3.

Author's POV

Aria pushed the apartment door open in a panic, struggling to keep Shivantika upright as they stumbled inside.

The moment the door opened in front of them, Shivantika's strength finally gave out. Her body slumped heavily against the hallway wall, breathing shallow and uneven. Rainwater still clung to her hair and clothes, mixing with the blood soaking through the side of her sleeve.

"Shivi, hey, hey, look at me." Aria dropped beside her instantly, cupping her face with trembling hands. "Stay awake. We're home now, okay? Just stay with me a little longer."

Shivantika forced her eyes open briefly. Everything looked blurred. The hallway lights. Aria's frightened face. The sound of her own heartbeat pounding weakly in her ears. Then her eyes closed again.

"Damn it." Aria swallowed back panic and quickly pulled one of Shivantika's arms over her shoulder, struggling to lift her properly.

"Come on," she whispered breathlessly. "Don't do this to me right now."

Somehow, between the way to get her inside the apartment and repeated stops to keep Shivantika conscious, Aria managed to get her inside the apartment bedroom. By the time she lowered her onto the bed, both of them were shaking.

Aria immediately reached for the blood-soaked gown, trying to remove it carefully. The moment the fabric peeled away from the wound, Shivantika cried out sharply in pain.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, I know," Aria said quickly, forcing herself to stay calm despite the panic rising in her chest.

She carefully eased the material away from the injured shoulder and froze the moment the wound became fully visible. Blood was still flowing steadily.

The bullet had passed through the upper part of her left arm near the shoulder, but the amount of blood loss was far worse than Aria had realized during the ride back.

"Oh my God..." Her voice nearly broke. "Shivi, we need to go to a hospital. Right now."

Shivantika weakly grabbed her wrist before she could move away. "We can't," she whispered painfully.

"Are you insane?" Aria snapped immediately, tears filling her eyes. "You've been shot."

"They'll report it." Shivantika said, her breathing shook between every word. "If... this reaches the... police before I understand what's inside that file... everything becomes worse."

Aria stared at her in disbelief. Then she looked again at the bleeding wound. Doctor instincts finally overpowered panic.

"Fine," she whispered shakily. "But if your condition drops even slightly, I'm taking you to emergency care whether you agree or not."

Shivantika gave the faintest nod before her head rolled weakly against the pillow again.

Aria moved quickly after that. She rushed to the storage cabinet in the living room and pulled out the emergency medical kit she kept at Shivantika's apartment mostly because she had spent enough years together with her to know that she is around dangerous cases and emergencies were never impossible.

When she returned, she had sterile gauze, surgical gloves, sutures, forceps, painkillers, antiseptic, and clean bandages.

Her hands shook while opening everything. But the moment she slipped on the gloves, her expression changed.

Fear didn't disappear. It just moved aside long enough for training to take over.

She cleaned the wound carefully while Shivantika winced weakly beneath her touch.

"I know," Aria whispered every few seconds. "I know it hurts."

The bullet hadn't lodged deeply, which was the only reason Aria even considered attempting to remove herself. Still, her stomach twisted with fear. One mistake could make things worse.

"Shivi," she said quietly, "I need you to stay awake for me." Shivantika gave a weak sound that barely counted as a response.

Aria inhaled slowly before reaching for the forceps. The moment metal touched the wound, Shivantika's body tensed violently.

A broken cry escaped her lips as her fingers twisted tightly into the bedsheet. "I'm sorry," Aria whispered immediately, tears burning her own eyes now. "I'm sorry. Just a little more."

The room was filled with uneven breathing and muffled pain.

Then finally,

The bullet came free.

It landed into the steel tray with a sharp metallic sound. Aria nearly sagged with relief.

But the bleeding still hadn't stopped. Quickly, she pressed gauze firmly against the wound before stitching it with trembling but controlled hands.

"You're okay," she whispered repeatedly, more to herself than Shivantika. "You're okay. You're staying with me."

By the time the bandaging was finally finished, Shivantika had lost consciousness completely from exhaustion.

Aria sat there for several seconds afterward, staring silently at her friend's pale face.

Then the emotional restraint she had been holding onto finally cracked. A quiet sob escaped her as she brushed damp hair away from Shivantika's forehead. "You're impossible," she whispered shakily.

After cleaning the blood properly and helping her into an oversized shirt, Aria remained seated beside the bed for hours, monitoring her breathing and pulse while the storm outside slowly faded into silence.

Sometime close to dawn, Shivantika finally stirred again. Her eyes opened slowly.

