Chapter - The beast in Tailored Suits

Chapter - The beast in Tailored Suit

Pale sunlight seeped through the gap in the curtains , touching the marble floor in its soft warmth. The night hadn't left yet . Its closeness still lingered in the air …. heavy, unspoken and unresolved.

Ishanvi's eyes fluttered open against the day lights . She stayed still for a moment, aware of Vardhan beside her . His arm rested loosely dropped over her waist, his breathing was steady. Yet she knew out of habit …he wasn't truly asleep.

She loosens herself , gently out of his hold . The movement was careful, almost heavy.

Vardhan felt the loss of her warmth instantly. His lids lifted gradually, stared at the ceiling. However, he didn't stop her , nor even try to pull her back. Last night had been fragile, and he knew better than to demand more .

Ishanvi's hands glided back, gathered her long hair , and twisted into a bun , securing it with a clip . Her nightgown shifted slightly as she turned to step off the bed . She walked towards the window and stood there with her arms folded, watching silently the city wake up beneath Singhaniya skyline.

Behind her, she heard his footsteps , quiet and hesitant.

Then voice breaking the stillness —

“ Ishu…

She turned halfway. “Haan..bolo?”

There was so much he wanted to say . Promise, regret and fear . But he didn't know exactly how. His lips parted again , but only one thing came out instead.

“ Thank you.. kaal raat ke liye !”

Ishanvi’s eyes shut once, as if she was absorbing the silence between them . Her hands tightened around her over her arms .

She nodded. Not a smile. Not anger either. Just acceptance.

“Mom and Dad will be coming by afternoon, mujhe todha kaam hai .” she said gently, already moving away.

Vardhan stood still where he was , his hand rubbing his face , sliding down hopelessly. A slow breath left his lips , heavy with shame . A longing settling deep in his chest . He watched her walk out ,…graceful, composed, and painfully strong.

Oftentimes he even wondered where did she find her profound calmness from? ..so controlled . Didn't she feel suffocated the way he did? Didn't her chest burn the way he did ? She was always there to share her shoulders with him . She was the only witness of his raw , ugly and vulnerable phase. Yet she never tried to judge him . Because somewhere in his heart, he believed she was his only emotional support. He only sanctuary.

Even yesterday night, she didn't stay because she forgave him. She stayed because love him enough to hold them together… even while she was breaking too .

But something between them had shifted…not healed, not broken…

Just…exposed .

“Ishu …I'll try .” he whispered in his mind “ I'll try . I'll be a good husband…. and a father . For you…. and Dhruvan .”

As he turned on his heels , stepped towards the small room attached to their bedroom. The moment his eyes landed on the tiny silhouette curled beneath the blanket , a relief full smile crept in his lips . He went towards and sat on the edge of the bed . His hand slid gently through his son's soft hair .

“ Dhruvan, …beta,” He whispered tenderly. “ Wake up . It's morning ”

A pair of small grey eyes lifted gently. Vardhan's heart beat missed a beat , as if he was watching the sunrise after a storm.

Chubby cheeks flushed with groggily , a dimple deepening Just like his mother's , and his tiny milk teeth shining under morning light .

“ Good …morning Daddy .” His tiny frame stirred beneath the blanket.

Vardhan's throat tightened. He kissed his son's forehead. “ Chalo, Daddy will help you, doing your brush” his hands slipped down only lifted his tiny frame in his hold .

“We will have breakfast together.”

Dhruvan nodded his head gently” okay Daddy”

He sat on the bed , rubbing his eyes with his small knuckle. Just for a moment, Just one moment.. Vardhan felt like maybe ..maybe he still had a chance to fix what he had damaged.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

The Singhaniya skyline was unusually quiet, heavy with upspoken silence. Since the morning Sanyogita had kept herself occupied with lyrics, music 🎶 in her small personal studio , something she had established on her own . Prithvi even asked her if she could get better, a luxurious music studio room , practicing for her concert. She appreciated his advice but she turned down the offer however, but with a good tone courteous .

When stepped into their bedroom late at night , her breathing grew nervously heavy.

She didn’t want noise. She didn’t want attention.Not tonight.She avoided meeting eyes , turned off explaining to mouths . Social media wild fire stopped. However damage lingered there still , even in small numbers. She knew who could be behind that …

“Viraj”

Her silent protector. Was he doing it for the family reputation…or for the sake of her only.

Sanyogita’s heart knew the answer , before she accepted the truth. She was scared of his closeness . Now it was his surname .

Her head was a pile of mess . As she slipped her guitar bag off her shoulders and sat at the edge of the bed , her eyes stared blankly ahead , like her mind had forgotten how to think. She felt lost .

