Om and Anshika's breaths were running wild, fast and uneven, as if they had both been sprinting without moving an inch. They could feel each other's warm breath brushing against their skin, sending a strange kind of electricity through their bodies. Their hearts weren't just beating—they were racing like bullet trains, loud enough that it felt like the other person could hear every single thump.
And for reasons neither of them fully understood… neither of them wanted this moment to end.
They were lost in it.
Completely.
Their faces were inches apart, their lips just about to meet, a soft, tender kiss only a heartbeat away—
—and then suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke the silence.
Like a spell shattering.
In the very next second, both of them pulled away from each other as if reality had yanked them back. Om blinked, snapping back to his senses, quickly straightening himself as his eyes shot toward the door. Anshika, equally shaken, looked around in a hurry, trying to gather herself.
And just then, Sharda walked into the hospital ward.
She stopped for a second.
Her eyes moved from Om to Anshika… and then back again.
Something was off.
She could see it clearly—both of them avoiding eye contact, both breathing a little too fast, and those unmistakable red flushes on their cheeks. It didn't take much for her to piece things together. A knowing smile slowly formed on her face as she said,
"So… what's going on here? And Anshika, dear… why are your cheeks so red?"
Om immediately jumped in, almost too quickly, his words tumbling over each other in a rush,
"Nothing, Aunt… nothing at all! Anshika was just telling me to recover fast and get back to the office. You know how it is—nothing works properly without me there. She was just saying that if I keep trying to get myself killed like this, she'll have to handle the entire office alone!"
Sharda raised an eyebrow, pretending to be annoyed as she replied,
"Oh really? You do remember I'm your aunt, right?"
Then she turned her sharp gaze toward Anshika, her smile still lingering,
"And what would you like to say about those red cheeks of yours, dear?"
Anshika froze for a second, clearly flustered. She stumbled over her words, trying to come up with something—anything.
"Aunt… I… it's just… I mean… yeah! I'm not really used to strong air conditioning, and the AC here is on full, so maybe that's why my skin turned red! I'm not sure…"
Sharda simply smiled, shaking her head slightly, clearly not buying it.
And just when Anshika thought she had somehow escaped—
Om decided to make it worse.
"Oh really?" he said with a teasing grin. "I thought you spent your entire day sitting in AC at the office."
Anshika shot him a look—half annoyed, half embarrassed—before quickly turning back to Sharda.
"No, Aunt! He's lying. I never sit in strong AC… and even if I do, it's always on low!"
Sharda chuckled, clearly enjoying this,
"Alright… alright…"
But Om wasn't done yet.
He leaned back slightly, a playful spark in his eyes as he added,
"So you're saying full AC does this to you?"
Anshika narrowed her eyes at him but nodded anyway.
And that's when Om delivered the final blow, smiling like he had just won something,
"But the AC here is off… so what exactly caused this?"
For a moment, everything froze.
Anshika's eyes widened as she instinctively looked at the AC… then slowly turned toward Sharda—who was also looking at it now.
Panic hit instantly.
Without realizing it, Anshika bit down lightly on her finger, her mind scrambling for an escape. And when she looked back at Sharda, she saw that sharp, observant gaze locked right onto her.
"Aunt… I… I thought it was because of the AC, but it's actually… the heat! Yes, the heat! I can't tolerate heat very well, so that's why my skin turned red. Yeah… that must be it…"
There was a brief pause.
And then—
Sharda burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright, fine! If it's because of the heat, then I'll accept it. For a moment, I thought you two were blushing because of each other. I even thought you might like each other… honestly, that would've made me very happy. But fine, this excuse works too."
Her words broke whatever tension was left.
The next second, all three of them—Om, Anshika, and Sharda—laughed out loud, the awkwardness dissolving into something light and easy.
But that calm didn't last long.
Om's attention suddenly shifted toward the TV in the room, where a news anchor had just started speaking.
"Good evening, viewers. Welcome to the latest updates. We've just received shocking information from our sources. In Delhi, the body of Bhadra—a known figure in the underworld and an associate of the dangerous don Bali and Mr. Singhania—has been found at the same underground location."
The room went silent.
The anchor continued, her voice steady but heavy with tension,
"From the condition of the body, it appears there was a violent confrontation. The victim was killed brutally… mercilessly. Recently, after undergoing surgery, Bhadra had been fitted with robotic arms and legs."
Om's expression slowly hardened.
"And just three days ago, in a mysterious late-night incident, both the infamous don Bali and Pratapgarh's illegal business tycoon, Mr. Singhania, died when their car exploded under unknown circumstances."
A pause.
"Are these deaths connected? Or is this all just a coincidence? Stay tuned as we uncover the truth behind these shocking events."
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Om, Sharda, and Anshika stared at the screen… completely stunned.
Something was happening.
Something big.
And deep down, all three of them could feel it—
This was just the beginning.