Chapter 3
The cool sea night air brushed against Shruti’s face, but the lingering warmth of Akhil’s chest was all she could focus on.
For a few lingering seconds, neither of them moved.
Shruti held tightly onto his shirt, her cheek resting against his heart, listening to its steady, rapid rhythm.
Akhil’s arms remained locked around her waist, his chin resting gently on her dark, scented hair, refusing to let her go until he felt her trembling stop.
Finally, Akhil drew back just a few inches, though his hands stayed firmly on her shoulders. His dark eyes searched her face with an intensity that made her pulse flutter.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his deep voice thick with concern. "Did they lay a hand on you?"
"I'm... I'm okay," Shruti whispered, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "My arm just hurts a little, but otherwise I'm fine."
Akhil’s gaze immediately dropped to her right arm. In the dim glow of the streetlights, he saw the faint reddish-purple outline of fingers bruised into her delicate golden skin where the thug had grabbed her.
A sharp, dangerous muscle ticked in Akhil’s jaw. His eyes turned dark as night once again. He took her small hand into his own, his thumb lightly brushing over her bruised wrist with unexpected softness.
"I should have broken his arm," Akhil muttered, his voice cold and lethal.
"Akhil, please... let's just leave," Shruti pleaded softly, glancing nervously down the dark promenade. "I don't want to stay here."
"Okay," Akhil agreed softly, his tone softening instantly as he looked back at her.
He unbuttoned his dark tuxedo jacket, slid it off his broad shoulders, and draped it carefully over Shruti’s trembling frame.
The heavy material swallowed her small posture, wrapping her in his rich, comforting scent of sandalwood and cedar.
He gently guided her towards the passenger side of his sleek sports car, opening the door for her and making sure she was safely seated before closing it smoothly.
As Akhil walked around to the driver's side, he pulled out his smartphone and dialed a fast number on speed-dial.
"Mark," Akhil commanded the moment his chief of security answered.
"Send a cleanup team to the southern jetty on Marine Drive immediately.
Two thugs are down. Secure the area, wipe any street cameras near the corner, and find out everything you can about their phone records. Reyansh Khanna sent them."
"Understood, Mr. Raheja," the security chief replied promptly. "Right away."
Akhil ended the call, slid into the driver's seat, and started the engine. The car roared to life and glided smoothly away from Marine Drive, merging into the late-night traffic heading towards South Mumbai.
Inside the quiet cabin, Shruti leaned her head against the headrest, pulling Akhil’s oversized jacket tighter around her body. She stared out the window at the passing streetlights, her thoughts spinning in total chaos.
Akhil glanced at her every few seconds, one hand firm on the steering wheel while the other rested near the gear shift.
"Shruti," Akhil spoke softly, breaking the silence. "You're going to tell me everything now. Why were those men following you? Why did they mention last night?"
Shruti swallowed hard, turning her head to face him. She knew she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. Keeping quiet had almost gotten her kidnapped.
"Last night at your hotel gala... I was feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by the crowd," Shruti began, her voice small and steady.
"I slipped out through the side doors near the VIP corridor to get some quiet air.
As I passed one of the executive study rooms, the door was open just a crack. I heard raised voices."
Akhil’s dark eyes narrowed, his grip tightening slightly on the leather steering wheel. "Who was inside?"
"Reyansh Khanna," Shruti said quietly. "And Mr. Kapoor."
Akhil’s head snapped towards her for a fraction of a second before returning his eyes to the road. "Kapoor? My investor?"
"Yes," Shruti nodded. "Reyansh was choking him against the wall, Akhil.
He was threatening to ruin Mr. Kapoor's daughter's medical foundation if he didn't sign over his resort shares to Khanna Enterprises by midnight.
Reyansh said... he said he was going to destroy you.
He said anyone who stood in his way would be crushed. "
Akhil’s face remained stone-cold, though his jaw set in a hard line. "And you saw this?"
"I tried to back away quietly," Shruti confessed, her voice shaking slightly. "But my heel caught on a brass floor lamp. It made a loud noise against the doorframe. I ran before they could open the door, but... I must have dropped my earring. Reyansh saw my green saree."
A sharp exhale escaped Akhil’s chest. The puzzle pieces instantly clicked together in his mind. Reyansh hadn't targeted Shruti because she was Raghav's sister, he had targeted her because she was a witness to an illegal act of extortion and corporate blackmail that could put him behind bars.
