The music softened as the dance came to an end, but the effect of it lingered far longer than it should have. For a moment, I just looked at him.

He had every reason to doubt me after the presentation disaster. He didn't. I had called him everything from "khadoos" to "Dracula," yet the worst thing he had ever called me was "Tempesta."

Even today when he removed my waist chain and applied ointment on my waist, he made sure his finger didn't touch my skin.

Those kanji aankh... sharp and unreadable, carrying something that didn't invite you in and yet pulled you closer anyway. There was a strange gravity in them, something that made you pause without realizing why.

I knew I should look away.

I didn't.

When the music stopped, reality snapped back into place like a thread pulled too tight.

Raghav was already looking at me, that same mocking curve resting on his lips as if he had caught something I hadn't even understood yet.

I rolled my eyes, irritation rising quickly enough to bury whatever that moment had been.

"Ye kabhi nahi sudhrenge," I muttered under my breath as I turned to walk away.

(He'll never change.)

"Jaan."

My steps halted.

My breath hitched, my mind blank for a second as I looked around, and there was no one close enough, no one he could possibly be calling.

"What did you say?"

He tilted his head slightly, his expression far too calm for the effect he had just caused.

"What did you hear?"

I take a step closer towards him, caught somewhere between annoyance and curiosity.

"You said... Jaan."

This time, he laughed. Not a smirk or a quiet breath of amusement, but an actual laugh, low and brief. He closed the distance with ease.

"I was about to say Jaan...ki," he said casually. "But you assume things very quickly."

My jaw tightened instantly.

"Don't lie."

His gaze dipped for a second before returning, slower this time, more deliberate.

"If you wanted to hear 'Jaan,'" he murmured, leaning just enough for his voice to brush past my ear, "I can say it."

My fingers curled slightly at my side.

"No, I just..." The words didn't come, and that irritated me more than his teasing ever could.

Before the space between us could shrink any further, I stepped back and turned away, heading toward finding Ritvik.

I found Ritvik near the side corridor.
The moment I saw him, I paused. One side of his lip was split. His jaw looked slightly swollen too. My eyebrows rose. I hadn't done that. Yet.

The second he noticed me, his entire posture straightened.

A grin appeared on his face.

"Jaanki."

I glanced at his face again.

"Who hit you?"

His smile vanished for a fraction of a second. Then returned.

"Forget that."

"No, seriously," I stepped closer and tilted my head. "Whoever did it, I owe them flowers."

His jaw tightened. A laugh escaped me. So someone definitely hit him.

His eyes traveled over me again. The same look. Instantly my mood soured.

"You know," he said, stepping closer, "if you weren't interested, you wouldn't have come looking for me."

Then I slapped him hard. The sound echoed through the empty corridor.
His head snapped to the side. Slowly, he looked back at me in shock.

"Men like you always think they're the victim after being told no."

He took a step forward. I didn't move back, not even an inch.

"How dare you! It was just a dance."

"No." My voice remained calm.
"It stopped being a dance when I asked you to stop and you didn't."

I took another step closer.

"If a woman says no, your job is to stop." My voice remained calm. "Not convince her and definitely not force her."

Something flickered across his face.
Embarrassment. Anger. Maybe both.

"You're making me sound like a criminal."

I smiled.

"Trust me."

The lawyer in me surfaced.

"If I wanted to make you sound like a criminal, we'd be having this conversation in a courtroom."

His face drained of color. Much better. I pointed at him.

"Consider this your only warning."
The smile vanished completely from my face. "Try that stunt again with me or any other woman..." A pause.
"And I swear I'll erase your entire bloodline from the earth."

For the first time, he looked genuinely uneasy. Then my eyes drifted toward the bruise on his jaw again. A strange thought crossed my mind. Who hit him? Because judging by the damage... Whoever did it must enjoy it.

I almost smiled.

"Anyway," I stepped back. "Pass my thanks to whoever punched you."

__________

By the time I returned to the party, my mood had improved considerably.

I grabbed a glass of water. A familiar voice appeared beside me.

"Violence suits you, Tempesta."

I nearly choked.

Raghav.

I glared at him.

"Were you spying on me?"

"No."

"Funny thing is," he said, taking a sip from his drink, "I wasn't looking for you." A pause. "Yet somehow you keep appearing."

I narrowed my eyes. A faint smile appeared on his face, then his phone rang, and he excused himself and walked away.

I had just taken a sip of water when I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
I turned to find Kavya standing there.

A polite smile formed on my lips, controlled and measured. "Finally... someone I actually know here."

