~THE LUSCIOUS AFFECTION~

I looked at Saransh—his eyes filled with a million questions but his presence steady like always. Then I turned to Raavi. She gave me a subtle nod, a signal only the two of us understood.

Without another word, I pulled out my phone and made the call. My voice calm, cold, decisive.

“Keep the Paradise Room ready by tomorrow.”

Next Day

The air was heavier than usual, the kind of silence before a storm. I decided Saransh would come with me—this wasn’t just my truth anymore, it was ours. The case had his blood laced into it, his past stitched to its core.

As we stepped into the headquarters, every bodyguard turned their head. Some in shock, some in silent curiosity.

Mr. Agnihotri, walking beside me like the king he never asked to be. I looked at them all and simply said, “He’s safe.”

(Chal toh aisa rha hai jaise mai nahi yehi yaha ka head hai, joh bhi bolo iski yehi ada pe mai kurbaan hu! Are pagal... aise serious time pe yeh sab sochri hai sharam kar sharam!)

That was enough. No one dared to question further.

Just then, Pratyush appeared from the hallway shadows, sharp-eyed as always. He leaned closer and whispered something in my ear, words that struck like the snap of a trigger.

I nodded once and turned to Saransh.

“Come,” I said.

And with that, we made our way toward the Paradise Room—a place that looked soft and serene on the outside, but inside… it only held the kind of truths that tore lives apart.

I noticed Saransh staring at the ornate door, his brows slightly knitted as he read the beautifully crafted plaque that said “Paradise Room.” The irony wasn’t lost on me.

I smirked and stepped ahead, brushing my fingers along the edge of the doorframe. “Don’t always judge a book by its cover, Mr. Agnihotri,” I said softly, almost like a warning cloaked in velvet.

He looked at me, still unsure—and then the door creaked open.

The room welcomed us with a silence so chilling, it almost roared. The air inside felt heavier, like it held the screams of a thousand secrets. Saransh’s eyes widened, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

His gaze scanned the walls—lined with instruments of pain, devices engineered not to kill, but to make one wish for death. Ropes, blades, cuffs, syringes… things straight out of a nightmare, methodically arranged like artwork.

The Paradise Room was never meant to soothe. It was meant to reveal.

Saransh looked at me like he’d never truly seen this side of me before.

I turned to him, my expression unreadable. “This is where truth bleeds, Mr. Agnihotri… and tonight, we’re going to paint the floor with it."

Saransh sat beside me, still dazed, the word “first guest” echoing in his mind, but he didn’t ask—maybe out of trust, maybe out of curiosity. Either way, I liked the silence.

The room was full—Raavi, Anaya, Gunjan, Pratyush, and all our top bodyguards. I made sure everyone was seated comfortably, even handed them popcorn with a wicked grin. “Enjoy the show,” I said with a glint in my eye. “Today, I perform. You watch.”

Saransh raised an eyebrow, amused yet unsure. I could feel his gaze on me, studying me, trying to match this Pakhi with the one he made breakfast for this morning. But this was a different version of me. One born out of betrayal, loss, and a hunger for truth.