"Why didn't you tell me immediately last night?" Akhil asked, a quiet edge of frustration in his voice. "Shruti, you should have come straight to me or Raghav!"
"I was terrified, Akhil!" Shruti shot back, her natural fire flickering back to life.
"I didn't want to trigger a massive war between you, Raghav, and Reyansh over a misunderstanding!
I thought I could just stay quiet and let it blow over.
I didn't think he would send men to track me down in broad daylight! "
Akhil took a deep breath, forcing his rising anger down. He knew yelling at her wouldn't help. She was already traumatized by the attack.
"It's not your fault," Akhil said softly, reaching across the center console and briefly touching her hand. "You didn't do anything wrong. But Reyansh Khanna crossed a line he can never uncross."
He picked up his phone, activated the Bluetooth car system, and dialed Raghav’s private cell number.
"Akhil?" Raghav’s voice boomed through the car speakers. "Where are you guys? Myra called me twenty minutes ago saying Shruti sounded panicked on the phone. Is she with you?"
"Raghav," Akhil said, his voice cold and serious. "I have Shruti with me. We are ten minutes away from your house. Gather your father in the study. We have a serious situation."
"What happened?" Raghav’s voice turned instant razor-sharp. "Is Shruti okay?"
"She is safe," Akhil assured him firmly. "I'll explain everything when we arrive. Just make sure the front gates are locked."
***
Ten minutes later, Akhil’s SUV pulled into the brightly lit driveway of the Malhotra residence.
The moment the car stopped, the front door of the house flew open. Raghav sprinted down the steps, followed closely by Devendra Malhotra and a pale, anxious Kavya.
Shruti opened her door, but before her feet could touch the pavement, Raghav pulled her into a fierce, suffocating embrace.
"Shruti! My god, are you alright?" Raghav asked, pulling back to inspect her face, his eyes full of frantic concern. "What happened? Who came after you?"
"I'm fine, Raghav, really," Shruti murmured, trying to calm her emotional brother down.
Kavya wrapped her arms around Shruti, tears welling up in her eyes, while Devendra Malhotra stepped up to Akhil with a stern, heavily worried expression.
"Inside. Everyone inside now," Devendra commanded firmly.
They all gathered in the spacious, mahogany-paneled ground-floor study.
Devendra locked the heavy wooden doors behind them and sat behind his grand desk.
Kavya forced Shruti to sit on the comfortable leather sofa, wrapping a warm shawl around her shoulders and placing a glass of warm water in her hands.
Raghav paced back and forth near the marble fireplace like a caged tiger, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Akhil stood tall near the window, his arms folded across his chest, his presence commanding the dark mood of the entire room.
For the next fifteen minutes, Shruti retold the entire sequence of events, from overhearing Reyansh Khanna’s brutal extortion of Mr. Kapoor at the gala, to noticing the grey sedan following her in Colaba, to the terrifying confrontation and assault at Marine Drive.
As Shruti finished speaking, the silence in the study was deafening.
Raghav slammed his fist hard against the wooden mantelpiece, making the glass ornaments rattle.
"That absolute bastard!" Raghav roared, his eyes bloodshot with pure rage. "Reyansh Khanna dared to touch my sister in open public?! I’ll kill him! I swear to God, I’ll destroy his business by tomorrow morning! "
"Raghav, calm down," Devendra said firmly, though his own face was deathly pale. "Losing your temper will not solve this. Reyansh is connected to corrupt politicians and underground criminals. If he realizes Shruti is a witness, he won't stop at intimidation."
"He sent men with knives and chloroform, Dad!" Raghav yelled, turning to his father. "This isn't business anymore! This is a direct attack on our family!"
Kavya let out a soft sob, holding Shruti’s hand tightly. "What are we going to do, Devendra? Our daughter isn't safe in this city anymore!"
"We hire private armed security," Raghav declared immediately, pulling out his phone. "I'll hire the best executive protection agency in Mumbai. I'll place four armed guards outside Shruti's room, two following her cab, and, "
"No," Akhil’s deep, quiet voice cut cleanly through Raghav’s frantic tirade.
Everyone in the room turned to look at Akhil.
Akhil stepped away from the window, his dark eyes locked onto Raghav.
"Standard private security guards will not stop Reyansh Khanna.
Reyansh uses former mercenaries and mafia contacts.
If he sees hired guards following Shruti around the city, he will simply adapt, create a distraction, or use heavier force. "