In Ranvijay’s hand was a mangalsutra, and the very sight of it had painted his face with a wide, unstoppable smile. He had already looked at the sacred thread countless times, and even more often had he imagined Swara wearing it around her neck. His mind replayed those pictures over and over again as if they were reality. Holding it close, he pressed a soft kiss on the pendant of the mangalsutra, caressed it with the tip of his fingers, and whispered in a low but determined tone,

“Tomorrow I am coming… And the very first thing I’ll do after arriving is to talk to Papa. Then, sooner than you expect, our marriage will take place. I already know what dreams you hold for our future, what plans you have in your heart, and I promise, everything will happen exactly the way you want.”

He was speaking endlessly, his voice brimming with excitement and love, when suddenly there came a sharp knock at the door of his room. The smile faded but only for a brief second. Without wasting even a moment, he stood up at once, placed the cigarette tightly between his lips, pulled the door open, and stepped out. As soon as he was outside, he flicked his lighter, lit the cigarette, and asked the man standing near the doorway in a heavy, commanding voice,

“Is the work done?”

“Yes, sir, everything is complete. But while loading the shipment, even after bribing the police, they are still creating drama. I can’t figure out what exactly is happening there.”

The moment Ranvijay heard those words, he blew out a dense cloud of smoke, his eyes narrowing dangerously, and without replying further, he started striding forward at a fierce pace. The lift doors opened before him, and he entered in silence. The man accompanying him pressed the button for the ground floor and kept glancing nervously at Ranvijay. He knew it very well, if Ranvijay himself was going to oversee the loading of the shipment, then something massive, something bloody, was bound to happen.

As soon as they reached the ground floor, the man hurried ahead to pull open the Scorpio door for him. Ranvijay slipped into the driver’s seat, still puffing hard on his cigarette, and started the vehicle. The man sat beside him, his eyes fixed on his boss with a strange intensity. He knew his duty clearly, that when Ranvijay was driving in such a mood, his entire concentration would be fixed on the cigarette between his lips. Before one burned out, another had to be ready in his hands.

The rhythm became mechanical, Ranvijay threw out the dying cigarette, pressed another between his lips, and the man immediately brought the flame of the lighter close for him. Smoke swirled heavily inside the Scorpio, almost suffocating, but Ranvijay’s expression remained dark, his anger only thickening with every puff. The man’s heart nearly froze as he watched his boss exhale smoke, sometimes through his nose in long, venomous streams, sometimes curling from the corner of his lips. His fear had reached its limits.

After almost five cigarettes in a row, the vehicle screeched to a halt. The man glanced sideways at Ranvijay. His boss’s face was stiff with rage, his eyes fixed dead ahead. The cigarette between his lips trembled slightly with his breathing, the ashes dropping but ignored. With one harsh motion, Ranvijay pulled it out, looked at it for a second, then flung it down to the ground and crushed it mercilessly under his boot. Without a single word, he marched forward.

A police officer stepped into his path, saying something in a nervous, stammering tone. But Ranvijay did not let him finish. With lightning speed, he pulled out a sharp dagger strapped to his back, seized the officer by the neck, and stabbed him straight in the stomach. His hand moved again and again, twisting the blade mercilessly inside the man’s torso. Blood gushed, screams broke in the air, and in that moment the crowd froze. Shock widened their eyes; fear locked their throats. No one had imagined such brutality would unfold in front of them.

With one final thrust of the knife, Ranvijay shoved the body backward and looked at the commissioner standing behind. His voice dripped with venom.

“I gave you everything you asked for, so why the hell was there a delay in moving my consignment?”

“Sir… forgive me. It was my fault. I didn’t give proper instructions to the men on time. That is why the mistake happened.”

Ranvijay shoved the officer away, his lifeless body crashing onto the ground. All eyes fell on the corpse. The gaping wounds in his chest and stomach made it clear, no chance of survival. People felt their life drain away just by looking at it. They were trembling, breaths caught, souls shaken. But Ranvijay only smiled faintly, wiped the blood from his hands onto the commissioner’s spotless shirt, staining it red, and said coldly,

“So now… My consignment will leave without any more delay, right?”

“Absolutely, Sir. It’s already on the move. You didn’t even need to come here personally. I was handling it. You’ve troubled yourself for no reason.”

