Continue....

Sorry for the mistakes...

The blow never came.
Instead, Aanya felt herself being yanked backward, her arm gripped firmly yet protectively. The force spun her away from Ishaan's looming shadow and straight into the steady hold of another.

When her teary vision cleared, she saw him - Jay.

Upstairs in his room, Jay had been minding his own business when the shouts from below reached him. He came down just in time to witness Ishaan raising his hand at her. Without thinking, he had stepped in, pulling her toward him, away from the storm.

"Bhai! What are you doing?" Jay's voice was sharp, brimming with disbelief and anger.

Aanya was crying harder now, trembling so badly her shoulders shook with each hiccuping breath. Her sobs were small but broken - the kind that came from deep inside, from fear and humiliation.

"Jay, leave her! You don't know what she's done - you know nothing. Just... leave," Ishaan snapped, his chest heaving.

Jay's jaw tightened. "Maybe you're right - maybe I don't know what happened here. But whatever it is, it doesn't give you the right to raise your hand on her. No matter the reason." His voice was calm but laced with steel.

Ishaan's eyes flashed, and he took another step toward Aanya, fury simmering, but before he could reach her, someone grabbed him from behind.

"Ishaan, stop. What are you doing? Control yourself."
It was Arav, his voice firm, his grip unyielding. Something in Ishaan's body seemed to loosen at Arav's words, and the fire in his movements dulled slightly.

Still sobbing, Aanya choked out, "Sir... please believe me... I don't know how that file ended up in my room. I didn't change anything. Please... believe me."

Arav's gaze shifted between her tear-stained face and Ishaan's tense expression. "Ok, calm down. We'll find out the truth - I promise." Then, turning back to Ishaan, he added in a tone that brooked no argument, "You - come with me. Now."

He didn't wait for a reply. He simply took Ishaan by the arm and steered him out, his presence a wall between them.

The maids, who had been frozen in the hallway, exchanged uneasy glances before scattering back to their duties. The charged air began to thin.

Jay guided Aanya toward the bed, making her sit. He pressed a glass of water into her trembling hands. "Please... calm down. Don't cry anymore," he murmured. But she couldn't stop - the tears kept coming, accompanied by whispers under her breath: I didn't change the file... I didn't change it...

Jay knelt slightly so his eyes were level with hers. "Look, I don't know what happened, but for now... just breathe. We'll talk after you calm down."

Gradually, her sobs softened into sniffles. She took a sip of water, wiping her swollen face with the corner of her dupatta. Her eyes were raw and red, her cheeks and nose flushed crimson, lips trembling like they might give way to tears again.

Jay stayed close, watching her with a mix of concern and quiet curiosity. Then, breaking the silence, he said, "Alright... will you tell me now what happened?"
When she hesitated, he smiled faintly. "But first - tell me your name."

She blinked, almost confused by the question. "Aanya," she whispered between shaky breaths.

"Okay, Miss Aanya-" Jay began, but she cut in, shaking her head quickly.

"Call me Aanya Di," she said softly, almost shyly. "My brother is about your age, and he calls me that... you can too." Her voice wavered, but there was something almost childlike in the way she said it.

Jay's lips curved into a small chuckle at her instinctive formality. "Alright then... Aanya Di."

His tone was light, but his eyes were serious when he asked, "So... what was all that about? What file was Bhai talking about?"

Aanya's chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. She drew in a deep breath before answering, her voice trembling. "I... I don't know. I was in my room when suddenly... he started calling for me. When I came out, he began shouting, asking about some file... accusing me of changing it. I kept telling him I hadn't, but he wouldn't believe me. I don't even know what file he was talking about..."

"I don't know how that file came into my room, Jay. Please... believe me. I didn't do anything. I didn't change the file," Aanya said between hiccups, her voice trembling like glass about to shatter.

Her words faded, but the helplessness lingered in the air, thick and suffocating - the kind of helplessness that comes when you're trapped in someone else's storm with no place to stand.

