Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty Six.

Jiya sat at the cafeteria table, impatiently scrolling through her phone, waiting for Meera.

Meanwhile, Meera was talking to Ishita in the hallway, her face marked with frustration and worry.

“It was really scary.” Ishita said, her voice trembling as she handed Meera the documents. She was recounting the earlier commotion, her eyes wide with the lingering fear of what had transpired.

“I’m so sorry for the trouble.” Meera apologized softly, guilt written across her face.

Ishita gave a small, tight-lipped nod, clearly eager to distance herself from the situation, and hurried off.

Meera stood there for a moment, her mind swirling. She sighed, feeling the weight of the stress starting to press down on her. Arjun was making everything so complicated, and it was becoming unbearable.

With the documents in hand, Meera finally made her way to the cafeteria.

Just as she pushed open the door, she collided with someone, the impact knocking a few papers from her hands.

“I’m sorry–” she began, but stopped short when she realized who it was. “Rohit?”

Her eyes widened in surprise, quickly replaced by concern. Rohit had been avoiding her since the incident with Arjun. She hadn’t seen him in class for days, and now, seeing him standing before her, she felt a mix of relief and guilt. The bruises from that day had faded, but the tension between them hadn’t.

Rohit bent down to pick up the scattered papers, still avoiding eye contact.

“How are you?” Meera asked gently, her voice laced with concern.

“I’m fine. See you around.” Rohit handed her the papers without meeting her eyes and quickly walked away before she could say anything more.

Meera stood there, watching his retreating figure, a heavy sigh escaping her lips.

She felt a pang of guilt–everything had gotten so messy because of Arjun. She didn’t know how to fix it, and that thought weighed heavily on her.

With another sigh, she headed to Jiya, who was still engrossed in her phone. Meera sank into the seat across from her, her exhaustion evident.

“Are you alright?” Jiya asked, glancing up from her phone.

“I hate my life right now.” Meera muttered, rubbing her temples as if trying to ease the mounting tension in her head.

Jiya furrowed her brows, confused. “What do you mean?”

Meera sighed deeply and began recounting the events of the past few days, from the mounting pressure at school to Arjun’s increasingly suffocating presence in her life.

She even mentioned the dinner Arjun had forced her to attend with him, how trapped and powerless she had felt, and how no matter what she said, he wouldn’t back off.

By the end of it, Jiya’s face was a mix of sympathy and something else—concern.

She looked like she was piecing something together, her brows furrowed in deep thought.

“This... this doesn’t make any sense.” Jiya murmured, her expression darkening.

“What doesn’t?” Meera asked, confused by her friend’s sudden shift.

Jiya shivered, almost as if a realization had dawned on her, one that scared her.

“Meera, what if—what if Arjun... likes you?”

Meera’s eyes widened in shock at the absurdity of the suggestion. She stared at Jiya for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Are you crazy?” she managed to say between fits of laughter. “Arjun? Likes me? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard!”

Jiya frowned, not finding it funny in the slightest. “I’m serious, Meera. Think about it. No sane person behaves like this unless there’s something deeper going on. And everything he’s been doing lately... it fits. He’s always around you, always controlling situations. It’s not normal.”

“Jiya, Arjun has a fiancée. Why on earth would he be interested in me? He has Suhana.” Meera scoffed, trying to dismiss the very idea.

Jiya gave her a skeptical look, raising an eyebrow.

“Come on, Meera. You might be book smart, but you can’t be that blind. I’ve seen the way Arjun looks at you, and it’s not professional. It’s... darker. It’s more than just affection.”

Meera shuddered at the thought, shaking her head in disbelief.

“That’s never going to happen, Jiya. The idea of him having any sort of affection for me is–disturbing. It makes my skin crawl.”

Jiya sighed heavily, concern clouding her face. “I just... I have a really bad feeling about all of this. The way he’s forcing you into these situations–it’s not about business, Meera. I think this dinner he’s dragging you to isn’t as innocent as it seems.”

Meera bit her lip, her initial disbelief starting to falter under the weight of Jiya’s words. “What do you mean?”

