Khushi took a jalebi from her taala and opened her mouth. Before the jalebi could reach her mouth, Arnav placed a peda in her mouth, thus breaking her fast for the second time..

Khushi froze at his act.

This is the second time he is breaking her fast. She felt her heart pick up its beat. She couldn’t spit it out, neither could she chew or swallow it. She was between the rock and a hard place.

She looked sideways and saw that annoying yet handsome smirk on his face and she felt herself losing her temper.

Khushi spat the peda out of her mouth and placed it in the corner of her taala, not wanting to throw it away on the sacred floor of the temple.

‘Devi maiyya, maaf karna. I know wasting food is a sin. But I know you will understand. He has made my life a living hell for the past six months. And now he is after me saying he is in love with me. My heart urges me to believe it and go after it. But the hurt part of my brain keeps telling me this could be another game to ruin me. To break me. Don’t let him break me, devi maiyya. Give your daughter all the strength to fight him’ She prayed, looking at the devi maiyya idol and took a bite of the jalebi in her hand and drank some water.

Arnav was too shocked by that. He hadn’t expected that. Khushi turned towards Arnav and shot a furious look at him.

“This is the second time you are breaking my fast, Mr Arnav Singh Raizada.” Khushi said and a small smile appeared on his face.

“Without my permission,” she added, wiping that smile off his face.

“Khushi..” Arnav began to speak, but Khushi didn’t let him.

“These acts mean nothing, Mr Raizada, when you don’t have my consent. Always remember that when you do such outrageous things. You breaking my fast, wouldn’t mean that I belong to you, when I don’t want to belong to you. So, from next time, think twice before you speak or act in front of me” Khushi warned him and walked away from there without waiting for his response.

He was too shocked to react for a moment.

Then a smile made its way to his face.

“Uff!” A husky sound escaped his lips.

‘Your spunk Khushi. Your fighting spirit. The way you look into my eyes and challenge me. How can I ever give it up? This is what is pulling me towards you like a moth to the flame’ Arnav thought to himself, as he watched Khushi make her way through the young girls and reach her family.

A beep of notification from his phone took his attention away from the lavender gorgeousness. He smirked when he saw the message and instructed Akash to take their sister home and left from there with a wild look on his face.

*****

Arnav walked into one of the oldest and abandoned warehouses his family owned in the outskirts of the city.

As he walked in, he was greeted by a well built man.

“ASR..” He extended his hand for a shake and Arnav briskly returned it.

“How many of them are there?” Arnav asked.

“Four” the other man responded.

“Where are they?” ASR asked and the other man smirked, before guiding him into another dark room. The only light was from a zero bulb hanging from the high ceiling.

Arnav could see the four figures hanging upside down in the room, through the dim light.

The man who led Arnav in eyed his helpers and they forcefully threw water at the unconscious figures. They came awake with a start.

“Who the hell are you? Why are you torturing us?” One of them screamed in pain, because it was not just water, but salt water they poured on them and every single injury on their body burned in agony.

“Arnav Singh Raizada,” Arnav’s booming voice echoed through the warehouse and it brought chills on the four thugs' bodies.

“Sheesh Mahal’s owner?” one of the thugs asked, still wondering what enemity does ASR have with them. They are small-time thugs from Lucknow. They have no connection with ASR.

“The one and only” Arnav said, again in that booming voice.

“What do you want from us?” Another one asked in agony.

It has been two days since they have been kidnapped from their colony in Lucknow and they were being tortured since then.

“This is for daring to touch my woman. And you will have to bear more” Arnav said and walked out from there, leaving them confused.

Who the hell is this man’s woman? They couldn’t figure out. And they have troubled a hell lot of women in Lucknow, but never in Delhi. Then how come? They were trying to figure out why their were being harassed.

The well built man walked out, following Arnav’s footsteps.

“Keep them alive, Sunny. I want them alive when presented before her” Arnav said and walked out from there.

Sunny watched the man in fascination. He has known ASR for years. He had been employed for various business related tasks. But never for a woman.

It is very clear from the wild look he saw in ASR’s eyes to know what this woman means to him.

Who is the Menaka who made the Viswamithra into a romeo who would even kill for love?

Arnav drove through the city, memories of him and Khushi flashing in front of him like a movie.

If only he hadn’t been a fool when he met her, she would have been his wife by now. He simply wasted more than six precious months and now the stubborn woman is following in his footsteps and wasting god knows how many more months…