3| Mistress, or Wife!

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"Dismiss guards around the old mansion," Rudraj orders, cutting the call abruptly

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"Dismiss guards around the old mansion," Rudraj orders, cutting the call abruptly. His mind spins as pieces refuse to fall into place. A breach in his security; his impenetrable fortress, something that should be airtight, safeguarded by A-ranking officers. And yet, someone has infiltrated his world. A rival? maybe. Someone intent on dismantling the future mafia queen. Or...maybe there's something far more sinister lurking, waiting to strike at her from the shadows.

Lashika's voice reverberates through his mind, bouncing between the beats of his heart: Why, Rud? Why did you do that? The way she says his name; Rudraj, there was always something there, something that makes him pause, but Rud? That name belongs to her alone, a name he longed to hear from her lips. Now, when she says it, it's coated in an unfamiliar chill. He can't place why. What has he done to deserve that frost? His chest tightens with a creeping unease. He needs answers, but more than that, he needs to understand her.

He steals another glance at her. She's slumped, awkwardly leaning against the window, her head pressed uncomfortably to the cold glass, the seatbelt digging harshly into her neck. By morning, a rash will bloom on her skin, a reminder of the exhaustion that has drained her. Yet, despite her disheveled appearance, there's strange peace on her face; a peace that's been absent since their last encounter. Maybe for once, sleep has defeated her nightmare. Maybe.

He should focus on the road, but her fragile stillness pulls his gaze back. The impulse to shield her, to protect her from every lingering threat, surges like a wave inside him. Without thinking, he reaches out, his fingers grazing her skin as he gently shifts her head onto the headrest. She stirs but her breathing remains steady, her body light and unresisting.

Yet, the image of her earlier; color drained from her face, eyes hollow and unfocused; sends a shudder down his spine. His mind won't stop spinning: What if he had been a second too late? What if she had been in worse state when he found her? What if turning back to warehouse had been the only thing that saved her? His subconscious thoughts invade his waking mind. What if he fails to protect her, the one person he loves, tangled in his web of revenge? He may never forgive her betrayal, but he'll be damned if he allows her to suffer on his watch.

The old mansion no longer feels safe. Only one place remains; his apartment. A fortress of solitude, reinforced against every conceivable threat, known only to his brother, his two bestfriends and a handful of his most trusted men. It's the last place he ever wanted to take her, yet it's the only place she'll be invisible to those looking for her.

Fate has a way of narrowing choices down to one, and his only choice is his apartment.

He tells himself he's keeping her close to safeguard his mission. But deep down, he knows the truth: It's the restlessness, clawing at his soul, the care he can't shut off, the love he has buried under layers of anger and betrayal that drives him to protect her; even now, even when it's the last thing he should feel.

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