Ms. Kapoor's Redemption
Ms. Kapoor, who had witnessed the parents' shame-driven fury and heard Shyan's vile accusation, finally broke. She had seen enough. The moment Roo, even in her drunken delirium, turned her rage on the system that had failed her—on the Manager who was supposed to protect her—Ms. Kapoor realized the depth of the tragedy.
Her voice, usually cool and controlled, cracked with absolute authority. "Enough!" she commanded, stepping fully into the room.
She looked directly at Shyan, whose smirk vanished instantly. "Mr. Shyan, you are claiming assault and adultery. You have violently trespassed into a guest's private space. I have confirmed your accusations are false. You have ten seconds to leave this room and this floor, or I will personally contact the city police and have you arrested for aggravated assault, property damage, and false reporting. I will not tolerate this violation of my guest."
She didn't wait. She pulled out her radio. "Security. I need two uniformed officers and the head of security on this floor immediately. Code Black. Remove all unauthorized persons from the premise."
The threat of the police and the security detail was immediate and crushing. The parents, terrified of the public legal scandal that would overshadow the cheating rumor, immediately grabbed Shyan.
"Shyan, we're leaving! We'll handle this! She's drunk! She's hysterical!" Roo's father hissed, maneuvering his future son-in-law out the door. Shyan, realizing the situation had passed his control, allowed himself to be dragged out, pausing only to direct one final, venomous look at Roo.
The door swung shut, leaving Ms. Kapoor alone with the sobbing, cursing girl and the stunned hotel medic.
Ms. Kapoor walked slowly to the bedside table. She picked up the discarded gold jewelry, placing it gently on the table. She looked down at Roo, who was now weeping uncontrollably into the pillow.
"Roo," Ms. Kapoor said softly, abandoning her professional facade completely. "I apologize for the intrusion. I failed to keep your secret safe." She placed a small, foil-wrapped packet of high-dose sobering medicine and a bottle of mineral water next to the jewelry. "Take these. And this." She quickly scribbled a note with her personal mobile number. "Call me. Not the desk. Me. If you need anything. Don't take calls from them."
She gave the medic a sharp look. "We are leaving now."
The Manager's Hope
As the door clicked shut, sealing Roo back into her silence, Ms. Kapoor pulled the medic away. She led him far down the corridor, ensuring they were out of earshot of the retreating family members.
Her professional mask crumbled, replaced by a look of profound, exhausted pity. "Did you see that, Doctor? The contempt? The performance?" she muttered under her breath.
She despised the family with a sudden, fierce intensity. She saw Roo—beautiful, intelligent, and fiercely brave (she knew exactly what had happened to Shyan's crotch) and thought of the cruel fate awaiting her. She hated the system that forced such a radiant spirit into a gilded cage.
God, she thought, her hands gripping her radio tightly. That girl. She deserves so much more than these shallow, cruel parasites.
A vivid, highly specific image flashed through her mind: the memory of her own quiet, powerful Boss—Lav. Lav, with his deep, melancholic eyes and the profound loneliness he carried. Lav, who was respectful to the lowest staff member and treated his dog with more tenderness than most men treated their wives.
If only... The thought was reckless, a ridiculous notion planted by the drama of the night. If only that kind, honest man, with his quiet power and his wealth, could see her. If only she could marry a man like him. They are both so lonely. They would save each other. The thought was selfish, hopeful, and entirely unprofessional, but it offered a tiny, warm flicker of justice in the dark, cold night.
The Return to the Mask
Meanwhile, the two families were regrouping. Roo's father was shaking with a rage that was carefully controlled. "The Manager is a fool. She will regret this. But Shyan, listen to me."
He put a firm, controlling hand on Shyan's arm. "You were right. She was cheating. But we cannot tell the world this now. It is a dishonor we cannot afford. We will blame the alcohol and the stress. We will tell everyone you overreacted because you love her so much."
He promised Shyan, his voice dripping with false contrition: "I will bring her to your house tomorrow, after she sobers up, and she will apologize to you and your parents for her hysteria and her assault. We will end this. Now, clean yourself up. We are going back downstairs, and we will smile, and nothing happened. You will look magnanimous, and she will look fragile. Do you understand?"
Shyan, calculating the immediate need to restore his social standing, nodded grimly. The accusation of cheating was now an internal truth for the two families, a secret tool of control. But for the public, the mask was required.