Beneath The Storm (Completed)

Chapter-45: Strength in Kindness

The car slowed to a stop near a dimly lit footpath where clusters of homeless people lay curled up under makeshift shelters, their belongings scattered around them like remnants of forgotten stories.

The air was still, carrying the faint murmur of the city settling for the night.

Inaara reached for the car door, her hand poised to step out, but a firm grasp on her wrist halted her.

Startled, she turned to Atharv, who sat beside her, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his tone calm but laced with authority.

“To give them the food packets,” Inaara replied softly, her gaze steady as she gestured toward the neatly packed leftovers sitting beside them.

Atharv’s expression hardened slightly, though his grip on her wrist remained gentle.

“There’s no need for you to get down. The guards will handle it,” he said, signaling to David, his chief security officer, with a brief nod.

Inaara hesitated for a moment, her lips parting as if to protest, but then she exhaled and nodded.

“Alright,” she murmured, lowering her gaze.

David stepped out of the car briskly, taking the packets and walking toward the footpath with a purposeful stride.

Inaara reached for the window control, lowering the glass to watch.

Her gaze softened as she observed the scene unfolding before her.

The homeless people stirred, their eyes lighting up as David handed out the packets.

Children, wide-eyed with hunger and excitement, scurried forward, their small hands eagerly accepting the food.

A pair of young siblings, no older than five or six, sat cross-legged on the ground, tearing into their packets with unrestrained glee.

The boy offered a piece to his sister, who giggled and nodded, her face glowing in the faint streetlight.

Inaara’s lips curved into a faint, tender smile.

Her eyes glistened as she watched the pure joy radiating from the children, their innocence contrasting starkly with the harshness of their reality.

She leaned slightly forward, her hands clasped in her lap, her posture relaxed yet reflective.

Atharv noticed her expression, the way her face softened in quiet contentment.

He didn’t say a word, merely observing her from the corner of his eye.

There was something about the way her emotions unfolded so openly in moments like this—a vulnerability he found both disarming and magnetic.

The soft hum of the car filled the silence.

Atharv leaned back in his seat, his sharp features illuminated by the faint streetlights outside.

His gaze shifted toward Inaara, who sat with her hands loosely clasped in her lap, her expression serene yet thoughtful as she gazed out of the window.