The restroom door swung shut behind Sami.
The sharp scent of bleach still clung to his clothes.
To his hands.
To his thoughts.
His footsteps echoed through the empty office corridor, long and impatient.
He didn't stop.
He couldn't.
The image refused to leave him.
Leena.
Kneeling beside a toilet.
Yellow rubber gloves covering hands that were already swollen from chemicals.
Scrubbing stains while speaking to him as if she had nothing left to lose.
"You threw me back where I started."
The words repeated inside his head.
Again.
Again.
Again.
His jaw tightened.
He pushed through the office entrance and strode toward the parking garage.
The automatic doors slid open.
Morning light spilled across the concrete floor.
Without slowing down, he unlocked his car and climbed inside.
The engine roared to life.
His grip wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.
Too tightly.
His knuckles turned white.
The city blurred past the windshield as he drove far faster than he normally would.
Traffic lights.
Buildings.
People.
He barely noticed any of them.
All he could see—
were her hands.
Red.
Swollen.
Covered in chemical burns.
"I did that..."
The words escaped his lips before he realized he had spoken them aloud.
A sudden wave of frustration hit him.
His foot slammed onto the brake.
The tires screeched.
The car came to a violent stop in the middle of the nearly empty road.
His breathing became uneven.
For one long second—
everything was silent.
Then—
"BANG!"
His fist crashed against the dashboard.
"Fuck!"
His voice filled the car.
Raw.
Broken.
Not with anger at anyone else.
With anger at himself.
His phone vibrated.
The screen lit up.
Rajeev — Legal Department.
Sami answered immediately.
"What?"
"Sir..." Rajeev's voice sounded tense. "I think we should postpone tomorrow's press conference and the project launch."
Sami shut his eyes.
"Why?"
"It's getting worse."
"Social media?"
"No, sir."
"A rumor?"
"No."
Rajeev hesitated.
Then said quietly,
"The owner of the redevelopment land has officially filed a lawsuit against the company."
Silence.
Sami slowly opened his eyes.
"What?"
"The court accepted the filing this morning."
"Impossible."
His voice hardened instantly.
"I personally verified every ownership document."
"I know, sir."
"I checked every survey."
"I know."
"I signed every approval."
"I know."
Rajeev inhaled deeply.
"But whoever filed this case submitted original title deeds... government registration copies... tax records... even inheritance documents."
Sami stared through the windshield.
His mind immediately shifted.
Business.
Logic.
Evidence.
If those papers were genuine...
Then someone inside the company had missed something impossible to miss.
Or—
someone had hidden it.
"Who owns the land?"
"We're still confirming the identity."
"No."
Sami interrupted.
"I want every document on my desk within an hour."
"Sir—"
"Everything."
Another pause.
"And arrange a meeting."
"With who?"
"The owner."
"They've already filed a lawsuit."
"I know."
"So..."
"I'll speak to them myself."
Rajeev lowered his voice.
"Should we inform Mr. Mehra?"
Sami looked out across the city.
"Not yet."
"We still have forty-eight hours before the launch."
"If this can be solved..."
"It will be solved."
"I'll handle it."
The call ended.
The silence inside the car returned.
This time heavier than before.
Nearly an hour later, Sami parked beneath the apartment building.
On the passenger seat rested a small white pharmacy bag.
Burn cream.
Sterile bandages.
Protective ointment.
Cotton wraps.
He picked it up.
Walked upstairs.
Stopped outside Leena's apartment.
For several seconds he simply stared at the closed door.
He imagined knocking.
Imagined apologizing.
Imagined hearing her tell him to leave.
His fingers tightened around the paper bag.
Instead...
he quietly placed it beside her door.
No note.
No explanation.
Just medicine.
He turned away before he could change his mind.
Inside his own apartment...
The silence greeted him.
He loosened his tie.
Pulled it free with one tired motion.
It landed across the sofa.
His shoulders ached.
His neck felt stiff after another sleepless night.
Standing before the large window overlooking the city, he slowly unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt.
His reflection stared back at him in the glass.
Dark circles beneath tired eyes.
A healing bruise near his jaw from the fight.
A faint split across his lower lip.
He looked like a man who hadn't rested in days.
Or forgiven himself for even one of them.
Without another thought, he walked toward the bathroom.
Hot water poured over him.
Steam filled the room.
He stood beneath the shower longer than necessary.
As though the water could wash away the smell of bleach...
Or the memory of Leena looking at him with complete disappointment.