The first thing she saw was Aria still sitting beside her, exhausted, worried, and very clearly angry.

"I'm not dead," Shivantika mumbled weakly.

Aria let out a sharp breath somewhere between relief and fury. "You almost were."

Shivantika attempted to sit up but immediately winced as a pain shot through her shoulder.

"Don't," Aria said quickly, helping her sit carefully against the headboard. "You lost too much blood already."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Aria looked at her bandaged arm and shook her head. "I told you not to do this."

Despite the exhaustion weighing down every inch of her body, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Shivantika's lips.

"If this is what it takes to win," she murmured hoarsely, "then maybe it was worth it."

Aria stared at her in disbelief.

"That is the worst possible thing you could say after getting shot."

A tired laugh almost escaped Shivantika before pain stopped it halfway.

Aria handed her a glass of water instead. Shivantika drank it greedily, not realizing until then how badly dehydrated she had become. The second the glass was empty, she looked up again.

"The file."

Aria sighed heavily but reached for the drawer beside the bed where she had hidden it earlier after removing it from Shivantika's blood-soaked clothes.

She handed it over reluctantly. Despite her weakened condition, Shivantika immediately opened it and began scanning the contents carefully.

Numbers. Transactions. Shipping records. Names.

The deeper she read, the colder her expression became.

When she finally closed the file, the room had gone completely silent again. Aria watched her nervously. "What is it?"

For a second, Shivantika said nothing.

Then quietly-

"He's not just connected to organized crime."

Aria frowned slightly. Shivantika looked at her directly.

"He's running it."

The meaning settled slowly.

Then all at once.

Aria stood up so suddenly the chair beside the bed nearly tipped over.

"What?" Her voice came out almost breathless. "Shivi... are you saying he's actually-"

"Mafia," Shivantika finished quietly.

Aria began pacing instantly, panic taking over faster than before. "Oh my God. Oh my God." Her hands ran through her hair repeatedly as she tried processing it.

"You broke into a mafia leader's house."

"Yes."

"You stole files from him."

"Yes."

"You got shot."

"Yes, Aria, I was there for all of that."

"This is not funny!"

"I know."

Aria stopped pacing and looked at her with genuine fear now. "He can make people disappear, Shivantika. Do you understand that? Men like him own police officers, politicians, maybe even judges."

"I know exactly what kind of man he is." Shivantika replied.

"Then why are you still acting calm?" That question lingered heavily between them. Shivantika leaned back carefully against the pillow, exhaustion showing clearly beneath the steadiness in her voice now.

"Because panicking won't help us." Aria looked away, trying unsuccessfully to control her breathing. After a long silence, Shivantika spoke again.

"You need to stay away from me for a while."

Aria turned immediately. "No."

"Aria-"

"No." Her eyes filled instantly again. "I'm not disappearing while someone out there wants you dead."

"They could use you against me." Shivantika tried to sound reasonable.

"That doesn't mean I leave you alone." Shivantika closed her eyes briefly before speaking more softly.

"If they identify me properly, they'll monitor everything connected to me. Calls. Messages. People." She looked back at her. "You need distance from this."

Aria's expression broke completely. "And what about you?"

Shivantika didn't answer immediately.

Because truthfully?

She didn't know.

Still, she reached for Aria's hand gently.

"I know how to survive," she said quietly.

Aria laughed bitterly through tears. "You got shot."

"And I'm still here." For a moment, Aria just stared at her before finally sitting back down beside the bed.

Shivantika squeezed her hand weakly. "Trust me a little longer."

Aria looked down, fighting back tears again before nodding reluctantly. Then she leaned forward carefully and wrapped her arms around her.

"Don't disappear on me," she whispered shakily.

Shivantika rested her head lightly against hers and closed her eyes for a brief moment. "I'll try."

♡

The vase shattered violently against the floor, fragments scattering across the study like shattered ice.

Silence followed.

Heavy and predictable dangerous.

Vardan stood behind his desk, both palms pressed flat against the polished wood, his breathing slow but visibly controlled. The storm inside him was obvious despite the stillness in his posture.

The study no longer looked untouched and immaculate.

One chair had been pushed aside violently. A glass lay broken near the fireplace. Even his usually perfect hair was slightly disordered now, the only visible evidence of how badly his temper had escalated moments earlier.

“When I asked for details on the lawyer, I expected results,” he said quietly, each word edged with restrained fury.

His eyes lifted toward the men standing before him.

“Yet somehow none of you have been able to identify either the woman handling the case or the intruder who entered my estate that night.” His jaw tightened slightly. “So remind me again… what exactly am I wasting my money on you?”