From the washroom came the flash sound of running water.

Prithvi was inside . She didn't look towards the door . She didn't need to . They were married…yet strangers living under the same roof .

She had asked for space. And for the first time, Prithvi hadn't argued. However, he texted afterwards to know if she had had lunch or not . She just reached reply “Yes” , nothing else…no thank you or “ how's your meeting”

And she wondered , why was it so much bothering her to get distant from him . The silence between them felt like a warning .

“ BEEP”
Sanyogita's trance of deep thought halted .Her eyes flickered towards the mobile on the bed .

A soft vibration.

It lit up once and then dimmed.

She tried to ignore it . She really did . She wasn't in a mood to check on his work .

But the screen lit up again. With another BEEP .

A notification flash on the screen. A name flashed .

Something caught her attention. Two messages propel on the screen.

Tyson ( Security) :

“ Boss, …he's still refusing to accept his guilt.”

Sanyogita's eyes narrowed, as curiosity occupied her better . “ Refusing..what ?’

“ however..we have all the evidence against him ”

Her fingers didn't move . Her mind scream Don't.

But her hand reached out anyway.Her hand flew over the mobile instinctively. Slowly. Carefully. She picked the mobile up . The screen was locked . She knew his password.

Not because she had tried to know it…But because once, during a hectic morning, he had unlocked it in front of her without thinking.

Her fingers hovered for a second.

Then—

She entered it. The screen unlocked.

Just within a heartbeat, a WhatsApp notification sat at the top.

She didn't even realise she had tapped it until a video loaded. The first second was dark.

The second….

A dim room …A man tied to a chair . He looked like a pathetic creature . His face was swollen. Blood at the corner of his mouth.

Sanyogita's eyes grew wider , a chill of air swept over her skin, making her blood cold . Sanyogita's breathing hitch for a brief moment. Her heartbeat felt like thrumming but in reality it thudded so loud , she thought Prithvi would soon storm out of the bathroom .

Her hand began to shake . The mobile loosen from her grip .

Sanyogita's hands went cool . She backed out of the chat , locked the screen, and kept the phone exactly the way it was .

She wiped her mouth on her sleeve unconsciously , a nervous habit she didn't realise she had . She sat still , like a statue.

The washroom door clicked open. Prithvi stepped out . His damp hair fell carefree over his forehead , adding a charm to his features. His night shirt was left unbuttoned at the collar. His face was unreadable.

Sanyogita didn't dare to look at him . Because she was scared that her eyes could betray her . She tried to ease her pulse .

Prithvi glanced at her once . Since last evening she had barely talked to him . Not even , joined everyone on the breakfast table . Nevertheless , he stayed controlled and calmly offered her for the meal . They ate together in the same silence in the room, heavy and sharp, threatening to cut their fragile moment.

His gaze paused . Sharp and assessing. As if he could smell her fear .

Sanyogita quickly lowered her eyes, pretending she was tired . She stood from the bed , keeping her face straight, mumbling unclear “ I'm tired ,..I need to freshen up .” She said no one in particular.

Her body was trembling under his presence , scared if anything unusual appeared in her features , as Prithvi was very smart at catching someone lying.

However, Prithvi didn't say anything. Just a simple nod .

As Sanyogita leaves for the washroom. The door slammed shut . Prithvi's heart thudded once . A deep sigh escaped his mouth, hopeless. He had felt lonely in his room . After a decade . The silence between them was so deep he feared drowning in it. Prithviraj Singhaniya dying for attention, for the first time.

Because of a .. woman. His first response to his heart…not out of duty ..but out of love . But this , loving her without claiming her—

This tore him apart from inside. His jaw tightened.

His thumb pressed against the heel of his palm , just as he used to during moments of rage. But this time , the ache wasn't for anger .

It was longing.

He sat on the bed , the mattress shifted beneath his weight. His elbow rested on his thigh , as his finger rubbed his forehead.

It was then his eyes landed at his mobile..

**********

Sanyogita's forced her breathing to get slow . Held her eyes shut tightly. Her body stirred slightly beneath the blanket. However, sleep could barely come . The video kept striking every chord of her brain , making her shivers.

Prithvi was sleeping on the other side of the bed , She felt unsafe in his presence. Sanyogita hugged her chest, whispering to herself, trembling ,“Who… did I marry?...Who is this man , God only knows!”

Minutes passed , and Sanyogita heard the tick-tock of the wall clock.

An incoming call rings out , shattering the stillness of the room . Prithvi's mobile lit up in the darkness.

