Evening had fallen.
The sun was setting behind the hills. A crimson glow spread across the sky, and from the height of the haveli, those hues appeared even deeper.
Advika was collecting the clothes drying in the courtyard.
To the left of the haveli, a dam was under construction — dust and the clatter of machines drifted toward her with the wind.
Her gaze, unintentionally, turned in that direction.
Anay was sitting on the bonnet of a jeep, with his usual cold and indifferent grace on his face.
Rudransh and Shrey stood beside him, trying to explain something.
A few laborers stood in front of him with folded hands, pleading.
Perhaps they were begging forgiveness for some mistake.
Advika's eyes stayed fixed on the scene. Then… Anay gestured. And the very next moment —
Whips began lashing across the backs of the laborers.
Rudransh tried to intervene,
But Anay's eyes remained expressionless. Advika kept watching…
When the laborers fell to the ground — writhing and groaning in pain,
A wry smile curled on Advika's lips —
"A lion… would he stop hunting?"
Rudransh stormed forward in anger and shouted —
"Thakur! Are you out of your senses? Even if he betrayed you, that doesn't give you the right to punish like this. There are things like law, court, police… you should have handed him over to them—"
Anay raised a hand in the air to stop him.
He slowly turned toward him —
His eyes still carrying that cold, icy silence.
"In Thakurpur, Anay Thakur is the law… he is justice… and he is the court too."
Rudransh glared at him.
Then took a slow step closer and almost whispered —
"We like fearless eyes, Rajvansh. But if those fearless eyes dare to challenge us, we don't like it… not at all…"
"Next time… be careful with your words and your gaze… don't forget who's standing in front of you…"
Rudransh paused for a moment, then smirked sarcastically —
"Do you really think people respect you for this? Never, Thakur… they're just afraid of you. And the day this veil of fear drops, people will look you in the eye without hesitation."
Anay looked up at the sky and smiled faintly. Then shook his neck left and right, and suddenly grabbed Rudransh by the collar, pulling him close and staring into his eyes, he said —
"Talking too much is dangerous, Rajvansh… and just think — if I kill you and bury you right here, no one would even find out…"
"That's what you're good at, isn't it — violence, thuggery… am I right? You think killing someone, silencing someone is masculinity, Thakur… then I'd rather be a coward."
Shrey shouted from behind —
"Mind your tongue, Rajvansh!"
Rajvansh shot him a sharp glare, then turned back to Anay and said —
"You know what you're doing is wrong… your heart knows it, Thakur. But you're still doing it because you want to help your father become an MLA, right?"
"So what's wrong in that… since childhood, Sarpanch ji has fulfilled our every wish… if he has one of his own, shouldn't we fulfill it? We're his sons…"
"Thakur… there's a difference between a wish and an obsession. As a son, it's your job to tell him to give up his wrongdoings… he's growing old better he spends time in worship and devotion. Any day now, he might drop....."
"Rajvansh!" Anay growled.
"Alright… I won't say anything more… but don't think I'm with you. What's wrong is wrong, Thakur…"
After the argument, the atmosphere had turned completely tense.
Rudransh stormed away without looking at anyone, while Shrey patted Anay on the shoulder.
Anay kept staring at the sky, as if trying to calm himself down.
Nighttime —
Advika had finished all her chores and was heading toward her room in the haveli when someone suddenly pulled her aside.
She tried to resist and lift her other hand, but it seemed the person had anticipated her reaction.
He grabbed her other hand too and yanked her close — so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face.
She recognized who it was just by the distinct scent of his clothes.
Struggling to free herself, she said —
"Let go of me, Thakur sahab…"
Anay leaned in right to her face and said —
"You've started taking our words a little too lightly…"
Advika turned her face away in disgust —
"What do you mean?"
"I explained it to you this afternoon that you belong to only me, only me… so what was that servant doing near you?"
Advika looked at him in shock —
"You're keeping watch on me…?"
"When our eyes are fixed on someone, there's no need for anyone else to keep watch. Anyway, it's your first mistake, so I'll explain again you're our possession, so take care of yourself… or else, we have other ways…"
"Are you threatening me?" Advika asked, glaring at him.
Anay laughed and said —
"Take it as a threat, or love, or obsession… but the fact is you are mine."
"Do you think I'm some doll from the marketplace that you wanted and got just because of your stubbornness? As far as I remember, you said this afternoon that you would change yourself, right? So is this the changed version of you?"
Anay looked at her for a moment and said —
"This isn't my fault… you shouldn't have gotten that close to someone else… it burned my heart…"
"So your heart is burning, Thakur sahab… and that's your problem."
"Advika… Advika… Advika," Anay laughed, looked up at the ceiling, cracked his neck again, and suddenly grabbed Advika's face tightly in his hands, making her wince in pain.
She gasped, but Anay stared into her eyes and said —
"It may be my problem, but if it's not solved, it'll become everyone's problem…
When the sea is calm, thousands yearn to dive in… but remember, once its waves rise, they destroy everything… I hope you wouldn't want to witness that destruction."
Seeing the madness in his eyes, even Advika shivered for a moment.
To be continued...