The Veil Of Vengeance

8. Unraveling

Sara stared at the empty doorway long after Shubman had left. The gravity of what had just transpired weighed heavily on her, but there was also a flicker of something else-relief. For the first time in weeks, she felt a semblance of control over her life. Raghav was gone, and for now, she was safe. But she knew that this victory was temporary. Shubman had warned her that she owed him, and she had no idea what that would mean.

Still, she wasn't ready to think about that just yet.

Pulling herself together, Sara exited the room, her mind still buzzing with the events of the night. She had barely made it to her car when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Kanika:

Kanika: "How did it go? Did Shubman help?"

Sara hesitated for a moment before replying.

Sara: "It's over for now. Raghav won't bother me anymore."

A quick reply came through:

Kanika: "Oh my God, thank God! I was so worried about you. What did Shubman do?"

Sara's fingers hovered over the keyboard. How could she even explain the tension, the unspoken power dynamics between the two men? She shook her head, deciding to keep it simple.

Sara: "He just... made it clear to Raghav that I'm off-limits. I don't know what he said exactly, but it worked."

Kanika responded almost immediately.

Kanika: "That's a relief. But... do you trust him? Shubman, I mean. Why would he help you like that?"

Sara bit her lip, a question she'd been avoiding since the moment she'd called him for help. Why *had* Shubman stepped in? He had nothing to gain, yet he had risked his reputation, his standing, to protect her.

And now, she was in his debt.

Sara: "I don't know. But right now, I don't have a choice. I'm just grateful it's over."

There was a pause before Kanika sent her final message for the night.

Kanika: "Just be careful, Sara. You're playing a dangerous game."

Sara sighed, leaning back in the car seat. Kanika was right, of course. She wasn't naïve-she knew that Shubman wasn't the kind of man who did things out of the goodness of his heart. He was a businessman, someone who saw the world through the lens of profit and loss, and she had just become part of that equation.

Shubman's Office - The Next Morning

Shubman leaned back in his chair, the soft hum of the city below fading into the background as he stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. The events of the previous night played over in his mind, though not in the way he expected. His confrontation with Raghav had been quick, decisive-exactly the way he handled all his business dealings. Yet, something about this situation gnawed at him.

Sara.

Her name lingered in his thoughts more than it should have. She was a complication he didn't need, an emotional entanglement that threatened to disrupt the careful balance he had maintained for years. Yet here he was, deeply involved in her personal affairs.

The door to his office creaked open, pulling him from his thoughts. Vihaan entered, his expression as neutral as always, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

"Sir, the documents for the Desai merger are ready for your review," Vihaan said, placing a neat stack of papers on the desk.

Shubman glanced at them, his interest in the deal already waning. The Desai merger had been a long time coming, a key move to expand his business empire, but after last night's encounter with Raghav, something didn't sit right with him.