Prithvi's hand stretched out, without opening his eyes, a gesture of daily practice. Suddenly his grip around the mobile tightened. His whole body tightened . The man who had been quiet in the room …vanished.

Sanyogita’s eyes remained closed. Still keeping her back to him , pretending to be in deep slumber. But her both ears were wide awake.

Prithvi looked at her just once , still sleeping . Then his voice came out low , dangerous, as if a calculative predator who knew every move of his prey.

“ Keep him captivated," Prithvi continued, his voice austere as steel . “ I'm coming.”

The call was disconnected .

Sanyogita's finger clenched the bedsheet. She heard him getting off the bed. And then—

The soft click of the wardrobe. A drawing opening, careful . She peered over the blanket…. something shimmered under moonlight. A sound, Metal shifting .

Her heart slammed against her ribs , heavy and wild , as if it could burst out of her chest.

Then came the unmistakable click . The soft , terrifying sound of a gun being loaded.

Her hand flew to her mouth, fingers shook as chills of fear curled up her spine . She didn't move . Her eyes glued to the silhouette of Prithvi steeping out of the room .

The quiet thud of the door closing echoed in her ears.

Clicked .

And just like that , he was gone .

For a long moment she stayed still. Unable to move . Wide-eyed. Terrified . Her eyes were clogged with wet warmth .

Slowly, and cautiously , her eyelids fluttered open . Her finger clenched tightly around the blanket. Her body felt as cold as ice . Unresponsive to warmth or comfort.

The place that had once felt like their bedroom, safe and familiar. Now it felt like a cage.

She pushed herself up from the bed, her limbs trembled under the weight of her own fear.

Her breath came in slow, tiny gulps, each one seemed like a battle. Her steps were hesitant, slow, one foot in front of the other.

Her instincts screamed… Don’t move.

Because he could be right behind the door. Watching her . Knowing her habit.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Prithvi's car cut through the sleeping streets like a blade.

Sanyogita followed at a careful distance . Her both hands tremble around the steering wheel. Every turn tightening an invisible knot in her stomach.

She wasn't scared of being caught , but scared of what she would see if she wasn't.

As she followed lines of worry and curiosity etched in her face .

“ Where are you going, …Viraj?” She asked herself.

The path drifted away from the city lights …away from the hustle and bustle , …into an industrial stretch where buildings looked abandoned even in daylight.

A sudden screech of tyres sliced through the silence.

Prithvi’s car stopped.

Her breathing slowed down, her grip tightened around the steering wheel. Sanyogita slowed down instantly, parking far enough to stay unseen. Her heart hammered impatiently she wondered if it would betray her.

His door opened. Clicked once . The polished boots touched the ground. Then the other.

Prithvi stepped out , calm, unhurried as if the night belonged to him.

Prithvi stepped towards an old building.

Sanyogita followed him through the dark . She took measured steps, careful enough she stayed unseen.

Halfway there, Prithvi stopped. His head tilted slightly , as if he could smell her presence.

Sanyogita covered her mouth instinctively with her hand, and hid behind a pillar. Her heart beat felt like an enemy of herself.

After a moment, he moved again.

She peeked again,and noticed two men were already there , waiting. She couldn't clearly see their faces . They didn't speak much . Just a simple nod, a gesture.

That silence was what terrified her most. No shouting. No chaos.

Only… certainty.

She glanced sideways if anyone was outside . No one was present. Just a heavy silence. Creepy . Dangerous. Lethal.

She stepped forward , following his shadows . At last she reached , near window m half Open but enough to peeked inside.

Inside , harsh white lights spilled across the concrete.

A man tightened on a chair , in the middle of the room . His face was swollen . Dark bruises circle his eyes. His shirt was stained with blood . He looked like a man who had cried until his body was how .

Prithvi took a seat exactly opposite to the man . One leg crossed over the other. His elbow rested on the armrest.

His composure wasn't angry . It was judicial. He was very calm , but his eyes were cold .

One of the men , standing beside Prithvi, spoke flatly ,cold “ Sir, evidence is ready. He tried to bribe our man to replace the materials….and leak the upcoming tendres details to a rivalry company “

The man tried to speak first, voice cracking. “S-Singhaniya sir… I can explain—”

Prithvi didn’t even raise his voice. “You already did. With your signature.”

The man swallowed hard . “It… it wasn’t like that. They pressured me—”

Prithvi’s gaze lifted , just a fraction. “ Pressured, ” he paused ,then said “Or paid?”

One of his associates stepped forward and placed a file on the table.

A file. But it seemed like a verdict instead.

Prithvi opened it slowly, as if the paper was nothing, as if the man’s whole life was lighter than dust.