Jiya leaned forward, lowering her voice. “Just be careful, Meera. I think Arjun has something else in mind, something far more personal. And if I’m right... you need to be on guard. You need to find a way out before you get in too deep.”

Meera felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn’t wanted to believe it before, but now, with Jiya voicing her concerns, the unsettling feeling in her gut was growing stronger.

“What am I supposed to do?” Meera whispered, feeling trapped.

“I don’t know.” Jiya replied softly, “but you have to be smart. Watch his moves, and don’t let your guard down. Arjun isn’t someone you can take lightly.”

The gravity of Jiya’s words weighed heavily on Meera as she sat there, the cafeteria bustling around them, but her world growing smaller, darker, and infinitely more dangerous.

***

Meera wandered aimlessly down the sidewalk, her mind a chaotic swirl of thoughts.

Jiya's words from earlier weighed heavily on her, and no matter how hard she tried to shake them off, they lingered like an unwelcome shadow.

What if Arjun really did have feelings for her?

The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she hugged her arms to herself as if to ward off the creeping unease.

"Hell no." she muttered under her breath. "That’s impossible."

It was absurd. There was no way someone like Arjun–dangerous, ruthless, feared by so many–could harbor genuine affection for her.

After all, he was a criminal, a man responsible for countless lives lost in his rise to power. The very idea made her stomach turn.

But what if Jiya’s right? A small voice in her mind whispered. What if he does feel something?

Meera shook her head violently, as if trying to physically rid herself of the thought.

"No. No way. That’s not happening. He’s a killer. A monster. He can’t—"

The idea of confronting him about it briefly flickered through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

"I don’t even have the courage to ask him." she thought.

"And even if I did, he would never answer me honestly."

A cold breeze swept past her, making her clutch her college bag tighter. She muttered a silent prayer under her breath,

"Please, God, let Jiya be wrong. Let this all just be some wild misunderstanding."

As she approached her workplace, her feet came to a stop just outside the library door. She stared at it, mentally preparing herself for the encounter she dreaded most.

Miss Rani, her boss, was likely still fuming over yesterday’s fiasco, thanks to Arjun's interference. Meera couldn’t afford to lose this job. it was the only thing grounding her in the madness her life had recently become.

Taking a deep breath, Meera pushed open the door, half-expecting to be met with Miss Rani’s scowl and sharp words. But to her surprise, the library was unusually quiet.

No sign of her boss. Meera let out a sigh of relief, silently thanking the heavens for sparing her from the immediate wrath of Miss Rani.

Just as she began to relax, a familiar, stern voice rang out behind her.

“How sweet of you to show up, Miss Meera.”

Meera jumped, spinning around to see Miss Rani standing there, arms crossed, her brow arched in disapproval.

“And what exactly happened yesterday?” Miss Rani asked, her voice laced with irritation.

Meera swallowed hard, scrambling to come up with an explanation.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Rani. It was... well, it was just a complicated situation. There was a bit of a mix-up, and it won’t happen again, I promise.”

Miss Rani studied her for a moment, her expression unreadable.

Meera held her breath, bracing herself for the lecture that was sure to follow. But to her surprise, Miss Rani simply rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand.

“Just get to work.” she said curtly, turning on her heel and walking away.

Meera stood there, stunned for a moment. She had expected much worse. Arjun’s recklessness had nearly cost her the job, but somehow, she had managed to escape Miss Rani’s full wrath.

Relief washed over her, and she exhaled slowly, her shoulders sagging as the tension left her body.

"At least one disaster has been averted today" she thought.

But the relief was short-lived. As she began her work, her mind drifted back to Arjun and the unsettling possibility Jiya had planted in her head.

She tried to focus on her tasks, tried to push away the nagging thoughts. But no matter how hard she worked or how many books she shelved, the idea lingered—gnawing at her.

***

“…and they finally signed the deal. It was tough, but the offer was too tempting for them to refuse.” Karan reported, standing confidently in front of Arjun in his office.

They had been discussing the details of the deal he had secured with the Irish Mafia, and everything seemed to be falling into place.