Ranvijay smirked, looked at his hand still smeared with traces of blood, and then with the very same palm tapped the commissioner’s cheek like one would a child. His tone was calm but carried death within it.

“No problem. This time, I only wasted my time. But remember, if next time you dare to mess with my timing again, then for these fifteen minutes I killed one of your men. Next time, five will die. And when I start counting to five, you might very well be one of the victims."

His words sent shivers rippling across every single person standing there. Bodies stiffened, souls trembled. Ranvijay turned, beginning to walk away, but suddenly tilted his head back slightly and added in a voice that struck like thunder,

“I am leaving for Delhi…. By tomorrow evening, I will reach Patiala. If my consignment has not safely reached its destination by the time I get there, then mark my words, on the third day, your family will be the ones standing over your dead body, crying their hearts out.”

The silence that followed was heavier than death itself.

Ranvijay immediately sat inside his Scorpio. The very first thing he did was take out the mangalsutra. His eyes fell upon it, and in the very next moment, a huge smile appeared on his face. He kept staring at it as if it carried his entire world.

“I am coming…”

*****

On the other side, Priyanka was wandering around the room with a bright yellow paranda in her hand because she wanted to tie it in her braid. The yellow suit she was wearing looked extremely beautiful on her, enhancing her glow even more. She hurriedly went straight to her grandmother and said with a childish urgency,

“Please tie this in my hair… I have to go to Swara’s wedding. I should have reached there at least an hour ago, but I am still busy dressing myself up. And now, even this is left unfinished.”

Her grandmother looked at her carefully from head to toe. A gentle, proud smile curved her lips as she performed the ritual of warding off the evil eye with both hands. Then she cracked her fingers near her forehead in relief.

“My lovely choti, how beautiful you look today… If only I could also go and see Swara’s wedding with my own eyes. I am sure today my granddaughter must be looking even more beautiful than everyone else there.”

Priyanka laughed lightly, brushing her hair strands back.

“Yes, that’s true. Now, hurry up and braid my hair… I told Mother that I have to go to Swara’s wedding. She, as usual, made a face and stormed into her room, saying, ‘That unlucky girl is getting married, but not you.’ Tell me, what wrong did I even say? I just joked that if I liked Swara’s brother-in-law, I would get married right there.”

As soon as she said that, Priyanka burst into laughter, and her grandmother too, after playfully tapping her on the head, began laughing heartily. Grandma then started to detangle her granddaughter’s hair from her shoulders, but Priyanka shrieked instantly.

“Ahhh… You’re pulling my hair so hard…. Are you braiding my hair or trying to make me bald? If only Ranvijay Bhaiya were here, everything would have been perfect. Honestly, that’s the only situation in which I truly appreciate him."

“And what about me then, hmm? Am I not capable enough?”

The moment Ranvijay’s voice echoed, Grandma’s face lit up with happiness. She spread her arms wide with love. Priyanka too quickly snatched the comb and paranda from her grandmother’s hands and stood there smiling brightly. Ranvijay first went and embraced his grandmother affectionately, and the very next second his eyes fell on his sister, who was already looking beautifully dressed. Before he could even ask her anything, Priyanka pushed the comb and paranda into his hands and said,

“Hurry up and make my braid. I am already so late…. Swara will kill me. She had asked me to come two hours earlier, and look at me, I am still not ready.”

The mere mention of Swara’s name brought a faint smile to Ranvijay’s lips. He sat down, carefully detangling her hair. With delicate hands, he braided them with utmost attention and wrapped the paranda neatly into her braid. After making sure she looked flawless, he asked in a calm tone,

“So, where are you both going?”

Priyanka immediately responded without even looking at him, “Where else would I go? I am going to her house, of course. And today she is surely going to be very angry with me. She had clearly told me she wasn’t feeling good, she was scared, and she asked me to come at least two hours early. But I was still busy with my work, and look at me, I’m still sitting here. Don’t talk much; just hurry up with my braid.”

Ranvijay listened silently, narrowing his eyes slightly, but he did not interrupt. He wanted to first finish the braid properly. His grandmother, meanwhile, kept caressing his head lovingly, the way she always did. He was so used to it that he didn’t even mind. Once Priyanka’s braid was beautifully done, she rushed towards the mirror, twirled her braid to make the paranda swing, and said with excitement,

“Dadi, tell me honestly, aren’t I going to be the most beautiful girl at the wedding today?”