Jay's gaze softened. "Okay... maybe that file was really important, that's why my brother reacted like that. I'm sorry-on his behalf," he said gently.

Aanya shook her head quickly. "No... why are you apologizing for someone else? I'm sure he doesn't even care. He just... got another chance. Another chance to hit me. If next time something happens, the slap that didn't land today... will definitely land then." Her lips trembled as she said it, bitterness laced with pain.

Jay stepped closer, his tone firm but kind. "No. Nothing like that will happen. I'll talk to my brother. You just... rest now, okay?" He gave her a reassuring look before getting to his feet.

Aanya watched him take a step toward the door. Something in her chest tightened. She stood up abruptly. "Thank you, Jay... you're... you're very kind. Not at all like your brother," she said quietly.

Jay's lips curved into a faint smile. "That's not true. My brother isn't a bad person at heart. It's just... certain things happened that made him this way. Otherwise, he's actually a very grounded, understanding man." He glanced at her one last time before leaving.

Aanya stood frozen in the doorway, watching his retreating figure until he disappeared from sight. Her thoughts swirled like a restless storm. What could have happened? Should she ask Jay? Maybe... maybe he would tell her what happened a month ago...

Meanwhile...

In the dimly lit study, Arav poured two glasses of water-one for himself, one for Ishaan-before shutting the door behind them. Ishaan paced like a caged tiger, his fists clenching and unclenching.

"Breathe, Ishaan," Arav said firmly, stepping in front of him. "You need to calm down before you do something you regret."

Ishaan stopped pacing but his chest still heaved with unspent fury. "Calm down? You saw that file, Arav! It was in her room. In her room! How am I supposed to believe that's a coincidence?"

Arav's voice dropped, deliberate and steady. "And how are you so sure she's the one who put it there? You think I don't know you? You're angry, yes-but anger clouds judgment. You can't just decide she's guilty because the file was found in her room."

"She's a Verma," Ishaan spat, the name tasting like venom. "Her entire family is-"

"Enough!" Arav's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "You keep holding onto the past, and it's poisoning every decision you make now. Not everyone is the same, Ishaan. You're not the man who jumps to conclusions without proof... or at least, you didn't use to be."

For a moment, silence filled the room except for the muffled sound of a clock ticking on the wall. Ishaan's breathing slowed slightly, but the fire in his eyes hadn't faded entirely.

Arav placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "We'll find out the truth. Together. But until then, control yourself. If you hurt her without reason, you'll regret it-and trust me, that regret will eat you alive."

Ishaan looked away, his jaw tightening. "Fine. But if she's lying-"

"Then you'll have proof," Arav interrupted. "Not just suspicion."

The room fell quiet again, tension still lingering like smoke after a fire.

The night passed in an eerie silence.
Ishaan didn't step out of his room.
Aanya didn't either.
Only Jay and Jiya had dinner together, exchanging a few quiet words before retreating to their rooms.

The mansion felt unnervingly still-so still, it was as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.
But somewhere, in some dark corner of that vast house, a faint voice whispered through a phone call... a voice no one else could hear.

Unknown voice: "You did your job properly, didn't you?"

Other voice: "Yes, sir. I executed it perfectly."

Unknown voice: "No one should suspect you."

Other voice: "They won't, sir. Rest assured."

Unknown voice: "Good. You didn't leave any proof, did you? Because he will try to dig out the truth."

Other voice: "No, sir. I erased everything. No one will know a thing. Don't worry."

Unknown voice: chuckling darkly "Good... let's see what he can do now. And how she manages to escape my trap."

A low, menacing laugh echoed through the line before the call abruptly ended.

Once again, the mansion returned to its deep, suffocating silence.
No one inside had the faintest idea that their every move was being watched... and that someone, somewhere, was playing a dangerous game with them.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Hello lovelies,
So here's today's chapter!