The courtroom was already filled when Aadhira entered . She wore black-not by choice , but because it fits the day's mood . Her heels clicked sharply against the polished floor as she walked , spine straight , expression unreadable. She was the first to arrive,as always controlled -calm , prepared.....
She laid out her files on the desk with sugical precision , her assistant whispering updates into her ear , but her mind was focused only on the case
She didn't flinched when the door creaked open.... But something shifted..
The air...
The temperature....
The weight of the room...
She felt it before she saw him...
Heavy foot steps echoed-slow, deliberate. They didn't rush . They announced..
Aashvik Divit Singhania entered like a storm in a silk suit. All black , sharp tailored. No tie. His short's top button open , the thick veins on his neck barely concealed. His presence drew every pair of eyes .Court staff froze . Even the judge paused mid -sentence.
He walked in like he owned room .
Hell-like he owned , the building
And he might as well have
Aadhira didn't look up right away ......But she felt the burn of his gaze -like it was cutting through her skin...
She turned slowly lifting her eyes and time stopped
Steel met Storm . ...
Fire meets Ice ..
Aashvik 's eyes were darker than she did imagined - not just in colour, but in the way they held fury , silence , violence.He looked her up and down once . Not with lust . Not with admiration
But with calculation...Aadhira didn't even blinked
She stared right back- cold, elegant,composed. She tilted her chin by a degree just enough to say:-
"I don't fear you"
Aashvik 's lips curved- not a smile , but the suggestion of one
It was almost mocking
Almost amused . ....
He walked to the defendant's table , slowly unbuttoning his coat , never breaking a eye contact with her
The room exhaled again once he sat , even silence seemed louder now
Aadhira finally turned back to her file . calm as ever but her hands , beneath the desk , clenched once
This man.... Was just dangerous..
He was delibrate and he wasn't here to lose
The judge called dthe court ,to order , voice echoed off the high , silent walls
Both legal team stood , Aadhira was calm, eyes steady as she approached the centre , Aashvik remained seated at first, watching her like a beast at rest-not sleep
The with the slow grace of someone who owned time itself he rose
Their shadows stood inches apart..
The air between them hummed with something electric. Something dangerous
Aadhira began , her voice precise practised- but never cold
"Your honour , my client seek immediate investigation into the offshore transactions conduct under Singhania's Corporation over the past 8 years. We have documented evidence suggesting money laundering, illegal trade contracts and consealments of assets under false shell entities"
Her words landed like a blow- each one sharp,poised,unshakable
She slid the file onto the judge's bench-neat , clean , unshakable
Aashvik chuckled softly under his breath
The courtroom turned to him .. he stepped forward -hands in pockets , like he wasn't in a courtroom but his own private kingdom
"Your honour" he began ,voice soothing as whiskey laced with poision "for a lawyer , so elegant , Miss malhotra wasted no time hurting accusations without fully understanding the game she's playing"
He turned slightly towards her-not enough to violate protocal , but enough to make it personal
"Tell me Counsel" he said voice low "is this courtroom your battlefield??! Or is it your sanctuary from The real World where men like me thrive"
Gasps rippler softly across the room ...
Aadhira didn't even flinch ..
She smiled - just slightly.It was not sweet but it was lethal
"Mr Singhania"she said evenly , her tone like silk over Steel , "I don't need a battlefield,I win war without even bleeding"the way she leaned it , just a fraction, her gaze slicing into his.
And in this room"she added " you bleed on paper, Quietly, Publicly"
Aashvik jaw flexed just slightly . But behind his composed expression,
Something had shifted. He was used to fear
To compliance
To people folding....
Aadhira Malhotra was not folding .The judge cleared his throat , pulling them both back into the formal rhythm of court. The tension was broken-officially
But everyone in the room knew it had just begun....
This wasn't just law .
This was personal..
This was war..
And it was only the first round
The courtroom had emptied but Aashvik remained seated long after the judge adjourned the session
The others heas put quickly - his lawyer whispering nervously. , Kushan waited by the door-but Aashvik didn't budge
His eyes were still fixed on the spot where she'd stood ...
Aadhira Malhotra
Her name throbbed in his mind like a haunting rhythm- elegant and biting, sharp and poised , untouched by fear..
She looked him in the eye........ And smiled . She hasn't just challenge him-she had dared him
He rose slowly , hands slipping into his pockets as he walked to where she had stood at the centre of the courtroom. His gaze dropped to the floor , then to the bench where her hands had rested on her files.
He reached down , lifted a tiny strand of hair she did left behind- delicate, chestnut brown , barely visible-and twirled it between his fingers.
A ghost of smirk touch his lips "interesting" he murmured
Kushan finally stepped closer" Boss you want us to deeper into her??! Family, past cases , pressure points-"
"No" Aashvik turned , folding the strand carefully into his jacket pocket.
"I don't want her ruined" he said softly, his voice dark with something deeper than rage "I want her undone ...."
He walked out of the court room , not with Fury but with something colder..
He did not just want to win the case... He wanted to see her flinch
To watch the cracks in her armor...
To find whatever made her soft-and press until it broke
Because Aadhira Malhotra had become more than a name on a file..
She was a problem
A fascination....
