Mumbai -
Jannat villa
As Rudraksh took the driver's seat, Haya slid into the passenger seat beside him. He looked incredibly handsome in his sharp three-piece business suit, his demeanor effortlessly exuding power and charm. Haya, too, wasn't any less impressive; her presence was undeniable. But beneath her composed exterior, there was a slight tremor running through her body. She couldn't understand why, but something about the nearness of Rudraksh made her feel uneasy. His scent, that dangerous yet alluring cologne, was making her restless, stirring emotions she didn't want to confront.
Without looking at her, Rudraksh's voice broke the tension, cold and authoritative. "Put your seatbelt on."
Haya quickly reached for her seatbelt, her hands trembling slightly, betraying the nervousness she felt. The fear inside her was palpable, and her shaking hands only seemed to irritate him further.
"I swear, are you going to keep doing this all day?" Rudraksh's voice, now filled with frustration, cut through the silence.
Furious at his impatience, Haya shot back, "Can you control that mouth of yours for just a moment? Or does it just wander around like some untethered bell?"
His irritation turned into something sharper. He glared at her, his voice now dark and threatening. "One, keep that language to yourself. And two, sit still. If you move even an inch, I'll take your life, understand?"
Haya stared at him, the threat in his words igniting something fierce inside her. With an angry snarl, she fired back, "Oh, really? Well, show me then. You've been talking about this for days. Let's see how you plan on taking my life."
At her challenge, a strange, almost amused smile spread across Rudraksh's face. He leaned in closer, his breath brushing against her skin, his gaze never leaving her face. His eyes were dark and unreadable as he moved dangerously close, his finger slowly tracing her lips.
"So you want to know how a life is taken?" Rudraksh's voice was low and smooth, each word dripping with a chilling calmness. "My sweet wife wants to know how Rudraksh Shekhawat will take her life?"
He leaned in even closer, his breath heavy against her cheek, and Haya could feel the warmth radiating off him, the tension in the air thickening. She froze, her body reacting despite herself, the warmth of his presence sending waves of unease coursing through her.
His breath seemed to linger longer than necessary, making Haya's skin crawl as the realization hit her: this wasn't a playful game for him. His gaze, now a mix of something far darker than she had expected, made her body shudder involuntarily. Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead as her mind raced, but she couldn't look away.
Rudraksh took another deep breath, deliberately exhaling it near her face. Haya, struggling to remain composed, could feel the sweat trickling down her skin. She hated the vulnerability he was making her feel, the helplessness that threatened to consume her. But she wouldn't show it. She couldn't.
Rudraksh moved closer to her, his gaze unwavering as he stared deep into her eyes. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but the words were sharp and filled with a dangerous promise. "If you think I'm just saying this for the fun of it, you're mistaken. The way I plan to take your life, you won't even be able to get out of bed."
Haya coughed sharply, the weight of his words sinking in. She finally understood the darkness behind his words. What he was hinting at wasn't just a threatâit was something far worse, something that made her skin crawl.
Rudraksh slowly ran his finger along her shoulder, the touch deliberate and slow, as if he was savoring every moment. "So tell me, do you still want me to take your life?" he asked, his voice now quieter, more sinister, the temperature in the car seemingly dropping.
Haya's body involuntarily reacted, her heart racing in her chest. But she fought back, forcing her voice out, trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. "Stay away from me. Why do you keep coming closer? Is your girlfriend not able to satisfy you?" she snapped, her words laced with frustration.
Rudraksh's laughter rang out, dark and mocking, his expression twisted into a grin that sent a chill through her. "So you can talk back, huh? Good. But let me make something clear to you. If you keep running that mouth of yours, your words won't just be words anymore. They'll be screams. And you know very well what kind of screams I'm talking about." His eyes darkened further as he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "In simpler terms, you're my forced wife."
Haya gritted her teeth, her mind spinning with anger and confusion Haya held her head in frustration and said, "Did you dress me up and bring me here just to talk this nonsense?" As she spoke, Rudraksh started the car, looking straight ahead without giving any reply to her remark.
Driving calmly, Rudraksh smirked and said, "I've heard you're afraid of fast driving, is that true?" His devilish grin made its way to his face. Understanding his intent, Haya retorted sharply, "If you're planning to pull off this nonsense, Rudraksh Shekhawat, you better stop that twisted mind of yours right here because this is going to cost you dearly."
