FLASHBACK...!!!
KABIR POV WHEN AAIRA WAS ON HER PERIODS AND ISHIKA CAME TO THE CAFE (CHAPTER -10)
Then Ishika told me everything about Aaira ! How much she's suffering! And about her family member ! They don't deserve to be called as family! Bullshits
When I came to know about her family... something inside me sank.
Looking at Aaira, I felt a deep heaviness in my chest.
She had gone through so much at such a young age... things no one should ever have to face.
I didn't know everything yet... but what I knew was !
"I don't know what all you've been through..." I whispered under my breath. "But now I'm here."
I gently adjusted the blanket over her, making sure she was comfortable.
From now I'm here... I won't let anything hurt you."until I'm alive!
And for the first time that night, my resolve felt stronger than my confusion.
Ishika turned to me after a while.
"You should go, Kabir bhaiya. I'll stay with her," she said softly.
I didn't respond immediately.
My eyes were still on Aaira.
She was asleep-completely exhausted, her face pale, traces of pain still visible even in her rest.
Something about that... didn't sit right with me.
Leaving her like this felt wrong.
No... I don't want to leave.
The thought came uninvited.
And then another followed-quieter, but heavier.
Maybe... I won't be able to leave her anymore.
I exhaled slowly, my gaze lingering on her.
I didn't know if she would ever feel the same way.
Didn't know if she would ever trust me... or even accept me of what I'm...!
But one thing was clear in my mind-
I care about her.
More than I should.
And whether she likes it or not...
I'll protect her. From everything.
Even from myself, if it ever comes to that.
I was still lost in my thoughts when Ishika suddenly snapped her fingers in front of me.
"Hello? Where are you?" she teased.
I blinked, pulling myself back to the present.
Clearing my throat, I straightened slightly.
"Yeah... it's fine. I don't have anything urgent.
I'll stay."
A small smile formed on her face.
"Oh... so something is going on," she said, clearly amused.
I didn't react.
Just gave her a look.
She laughed softly. "Alright, alright. I get it."
Without saying anything more, she moved toward the bed and lay down beside Aaira, making sure she was comfortable.
I shifted to the sofa, opening my laptop.
There was an important meeting I had missed earlier in the evening.
But strangely...
It didn't feel important anymore.
Not tonight.
My attention drifted back to Aaira once again.
Even while working-
my focus wasn't really on the screen.
It was on her.
A sudden vibration in my pocket pulled me out of my thoughts.
I glanced once at Aaira-still asleep-before stepping outside the room to take the call.
"Speak," I said, keeping my voice low.
"Sir," the officer on the other end replied, urgency clear in his tone, "Kadir is planning something. A transaction. A girl."
My expression hardened.
"What kind of transaction?"
A brief pause.
"...She's very young, sir."
For a second, silence filled the space around me.
Then my grip on the phone tightened.
"I want every detail," I said, my voice turning cold. "Name, location, timing-everything. I don't care how. Find out."
"Yes, sir."
The call ended.
But the weight of it stayed.
I stood there for a moment, staring into the distance.
This... was exactly why I was still in this mess.
Why I hadn't walked away.
Why I couldn't.
My family may have built this empire-
but I was done being a part of its darkness.
The brothel network carried our name, our legacy.
Profitable. Powerful. Untouchable.
And that was exactly the problem.
Because no one wanted it to end.
Not other brothels. Not the system.
But I wasn't "everyone."
I was Kabir Rathore.
And I had already started the war.
Files had been submitted. Cases initiated. Legal pressure building slowly but steadily.
I wasn't just planning to weaken the system-
I was going to dismantle it.
Piece by piece.
There was one rule I had enforced within our brothels ...
No force.
No girl would ever be brought in against her will.
But Kadir...
He didn't follow rules.
He created fear.
Ran his network like a predator-buying, selling, trapping.
And I had made sure he was being watched.
A private investigative team. Every move tracked. Every deal monitored.
Still...
He kept slipping through.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair.
"This ends soon," I muttered under my breath.
One way or another.
When I returned inside, everything was quiet.
Aaira was still asleep.
Ishika beside her.
I sat back on the sofa, exhaustion finally catching up to me.
That night-
despite everything waiting outside-
I let myself close my eyes.
But even in sleep...
my war didn't stop.
The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual.
For a moment, I didn't move.
My gaze went straight to the bed.
Aaira was still asleep.
Peaceful.
Ishika was in the washroom, the faint sound of running water echoing softly in the room.
But my attention stayed on Aaira.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling directly across her face. The brightness made her shift slightly in her sleep, her brows knitting as if even the light was disturbing her fragile rest.
Without thinking, I got up.
Slowly, I walked toward her.
And then I stopped right beside the bed
-positioning myself between her and the sunlight, blocking it completely.
The harsh glow softened.
Her expression eased.
She relaxed again.
I stood there, watching her for a moment longer.
There was something about this... something dangerously calm.
A softness I wasn't used to.
A weakness I shouldn't allow.
"She's too young," I told myself silently.
"This isn't right."
But the thought didn't hold.
Not anymore.
Because the truth had already settled somewhere deeper-
I've fallen for her.
And denying it now felt pointless.
A sudden sound of the washroom door unlocking snapped me back.
I stepped away immediately and returned to the sofa, picking up my phone as if I had been there the entire time.
