Page 23 of One Hellish Love

“If you want to punish me, aim for my heart where it hurts the most.” He paused before gesturing toward his head. “Not my head,” he added.

Kashish felt the walls closing in around her, suffocating her with each passing second. She jerked her hand free, gripping the anklet tightly in her fist. Struggling to catch her breath, she spun on her heel and hurried out of the room, his words still echoing in the silence behind her.

CHAPTER 9

That night, Rudra couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to shake Kashish from his mind. Her presence clung to him, and the words he had said earlier echoed relentlessly. Had he hurt her with those remarks? All she wanted was a piece of jewellery—a simple anklet. Yet, it had spiralled into an intense confrontation. Did he just reignite the fire of vengeance burning inside her? But it had been necessary. Kashish needed to understand that she couldn’t insult him whenever and however she pleased. There were boundaries, even at work. Still, he knew how dangerous she could be when it came to revenge. He had to stay cautious—she could pull this kind of stunt again, and next time, it might be worse.

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The next morning, Rudra noticed the chaos as party organizers hurried around the mansion, preparing for the evening’s event. It seemed Daadi was serious about the welcome party, despite his clear disinterest.

“Rudra, look at this suit. I want you to wear it tonight,” Daadi said, holding up a dark black suit—perfectly matching his taste.

“You didn’t need to go through the trouble, Daadi,” Rudra replied, though he was far from excited.

“Of course I did! You’re my grandson. I missed doing these things for you all these years,” Daadi said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

There it was again—those years of distance, of separation, where Rudra had cut himself off from everyone. Those years when he hid from his family, his pain, and himself. Daadi sensed his unspoken tension and quickly shifted the conversation.

“Shekhar ordered your favorite vanilla fruit cake for tonight,” she added, trying to lift his spirits.

Rudra kept walking, the whole idea of the party sounding like a childish attempt to celebrate what was no longer worth celebrating. But Daadi followed closely, refusing to let him escape her enthusiasm.

“Will you be on time? Or should I send someone to drag you here?” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

As they walked past the dining room, Rudra caught sight of Kashish. She was laughing with Shekhar and Anjali, her smile lighting up the room. The sight made his chest tighten. He could never make her laugh like that—not around him.

“Do you have any special guests you want to invite to the party?” Daadi asked innocently.

Yes.Her. Rudra nearly spoke the thought aloud, wanting Kashish to hear it too. But he swallowed the dangerous words. Inviting her would be asking for trouble—Kashish Bedi was capable of turning the night into chaos. Thankfully, his phone rang, saving him from answering Daadi’s probing questions. As he walked away, Daadi muttered something under her breath, clearly worried.

Anjali noticed Daadi’s concern. “What’s wrong, Daadi?” she asked.

“I just hope he makes it to the party tonight. He doesn’t seem interested,” Daadi admitted, her voice heavy with disappointment.

“He’ll come,” Shekhar reassured her. “There’s no reason for him to back out now.”

But Daadi’s gaze flickered toward Kashish. If Rudra chose not to attend, it would be to avoid her.

Kashish, clearly overhearing, set her cup down. “I’ll be out of the house the entire evening, Daadi. You have nothing to worry about.” Her voice was firm, her message clear. She wasn’t going to welcome Rudra. She stood up, meeting Daadi’s gaze, then turned to leave. “I’m getting late.”

Shekhar got up too, following her. “Wait, we’ll go together.”

Kashish hoped he meant just the two of them. After all, why would Shekhar ever invite Rudra along to ruin their morning? But as they reached the car, they discovered both tires were flat.

“This is impossible. One flat tire I can understand, but two?” Kashish’s voice was filled with suspicion.

Shekhar frowned. “Yeah, I just had the car serviced. Anyway, we’ll take the other one.”

He was about to call Mohan, their driver, when the screeching of an SUV echoed through the driveway. Rudra’s SUV. No way. Kashish couldn’t believe her rotten luck. Though Rudra sat in the backseat, it still meant being in the same car as him. The thought alone suffocated her.

“Rudra, heading to the office?” Shekhar asked.

“Yeah,” Rudra replied, glancing briefly at Kashish. “Get in, both of you.”

His tone left no room for argument—it was a command, not a suggestion. Rudra rolled up his window but not before catching Kashish’s uncomfortable expression. She reached for Shekhar’s hand, desperate for an escape.

“I’ll call a cab. You go ahead without me,” she whispered, refusing to give in to this situation.

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