Mumbai â Club
Falak asked softly, "Max, where has my brother gone?"
Hearing her question, Max replied in a calm tone, "I don't know where he is, but his order is to drop you home."
Falak, now irritated, crossed her arms and glared at him. "He is my brother, and my sister-in-law is with him. It's my right to know where they are. Tell me!"
Max, now slightly frustrated, sighed. "Falak, let's go home. I told you, sir has ordered me to drop you off."
Falak knew very well that Max treated her like his own little sister and was always protective of her. That's why, even though she was angry, she took a deep breath and nodded.
"Fine. Let's go," she said softly before getting into the car.
Max took the driver's seat, started the engine, and drove off into the night.
Jungle
Haya's frustration finally reached its peak as she snapped at Rudraksh.
"What exactly do you want, Rudraksh? Why won't you let me live in peace?"
Rudraksh, who was already irritated, turned to her with dark, intense eyes.
"You don't let me live in peace either, Haya Diwan. And let me make one thing clearâmy mind is already in chaos because of you. If you push me any further, you'll be responsible for whatever happens next."
With that, he got into the car, completely ignoring Haya's fuming presence beside him.
After a long silence, Haya hesitantly spoke, her voice laced with disbelief.
"So, this means I'll have to spend the entire night here with you?"
Rudraksh leaned back, his expression unreadable.
"If you want to become a wild animal's dinner, you're free to sit outside. It won't make any difference to me."
Saying this, he pulled out his phone and started checking something, completely engrossed in it.
A few moments later, he heard a soft, almost inaudible sound from Haya. His gaze immediately flickered toward her.
"What?" he asked.
Haya quickly shook her head, dismissing whatever it was. She then pulled his jacket tighter around herself, trying to seek some warmth. That's when Rudraksh's eyes landed on her handâa thin trail of blood oozing from a fresh wound. His jaw tightened as he noticed the faint marks on her face too.
It didn't take him long to understand that those men had slapped her. The realization sent a wave of anger crashing over him, his hands clenching into fists. He didn't understand why it enraged him so much, but it did.
Taking a deep breath, he finally asked, his voice dangerously low, "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"
His gaze was now locked on her wounded hand as he put his phone away.
Haya, irritated by his sudden concern, rolled her eyes. "Should I have published it in a newspaper?"
Her sarcastic remark made Rudraksh snap. "Do you always have this habit of answering back, or is it just in front of me that your tongue works overtime?"
With that, he grabbed her hand, inspecting the wound closely. But Haya yanked her hand back in defiance.
Rudraksh exhaled sharply, suppressing the storm brewing within him.
Rudraksh looked at Haya once, and in the very next moment, he grasped her hand with intense force. His grip was so firm that no matter how much she tried, she couldn't free herself.
"What do you want, Rudraksh?" Haya whispered, her voice barely audible.
Rudraksh's sharp eyes locked onto hers as he replied, "I have no desire to come close to you, to touch you, or even to look at you."
Saying this, he began searching for something inside the car. Within seconds, he pulled out a pack of wet wipes from the glove compartment. Without another word, he carefully cleaned the blood from her wounded hand and applied some antiseptic.
Haya watched him intently, her gaze fixed on his every movement.
Noticing her staring, Rudraksh smirked slightly but didn't look up. "Staring at me like this won't make you any smarter, Haya."
Haya frowned, not understanding what he meant.
Seeing her confusion, Rudraksh spoke in a softer tone, "It's called common sense. You never know when you might need these things, which is why I always carry them."
Once he was done, he thoroughly wiped his own hands before inspecting her wound again.
"Don't cover it now," he instructed.
With that, he picked up his phone again, seemingly done with the conversation.
But Haya wasn't.
She continued observing him carefully. He never seemed like the person he pretended to be. He always acted indifferent, as if he didn't care, but the way he tended to her wounds, the way he spoke to herâthere was no anger, no irritation. It confused her.
And then, without warning, Rudraksh placed his phone down and leaned in, closing the distance between them.
"I know I look hot, but how long are you going to keep staring at me like that?" his deep voice sent a shiver down her spine.
Haya's breath hitched as she realized how close he had gotten. Before she could react, his gaze dropped to her lips, and slowlyâdeliberatelyâhe moved even closer.
Her heartbeat was erratic.
She felt herself losing control, and instinctively, her eyes fluttered shut.