Ishika walked out a second later, drying her hands, completely unaware.
She came and sat beside me casually.
Before either of us could say anything, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
"Aaira's sister," she said.
Something about that made me look up.
"Put it on speaker," I said.
She nodded and answered.
The moment the call connected, a sharp, aggressive voice burst through-
"Where is Aaira?! Who is she with? What is she doing? Characterless girl-"
My jaw tightened instantly.
Ishika's expression changed too.
"Watch your language," she snapped. "Not everyone is like you."
But the voice on the other end didn't stop.
The accusations. The tone. The complete lack of concern-
Only judgment.
Only venom.
Something inside me snapped.
The way she was talking about Aaira...
Like she wasn't even human.
Ishika leaned forward slightly, her voice turning colder.
"Talk with respect. The way you're behaving-stop it right now. Otherwise-"
She didn't finish.
Then a mocking laugh came from the other side.
"Let's see," the voice said slowly. "Time will decide... who suffers."
And the call disconnected.
For a moment, I just stood there... stunned.
The words from the call still echoed in my mind.
Aaira's sister... the way she spoke...
My jaw clenched.
I couldn't even begin to imagine what Aaira must have gone through in that house. The kind of environment she lived in... the way she was treated...
It didn't sit right with me.
Not at all.
But right now-
I couldn't do anything about it.
Not yet.
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay composed.
Once she leaves for college... once she's out of that place...
I'll make sure she never has to go back.
I'll be there.
No matter what.
Just a few more days.
I turned to Ishika.
"Get something to eat from the café," I said, keeping my tone normal.
She nodded and stood up, walking out of the room.
The moment she left-
my phone rang again.
It was my detective officer call !
I stepped aside and answered immediately.
"Yes. What did you find?" I asked.
There was a pause on the other end.
"Sir... this isn't a normal transaction."
My expression darkened.
"Explain."
"It's personal," the officer continued. "Kadir wants the girl for himself. He liked her. He's buying her."
A cold silence settled inside me.
"What do we know about the girl?" I asked, my voice dropping.
"Not much, sir. But she's a student... preparing for NEET. And she's orphan...No strong family background. She lives with her aunty and uncle...! From what we gathered, her own institute teacher tipped Kadir about her."
For a second-
my heartbeat actually faltered.
NEET aspirant...
Something about that hit too close.
Too familiar.
Too dangerous.
"Has the deal been done?" I asked quickly.
"Not yet, sir. It's scheduled for today. Around fifteen lakh. He's already finalized it with her guardians."
My grip on the phone tightened.
Do you know her name? I asked
I have the rajput brothel form sir..! He replied
"Send me everything you have. Right now."
"Yes, sir."
The call ended.
I didn't move.
For a few seconds... I just stood there, staring at my phone.
A strange unease crept in.
I had handled cases like this before.
Saved girls. Filed complaints. Shut down operations. Given them a second chance at life.
This wasn't new.
And yet-
this time felt different.
Why?
The phone vibrated again.
A message.
Document attached.
My chest felt... tight.
I didn't know why.
But for the first time-
I hesitated.
Opening that file felt like stepping into something I wasn't ready for.
Still-
I tapped on it.
The document began downloading.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
My eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
And with every passing second...
I was scared because my intuition was screaming louder like what if it would be about aaira cozz neet student, institute and orphan ....! It was all somehow pointing directly on Aaira....! But no...! It can't happen !
that uneasiness turned into something worse.
Fear.
The file opened.
My gaze dropped to the name.
And in that moment-
everything inside me went still.
Aaira Roy.
No.
That wasn't possible.
My grip tightened around the phone.
My mind refused to process it.
Out of all the names in the world-
it had to be hers.
That was the moment everything changed.
Not just the case.
Not just the mission.
But me.
The moment I saw her name-
everything inside me froze.
Aaira Roy.
For a second, I just stared at the screen, as if reading it again would somehow change it.
It didn't.
A strange fear crept in-sharp, unfamiliar.
This wasn't just another case anymore.
This was... personal.
My gaze lifted slowly.
Aaira was still asleep.
Unaware.
Peaceful.
As if the world hadn't already decided her fate behind her back.
Something twisted inside my chest.
No.
I can't let anything touch her.
I turned away, running a hand through my hair, trying to think.
Options. Solutions. Control.
I had handled situations like this before.
I could hand her guardians over to the police.
Expose them.
End it legally.
But what would that change?
Nothing.
Aaira would still be left alone.
Still vulnerable.
Still a target.
And people like them-
they don't stop.
Not unless they're forced to.
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm.
Think, Kabir.
I could buy them off.
Pay them enough to disappear.
Make them sign a contract.
Ensure they never come near her again.
But even that-
was temporary.
Money doesn't change people like them.
It just delays the damage.
And I couldn't risk that.
Not with her.
My eyes drifted back to Aaira again.
Still sleeping.
Still unaware of how close she was to being dragged into something far worse.
I clenched my fists.
She deserves a life.
Not this.
Not fear.
Not survival.
There was only one option left.
One that would end this completely.
Permanently.
But it wasn't easy.
Not for me-
and definitely not for her.
It would change everything.
Her life.
Her freedom.
Her choices.
I closed my eyes for a brief second.
Then opened them again.
Resolved.
Cold.
Certain.
If this is the only way to keep her safe...
Then I'll do it.
Even if she hates me for it.
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