Author's POV

Saaisha stood in front of Ryan, directly looking into his eyes.

Ryan asked, “It's your first time or you’ve already taken some self-defence classes before?”

She nodded silently.

“You mean you’ve already taken some classes?” he asked again, just to confirm.

She nodded once more.

“Okay… let’s see what you got.” A smirk curled on Ryan’s lips — the kind that didn’t comfort but hinted at danger.

“419!” he shouted.

A girl stepped forward — tall, about 5'8", with broad shoulders and slightly bulked muscles. Her hair was tied into a tight bun, her expression unreadable.

Ryan looked at Saaisha and said with a spark in his eye, “Test time.”

“419, you’ll attack her. And you, 509, just defend. Okay?”

Saaisha looked at the girl and gulped. She was just 5’2”, lean, and visibly smaller. The girl in front of her looked nothing, but a charging bull with two sharp horns  and she, the helpless red cloth.

In a go, she’ll be ready with her flared nostrils to attack me on the red cloth.

Then, she looked at Ryan. Her eyes now reflected nervousness -raw and real.

“What happened? Don’t want to do it? Quitting even before trying? Are you 509? That’s what a coward does. Are you one?” Ryan’s voice wasn’t loud, but each word hit like a hammer.

He knew exactly what he was doing — fueling her anger, stripping down her fear. He wanted to see if she was going to bloom like a storm, or crumble like a fragile petal. Was she truly the one they thought could rise from ashes… or just another broken case to be handled with caution?

And just like he expected , something shifted. His words clawed at her pride. Her nervousness evaporated and was replaced with silent rage.

She turned towards the girl and gave a sharp hand signal - a clear challenge to begin.

Ryan smirked, pleased, and stepped back to give them space.

The girl took her position and without delay, swung a strike toward Saaisha’s jaw. Saaisha leaned back just in time, dodging the hit. But before she could compose herself, the girl was already aiming a punch to her ribs — just inches away.

“STOP!” Ryan’s voice sliced through the room.

The girl stopped mid-motion. Saaisha stood frozen, her wide eyes fixed on the girl’s halted fist - just an inch away from her side. Her chest rose and fell, breath uneven.

“509, focus. The attacker won’t wait for you to collect yourself. You must be fast enough to protect your body” Ryan said, voice calm but dominant.

Saaisha gave a small nod and inhaled deeply.

“Okay, again.”

This time, the girl aimed for Saaisha’s nose. She ducked in time, but the girl didn’t stop. She spun around and now, instead of her hands, her leg came flying toward Saaisha’s hip joint.

“STOP!” Ryan’s voice thundered again.

Saaisha flinched - genuinely startled. Her entire body jerked, breath catching in her throat. The sound didn’t just stop the girl — it sent a chill down Saaisha’s spine.

Ryan’s face was hard now, sharper than before. His jaw clenched.

“509, come here,” he commanded.

Saaisha hesitated, then began walking slowly toward him.

“Faster.”

She picked up pace. When she was close, he said, “Follow me.”

She followed him, eyes cast downward, silently matching his steps. Then Ryan stopped, and so did she.

“Come here,” he said, signaling to his right side.

Without a word, she stepped beside him.

And then

splash!

She didn’t know what hit her, but her head was underwater. Ryan had dunked her head into a drum full of cold water. She panicked, hands thrashing, trying to break free. Her lungs screamed for air but his grip was merciless.

15 seconds later, he pulled her out.

She gasped, breathing like she’d fought for life.

“I thought your sleep wasn’t over yet. Now, I think you’ll focus,” Ryan said coldly.

Saaisha glared at him. Her eyes burned with pure anger, water dripping from her lashes.

“Don’t show me that glare. Show it in your moves. You’re not here for an action movie. You are here to learn and your job was just to defend. You couldn’t even do that. You took classes for this?” He paused, then his voice dropped lower, laced with disappointment.

“Ghar jaakar sabse shikayat karne se achha, main hi keh raha hoon. kal se mat aana agar isi tarah se ladna hai.”
(Instead of going home and complaining to everyone, I'm telling you myself — don't come from tomorrow if you're going to keep fighting like this.)

She said nothing. Just moved past him, drenched and silent.

Ryan shook his head, watching her go. “She’s not the one, Saarkar,” he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. “She won’t fight. We’ll have to fight for her.”

He splashed a handful of water on his own face, wiping his frustration, and reached for his phone to call Shaurya. When a scream stopped him cold.

His hand froze mid-air.

“509…” he muttered, and rushed toward the sound.

What he saw shocked him.

Saaisha was standing — calm. But the girl from earlier was on the ground, holding her bleeding nose.

Ryan’s gaze darted from the injured girl to Saaisha, who stood there… smirking.

Expressionless, Ryan walked toward her slowly, every step calculative and determined.

Standing in front of her, he asked in a flat voice, “Did I ask you to attack?”

Saaisha blinked in confusion.

“I said… did I ask you to attack, 509?” His voice now a little louder.

She shook her head, no.

“Then why did you attack her?”

Anger flickered in her eyes. She didn’t know what he wanted from her. First he scolds her for not defending. Then gets mad when she fails. Now that she attacked, he questions her again.

Ryan watched her - her eyes, her breathing, her silence.

Then he turned around and shouted, “317!”

A boy came forward  leaner than the girl, but about 5'8".

Ryan looked back at Saaisha.

He leaned in closer and whispered coldly, “Bohot shauk hai na attack karne ka? Ab karo. Agar nahi kar payi, toh kal se academy bhi mat aana.”
(You really enjoy attacking people, don’t you? Then go ahead, attack now. And if you can’t, don’t come to the academy from tomorrow.)