My gaze moved over her briefly. The gown was elegant and perfectly fitted.

"You look beautiful," I added.

She didn't respond immediately. She simply looked at me. Something about it felt... off. Then her gaze shifted slowly over my saree.

"Your saree is looking beautiful and expensive," she said.

"It is," I replied lightly.

"You dance well," she continued, her lips curving faintly. "You know... it's the first time Raghav has ever danced with anyone." Her eyes locked with mine. "Lucky you."

I didn't react, didn't give her the response she was waiting for. Instead, I held a small, unreadable smile.

Kavya stepped closer, just enough that her voice lowered near my ear.

"You should be careful, Jaanki."

I frowned. Her smile never changed.

"People usually get hurt when they start wanting things that were never theirs."

Her tone was soft, almost gentle, but it didn't feel like a warning. It felt like a claim. My brows drew together slightly as I looked at her, confusion flickering beneath the surface.

Before I could respond, she stepped back, that same faint smile still in place, and walked away as if nothing had happened.

For a moment, I stood still, trying to process it. Then the pain hit. Sharp and sudden, exploding at the back of my neck like a thousand needles piercing the same spot at once.

A breath escaped me before I could stop it as my hand flew to my neck, fingers pressing hard against my skin.

"Ahh..."

And just as quickly as it came, it disappeared. Gone. As if it had never existed.

"...weird," I murmured.

I turned slightly and found him already looking at me. Raghav stood with a group of investors, his posture composed, his expression calm, but his eyes were fixed on me in a way that made it clear he hadn't missed a single thing.

Raghav excused himself mid-conversation without breaking his composure and walked toward me, his steps unhurried but certain.
I muttered under my breath,

"Ab ye yahan kyun aa rahe hai..."

(Why is he coming here?)

He stopped beside me.

"You're looking worried. What happened?" His tone was calm but attentive.

"Nothing," I replied immediately.
His gaze didn't shift.

"Jhooth bolne ki koshish uske saamne karni chahiye jo aapko jaanta na ho."

(You should try lying to someone who doesn't know you.)

My breathing remained uneven for a second longer before slowly settling.

I rolled my eyes lightly. "I'm fine."

He didn't move and didn't look away, and that stillness made it harder to dismiss him.

"I said I'm fine," I repeated, a little more firmly.

"And I didn't say you weren't," he replied. "I asked what happened."

My grip tightened slightly around the glass.

"It's just a muscle pull or something," I said, even though I didn't even sound convinced.

His eyes moved briefly to the back of my neck and then returned to my face. He studied me for a second longer, then asked quietly, "Jyada Dard hua?"

(Was it very painful?)

The question caught me off guard. He went silent for a moment, his expression tightening just slightly, as if he were thinking through something he didn't like. Then his hand lifted.

I stilled. Not out of fear, but because the movement was unexpected. His fingers hovered near my shoulder, not touching, just close enough to check without crossing a line.

For a brief second, it felt like he wanted to make sure I was actually okay. Then he lowered his hand.

He stepped back, not far, just enough to give space. But his attention didn't leave. Not for a second.

My fingers remained loosely wrapped around the glass, but my focus wasn't on it anymore. Something about the earlier pain hadn't sat right. It had come too suddenly and disappeared too cleanly, leaving behind nothing but a faint unease I couldn't explain.

I exhaled slowly, trying to shake it off. It didn't. Because the pain returned.

This time it was more sharp than before. A broken breath slipped past my lips as my hand flew instantly to the back of my neck.

"Ah-"

The glass slipped from my fingers. My balance faltered. Before I could lose my balance, his hand caught my wrist mid-air. The other moved to my arm, pulling me back before I could stumble further.

"Tempesta"

My breathing had gone uneven and shallow in a way I couldn't control immediately. "It... it happened again," I managed, the words slipping out before I could think about them.

"Look at me."

I did. His eyes were different now.
I can see worry in it.

"Breathe," he said, quieter this time. "Slow."

I tried. Inhale. Exhale. The pain pulsed once more deeper. Sharper.
And then, just like before, it disappeared.

"What kind of pain?" he asked after a moment, his voice calm but precise.

"Sharp," I said, pressing my lips together briefly. "Like... needles. And sudden."

"It happened before?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No."

I glanced ahead and my eyes landed on Kavya standing at a distance, watching.That same faint smile lingered on her lips. And for the first time that night, a cold feeling settled in my stomach.

How was the chapter?

Lots of love and puchiisss ❤️ 💋

The only reason to keep her name Jaanki. I kept her name Prisha, and then I got the idea of using the name, so I changed it.