It did neither.
An hour later...
Fresh clothes.
A crisp white shirt.
Dark trousers.
The businessman returned.
At least on the outside.
He brewed black coffee.
Cooked a simple breakfast.
Eggs.
Toast.
Nothing elaborate.
He ate alone in complete silence.
No phone.
No laptop.
No television.
Only the ticking wall clock.
Only his thoughts.
When the plate was empty, he finally picked up his car keys.
Locked the apartment.
Stepped into the hallway.
His eyes moved automatically toward Leena's door.
The pharmacy bag...
was still there.
Untouched.
Exactly where he had left it.
For a long moment, Sami simply looked at it.
Then lowered his eyes.
Said nothing.
And walked toward the elevator.
The workday ahead promised lawsuits, shareholders, and a project on the verge of collapse.
Yet somehow...
the unopened paper bag outside one apartment door felt like the heaviest failure he would carry all day.
By the time Sami walked into the company headquarters, the building was already awake.
But it didn't feel like morning.
It felt like a company standing on the edge of a crisis.
Employees hurried across the marble lobby carrying files and laptops.
Phones rang without pause.
The legal department had occupied nearly every conference room.
Assistants moved from floor to floor with documents that required immediate signatures.
Nobody smiled.
Nobody spoke louder than a whisper.
Rumors had already started spreading through the building.
Nobody knew exactly what had happened.
Only that something had gone terribly wrong with the company's biggest redevelopment project.
As Sami crossed the lobby, conversations died instantly.
Every employee lowered their voice.
Some looked away.
Others pretended to be busy.
The elevator doors opened.
He stepped inside alone.
By the time he reached the executive floor, his secretary was already waiting outside his office, tablet in one hand and a phone in the other.
The moment she saw him, she walked beside him.
"Good morning, sir."
Sami didn't even look at her.
"It isn't."
She nodded and immediately began briefing him.
"The legal team has been waiting since six."
"The acquisition department has requested another review meeting."
"Three investors have called since morning asking whether the project launch is still on schedule."
Sami pushed open his office door.
"What about the media?"
His secretary hesitated.
"They don't know about the lawsuit yet."
Sami looked up.
"But..."
She continued carefully.
"Some business reporters have somehow heard that there may be a legal issue involving the redevelopment site."
"They're calling repeatedly."
"Business Today called twice."
"CNBC requested a statement."
"Two other media houses are asking why tomorrow's press conference hasn't been officially confirmed."
"They're saying there are rumors inside the market."
Sami's jaw tightened.
"So it's leaking."
"We don't know from where, sir."
He walked behind his desk.
"No comments."
"Not a single word leaves this company."
"If anyone speaks to the media without authorization..."
His voice became ice cold.
"They'll be terminated immediately."
"Yes, sir."
She quickly made a note.
"Now call everyone."
"The legal department."
"The acquisition team."
"The finance division."
"Everyone involved in this project."
"I want a full meeting in fifteen minutes."
"Nobody leaves until we know exactly what happened."
"Understood."
She turned toward the door.
Before she could leave—
it opened.
Rajeev entered quickly.
His tie was loose.
His face tense.
"Sir..."
Sami didn't look up from the files he had already started reading.
"One minute."
Rajeev stayed where he was.
"Sir..."
Still no response.
He tried again.
This time louder.
"Sir!"
Sami finally looked up, irritation clear on his face.
"What happened now?"
Rajeev took a breath.
"We contacted the owner."
"So?"
"They accepted the meeting."
"Good."
Sami returned his attention to the documents.
"I told you to arrange it."
Rajeev didn't move.
Something about his expression made the secretary stop as well.
"Sir..."
"You really need to see this yourself."
Sami frowned.
"I don't have time for suspense."
Rajeev slowly handed him a file.
"It isn't the paperwork."
"It's..."
He paused.
"...the owner."
"What about them?"
"They're already here."
Sami looked at him.
"So?"
Rajeev swallowed.
"They came alone."
"No lawyers."
"No legal team."
"No representatives."
"They're waiting in Meeting Room One."
For the first time that morning, Sami stopped moving.
People involved in billion-rupee lawsuits never came alone.
Unless they were completely confident.
He slowly closed the file in his hands.
Buttoned his suit jacket.
"Let's see who thinks they can stop this project."
Without another word, he walked toward the conference room.
Behind him, the entire executive floor fell silent.
No one knew who was waiting behind that door.
But everyone could feel—
whatever happened next would decide the future of the company.