Nobody answered immediately. No one in the room was stupid enough to interrupt him while he was angry.

Liam finally stepped forward with measured caution and placed another file carefully onto the desk.“We managed to gather more information overnight, boss.”

Vardan grabbed the file instantly and opened it.This time, the contents were far more detailed.

Complaints filed during university years. Disciplinary records. Case history. Achievement reports.

And then, his eyes stopped on a particular section.

Severely injured a man after he sexually harrassed another woman.

Another complaint: fractured someone’s foot during an altercation outside a nightclub after he repeatedly followed her.

Vardan’s expression darkened slightly as he continued reading.

Top ranker in criminal law. Multiple academic awards. Known for taking difficult cases most lawyers avoided. Aggressive courtroom strategy. Excellent cross-examination skills.

Fearless.

The word lingered longer than the others.

He kept reading silently.

A woman who fought violently when cornered. A woman who clearly refused to be intimidated.

That last thought returned sharper than before.

Slowly, he closed the file. Nobody in the room spoke. For a few seconds, Vardan simply stared down at the desk, expression unreadable now.

Then finally, “Prepare the cars.”

Liam looked up immediately. “I want to meet her today.” His tone wasn’t loud. But the quietness behind it was far worse than shouting.

The guards exchanged brief glances before moving instantly. Nobody questioned him further.

♡

Shivantika adjusted the sleeve of her black coat carefully, hiding the bandaging beneath it before checking her reflection one last time.

The wound still hurt. A constant deep ache every time she moved her shoulder too much.

But pain had never been enough to stop her from working.

Her eyes drifted briefly toward the silent phone lying on the bed beside her.

Two days.

Two entire days without speaking properly to Aria.

The guilt sat heavily in her chest, but keeping distance still felt safer than dragging her friend deeper into danger.

Exhaling softly, she slipped her phone into her coat pocket before sitting down to wear her heels.

Today was her first day back at court after the injury.

After the mansion. After the file. After discovering exactly who Vardan Agnihotri really was.

Before leaving, she sprayed perfume lightly against her coat collar. A familiar habit of hers.

Then she grabbed her helmet and headed downstairs toward her bike. The moment she saw it, a faint smile appeared despite herself.

The very first thing that she ever bought for herself not because she needed but wanted it.

Pulling on the helmet, she started the engine and rode into the morning traffic.

For a while, the drive remained uneventful. Until the signal turned red.

She slowed the bike and stopped with the rest of the vehicles waiting at the crossing.

Her phone buzzed inside her pocket.

The second she reached for it-

Something hit the back of her bike hardly. The force jolted her forward violently.

Her reflexes kept the bike from falling completely, but her phone slipped from her grip and crashed onto the road beneath her heel.

The signal erupted into horns instantly.

Shivantika parked the bike properly and climbed off quickly, checking the back first.

No visible damage.

Relief lasted barely two seconds before she looked down at her shattered phone screen.

Anger flared immediately.

She turned sharply toward the black luxury car behind her.

“Are you blind?” she snapped furiously, holding up the broken phone. “You hit my bike for no reason!”

Several nearby drivers had already started slowing down to watch.

There were many other cars behind the one that hit her. They all stopped at once. Men dressed in black stepped out from them.

Bodyguards.

That alone made the atmosphere shift instantly. One of them approached her respectfully. “Ma’am, we apologize-”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she cut in coldly.

Her gaze shifted toward the tinted rear window. “Ask your boss to come out himself.”

The guard hesitated briefly before obeying. A second later, the rear door opened.

And Vardan Agnihotri stepped out.

Even through the helmet visor, Shivantika froze for the smallest fraction of a second.

Around them, whispers spread immediately through the traffic. People recognized him quickly.

Phones appeared. Cameras lifted discreetly.

Vardan removed his sunglasses calmly and looked first at the damaged phone in her hand before his gaze settled on her helmet-covered face.

“I’ll compensate for the damage,” he said simply.

No apology but just money. Her irritation deepened instantly.

One of the guards handed him cash. Vardan took it and stepped closer before placing the folded notes directly into her hand.

“Buy another phone.” The arrogance in his tone made her blood boil. As if his money automatically erased his accountability.

Very calmly, she slid the broken phone into her coat pocket. Then her eyes landed on a loose stone near the divider.

Without hesitation, she picked it up and hurled it directly into his car's windshield. The glass shattered instantly. Gasps erupted around them.

“Now we’re even,” she said coldly, shoving the money back against his chest. The cash fell to the ground between them.

