Indian Mafia's Obsession

Chapter 19

Ishq Risk is the song dedicated for this chapter.

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The echoes of gunfire still rang in my ears as I stood frozen, my mind racing to process the chaos that had just unfolded. My breath was ragged, my heart thudding wildly against my ribs.

Alejandro's words swirling in my head like a cruel taunt.

The chill of the night settled into my bones, and I couldn't make sense of what had just happened. My hands trembled as I hugged myself, the adrenaline in my veins finally crashing into cold, numbing fear.

I was alone now, abandoned in this sea of chaos, with Alejandro's cryptic words lingering like a riddle I couldn't solve.

"I'm happy that my Arjun has found you."

But before I could even begin to make sense of it all, I heard footsteps-hurried, frantic faint voice of someone cutting through the stillness of me.

Suddenly, from the shadows of the hangar, I saw movement. My body tensed instinctively, ready to run if need be, And then, there he was.

Arjun.

"Rhea!"

"Rhea!"

"Rhea!"

The voice, raw with desperation, yanked me out of my daze.

He wasn't smirking now. The mask of indifference he'd worn moments before was gone.

His face was twisted in something that looked suspiciously like desperation - a mixture of fury, relief, and something far more primal.

Before I could react, he closed the distance between us in three long strides.

His embrace was so fierce, so all-consuming, it was as if he was holding on for dear life-like he was afraid that if he let go, I would disappear into the night like a ghost.

"Rhea..." His voice was a low rasp, strained with something deeper than I could process.

I stood frozen for a moment, my mind still catching up to the whirlwind of events.

But then the warmth of his embrace, the way his body trembled slightly as he held me - it broke something in me. A dam of emotions I didn't even know I was holding back.

I felt my knees give out, and he caught me, pulling me even closer. His grip was almost bruising, but I didn't care. It felt...not wrong ...yet.
Like I had been lost in a storm and this was the only thing anchoring me to solid ground.

For a brief second, I allowed myself to melt into him, my face buried against his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of him - earthy, musky, and something uniquely Arjun. It shouldn't have been comforting. But it was.

He buried his face in my hair, his breath warm against my scalp as he whispered, almost like he was talking to himself, "I thought... I thought I'd lost you."

I could feel his heart pounding against my cheek, erratic and frantic, as though he had run miles to reach me.

The fierceness of his hold contradicted every word he had said earlier, every cruel dismissal.

But then reality crashed in, harsh and unforgiving, like a cold splash of water.

I am nobody to him, he is criminal or at least is associated with them,I reminded myself. He had just thrown me to the wolves without hesitation.

The weight of everything settled on my chest like a heavy stone. My pulse quickened with anger, and I pushed at him, forcing him to release me.

Before I even realized what I was doing, my hand flew through the air.

Slap!

The sharp sound of my palm connecting with his cheek echoed in the empty hangar, louder than the gunfire that still rang in my ears.

His head snapped to the side, and I saw his jaw tighten as if he hadn't expected it, as if he couldn't comprehend that I would ever dare. His hand instinctively rose to his cheek, his eyes wide with shock.

A slow, red mark was blooming on his cheek, and for a second, I almost felt a pang of regret. Almost.

"How dare you," I whispered, my voice trembling with fury.

My chest felt like it was going to explode with everything I had bottled up, everything I had tried to bury.

"How dare you act like you care? Like any of this matters to you?"

He opened his mouth, but I didn't give him the chance.

"You threw me into hell, Mr Dalmia. You let him-" I paused, swallowing hard, remembering the terror that gripped me when Alejandro's gun was pointed at me.

"You let him put a gun to my head. You stood there and did nothing!!!" I demanded, stepping forward, my finger jabbing into his chest.

"this is who you are? A man who plays with people's lives like it's nothing? A criminal?"

The word left my mouth like venom, and I saw the flicker of pain cross his face, but I didn't care.

His expression hardened—no longer the desperate, frantic man who had just held me like I was his last lifeline.

His eyes darkened, sharp, cold, a familiar edge of arrogance creeping into his features.

"You’re done?" His voice was low, controlled, but laced with a dangerous undertone. He took a slow, deliberate step toward me, towering over me as if to remind me of the power imbalance. "Feel better now?"

I glared up at him, refusing to back down, but my heart raced. There was something menacing about the way he spoke—like he wasn’t asking a question, but daring me to push further.

His eyes gleamed with something darker now, something far more sinister. He took another step closer, and I instinctively moved back, my back pressing against the cold metal of the hangar wall.

You really don’t understand, do you?" he continued, his voice dripping with mockery.
"I did what I had to do," he continued, his voice growing colder with each syllable.