Page 164 of One Hellish Passion

“I should leave,” Maya said, putting a distance between them and neatening her Kurti before rushing out of Ranveer’s bathroom.

Ranveer recalled that Daadi and Maya’s mother were leaving for Jaipur that night since they couldn’t let Aman handle the wedding preparations alone. The two had insisted that Maya join them too when the couple had returned from the office that day, but Maya clearly stated that she would fly there with Ranveer the next day evening as he had some important work to take care of before heading to Jaipur.

**************

Two hours later

Bidding farewell to Garima and Daadi, who left for the airport that night, everything changed with the beep of Ranveer's phone – his expression, his eyes, and the hold he had on Maya’s hand.

“I need to take this call,” he muttered. Without waiting for her response, he slipped away into his bedroom. Maya was surprised, but she didn't want to intrude. This man handled tremendous work pressure, sparing her from unnecessary botherations.

“Ma'am, this just came for you and Sir,” Laura said, pointing to a gift box on the table before leaving.

Maya's curiosity piqued as she went to examine it. “A wedding gift?” She turned the box, looking for a tag with the sender's name.

Ranveer finished his call and came over. “Who sent it?”

“I don't know. There was no name. Just this note.” She handed him the small card.

It read simply: 'Wish you both a challenging married life.'

The ominous note put them on edge.

“Laura,” Ranveer called. She rushed back in. “Who delivered this?”

“It came this evening. Since it cleared security checks, I accepted the mail delivery.”

Ranveer gritted his teeth realizing who had sent this and took the box from Maya and tore into the gift wrap aggressively. Maya frowned at his rough handling. Was he never gentle? Inside was a photo of Maya that made her blood run cold. It was from the fake auction Ranveer had staged to scare her from modeling - the event that had shattered her confidence for years.

Ranveer crumpled the picture, seeing her distress. “How did they get this?” she demanded.

He clenched his jaw tensely. He'd never expected their private past to become accessible. “I don't know.”

“You don't know?” she snapped. “You arranged this. These were your people, you said. So, who would go against you now?”

“Maya.” He moved closer but she recoiled.

“Don't. Just don't,” she said sharply. “Do you understand what this means?” she asked. “Someone knows your dirty secret. They'll use it to ruin us, our marriage. What if Mumma and Daadi find out?”

Ranveer gripped her arms, pulling her against him. “Calm down, just breathe,” he soothed.

She buried her face in his chest, trying to steady her panic nerves. Recollecting the memories of that incident was difficult for her. She had never felt such weakness prior to that horrifying event. Despite it all being fake - the auction, the presence of other girls, the so-called high society people pretending to be prospective customers eyeing the models - she now knew the truth. However, on that day, it all felt real to her, happening in that very moment. The incident had frightened her to the core, and even now the terror of it still shook her.

“This is my fault,” Ranveer admitted regretfully. “I shouldn't have played with your dignity like that. I don't know what possessed me when I heard Kunal was planting a woman to fake loving me for money. I should have targeted him, not you.”

Maya clung to him tightly, the old hurt surging up. This Malik-Ranveer feud had ruined her career over a misunderstanding. Whose fault was it really - Kunal's for his offer, Ranveer's for his assumption, or her fate?

Ranveer pulled back and cupped her face, meeting her eyes earnestly. “I can't change the past, though I wish I could. But I promise to never hurt you again. I've apologized, and will do that every day if needed. Just please don't cry.”

Unable to stay angry, she wiped her tears and shook her head. Brushing her hair back, Ranveer told her his source had just informed him before receiving this box that reporter Cindy was trying to meddle with him again.

Maya remembered her from Dhruv's party, the one Ranveer had barred contact with. “Cindy?”

“Yes. I had spies track her after she met you. She was seen convincing a man to deliver this box,” Ranveer explained. “I'll handle it, just need to make some calls.”

He moved to walk away but Maya stopped him. “Tell me first - how is Cindy connected? Why would she blackmail you?”

Ranveer's jaw clenched again. “You look tired, rest while I sort this out,” he deflected.

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