The ride home was silent.

I didn’t speak.

He didn’t speak.

Just the quiet hum of the car engine, and the storm inside me.

When we pulled up outside my home, I opened the door without waiting.

"Ruhi," his voice came, low and unreadable.

I paused.

But I didn’t turn back.

"Thank you, sir."

I stepped out and walked to the gate.

Didn’t look back. Couldn’t.

---

"Arey, Ruhi! Tum aa gayi? Aaj office se itni der? Sab theek hai na?" Maa’s voice reached me the moment I stepped in.

I managed a smile. A small one.

"Haan Maa, sab theek. Bas thak gayi hoon. Bahut kaam tha."

She opened her mouth to say more, but I walked past her.

"Change karke leti hoon aur so jaungi . Thodi thakaan hai bas."

I didn’t give her time to ask anything else.

My room. My safe space. I shut the door gently behind me.

Took off my sandles. Hung my dupatta.

Stood in front of the mirror. My wrist was still red.

I quickly changed into a loose tee and pajamas. Washed my face. Avoided my reflection.

And then… I sat on the bed.

And broke.

Tears came slow, then fast. Hot and quiet. No sobs, just silent drops.

Why didn’t I scream?

Why didn’t I punch him harder?

Why did I feel so…

Violated.

He made me feel small. Dirty. And I hated that.

I had always read about strong heroines. About villains who protected their girls like treasure.

Tonight… I wasn’t strong. I was scared.

And he… Alessandro Romano…

He saw me.

He protected me.

Why?

I didn’t want to think anymore. Didn’t want to remember.

I lay down, curled into my blanket, clutched my pillow tight.

And somewhere between crying and remembering his voice—cold, sharp, protective—I drifted into uneasy sleep.

---

I couldn’t sleep.

The moment I returned to the penthouse, I yanked off my tie, threw it across the room, and began pacing.

Back and forth.

Like a caged predator.

My thoughts were fire.

His face.

Her wrist.

The fear in her eyes.

I had failed.

And that was unacceptable.

I pulled out my phone and called Enzo, my most trusted man in Delhi.

He picked up on the second ring. "Sì, signore."

"That bastard. Arjun Menon. I want him in the basement. Now."

Enzo didn’t ask why. He never did.

"Consider it done."

---

Thirty-seven minutes later, I stepped into the Romano family’s Delhi warehouse. Hidden under our wine export front.

The basement smelled of metal, sweat, and cold fury.

Enzo stood by the door, nodding silently. A man who had seen blood. Who knew when vengeance was personal.

Arjun was tied to the metal chair, hands bound, head bleeding from where Enzo had ‘gently’ introduced him to the concrete.

He looked up when I entered.

His eyes widened.

He tried to speak.

I didn’t let him.

My fist landed across his jaw, snapping his head sideways. A tooth hit the floor.

He screamed. I didn’t care.

"Tu pensavi di poterla toccare? (You thought you could touch her?)"

Another punch. Ribs. Hard.

Crack.

His breath hitched. I didn’t stop.

"You filthy piece of shit. You laid a hand on her. You touched what wasn’t yours."

I kicked the chair backward. He fell. Cried. Begged.

"Please… I didn’t mean… —"

I lifted the chair back up myself.

I picked up the steel rod Enzo left for me.

Heavy. Cold.

Just like my heart.

I struck him across the shoulder. Then again. Then again.

He screamed louder each time.

"Chiedi perdono, bastardo. (Beg for forgiveness, bastard.)"

He whimpered. Blood dripped from his mouth.

"Please… please don't kill me… please…"

I leaned in, breathing hard.

"Ohh i will.You’ll die. But only when I’m satisfied."

I slammed the rod into his shin. He howled.

"Non osi mai guardarla. (Don’t you dare ever look at her again.)"

More blood.

Bones breaking.

Tears. Screams. Pleas.

When I was done—when he was barely conscious, eyes rolling back—I dropped the rod.

Knuckles bruised. Shirt bloodstained.

I stepped back and looked at him one last time.

"This… was mercy. Compared to what I wanted to do."

I turned to Enzo.

"Burn everything. Make him disappear."

He nodded.

I walked out. Silent.

Unshaken.

My world was quiet now.

Because the man who dared touch her was no longer breathing.

And she never had to know.

I woke up with puffy eyes and a sore throat. But the tears had dried.

Today was not going to be a sad day. Not if I could help it.

I got up. Washed my face. Brushed the pain out of my eyes. Dressed in my most professional blue kurta with straight black pants, tied my hair into a high ponytail, and painted on a small smile.

My armor.

Maa asked if I wanted paratha. I nodded, ate quietly, smiled at her like nothing happened, and left for work with my usual tote bag and carefully rebuilt confidence.

My steps didn’t waver as I walked into Romano Luxury.

Except for one thing.

I kept hoping — praying — that I wouldn’t run into Arjun Menon.

I didn’t know if he’d be waiting to smirk again.

( now who's gonna tell her. He is already gone.

Gone from the job

Gone from the world)

I walked up to the his floor and reached Mr. Romano’s office right on time.

I knocked, then stepped in with my usual cheerful voice.

"Good morning, sir."

He looked up.

And something in his eyes shifted.

Not his usual ice.

Softer. Calmer.

"Ruhi," he said, voice low. "You’re okay? You didn’t have to come today. I would’ve understood. You could’ve taken a day off."

I blinked.

"I’m fine, sir. Really."

He studied me for a beat longer, like trying to look past my painted smile.

I straightened. Changed the subject.

"Sir, where’s that Ar—"

He leaned back in his chair, eyes cold again.

"He’s fired, Miss Kapoor. And far away now. You won’t be seeing him again."

Relief hit me like a wave.

Fired.

Good.

I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

He watched me for a second.

Then sighed.

"Sit down, Miss Kapoor."

I blinked but obeyed, perching on the chair opposite his desk.

He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the dark wood, gaze intense but steady.

"You know that wasn’t your fault, right?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Looked down.

"He was a bastard."

His voice was steady, but I heard the steel under it.

"You didn’t invite that. You didn’t deserve that."

My eyes stung again. I blinked fast.

"Thank you, sir," I said softly.

He didn’t smile. But his gaze held me like a shield.

"If anyone—anyone—tries something like that again, come straight to me. No delay. No doubt."

Something tightened in my chest.

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

He gave one final nod. "Now go do what you do best

I stood.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt safe in the chaos.

---