The Veiled Hearts

🌹Fury Unleashed 🔪

Why is she like this? Aarav always tells me I have to be tough. The world peels away kindness, strips it raw if they sense weakness, but Miss Vanya Sharma-every day she adds layers of softness in me, only to tear it apart by the end of every meeting. How can she kiss me to stop my anger, then turn around and say she needs a bath to wash off the "disgusting touch"? Disgusting? Did I initiate the touch? No. And yes, but that's beside the point. The question is, did I kiss her first?.

No, I didn't. Not on the lips, at least. Forehead, cheeks-they don't count. But, I can't lie to myself. After that kiss, I wanted to pin her to the wall, to kiss every inch of her body. But I didn't. That fear in her eyes...after seeing my anger. I couldn't bring myself to make her uncomfortable, not when I knew why she kissed me.

She didn't kiss me out of desire. She kissed me because she was terrified-terrified of what I was doing to that lifeless body of the bastard who dared touch her waist.

My thoughts were a mess as I parked the car in front of the house. The blood on my kurta-it still hadn't dried. The sight of it brought me back to the present, a voice cutting through the haze in my mind.

"Yash sir, are you okay?"

The chauffeur's voice.

I replied, snapping out of my daze. "Yes." I stepped out of the car, feeling the stares of my bodyguards. Concern. Shock. Their eyes were on the blood-soaked kurta. I ran a hand through my hair and said, "I'm okay."

I handed the car keys to the chauffeur. "Clean the car. Inside and out. The seats are covered in blood."

He took the keys without question and nodded, his face pale. I turned towards the house but stopped when I saw the condition of my men. Bruised. Bloodied. My throat tightened, anger swelling in my chest. If I hadn't just sat there during the temple invasion, waiting for the damn pooja to end, maybe none of this would've happened. Maybe my men wouldn't be injured.

"Is anyone dead?" I asked, my voice low, tight.

One of the bodyguards shook his head. Relief washed over me. I said, "Aarav and I are inside. Nothing will happen now. All of you, go to the hospital. Get yourselves checked. Send me the bill."

One of them, limping but still standing, said, "It's fine, sir. We need to guard the guests."

Tanya's family. I couldn't care less about their safety. I never liked them, or Tanya. I stepped toward the guard and placed a hand on his shoulder. He winced, clearly in pain.

"You can't handle a gentle touch. How are you supposed to protect anyone?" I said, my voice is soft but firm. "Take every injured person to the hospital. I and Aarav are here. It will take an army to bring us down."

He gave me a weak smile, then nodded.

I turned towards the house, pushing open the door. The familiar living room greeted me, filled with familiar faces-Chacha, Chachi, Dadi, Avni, Maa, Tanya, and her mother. Aarav sat at the dining table, eating fruit, his eyes scanning the room like it was a sitcom. Everyone froze as they saw me walk in, their gazes zeroing in on the blood covering me.