A fire he could not look away from...and Aashvik Divit Singhania had never been to walk away from flames
She stepped out of the courtroom,her heels clicking sharply across the marble corridor about follow up documents and media waiting outside
She stepped out of the courtroom,her heels clicking sharply across the marble corridor about follow up documents and media waiting outside
She heard none of it... Har mind was still inside that courtroom
Still locked on him--Aashvik Singhania
She had read about him in flies... She had seen the photos, the articles , the whispers written between headlines
But no amount of research could have prepared her for his presence
That man did not walk-he arrived
He did not speak- he measured destruction with his voice....... And yet she had not looked away
She did faced corrupt CEO'S , indicative politicians , even cartel-link businessman. None of them had gotten under her skin
He just looked at her- and it felt like he did already memorized how she breathes
She pushed through the exit doors, sunlight flooding her face. The city noise grounded her-the honks,the buzz , the Chaos of normal life. But even in the sunlight her skin still rememberd. His gaze . It was like walking out of a lion cage with her heartbeat still echoing in her ears
Her assistant caught up to her , Bubbly, warm and wide- eyed as always
"You slayed boss . Seriously did you see his face??! That little smirk?! He did not expect you to hit back like that in court"
Aadhira give a faint smile" he will expect it the next time"
Arya grinned " you have definitely rattled him" but Aadhira wasn't sure .
He had not looked rattled
He looked........... Interested
Predators did not panic when pray barked.. they just watched. Calculated
Aadhira reached her car and slide into the backseat. As Arya started the engine she stared out of the window , her fingers drumming lightly on her file
Inside the court room , she had owned the law. The evidence , the structure , the procedure- all hers
But Aashvik had walked in and bent the air around himself. He made the rules feel like guidelines. Like suggestions
And that smile..... It had not been arrogant. It had been patient. Curious
She hated that it lingered in her mind. She hated even more that it made her chest feel tight.
Aadhira closed her eyes briefly and whispered to herself , almost like a prayer
He's Just another name on a file...
He is not different...
He is not dangerous...
But even as she said it, she know it was not true.. because monsters where many faces and Aashvik Singhania wore his too well
Back at her apartment. Aadhira stood by the window:-
Rain streaked down the glass. Her files were open, untouched. Her reflection Stared back at her-composed, successful, alone.
Arya had long since gone home. The silence was thick
And her thoughts??! They were backing
Florence
She was seventeen again...
The night it happened...
She had returned early from a study group. The apartment was quite-earily so. No television , no music just the low humm of the radiator and thudding in her chest. She knew something was wrong the moment she stepped inside
The living room. Smelled of spilled wine and something sharper-metallic. She walked in, calling out softly, "Mamma??!"
Then she saw it ....
Her mother, was on the floor . Her silk dress soaked in red . One trembling hand reached towards the edge of the coffee table
Standing over her was her step father- Maulik Ahuja
He held a crystal decanter,blood clinging to its edges . His breath came in short, rage-fueled bursts , his knuckles white around the glass
Aadhira froze ..
Maulik turned ..
"She wouldn't shut up" he growled ,as if justifying it"said she was going to leave, take everything, take you"
He stepped forward..... She did not move.couldnt
"You think she was strong?! She wasn't . Just a weak little women who thought love could save her"
He tossed the decanter . It shattered near AADHIRA'S feet.
Then he came closer, gripping her chin with blooded fingers..
"Don't cry!! You are not allowed to cry not if you are going to survive in this world"
Tears welled up anyway
He pushed her back
"Be quiet. Clean the mess and forget it happened"
But she did not forget
She sat beside her mother body. Never let a man have power again.
By morning she did called the police. They found nothing. He had connections. He was gone before they arrived. The blood was scrubbef. The evidence erased. The case dismissed
And ...Aadhira was alone
But not helpless
She left Florence changed her name changed her future.
And every court room she stepped into was her vengeance....
Until Aashvik ..... Because for the first time in years she saw a man just as dangerous as the one who shaped her...And she did not know if she wanted to destroy him.... Or if she wanted to survive him
Or if she wanted to survive him
Aashvik did not slept that night..
He sat in the dark study of his Mumbai estate. A glass of whisky untouched on the Desk .his gaze locked on to the flickering footage of Aadhira Malhotra..
The court had cameras.Kushan had people.Now : he had her face on repeat. Her voice. Her words
"Shee does not even flinch "he muttered, taping a finger against the crystal rim
The woman in the footed was unreadable. Every angle. Every movement. Measured and controlled. Only made her more fascinating. Dangerous and tempting.
He leaned back in his chair , shadows dancing, across his sharp features. But they were there-etched in the lines around his eyes, the tension in his jaw. His world had taught him survival meant never showing softness
But AADHIRA. ............. She was different
She wore Steel like silk. And she did not need to raise a weapon to draw blood .
"She filed the injucation "Kushan confirmed, arms crossed" Her firm is acting on behalf of an NGO , but she is the one pulling the strings"
Aashvik tilted his head "so she wants to play saviour"
"She is good at it boss. Dangerous good. You sure you don't want me to....... Dig deeper"
He took a slow breath,then rose "
"Find out who funds that NGO and who benefits if Singhania cooperation crashes but leaves her out of it for now"
Kushan hesitated "Why??!"
Aashvik looked out of the window. The night thick with monsoon clouds..
"Because if she is going to be broken" his voice low "I will do it myself "
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