Without turning to look at her, Rudraksh replied casually, "You know, I really enjoy accepting challengesâand winning them." Saying this, he suddenly sped up the car. Haya was stunned. While Rudraksh drove with sharp precision, confident that he could handle it, fear gripped Haya's heart. She no longer had any hope from the man who had once abandoned her. To him, her fear didn't matter.
The car's speed continued to increase. With his devilish smile intact, Rudraksh was having the time of his life while Haya was panicking. She screamed, "Rudraksh, slow down! Please, what are you doing?" But her cries had no effect on him. Her breathing became labored, tears welled up in her eyes, and Rudraksh found her reactions amusing.
Through gritted teeth, she muttered, "You just can't stop your filthy antics, can you?" Saying this, she reached out to open the car door in anger, but Rudraksh's control over the situation rendered her helpless.
What had started as a joke for Rudraksh now caused him a strange unease. His eyes fell on Haya, who was sweating, fear etched on her beautiful face, tears glistening in her eyes. For a moment, something shifted inside him. Without thinking much, he reached out with one hand and, in one swift motion, pulled Haya onto his lap. Everything happened so fast that Haya didn't have time to react. She found herself staring into Rudraksh's deep blue eyes, which seemed to carry hatred for her. But now, there was something else in themâsomething she couldn't quite comprehend.
Despite the shift, Rudraksh still hadn't slowed the car, but Haya, sitting on his lap, had gone silent. Moments later, Rudraksh suddenly brought the car to a halt. Back in his seat, he gently held Haya's shoulder and moved her face closer to his. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Haya, wiping the tears from her eyes, wanted to speak, but fear still gripped her. "Take a deep breath," Rudraksh instructed, his voice surprisingly calm. Following his advice, Haya tried to breathe deeply, her chest rising and falling with each breath. Rudraksh's gaze lingered on her moonlit face, unable to ignore the closeness of her position.
Once Haya calmed down, she grabbed Rudraksh's collar with anger and hissed, "Even the devil would be better than you, Rudraksh Shekhawat. You're worse, so much worse!"
Before she could say more, Rudraksh firmly gripped her wrists and freed his collar from her grasp with a sudden jerk. "This is your first and last mistake," he warned coldly. "Never try to cross this line again. And as for me being bad, you haven't seen anything yet. If you ever witness my true cruelty, there won't be anything left for you to see. I'm not a devil, Haya DeewanâI'm a beast. And it would be best for you to stop making the mistake of provoking me."
He added with a smirk, "And get rid of this little fear of yours. Because my family keeps forcing you to be with me everywhere, and I don't just enjoy fast drivingâit's my passion. Got it?"
Saying this, he roughly pushed her away, adjusted his clothes, and stepped out of the car. The guards who had been following him quickly approached. "Sir, is everything okay?" one of them asked cautiously.
Rudraksh shot him a glare. "Don't come inside the hotel unless I call for you. Stay outside." With that, he walked to the side and stood silently.
When Haya didn't step out of the car for a long time, Rudraksh let out a deep sigh, opened the car door, and said sarcastically, "Do you need flowers here? Or should I send an invitation?"
Without saying a word, Haya got out of the car. Thankfully, there were no media personnel inside, as they were all waiting outside the hotel. Rudraksh strode toward the hotel entrance when suddenly someone hugged him from behind.
Both Haya and Rudraksh were startled. Turning around, Rudraksh found Sofiaâa woman in a very short dressâsmiling at him. "You didn't tell me, but I found out! So I came myself. How was the surprise?" she said cheerfully.
Annoyed, Rudraksh pushed her away angrily. "Behave yourself, Sofia! I'm outside right now. How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from me?"
"But Rudraksh..." Sofia began softly, but he cut her off with a sharp tone. "Oh, Sofia, good that you're here. Now my forced wife will have company too." Saying this, Rudraksh turned to look at Haya, who was standing silently, watching them.
Haya calmly replied, "No problem, Mr. Rudraksh. I don't need anyone's company. I've always walked alone, so you can give your girlfriend company instead of me."
Little did innocent Haya know that this wasn't the kind of party she was imagining. She thought it would be something like those shown in moviesâwhere rich people gather to indulge in drinks and luxury, and she could quietly sit in a corner, unnoticed. But whether or not that was going to happen, she had no idea.
Meanwhile, Rudraksh, enraged by Haya's words, began striding toward her with a dark intensity in his eyes.
What's going to happen at this party?
What's in store for Haya?
To find out, stay tuned to "The Devil's Sweet Sin."