For the first time, genuine anger flickered visibly across Vardan’s face.

The guards stepped forward immediately but he raised one hand without taking his eyes off her. Everyone paused.

His jaw tightened. “You’re going to regret that,” he said quietly.

Even through the dark helmet visor, she held his stare. “Then learn how to drive properly.”

Before anyone could react further, she climbed back onto the bike and sped away into traffic. Leaving behind stunned silence.

And a furious Vardan Agnihotri standing beside a shattered windshield.

♡

By the time Shivantika reached court, her anger still hadn’t settled.

She parked the bike roughly and removed her helmet with an irritated breath.

“Great,” she muttered to herself while climbing the stairs. “Shot two days ago and now I’ve picked a fight with a mafia leader in public.”

Her broken phone remained clenched in one hand. “Such an expensive phone too,” she added bitterly.

She was halfway down the corridor when someone called out behind her.

Turning, she saw the middle-aged couple whose case she had been handling against Vardan.

Both looked tense. Exhaustion etched on their faces.

“Ma’am,” the woman asked anxiously, “did you find anything new?”

“Our son deserves justice,” the man added quickly. “Vardan killed him.”

Shivantika studied them carefully again.

Something still felt wrong. Not grief exactly.

Something else.

Something calculated beneath the fear.

“He sent us a voice recording before he died as a proof.” The man added.

Shivantika frowned slightly.

“A voice recording alone proves nothing,” she replied. “Audio can be edited.”

The couple exchanged nervous looks instantly.

“But the file...”

“Yes,” she interrupted quietly. “The file is convincing.”

That was the problem. It was too convincing. Everything about this case felt strangely manufactured now.

“We’ll discuss it later,” she said finally before walking away toward her office. The couple called after her, but she ignored them.

Once inside her cabin, she shut the door quietly behind her and sat down heavily.

For the first time since taking the case, uncertainty had started creeping in properly.

Had she actually walked into someone else’s setup?

Or was Vardan truly guilty?

Before she could think further, someone knocked sharply. “Come in.” she said.

The clerk stepped inside nervously. “Ma’am… Mr. Vardan Agnihotri is here.” Her pen stopped moving instantly.

“He says he wants to meet you.”

A dangerous calm settled over her expression. “Send him in.”

The clerk nodded quickly and disappeared. A few moments later, the office door opened again.

Several armed men entered first, positioning themselves around the room with silent precision. The same bodyguards she met on the footpath.

Then Vardan walked in behind them. The moment his eyes met hers, the atmosphere shifted immediately.

Tension.

He walked toward the chair opposite her desk and sat down calmly, one arm resting against the armrest.

A faint smile touched his lips.

“So,” he said smoothly, “you’re Shivantika Randhawa.”

His eyes flicked briefly toward the broken phone lying on her desk. “The biker from earlier.”

Her fingers tightened slightly around the pen in her hand. Unfortunately for the pen, Vardan noticed.

Without breaking eye contact, he removed an expensive fountain pen from his coat pocket and placed it carefully onto her desk.

“You look like you’re about to break yours,” he said casually.

A sharp crack echoed through the room. She had already snapped her pen in half.

A slow smile appeared on her face afterward. “You didn’t come here to discuss stationery, Mr. Agnihotri.”

Vardan ignored the comment.

Instead, he leaned forward slightly.

“Drop the case.” his tone was utterly simple.

Shivantika met his stare without hesitation. “No.”

The answer came instantly. His eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re risking your life over people you barely know.”

“And you’re assuming I get scared easily.” she replied back.

Silence stretched. Then he spoke again. “And if the case against me is fabricated?”

“Then I’ll drop it myself.” she replied.

“And if you’re wrong?” he asked again.

Her gaze hardened. “Then I’ll apologize personally.”

Something dangerous flickered behind his eyes.

But she continued calmly. “If I discover this case was built on lies, I won’t defend it.”

For a long moment, he simply studied her. Then finally he stood.

“Fair enough,” he said quietly.

He turned toward the door before pausing briefly. “Oh, and keep the pen.” His gaze shifted slightly toward her desk. “You can return it after apologizing properly.”

Then he walked out. The guards followed immediately behind him, leaving silence flooding the office once again.

Only after the door shut did Shivantika finally move. Slowly, she reached for a clean handkerchief from her drawer. Then a transparent evidence bag.

Using the cloth carefully, she picked up the pen he had touched and sealed it inside the plastic bag.

Her expression turned thoughtful and calculating.

Because now?

She wanted his fingerprints.

••••••••••••••••|

How was the chapter?

Let me known.