As Rajveer spoke those words and walked away, Savandi stood there, burning with pain and rage.
"Hey girl! Go and wash those clothes over there... right now!"
Savandi said nothing. She moved with a hollow feeling in her heart, as if her soul had already left her body. Hours passed like this.
The pale moonlight fell upon the balcony of the mansion, bringing with it a deathly silence. Just an hour ago, Savandi's heart had been shredded by the harsh words of Aunt Monica and Rajveer, and it was still throbbing with agony. She sat in a corner of the balcony, hiding from Monica in the shadows.
Within seconds, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps. Rajveer... the thirty-seven-year-old majestic man stood beside her. The scent of his raw masculinity, mingled with the smell of cigar smoke, filled the air, making her chest burn even more.
"Hmph... so you're still crying," Rajveer's voice was deep and commanding, but there was a subtle shift from the lethal roughness of before.
Savandi wiped her tears. "You brought me to this hell to make me cry, didn't you? So, I am crying. You can be happy about that."
Suddenly, Rajveer grabbed her shoulder tightly and turned her towards him. His eyes were engulfed in a blazing fire. "Shut your mouth, Savandi! Did you think this Rajveer would kneel for your tears? Hmm? This is my revenge! You don't know how I cried the day your father turned my world into ashes! Only I know how my mother died the day she left me. Your wretched father killed my mother, you bastard! And Sharu... she was my girl, and she left me too!"
He pushed her away abruptly, but Savandi did not flinch. She looked at him defiantly. "You don't want to take revenge on me, Rajveer. What you want is to find that love that died inside your heart. But because you are a coward who cannot do that, you torture me. That is the truth!"
Rajveer's eyes turned blood-red. He took a step forward, gripped the back of her neck tightly, and pulled her against his chest. It wasn't an embrace; it was an act of dominance. Savandi's cheek was pressed against his rough chest.
"What did you just say? Say it again... I'm a coward? Is that it?" he whispered roughly into her ear. Savandi could feel his heartbeat racing unnaturally fast. "You don't know, Savandi... as much as I hate you, I love the disobedience in your eyes. But that love will be more agonizing for you than death."
Savandi's entire body went numb at those words. She realized that the 'love' spoken of by this man, blinded by hatred and the frenzy of revenge, was merely another death sentence. Pressed against his rough chest, she felt no comfort—only the feeling of being trapped by a beast.
"Let me go! I loathe you!" Savandi tried to break away, pounding her fists against his chest.
Rajveer's eyes darkened further. He tightened his grip on her neck, bringing her face closer to his. "Loathe? That's good, Savandi... the more you hate me, the happier I am. I will destroy your pure world with my own hands. If your father took my mother's breath, I will take your entire life in return! Remember that!"
He threw her aside roughly. Savandi hit the stone wall of the balcony and began to sob in pain. Seeing her tears, a distorted smile appeared on Rajveer's face.
"Cry! I feel a strange freedom when I see those tears. Did you think I was doing this out of love? No... this is a frenzy. A blood-feud that has been burning in my chest for years. You are just my slave, Savandi! Keep that in mind!"
He slowly approached her and wiped a tear trailing down her cheek with his rough finger. But there was a deathly chill in that touch.
"Be by the car tomorrow morning at seven. If you are even a minute late, I will call the police and tell them where your father is. I know that old man has been sick lately... he won't survive a single day inside a prison, will he?"
"You... you are a monster, Rajveer!"
Rajveer laughed loudly. "Yes, I am a monster! I know even the rhythm of your breath, Savandi. I decide everything in your world. Now go! Go to that trash room by the kitchen and cry. Starting tomorrow morning, I will prepare your new hell!"
Without a word, Savandi closed her eyes and ran downstairs. She crashed into her small room, locked the door, and fell to the floor, unable to bear the pain any longer. On the balcony above, Rajveer remained, staring at the moon, blowing smoke rings, savoring his madness.
Savandi sat in a dark corner of her tiny room, sobbing. Today, Rajveer's words had pierced her heart like lethal poison. She knew well that the tone in which he said he 'loved' her carried no affection, but a fierce obsession to keep her under his command forever.
Even though the moonlight tried to peep through the window, the room was shrouded in a morbid silence. About an hour later, the door was thrown open roughly. Rajveer stood at the entrance. The thirty-seven-year-old majestic man's eyes were still bloodshot. The scent of his masculinity mixed with cigarette smoke filled the small room.
"Get up!" Rajveer's voice was thunderous.
Savandi stood up, trembling, supporting herself against the floor. He looked at her tear-filled eyes without a shred of pity.
"Did you think I came to this room to comfort you? Hmm? Remember I told you to be by the car at seven tomorrow morning?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Be there on time, or it will be exactly as I said."
The majestic man said this and walked away, while Savandi watched him through her tears and anger.
The next morning, by 6:30, the entire house was covered in a heavy chill. Savandi sat on the floor of her small room with her eyes closed, fearing what was to come. She was wearing an old, faded, simple dress. She didn't want to look innocent before Rajveer; she wanted to show her loathing for him.
At 7:00 a.m., she arrived at the main entrance. Rajveer was standing by the black luxury car. Dressed in a black shirt and an expensive watch, his appearance was incredibly majestic, but his eyes held the same murderous frenzy seen the night before.
"If you were even a minute late, your father would be eating his breakfast in prison today," Rajveer said roughly, opening the car door. "Get in!"
Savandi got into the car without saying a word. The car sped forward. Inside, there was a silence so heavy it was hard to breathe. Rajveer drove with one hand while checking files with the other.
After an hour's journey, the car stopped in front of Rajveer's company—a massive glass mansion in the heart of the city. As soon as the car stopped, security guards arrived and opened the door with fear and respect.
"Get out!" Rajveer commanded harshly.
Savandi stepped out with trembling hands. her simple dress was completely out of place in those luxurious surroundings. Rajveer adjusted his coat and gripped her arm tightly. As his finger marks appeared on her delicate skin, Savandi moaned in pain.
"Let me go, Rajveer... everyone is watching."
"It's good that they are watching, Savandi! That's exactly what I want!" He dragged her into the company.
As they entered, all the employees stood up and bowed. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and amazement. Who was this young woman being dragged so roughly by the CEO?
Rajveer stopped in the middle of the hall. He pushed Savandi forward. "Everyone! Listen! From today, this girl will work in my office. But remember, she is not an official. She is here only to haul trash and clean the toilets! If there is even one person who treats her with respect, you can leave this office tomorrow!"
The entire hall became as silent as a funeral. Tears rolled down Savandi's cheeks. She looked up at Rajveer with intense loathing.
"Do you think humiliating me like this will quench the fire in your heart? This is an animalistic act!" she screamed.
Rajveer took a step forward, gripped her hair from behind, and pulled her face close to his. His eyes were filled with fire. "Shut up, Savandi! Your father took my mother's breath in a way a thousand times more wretched than this. This is my revenge. I will drag you through this mud until you see death!"
"Stop that, Raj!"
It was Shevin who approached Raj.
Raj pushed her aside. "Shevin! Give her the toilet cleaning equipment and tell her to start working from the ground floor. If there is dirt in even one place, she won't get any food tonight!"
Rajveer walked proudly toward his office. As Savandi fell to the floor crying, she was left alone amidst the pity and mockery of the employees. Her heart was burning with madness and pain.
'Rajveer... one day, you will pay for every single tear I shed today!' she vowed in her heart.