But just when she thought their lips would touch, he suddenly pulled away.
Haya's eyes flew open in shock, only to find Rudraksh leaning back with a smug expression.
"See? This is what you wanted, right?" he taunted.
Embarrassment flooded through her, burning her cheeks. She hated how easily she melted into his words, how effortlessly he played with her emotions.
And worst of allâshe didn't even know why this always happened to her.
A devilish smirk played on Rudraksh's lips, as if he was thoroughly enjoying Haya's reaction, making the most of the situation.
Haya, embarrassed and frustrated, turned her face toward the window, choosing to look outside rather than at him.
Rudraksh, however, kept his gaze locked on her. His voice held an amused edge as he asked, "Even when such a hot guy is sitting this close to you, you'd still rather look outside?"
Haya turned back to him with an exasperated glare. "When I look at you, you have a problem. When I don't, you still have a problem! What exactly do you want?"
Rudraksh leaned back comfortably and, without hesitation, said, "You."
Haya's eyes widened as she snapped, "What?"
Rudraksh, completely unfazed, repeated in a calm tone, "I want you. Why? Is there something wrong with that?"
Haya let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her hair. "Look, Rudraksh, whatever game you're trying to play with me, just stop. I'm not interested."
Rudraksh chuckled, shaking his head. "And why would I play such a boring game, Haya Diwan?" His voice was steady, serious.
For the first time, Haya didn't have a response. She always had something to say, always countered his words with sharp retorts. But tonight, she was at a loss. Maybe because she was still recovering from what had just happened.
Wanting to change the topic, she muttered, "No one at home knows where we are. Mom must be worried. How are we going to inform her?"
Rudraksh didn't even look bothered. "Don't worry about that. Max will send a car in a while. We'll leave soon. And now, shut that mouth of yours and go to sleep."
Haya opened her mouth to argue but, for some reason, stayed quiet.
Jannat Villa
Everyone was seated outside when Falak arrived alone. The moment Mannat Ji saw her, she quickly asked, "Falak, where is Haya?"
Falak glanced at everyone before replying, "I don't know, Bhabhi. Bhai and Bhabhi had already left before I arrived. Max brought me home and told me that they had gone somewhere."
Hearing this, Veena stood up in concern. "What? How could he leave his sister alone like that?"
Arina, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke up. "Mom, don't you think maybe Haya had some problem, and that's why Rudraksh took her? Why else would he leave Falak behind? He even asked Max to take care of her."
Veena, still unconvinced, turned to Ishan and said, "Ishan, call Rudraksh and ask him where he is."
Ishan immediately dialed Rudraksh's number but sighed in frustration. "I think his phone is out of network, Mom. But don't worry, he'll be back soon. You don't need to stress over it."
With that, everyone exchanged a glance at Falak before silently heading to their rooms, leaving an uneasy silence behind.
As soon as Falak moved forward, Arina quickly stopped her, concern evident in her eyes.
"What happened, Falak? Why do you look so scared?"
At her words, Falak wasted no time and immediately hugged Arina tightly. "Bhabhi..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
Arina gently stroked her back and spoke in a soothing tone. "Calm down and tell me what happened. Why are you so afraid?"
Falak hesitated for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts, before she finally said, "Bhabhi... Haya Bhabhi..."
And with that, she told Arina everythingâhow she had taken Haya to the club, how Haya had called her multiple times, and everything else that had happened.
Arina listened carefully, her expression growing serious. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, "I just hope Haya is safe. I really hope nothing has happened to her."
Turning to Falak, she sighed. "You should have been more careful. She doesn't know much about this place yet."
Falak lowered her gaze, guilt washing over her.
Seeing her like that, Arina softened her tone. "Alright, go and rest now."
Falak gave her a lingering look before nodding and walking away.
As Arina returned to her room, her heart felt uneasy. No matter how much she tried to push the thought away, she couldn't shake off the worry that gripped her for Haya.
Jungle
After arguing with Rudraksh for what felt like hours, exhaustion finally took over Haya, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Rudraksh, however, remained wide awake, his sharp eyes fixed on her peaceful face.
His gaze never wavered, studying her closely, as if trying to understand something even he couldn't quite figure out.
Something was stirring in his mind, something he wasn't ready to accept yet.
What will Rudraksh do with Haya? What's going on in his mind?
To find out, read The Devil's Sweet Sin.