The Rose & Her Thorn

Part 2

Vikram turned to his goons. "Leave him." The men exchanged surprised looks at his command. He had astounded even the man in question by his unexpected kindness. Such mercy was unheard of, especially with no profit for the man, who held the reins of the state in an iron fist. Or maybe there was an ulterior motive, which they had missed in plain sight.

Rajeev knew better than to trust the man standing in front of him. The saccharine sweet tone, the way he gazed at his honorary sister, barely concealing how he had taken a shine for her, Rajeev recognized the unmissable glint of a predator in Vikram's eyes.

Vikram's action, however, roused admiration in the heart of the young woman. She was almost certain there was a golden heart beneath his tough exterior, and the rules, which he had instated, were subject to modifications as and when required.

She thanked her Lord, Lord Shiva, for bringing Vikram to the deserted alley at the right time, for without whose presence, she had little doubt a horrible fate awaited Rajeev.

"Thanks a lot, Vikramji. We will be ever thankful to you for this," she muttered, grinning at him with gratitude gleaming in her eyes.

Vikram offered her a tight-lipped smile. "Of course. One of them will help you out to make your journey back home easier."

An offer of help in the place of warning them of the disastrous consequences that would await them if they even thought of breaching the rules once again? Vikram's actions rang the danger bells in Rajeev's mind.

Every action and word of the dreaded dictator cemented Rajeev's belief that he had taken a fancy towards the grateful woman. There was little he would not do to keep her safe, and he was sure that the situation was going to demand it all if his suspicions turned into a horrific reality.

Vikram Singhal and Shikha Agarwal might have parted their ways at that moment, but Vikram's thoughts continued to follow the path which Shikha took, eager for the paths to cross once again. And the self-made man that he was, he would not wait for such an opportunity, but make sure of its occurrence soon.

⨳ ⨳ ⨳

Shikha's College,

Shikha gazed at her watch and tapped her foot against the irregular ground. Her friend, Rohan, had promised to meet after submitting his assignments, but he was nowhere to be seen, and it was well past the time he had agreed upon. Shikha shook her head in disdain and rolled her eyes.

A white SUV screeched to a halt in front of her, compelled Shikha to take a step back for the fear of her safety. When her supposed savior from the last week descended from the car, her lips parted in shock and she stared at him, wondering what had brought him to her college.

Vikram smirked at her reaction.

Many vivid dreams had played out his fantasies with the woman who stole his sleep every night since he had chanced upon her.

So innocent. So trustful. Untouched by the darkness of the world.

She reminded him of someone hidden in the deepest realms of his mind, and that semblance only intensified his interest in her. He had lost the one whom she resembled, and she was as angelic and as loving as Shikha herself. It was when the destiny snatched her from him he had given up on the concept of destiny and this time around, he would make sure that no destiny, no obstacle, and no fate could snatch her from him.

Her eyes. Her gentle and warm eyes. Beautiful, indulgent, and large eyes that he could lose himself in them. He would drown in the warmth of her eyes. No matter what it took.

The surprise in her eyes, her maddening eyes, made the success of his plan sweeter than he had predicted. His sources had spent the last few days collecting information about the woman who had stolen his sleep, and he had spent the last few hours devising a plan. There he was, putting his plan into action to intertwine their destinies.

"So we meet again, Shikha!" said Vikram with a smirk and pushing his palms into his pockets, bringing her out of her reverie.

"You?" she said, unable to believe what her eyes were telling her. She clutched the free ends of her dupatta and her eyelashes flickered. Rajeev had warned her, several times, over the past few days, to never cross paths with the enigmatic man, and had planted dangerous visions in her mind if she failed to listen to his advice.

Her breath hitched at her throat at the prospect of those visions turning into reality. But his sincere eyes made her a tiny voice in her mind wonder if it was Rajeev's paranoia. He had saved their lives. Would a merciless man do that?

That fateful night, under the cover of darkness, she could not see the menacing glint in his piercing eyes, and she was so preoccupied by the safety of Rajeev that only gratitude knocked at her mind. In the broad daylight, however, she saw how those eyes could incite fear in anyone who had wronged him.

"Yes. Me. Were you expecting someone?"

He knew the answer to her question, but he wanted her to confirm. "Yes. I was expecting my friend Rohan," she said, adjusting the dupatta over her shoulder with a disappointed sigh.

Her disappointment conveyed how important that man was in her life. She had taken away his sleep over the past few nights by permeating into his subconsciousness, and he could not bear how another man had occupied her thoughts.

Could this person, Rohan, be her secret boyfriend whom she had declared to be her friend, to avoid the repercussions and questions? His men had found ambiguous answers to that question, and he was keen to unravel the truth about her relationship with Rohan.

"And you? Why are you here?" asked Shikha, hoping he would not take offense to her question and punish her for daring to question him.

Her thoughts would have turned to reality if he had not taken an interest in her. He hated questions thrown at him. He had seen enough of the terrible ones over years to despise them, but he was ready to make an exception for her, in order to win her trust.

"I am here to select a few interns for my company."

That was his plan, after all. He had learned Shikha was desperate to bag an internship, and she had faced only rejection thus far, as the threshold they had placed for selection was much higher than her scores.

Vikram did not bother about her academic capabilities, qualifications, or whether she would even fit in his cybersecurity firm. He just wanted her by his side to prove to his destiny he would win that time.

Before Shikha could think of a reply, a voice from behind called her, which Shikha realized was that of Rohan's. The smile which lit up her face, the joyous gleam in her eyes, and the mischievous glint in her eyes infuriated Vikram that it was all for another man.

The shrewd side of him reminded that more important he was to Shikha, more important was he as a pawn in the grand scheme of events, and that smoothed away the creases on Vikram's forehead.