“ You sold internal material,” Prithvi said , however his tone was dangerously calm enough to threaten “And you thought you’d walk away clean and no one knows about it!”

His eyes narrowed. Prithvi leaned forward slightly , eyes unyielding. “ You didn't stab the company , but me!’

His jaw clenched.

The man’s breath shook helplessly. “Sir, please , I'll come on the road…I have a family to feed ”

That word finally shifted something in the air.

Prithvi's wrist muscle taut , his expression shifted …suddenly curved around his mouth, not into a smile…but only a smirk. Sarcastic . Cruel .

“Family,” he uttered softly. “Yes.”

He straightened, and waved his hand in the air , a gesture to his men . Just within a screen on the far wall lit up . A video started playing.

The man stared at it , confused at first. Then his eyes widened with horror. His breathing caught in his throat.

It was his factory.

A hooded figure poured something near the stacked material. A spark . A bright, hungry bloom of flame . Within fractions of a while, everything was inferno. Machines, goods,decades of work swallowed like paper.

The man fidgeting in his chair, trying to free himself..but only a large, broken scream shattered the air “ Noooo ... .NOOO..!”

This was not only violent but the end of his entire youth.

Prithvi watched the burning images like he was watching the weather. Fire reflected in amber eyes …but nothing in him burned.

The man's voice broke, eyes welled up, “ Please! Sir.. don't do this …I'll fix it …I'll return everything….

Prithvi finally spoke again, voice softer than before.

“You’re still bargaining,” he said. “That means you don’t understand what you did.”

He stood from the chair . His boots echoed in the empty room as he walked until he was near enough for the man to smell his cologne—clean, expensive, utterly wrong in that place. Prithvi bent slightly, eyes steady.

His brow arched , his expression was lethal “ You'll wake up tomorrow…” his voice sharpened, cold l . “ And no one will recognise your name .”

The man blinked rapidly, breath turning into short, panicked bursts.

Prithvi turned his head ,barely a gesture . Another assistant opened a laptop. Numbers accounts , legal documents and a cabin of messages. The associated state , flat and efficient as if reading out a menu .

“ Mr Vikram , all your accounts have been flagged . “

Another tap . “ Charges prepared . “

Another tap. “ Partners informed.”

The man's voice rose into a desperate wail . “ Sir ! Please! My children…” his tone faltered.

Prithvi's expression however didn't soften. “ They'll learn ,” he said. “ What happens when a man sells his spine .”

And added his last word , quite deadly "I don't need blood on his hands to ruin a man . “

He paused, “ He only needed power . And the kind of strategy that came from experience.”

Sanyogita’s stomach turned. He’s not hitting him… he’s erasing him. Her chest rose and fell like she’d been drowning and only now surfaced , gasping for breath.

Tonight, she hadn't just seen him destroying a man . She had seen one of his darkest truths. Her eyes welled up . Her limbs trembled not from cold , but from the kind of fear that crawled under the skin and refused to leave .

As she spun around instinctively . Her heel brushed something on the ground. A rusted metal pipe. It rolled once …And then …

CLANG.

The sound was tiny . But in the warehouse,it landed like a gunshot.

Sanyogita froze. Chills of waves swept over her body.

Prithvi's head snapped towards the window. He had earlier…something was off , an invisible presence trailing him. He dismissed the matter saying to himself, it was nothing. A mistake. Paranoid.

But this sound confirmed it .

His men moved instantly, hands reaching for weapons.

Prithvi lifted his hand . As a single gesture. Stop .

Silence stretched.

He stepped slowly. Not rushed . Not like panic . Controlled. Like a predator that didn't need speed to kill .

His boots' steps echoed in the empty room , rough, like muffled breath on dry leaves . Each step was measured and deliberate. He crossed the distance to the widow in seconds and peered out. For a moment, there was nothing.

Only darkness. Stillness. No trace of a human being.

Sanyogita pressed herself behind a pillar outside . Her breath locked in her throat, praying heartbeat wouldn't betray her .

Prithvi's gaze swept the area again. His gaze was sharp. Searching and cold . He couldn't see anyone. But he could feel someone's presence. After a long pause , he turned back slightly. His fist clenched then unclenched.

Sanyogita swallowed hard. She had to leave.Immediately. She took a slow step back, careful not to make a sound. One step. Then another. She turned her head, checking if anyone was behind her—

A hand clamped around her nape. Her spine slammed into the wall. Before she could scream , another hand covered her mouth, crushing the sound in her throat. Something cold pressed against her temple.A metal gun . The barrel kissed her temple , cold enough to make her skin burn.”

