Vikraal was carefully trying to treat the sprain in Abhavya's ankle. As he listened to her angry words, he simply ignored them. Right now, healing her injury was far more important than defending himself.

On the other hand, every bit of concern Vikraal showed felt like nothing but an act to Abhavya. She was convinced he had some hidden motive. Why else would a gangster behave so differently around her?

From her perspective, she wasn't wrong.

After all, she was an IPS officer. How could she trust a criminal so easily? Especially someone who had murdered a man right before her eyes.

Abhavya brushed Vikraal's hand away from her foot.

"Stay away from me."

She tried to stand up, but the pain in her sprained ankle caused her to lose her balance.

The next second...

She fell straight onto Vikraal.

"Ouch!"

A soft cry escaped her lips as her forehead crashed against his hard chest.

The moment she realized her cheeks were pressed against him, an unfamiliar shiver ran through her entire body.

Trying to push herself up, she frowned.

"Why do you even wear a shirt if you're just going to leave half of it unbuttoned?"

Vikraal had always kept the top two buttons of his shirt open, revealing his fair, well-built chest.

As he felt Abhavya this close to him, his heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

Her warm breaths brushed against his chest, making it harder and harder for him to stay calm.

Still...

He forced himself to remain composed.

No matter what happened...

He couldn't lose control in front of her.

Seeing her irritated expression, Vikraal decided to tease her.

"I didn't know Madam Officer disliked the way I wear my shirt."

"If you want..."

"I can take it off right now."

"I really don't mind."

With that, he casually reached for another button and began unfastening it.

Abhavya's eyes widened.

Was he actually serious?

She immediately grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Enough!"

"You shameless man!"

"You're already a gangster. At least learn to respect the person standing in front of you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she tried to get off him again.

But before she could...

She lost her balance once more and fell right back onto his chest.

She looked down in confusion.

Her hair had become tangled in the Om pendant hanging around Vikraal's neck.

"Oh great..."

"What now?"

She muttered in annoyance while carefully trying to untangle her hair from the pendant.

Meanwhile...

Vikraal remained completely silent.

His eyes stayed fixed on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

The woman who had entered his life only yesterday...

Yet somehow managed to turn his entire world upside down.

The soft fragrance drifting from her hair was both calming and unbearably intoxicating.

When Vikraal finally realized he couldn't resist her any longer...

He made a sudden decision.

Without saying a word...

He removed the Om pendant from his own neck and gently placed it around Abhavya's.

Abhavya froze.

"What are you doing?"

"How can you just make me wear this?"

Vikraal looked at the pendant resting against her neck before speaking quietly.

"Never take it off..."

"Not because you think it was given to you by a gangster..."

"Or by your enemy..."

"Just..."

"Keep wearing it."

Abhavya stared at the pendant in complete silence.

She didn't know what to say.

It was true...

She couldn't simply accept something so personal from him.

There was no relationship between them that justified it.

She immediately tried to remove the pendant.

But because her hair was still tangled around it...

She couldn't take it off.

By then...

The first rays of sunlight had begun to spread across the horizon.

Morning had arrived.

Abhavya tried to stand again...

But her injured ankle refused to support her.

Seeing her struggle, Vikraal didn't hesitate for even a second.

He bent down...

Lifted her effortlessly into his arms...

And started walking.

Abhavya's eyes widened in disbelief.

She immediately punched his chest.

"What do you think you're doing, Vikraal?"

"How dare you touch me?"

"I never asked for your help!"

Without loosening his grip, Vikraal replied calmly,

"Madam Officer..."

"I'm not going to eat you."

"And honestly..."

"Do you really think I'd have the courage to do anything inappropriate to a police officer?"

"So just relax."

"Your house is almost four kilometers from here."

Hearing that, Abhavya finally fell silent.

Because she knew one thing.

If Vikraal ever tried crossing the line...

She was more than capable of killing him herself.

Vikraal continued walking, carrying her securely in his arms while looking straight ahead.

Meanwhile...

