crossed Aryav's face. "Apparently."
Ayaan leaned back to inspect him.
"Did you eat?"
Aryav blinked. "Yes."
"Liar."
"I ate."
"What?"
Aryav paused. Ayaan grinned triumphantly. "See? You don't remember."
A quiet laugh came from near the hallway entrance.
Shaurya had stepped inside, leaning against the doorframe, watching them silently. For one brief moment, the heavy air in the room seemed to ease.
Then Ayaan leaned over, pressed his small lips to Aryav's left cheek, and pulled back.
"Mumma told me to kiss you when I meet you again. Kiss your left cheek, and say sorry."