Her world narrowed into one impossible point, the dark bore of the weapon, and the man gripped around the trigger. What if the trigger was pulled?

Sanyogita's pulse was throbbing in her temple. Her body forgot how to move .Her hoodie cap shifted .

A voice slid into her ear , low and lethal. “Who the hell ..”

The words cut off, echoed in the hallway , when he pulled her slightly into the light . Her mask slipped down a little.

He saw her eyes. Those grey blue eyes. Gorgeous and innocent. But tonight it was filled with terror.

Prithvi's entire body stiffened. Like time had stuttered. His breathing hitchied. His thought process went blank . Unable to think for a moment. His fingers were still holding , still claiming control. Still reacting like she was a threat.

“S-Sanyogita..” he voice came out softer than it should have as if the devil had vanished in one snap.

Sanyogita's hands flew to his wrist in pure reflex . Her nails dug into his skin as she tried to pry him away ,

“ L-let me go… !” She gasped , voice shaking unevenly “ P.. Please”

Something in him snapped back in Prithvi's awareness. His grip loosened .

Not fully. Not yet immediately. Just enough for her to drag air into her lungs .

Then she shoved him with every ounce of strength she had.

Prithvi stumbled half a step back.

She moved away from him , clutching her neck , eyes widened with horror, chest heaving with panic.

Her gaze flickered to his gun . Then to his associates standing behind him . Then back to him.

Prithvi stared at her as if he'd been hit . Not by her hands . But by her expression. Her usual warmth was gone. Not anger . Not even accusation. Only fear . Pure , instinctive fear. Like a child staring at a monster that had finally shown its teeth .

Prithvi stood rooted on the floor . Utterly speechless. Forgot to blink. He had seen enemies trembling . He had watched criminals beg for mercy.

But he had never…never, .. never seen the look he witnessed in her eyes . She looked at him like he could have killed her .

And that broke something inside him. His throat bobbed . His voice came out rough, unsteady.

“Sanjh…..” He whispered her name like a prayer.

Sanyogita flinched. As if even that tenderness could be a trap .

She flinched at the tone of his voice . Her lips trembled, words falling out like broken glass “ D-don’t..! she whispered.

She summoned the courage to lift her hand , palm out , shaking unevenly.

“Don’t come near me.”

Prithvi stood there frozen, as if her words shot him point blank .He took a step forward. Just once .

She raised her hand, palm out , shaking unevenly, gathering courage from somewhere she didn't know she had .

“Mere paas mat aana…”

The words stabbed deeper than any weapon ever could. Prithvi stopped.

His fists clenched, but not in anger. Pain, regret— flickered in those cold eyes .

She backed away further . Her eyes glistened, but no tears fell as if the terror dried her body before it broke.

She turned and ran. Just like the night behind her had finally shown its real face.

Prithvi didn't chase .He stood in that warehouse, surrounded by men who would obey him without question.

And for the first time ,he hated the power that had always guarded him . Now it felt like a burdan . A hollow ache wasn't from the traitor.

A traitor's fear meant nothing. But her fear made him feel like the worst man alive .

His, Sanjh…eyes had seen the devil hidden behind his layered suit.

She had seen ..

Not her husband. Not her protector. But a ruthless Singhaniya…

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Sanyogita's hand trembled around the steering wheel as she drove . Her eyes were burning with tears. Her throat constricted as if body had forgotten how to breathe properly.Salty tears kept forming , blurring her vision. She blinked hard , to clear her eyes , trying to see ahead on the road . But fear wasn't erased . Fear flung to her like a second skin.

Her phone vibrated over again and again. The screen lit up . “Viraj” name flushed on the screen.

Viraj 's face flashes out with the incoming calls .

Her heart slammed fast against ribs. She didn't pick up the mobile. She couldn't.

In the rear view mirror, a yellow headlight appeared . A familiar car .

The horn beeped behind her , deafening her ear . She pressed the accelerator harder , swallowing a sob as she overtook two vehicles, desperate to create distance.

However the road was one-way . The green wild trees surrounding the area like creepy reptiles.

A truck thunned past in her right , its horn blasting into the night . The sound jolted her . The headlight burns her vision. Sanyogita's hand jerked on the wheel. The tyres skidded against the road .

“ S..shit…”

She tried to control the balance, but her palms were slick with sweat . Her car swerved and the world around her titled.

Her eyes widened with terror as the large wood beamed against the car lights. A violent impact. A metal screaming dashed against wood pierced the stillness.

Her head slammed forward, pain exploding across her forehead . The windshield cracked like a spiderweb, splintering her world into broken lines .

And then darkness swallowed her whole . Her eyes fluttered once.. twice ..and shut .