Her grandmother’s eyes softened with affection. “Of course, my child. You and Swara are both incredibly beautiful. My heart breaks again and again thinking that I won’t be able to see Swara today with my own eyes.”

Priyanka immediately smiled reassuringly. “Oh, why are you worrying? I’ll bring her bridal photos back for you.”

As soon as Priyanka said this, Ranvijay’s gaze fixed firmly on her face. But she was lost in admiring her reflection in the mirror and didn’t notice him at all. She was about to leave when suddenly Ranvijay stepped in front of her and blocked her way. His voice came out sharp, almost demanding.

“Where are you going?”

“To the wedding, of course. Look, please don’t stop me today. I won’t come home tonight, no matter how many men you send with me. If you want, you can come yourself, but today I won’t let you stop me. Otherwise, Swara will get upset with me.”

Ranvijay’s face froze. It was as though he didn’t hear a single word she said, except for the one word that pierced through his ears. Wedding. The very thought shook him. He wanted to ask her a hundred questions at once to clear his doubts, but strangely, words failed him. His lips parted, and only one single question came out.

“Whose…?”

“Swara’s wedding, of course… It was fixed a month ago. She strictly asked me not to tell anyone. Even Grandma came to know very quietly, and that’s why she bought earrings for her. As for Mother, she couldn’t care less. Actually, if her uncles or extended relatives had come to know about this alliance, they would have created some drama to break it off. You might not know this, but her elder sister has been sitting in her parents’ house ever since her marriage, so everyone was already worried about Swara’s match. It was very difficult to find this alliance. (Suddenly, she grabbed Ranvijay’s wrist, checked his watch, and screamed.) Oh God… She’s going to kill me… I must leave right now.”

Before he could stop her, Priyanka dashed out of the room. Ranvijay stood there as if his entire world had collapsed in front of his eyes. His grandmother, sensing the sudden change in him, gently held his hand and said softly,

“So, what did you buy there? You promised me you would soon find a girl for yourself. Your father and I have already shortlisted three girls. Tell me, when should we go meet them?”

Ranvijay immediately pulled his hand away and stormed out of the room without a word. His sudden departure left his grandmother startled. She raised her voice after him, calling out loudly,

“When girls hear about marriage, they blush… But where are you running away to, hiding your face?”

Without wasting a single moment, Ranvijay stormed out of the room. His steps were so forceful that they echoed through the corridor. He was heading straight towards the exit with a face burning in rage.

His mother saw him leaving, and, at first, her lips curved into a faint smile of relief, she had been waiting for him. She quickly began walking towards him, hoping to stop him and speak to him. But before she could even reach him, Ranvijay had already stepped out of the house, slammed the door behind him, and rushed straight towards his Thar. Within seconds, the loud roar of the engine echoed, startling everyone inside.

Rekha froze at the doorway, her smile fading instantly as her eyes filled with worry. Watching her son disappear in such a storm of anger, she whispered in a distressed voice,

“Why has he left with such fury? Who has invited death upon themselves today?”

Meanwhile, Ranvijay’s grip on the steering wheel was so tight that his knuckles had turned white. His eyes blazed with bloodshot rage, and his jaw was clenched so hard it looked as if he would shatter his teeth. His entire body radiated a dangerous storm of possessiveness and fury. He pulled out his phone with one hand, his voice sharp and commanding as he barked into it.

“In exactly seven minutes, I’ll be on Circuit Road. I want every single one of our men there, everyone we’ve got. Not one should be missing.”

Without waiting for a response, he tossed the phone aside onto the passenger seat. His hands tightened on the steering wheel once more, veins bulging against his skin as he hissed to himself, his voice heavy with obsession.

“Swara… You are mine… How dare you marry someone else?”

The very next second, he slammed his foot hard on the accelerator. The Thar roared like a beast unleashed, speeding down the road recklessly, cutting through the air as though it were flying. His only thought, his only focus, was to reach Swara as soon as possible. In his mind, a single vow burned like fire, he would not, under any circumstances, allow Swara to become someone else’s bride. He had made up his mind. He would snatch her away from fate itself if needed. Tonight, nothing in the world could stop Ranvijay.