Page 25 of One Hellish Love

The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. Savitri’s face went pale, unable to believe someone had insulted her grandson so publicly. Rudra remained motionless, as if carved from stone.How had it come to this? How could a woman humiliate him so deeply, all because he didn’t let her touch him?

The woman stormed out of the party, leaving the guests in stunned silence. Savitri was too shocked to speak, but she knew she had to console Rudra. Still, one glance told her he wasn’t looking for comfort. He left the party without a word, brushing off everyone’s attempts to stop him. Shekhar and Anjali quickly apologized to the guests, but the damage was done. The party ended abruptly, and the only thing on everyone’s mind was whether Rudra would retreat back into the emotional isolation he had lived in for so long.

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The next morning, Rudra left for work early. Shekhar noticed that Kashish was gone as well, having sent a message that she had errands to run before heading to the office. As Rudra’s car pulled up at the entrance of the building, he noticed a familiar face getting out of another vehicle—her.The woman who had humiliated him last night. What was she doing here?

He followed her discreetly, keeping his distance, and soon discovered his answer. She embraced another woman dressed in a pink and white Anarkali—Kashish.

His blood ran cold. They knew each other?

Rudra edged closer, straining to hear their conversation.

“Thanks, Sheetal. The drama you pulled last night was incredible,” Kashish said, her voice filled with satisfaction.

Sheetal waved her off. “Come on, don’t thank me. You know I’m always with you. That’s what friends are for. You should’ve seen his face when I reminded him of his past.”

Kashish smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I was there. When I called you and saw you entering the house, I came down. I watched everything. You don’t know how deeply satisfying it was to see him humiliated like that, in front of everyone.”

Rudra’s fists clenched as he heard every word, his heart hardening with every syllable.

“But are you sure this won’t cause problems for you or your father?” Kashish asked in concern.

Sheetal laughed. “Never. That’s the privilege of being rich. We might not be as wealthy as the Rahejas, but we have enough power and influence. They can’t touch us.”

Kashish’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction, and she hugged Sheetal again. But when they pulled apart, they both saw Rudra standing there, his tall shadow casting over them.

Sheetal froze, terror flashing in her eyes, but Kashish remained unfazed. She had achieved her goal. If Rudra knew she was behind it all, so be it.

“Rudra... I...” Sheetal began, her voice trembling.

Kashish cut her off.

“Sheetal, you don’t owe him any explanation. You can leave.”

“But—”

“Leave,” Kashish repeated firmly, her gaze never leaving Rudra’s.

Reluctantly, Sheetal scurried off, leaving Kashish to face Rudra alone. She met his gaze with pride, stepping forward, unfazed by the storm brewing in his eyes.

“You said if I wanted to hurt you, I should strike here,” she pointed to her heart, “not here.” She pointed to her head. “Well, I did.”

Rudra’s fists tightened, fury coursing through his veins. He had always known Kashish was vengeful, but this... this went beyond anything he had expected.

CHAPTER 10

Satisfaction radiated from Kashish’s face as she relished the victory over her only enemy. She strode back to the elevator with a sense of triumph, while Rudra remained frozen in place, rooted to the parking lot. This act of hers—this calculated humiliation—was beyond anything he could have imagined. She had nurtured her hatred for him over the years, and now it was as venomous as ever. His body tensed, his fists clenching as he shut his eyes, inhaling deeply to regain control. She had the power to destroy him if that’s what she wanted.

The blare of a car horn snapped him back to his surroundings. Shaking off the feeling, he walked toward the office, forcing himself to redirect his energy into work. But no matter how hard he tried to focus on the meetings, her face kept invading his thoughts—thatsmirk, that devilish smile as she confessed her role in orchestrating the party disaster just to humiliate him. She had done it to drag him back into the past he was trying so hard to escape. The realization hit him like a storm: at this point in his life, pain, anger, and hatred were his only companions. He grabbed the paper in front of him and crumpled it in frustration, tossing it aside.

Lavina, who was leading the presentation, noticed the gesture. She could see the root of his anger, the reason for his distraction. The meeting pressed on, with the organizers raising questions and Shekhar and Lavina handling everything,shielding Rudra from the concerns. He remained lost in his own world, unable to snap out of it.

Once the meeting ended and the attendees cleared out, Lavina nodded toward Rudra, who was still locked in deep thought. Shekhar walked over, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Rudra?”

Rudra flinched at the touch, snapping back to reality.

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