Abhavya's mind was filled with countless questions.

What was Vikraal planning?

What was his real motive?

Why was he treating her this way?

Nothing about him made sense.

After walking for a while, Vikraal noticed both of her arms hanging loosely by her sides.

With a hint of helplessness in his voice, he said,

"I know you hate me, Madam Officer..."

"But even while I'm helping you..."

"Why are you still punishing me?"

Abhavya looked at him in confusion.

Vikraal gestured toward her arms.

"Just put your arms around my neck."

"It'll make carrying your weight easier."

Abhavya instantly glared at him.

So...

He was calling her heavy?

The moment Vikraal noticed the deadly glare in her eyes, he immediately corrected himself.

"No... no..."

"That's not what I meant."

"My hand was injured yesterday."

"So it's just a little difficult."

The truth was...

Vikraal could easily carry more than a hundred kilograms and walk for miles without getting tired.

But...

He simply wanted to spend a few more moments with his Madam Officer.

Hearing his explanation, Abhavya remembered.

She was the one who had injured his hand yesterday.

Even then...

Her stubbornness refused to fade.

Instead of putting her arms around his neck, she turned her face away and said,

"If you couldn't carry me..."

"Who asked you to pick me up in the first place?"

Vikraal sighed inwardly.

If my men ever find out that the man everyone fears gets clean bowled by Madam Officer every single time...

There won't be a shred of respect left for me in the underworld.

He didn't say another word.

Instead...

He simply tightened his hold around her a little more.

A short while later, Vikraal finally reached Abhavya's house.

Just as he was about to walk inside...

He noticed a young man standing in the garden with his back facing them, completely absorbed in his morning workout.

The peace that had finally appeared in Vikraal's eyes after spending so much time with Abhavya...

Vanished in an instant.

The burning flames of jealousy and anger blazed within them once again.

Vikraal's eyes darkened with anger the moment he saw Ved at Abhavya's house. His grip around Abhavya, who was still in his arms, tightened unconsciously.

Looking at her with a cold, heavy gaze, he asked, "Who is that at your house? And why is he roaming around here half-dressed?"

Abhavya winced from the pain caused by his tight hold, but she refused to let it show on her face. Calmly, she replied, "That's none of your concern. And yes, I've reached home now, so put me down on that chair."

She pointed toward the chair placed nearby.

The anger Vikraal had been suppressing slowly began taking over him. Without loosening his hold on her, he leaned close to her ear and warned in a low, dangerous voice,

"Madam... perhaps you've forgotten that you're in Darbhanga City now. And Darbhanga City... is Vikraal's territory. So tell me... how long will you be able to protect him from me?"

Hearing those words, Abhavya's anger exploded.

Vikraal had just threatened the weakest point of her life—Ved.

Grabbing his collar tightly, she shouted,

"Vikraal! Stay within your limits!"

Just then, Ved heard his Jiji Maa's loud voice.

He immediately turned around, only to freeze when he saw Abhavya angrily clutching Vikraal's collar while sitting in his arms.

Without wasting another second, Ved quickly put on his sweatshirt and ran toward them.

Filled with concern, he asked,

"Jiji Maa! What happened to you? And..."

Then his eyes shifted to Vikraal.

"...Who are you? And why are you carrying my Jiji Maa like this?"

Vikraal, whose sleep had already been ruined because of Ved since yesterday, looked carefully at the young man's face.

Ved's features closely resembled Abhavya's.

One glance was enough for anyone to realize that the two were siblings.

And the moment he heard Ved call her Jiji Maa, the hands that had tightened around Abhavya in anger gradually loosened.

Vikraal looked at the brother and sister standing before him.

Abhavya was still holding onto his collar with furious eyes, while Ved looked at both of them with nothing but concern.

Slowly, Vikraal placed Abhavya on the chair before turning toward Ved.

"Yes... my name is Vikraal. I live in the house right across from yours."

The moment Abhavya heard him casually reveal that he lived opposite their house, it felt like lightning had struck her.