They both took position.

Ryan looked back at Saaisha.

Let’s see… are you scared of every boy? Or are you here to learn how to take your revenge from those bastards who broke you?

He didn’t say a word, but the question echoed in his mind like a test she didn’t know she was taking. His expression remained cold, unreadable.

He gave a nod to the boy.

Saaisha gave a nod back, ready.

He attacked first. She spun, dodging him and reached behind him, ready to strike. Just as she was about to kick his abdomen, he dodged. Then he spun around and aimed a kick at her chest — she pushed his leg away and stumbled but composed herself instantly.

Before he could steady, she jumped slightly and placed her forearm across his neck, pushing him against the wall. With her other hand, she pinned his arm down, locking him in place. Then, with a sharp glance at Ryan, she tilted her head — telling him to look down.

Her knee was just an inch from the boy’s groin. One wrong move, and he’d be crying on the floor.

Ryan raised his hand slightly, “Okay, stop"

Saaisha stepped back immediately.

Now her eyes met his - fierce, determined, unapologetically proud.

Ryan’s face didn’t change. Blank, unreadable.

“Go take your bag. I’ll drop you,” he said.

Saaisha looked at him in shock, then quickly pulled out her notepad and scribbled.

“What? Why? I attacked him. You said if I can’t attack, I can’t come back. You can’t go back on your own words, sir!”

Ryan read it, then glanced at her.

“Nahi nikal raha hoon. I have to meet Shaurya -that’s why I said I’ll drop you.”

Her lips curled into a small, satisfied smile. She grabbed her bottle, drank some water, and followed him out.

“Pehli ladki hai jo iss academy se nikalne ke liye mana kar rahi hai,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he walked toward the car.
.

.

.

In Rathore Mansion

As they stepped into the mansion, the warm light of the chandeliers illuminated the richly decorated hall. Everyone was already gathered in the living area. The moment Siya spotted them, she jumped up with excitement and squealed, “ISHU!”

Saaisha flinched at the sudden loud voice, her body tensing instinctively, but before she could react, Siya wrapped her arms tightly around her.

“I’m sooo, sooo proud of you!” she whispered with pure affection.

Saaisha blinked, confused. “Proud?”

Ryan’s brows furrowed as he looked toward Siya suspiciously. “Don’t tell me... you did it again?”

Siya smirked unapologetically and nodded with a playful glint in her eyes. “Of course, I did it again. Everyone was stressed for her, so... the only solution was to monitor her progress. And what better way than hacking your training area’s cameras?”

She ended with a wink.

Saaisha’s eyes widened in disbelief. She stared at Siya, stunned, but when she realized the intrusion had come from a place of care, just to ensure she was safe—a small smile appeared on her lips.

Meera walked in with her usual gentle authority. “Okay, enough now. Let’s eat first. You all must be starving. Saaisha, go freshen up, beta.”

Saaisha nodded quietly and walked toward her room.

Shaurya and Veer sat side by side on the large sofa, watching the interaction in silence. Shaurya’s eyes shifted to Ryan, and with a subtle smirk, he raised a brow. Ryan sighed and shook his head with a faint smile, then walked toward them.

---

Later, at the dining table...

Everyone was finally seated when Rajveer broke the silence with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Aur Ryan... suna hai meri bachi ne tumhare trainers ki seeti-peeti gul kar di?”
(Ryan… I heard my girl completely rattled your trainers?)

Saaisha smiled sheepishly at the compliment, while Siya giggled.

Ryan exhaled deeply, trying to stay composed. “Attack theek-thaak hai, lekin defense... defense toh bahut kamzor hai. Agar ek saath do log aa jaayein, kuch nahi kar payegi aapki yeh bachi.”
(The attack is decent, but the defense… the defense is very weak. If two people come at her at once, your girl won’t be able to do anything.)

He glanced at Saaisha as he said it.

She had just lifted her spoon but paused, narrowing her eyes at him. Instead of getting offended, she stuck out her tongue childishly before resuming eating with an air of mock arrogance.

Laughter echoed around the table. For the first time, they saw a different side of Saaisha—playful, confident, and slowly healing.

---

After lunch...

Everyone was lounging in the hall when Shaurya called out, “Siya, bring the black file from my office room, please.”

“Okay, bhai,” Siya replied and turned to Saaisha. “Come, Ishu.”

They both headed down the corridor. As they entered the office room, Saaisha looked around curiously. It wasn’t as extravagant as the rest of the mansion. Simple, almost minimalistic. The dominant colors were black and grey, giving it a quiet strength.

One wall was stacked floor to ceiling with books. A sleek desk stood in the center with a high-backed chair and two guest chairs across it. A single, worn sofa sat in the corner. But what caught Saaisha’s eye wasn’t the decor - it was the object resting on the corner of the desk.

An old landline phone. Dustless. Preserved. Clearly not just for decoration.

Drawn toward it without thinking, Saaisha reached out to touch it.

“Ishu, wait!” Siya said quickly. “Don’t touch that. Bhai is... kind of possessive about that phone and the diary beside it.”

Saaisha instantly pulled her hand back, but in doing so, she accidentally knocked over a small stack of files next to the phone.

She bent down to pick them up.

But the moment her fingers brushed the top file, something shifted.

Her breath hitched. Her hands trembled. Beads of sweat formed along her forehead as a cold chill surged through her spine. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her body gave way to a rising wave of panic.

“Ishu?” Siya’s tone changed to alarm. “Ishu, what’s wrong?”

But before she could answer, Saaisha collapsed.

“Ishu!” Siya ran toward her and caught her just in time before her head hit the ground. “BHAIIII!!” she screamed in panic.

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