Arjun leaned back in his chair, nodding slowly as he absorbed the information. A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Nice job, Karan." he said, his praise sincere. Karan beamed with pride.

Just as Karan was about to respond, Arjun’s phone buzzed on the table. He glanced down at the screen, and in an instant, his expression darkened.

The shift in his demeanor was unmistakable, and Karan raised an eyebrow, sensing the sudden tension in the room.

Arjun hesitated for a moment before picking up the call.

"Suhana." he greeted, his voice cold and emotionless.

On the other end, Suhana’s voice was light and overly friendly, but with an undertone of nerves.

"Hey, Arjun! I wasn’t sure if you’d answer. Look, I know I messed up by setting up that dinner without asking you first. I’m sorry."

"Okay." Arjun responded, his tone flat, offering no forgiveness or interest.

Undeterred, Suhana pressed on. "So I’m asking you now. How about we have a nice dinner tonight? Just the two of us. Let’s—"

"No." Arjun cut her off, his voice firm.

The abruptness of his rejection clearly rattled Suhana.

"W-What? Why not?" she stammered, caught off guard.

"Because my night is already booked." Arjun snapped, the irritation in his voice growing more apparent.

Karan, watching the one-sided conversation unfold, smirked knowingly from the side, enjoying the drama despite himself.

"Arjun, come on, I’m your fiancée." Suhana pleaded, her voice trembling as she tried to salvage the conversation. "I thought maybe we could use this time to bond a little–"

Arjun’s patience had worn thin. Her words were like nails on a chalkboard to him. The very mention of "fiancée" made his blood boil, and the situation with Suhana, forced on him by his father, was something he had long resented.

"You. Are. Not. My. Fiancée." he growled, his voice laced with venom. Each word was punctuated with barely restrained fury.

Karan’s eyes widened at Arjun’s outburst.

On the other end of the line, Suhana was stunned into silence for a moment before her voice broke. "What? Arjun, your father said–"

"I don’t care what my father said!" Arjun roared, slamming his fist onto the table, causing the glass items on his desk to rattle. "I NEVER wanted this."

Suhana’s voice cracked, and it was obvious she was crying now. "Arjun, please... I don’t know what I did wrong. I’m sorry. I’ll do better. I promise I can–"

He didn’t let her finish. With a sharp click, he hung up the phone, tossing it carelessly onto his desk with a loud thud. His jaw was clenched, his anger radiating off him in waves.

Karan, still seated, chuckled softly to himself. "Dude, that was–"

"Not another word." Arjun snapped, his voice dangerously low. "I need to see Meera tonight. I’m not in the mood for any more distractions, and I don’t want anyone pissing me off."

Karan couldn't help but laugh, even louder this time. "Man, you are so hooked. It’s hilarious."

Arjun shot him a glare that would have silenced most people, but Karan just smirked, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, alright, I’ll leave you to your… fantasies or whatever." He winked playfully as he stood up, heading for the door.

As Karan left, the room fell silent again, save for the faint hum of the city outside. Arjun leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, trying to steady his thoughts.

But instead of calm, all he could see was Meera. Her face, her expression—everything about her flooded his mind. And for the first time in a while, a small smile crept across his face, softening his usual hardened features.

"I can’t wait to see you, Meera." he whispered under his breath, the thought of her soothing his anger like nothing else ever could.

But beneath that smile was something deeper, something darker—a hunger that even he wasn’t sure he could control. The thought of Meera filled him with an obsession that was beginning to border on dangerous. She was his, whether she knew it yet or not. And nothing, not even his father’s schemes or Suhana’s pleas, was going to stand in his way.

As the thought settled into his mind, Arjun’s smile faded, replaced by a steely determination. Tonight, when he saw Meera, things were going to change.

He picked up his phone and dailed a number.

***

"NO!! HE CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" Suhana screamed, her voice filled with anguish as she buried her tear-streaked face into her mother’s embrace.

Her entire body shook with sobs, her mind unable to grasp what had just happened. She clutched at her mother desperately, as though holding on to her could undo the rejection that had shattered her heart.

Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, her once perfect makeup now smeared and streaked down her cheeks.

"I’m perfect, Ma! How dare he say I’m not his fiancée!" Suhana’s voice wavered between fury and heartbreak, the disbelief in her tone impossible to miss.

Her mother, trying to remain composed despite her own concern, stroked her daughter’s hair gently.

"I know, sweetie, I know. You are perfect. Shh... try to calm down." She spoke soothingly, though her own heart was racing, unsure of how to navigate this storm.

"Mr. Madhav announced us together, didn’t he? Arjun and I are a perfect match! We’re meant to be! I love him so much!" Suhana continued, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.

Her fingers twisted the fabric of her mother’s sleeve, desperation clinging to her words.

Her mother sighed quietly, then lifted Suhana’s chin so their eyes could meet.

"Suhana, listen to me. You don’t need to cry like this. We’ll talk to Mr. Madhav, okay? You know how Arjun is when he’s angry. He doesn’t always mean the things he says." She smiled softly, trying to bring some sense of calm into the room, though doubt flickered in her eyes.

Suhana blinked at her mother, her tears slowing for a moment.

"You really think so?" she asked, her voice fragile.

"Yes, darling, of course." her mother assured her, brushing the tears from her cheeks.

"Arjun has always been a man with a temper. He was just upset. We’ll straighten everything out. Don’t worry, okay?"

Suhana sniffled, nodding slowly as she tried to regain some composure.

"I guess you’re right. He’s just... angry. That’s all." She paused, a dark thought creeping into her mind. "But, Ma, for a moment… for a moment, I thought he liked that Meera girl." Suhana whispered, the bitterness in her voice evident.

Her mother frowned, clearly caught off guard. "Which girl?"

"Remember the girl Siddhartha brought to Mr. Madhav’s birthday party? The one who looked so out of place?" Suhana replied, her expression darkening at the mere thought of Meera.

"Oh, that pretty young woman?" her mother responded absentmindedly, but quickly corrected herself when she saw Suhana’s glare.

"Sorry, sorry. But come on, darling, don’t be ridiculous. Arjun is a man of class. Someone like Meera is beneath him. He would never lower himself to be with someone so… plain, so middle-class." Her mother’s tone was dismissive, as though the idea of Meera and Arjun together was nothing more than an absurd joke.

Suhana mulled over her mother’s words for a moment before a slow, relieved smile spread across her face.

"You’re right, Mom. What was I even thinking? Arjun would never be interested in a girl like her. He’s just had a bad day. That’s all. I’m still his fiancée." she said with newfound certainty, the doubt in her voice vanishing.

"Of course you are." her mother encouraged, gently squeezing her hand.

"That’s my girl. Now, clean yourself up. I’ll tell one of the maids to bring you some ginger tea, alright?"

Suhana nodded, feeling a wave of reassurance. "Okay, Ma."

Her mother stood up, giving Suhana a final smile before leaving the room. "You’ll see, everything will be fine, darling."

Once her mother was gone, Suhana sat alone on her bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her once confident and glamorous appearance now looked fragile, shaken by the events of the day. But as she wiped the remnants of her tears away, her expression hardened.

"Arjun is mine." she whispered to herself, repeating the words like a chant. "He loves me. He does not love her."

She spoke louder, more forcefully. "He does not love her!" Suhana’s face twisted into an angry determination.

The thought of Meera–the idea that someone like her could ever be a threat–seemed absurd now.

How could she have let that fear creep into her mind?

"Arjun belongs to me.." she muttered under her breath, clenching her fists. "And I’ll make sure."

But deep down, in the quietest corners of her mind, there lingered an unsettling question she couldn’t fully ignore...

What if Meera really was a threat?

What if all the reassurances weren’t enough to keep Arjun from slipping through her fingers?

Suhana bit her lip, suppressing the doubt that bubbled beneath her surface. No. She wouldn’t allow it. She wasn’t going to lose everything to some nobody like Meera.

With a final glance in the mirror, she resolved herself.

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