She glared at him furiously.

The last thing she wanted was for Ved to find out that Vikraal was actually Dada. If Ved learned the truth, he would worry himself sick over her.

Interrupting their conversation, she quickly said,

"Nothing happened, Vaidu. I just twisted my ankle a little. Stop worrying and hurry up to get ready. Today's your first day of college."

The moment Ved heard that she had sprained her ankle, all his attention shifted toward her.

He immediately knelt beside her, gently lifted her injured foot into his lap, and said worriedly,

"I told you, Jiji Maa... don't go out for exercise so early in the morning."

Then he looked toward Vikraal.

"Mr. Vikraal, please have a seat. Thank you so much for bringing my Jiji Maa home safely."

Turning toward Sumitra Aunty, he requested,

"Aunty, please bring the pain relief spray for Jiji Maa's ankle... and also some tea for Mr. Vikraal."

It was exactly the opportunity Vikraal had been waiting for.

Without any hesitation, he comfortably sat on the chair, crossing one leg over the other, as if the house belonged to him.

Sumitra Aunty soon brought him a cup of tea.

However, her hands trembled uncontrollably while serving the man sitting before her.

After all...

The person before her wasn't just anyone.

He was Dada.

Thankfully, Abhavya had already signaled her not to reveal anything in front of Ved.

Meanwhile, as Ved sprayed medicine on Abhavya's ankle, he said,

"Jiji Maa, please don't go out alone like this anymore. What if that Dada does something to you?"

The moment Vikraal heard himself being mentioned, the hand holding his teacup froze in mid-air.

After applying the spray, Ved innocently asked,

"By the way, Jiji Maa... what does this Dada look like? Is he some fat, ugly old man?"

Vikraal had just taken a sip of tea.

The next second—

He nearly choked on it.

He burst into a fit of coughing after hearing Ved's question.

Watching Vikraal cough, Abhavya couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Ved immediately looked at him worriedly.

"Mr. Vikraal! Are you alright?"

Inside his mind, Vikraal sighed helplessly.

"Like sister... like brother. Neither of them misses a chance to insult me."

"How exactly do I look like a fat, ugly old man?"

After calming himself, Vikraal looked at Ved and asked,

"Ved... why do you think this Dada looks like that?"

Ved immediately burst into laughter.

"Mr. Vikraal, there's actually a reason."

"I had a dream yesterday."

"My Jiji Maa was chasing a huge, fat buffalo-like man."

"And that fat man was trying to run away while his big belly kept wobbling everywhere."

"But he couldn't run at all."

"Spitting paan onto the road, he shouted in a thick Bihari accent at the children playing in front of him..."

'Move aside, kids! Kali Maiyaa is chasing me!'

"But instead of helping him, the children surrounded him and pushed him straight into a huge drain."

"And then he started screaming..."

'Please forgive me, Madam Abhavya! I made the mistake of messing with you!'

"And he just kept shouting like that."

The moment Ved finished narrating his dream...

Abhavya completely lost it.

She burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha!"

Meanwhile...

After hearing such a horrifying dream about himself, Vikraal's face turned completely dark.

It was true...

Had the person sitting before him not been his Madam's precious younger brother...

He would have already met death.

Just then, Vikraal's eyes landed on Abhavya.

She was laughing without a care in the world.

A beautiful dimple appeared on her right cheek.

Bathed in the soft morning sunlight...

Her smiling face truly looked like a priceless painting.

Watching her laugh so freely, Vikraal couldn't help but think to himself,

"No matter what... at least my name managed to bring a smile to Madam's face."

Meanwhile, Abhavya was laughing so hard that she held her stomach before saying,

"Vaidu... your dream was absolutely accurate! Darbhanga City's Dada looks exactly like that."

Then she shot Vikraal a teasing glance.

The irritation on his face was impossible to hide.

"But..."

"You forgot one more thing."

Ved looked at her curiously.

"What is it, Jiji Maa?"

The moment Abhavya answered...

Vikraal's face darkened once again.