️⚠️⚠️ This chapter contains mention of physical and sexual violence. ⚠️⚠️

Author's POV

“Ohh… that’s why you said sorry,” Saaisha whispered, her voice soft but cutting through the silence.

But then muttered under her breath, "pagal hai kya yeh? agar pakadte nahi toh gir nahi jati mai."
(Is he crazy? If he hadn't caught me, I wouldn't have fallen)

Shaurya’s gaze lifted, his tone suddenly firm, almost grave. “Hmm… but what did you say? What do you mean I’m one of those men?”

The shift in his voice drew everyone’s attention back to her. Every pair of eyes in the room now watched Saaisha, waiting.

She inhaled deeply, her fingers curling into trembling fists, her chest heaving as though the words themselves were too heavy to carry. Her eyes locked onto Shaurya’s before sliding down to his chest.

“Your tattoo,” she said, barely above a whisper.

Shaurya instinctively lowered his gaze, staring at the place hidden beneath his shirt. “My tattoo?” he repeated, his voice calm but laced with an edge.

Saaisha nodded firmly. “Yes. That same tattoo… it was on one of them.”

The moment the words left her lips, Shaurya froze. His jaw clenched so hard the muscles in his face tightened, his knuckles whitened as his fists curled, and the veins in his neck and forehead strained, throbbing with suppressed rage. His eyes, once steady, turned bloodshot red burning with something raw and dangerous.

Siya, Veer, and Ryan instantly exchanged worried glances. They had seen Shaurya lose control before, but this was different—this was personal.

“What happened?” Saaisha asked, her voice hesitant, glancing between the four men.

Shaurya’s gaze softened for a brief moment as it landed on her.

He lowered his eyes and took a deep, measured breath, as though he was battling an inner storm.

Then he looked toward Siya, Veer, and Ryan silent but clear, asking for permission. The three exchanged small nods.

Turning back to Saaisha, his voice dropped into a serious timbre.
“What I’m going to say now… is very confidential. It stays between us. You cannot share it with anyone. Understood?”

The weight in his words made her throat go dry. She glanced nervously at Siya for reassurance but found no escape.

Shaurya repeated, firmer this time, his gaze pinning her in place.
“Understood, Lotus?”

Her lips parted, stammering. “Y… yes.”

He exhaled slowly, steadying himself. “The tattoo you saw it belongs to an organization the four of us created.”

Saaisha frowned but nodded, silently urging him to continue.
“What kind of organization?” she asked cautiously.

Clearing his throat, Shaurya chose his words with care, softening them as much as he could.
“We punish people who do bad things… those who break the law, those who think they’re above justice. People who deserve consequences.”

He said it carefully, as though speaking too harshly might shatter her already fragile state.

But Saaisha’s brows furrowed deeper. Her confusion only grew.
“Wait… so you punish people outside the law? Isn’t that the same thing? You’re still breaking rules taking justice into your own hands. What’s the difference? If you punish someone, aren’t you just doing the same wrong, only in another form?”

Her innocent logic echoed in the heavy silence. She tilted her head, adding almost with a nervous laugh, “And how come the police don’t arrest you? Ohh… I forgot—you’re the CM. Hehe.”

The four of them just stared at her, caught between exasperation and disbelief. Her innocence was so disarming that for a moment they didn’t know whether to laugh or hit their heads against the nearest wall.

“Cut the crap. We’re mafia. One of the most powerful mafias.”  It was none other than ryan who doesn't like sugar nor sugar coated words.

The words hit the room like a gunshot.

Shaurya shot him a glare sharp enough to kill, muttering a curse under his breath.

Ryan only shrugged, meeting his glare with an eye roll and said .
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? And who the hell calls it an ‘organization’? It’s the fucking mafia. You ruined the whole aura, bro.”

They all heard a small hiccup sound. Turning their faces towards it, they saw Saaisha.

“You all  hiccup  are mafia?  hiccup Mazaak kar rahe ho na? hiccup”

No one said anything. Saaisha looked at Siya with hopeful eyes, silently begging her to deny it. But Siya simply nodded, confirming the truth.

Saaisha quickly filled a glass of water and drank it in one gulp. Her hiccups stopped, but her disbelief remained.

She looked at all of them and said, “You all can’t be mafia. Not possible. I know how mafias are they don’t laugh, they don’t smile, they only give angry looks. And look at you all… you smile, you laugh…”

Her gaze shifted to Ryan, and she muttered softly, “Except him…” before continuing, “Real mafias do bad things, they don’t punish bad people. Don’t try to fool me. I may be innocent, but I’m not dumb. Huh!”

Veer whispered helplessly, “Ab hum kya bolein…”

Ryan leaned slightly and replied in a low tone, “Yahi ke yeh chup hi achhi thi.”

Veer’s eyes widened in shock, but Ryan quickly added, “Just joking.”

“Tujhe… joke marna bhi aata hai?” Veer asked, still stunned.

Ryan simply nodded.

But amidst all the light-heartedness, Shaurya’s face remained stern. His eyes locked on Saaisha, who was already staring at him until she felt almost pinned by the weight of his gaze.

Then, in a calm yet commanding tone, he spoke,

“I don’t know what you think you know about mafias, but the qualities you just mentioned belong to local goons - we're absolutely not one of them. And about punishing others—neither do I regret it, nor do I care to explain it to anyone. But there’s one thing I truly dislike, when someone mocks or questions my work… my mafia. I hope you understand that, Saaisha. Because it’s very personal to me.”

The room fell silent. Not only Saaisha but everyone froze where they stood. It was rare for Shaurya to speak in that tone, but when he did, it carried an authority that demanded attention and dared anyone to defy him.

A chill crawled down Saaisha’s spine. Her lips parted, but no words escaped. Instead, she simply nodded, unable to respond any other way.

Shaurya took a deep breath, his eyes softening as he looked at her. “Lotus,” he said gently, the sharpness from before completely gone, “now I want you to share everything you remember about that man with us. Okay?”

The tone of his voice gentle, steady, reassuring made Saaisha relax a little. This was the Shaurya she knew, the one who held a quiet strength, the one she felt she could confide in.

“I… I don’t know much,” she began hesitantly. “As I said before, I never saw their faces. That man also wore a mask. But when he removed his shirt… on his chest, there was a tattoo. The same tattoo as yours.”

Shaurya’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained careful, almost cautious.
“Are you certain it was the same tattoo? Or… if you don’t mind, just so we can clarify… can I take my shirt off and show you? You can confirm it then.”

He didn’t rush her, his tone deliberately gentle. He knew one wrong step here could shatter her completely.

Saaisha’s eyes flickered between him and Siya. “I… I think it was the same,” she whispered uncertainly.

Siya squeezed her hand, her voice soothing. “Let’s see it and confirm, hmm? Don’t worry, I’m right here with you.”

Saaisha nodded faintly.

Shaurya rose from his chair and began unbuttoning his shirt. The room was silent, tension thick in the air. He pulled the fabric aside, revealing his chest.

On the left side, etched deep into his skin, was the tattoo—Lady Justice with her eyes wide open, the same symbol that marked every member of Kaala Darbar.

Saaisha’s gaze fixed on it, her eyes widening. For a few seconds, she stared without blinking, and then abruptly looked away, clutching Siya’s hand so tightly her knuckles whitened. Her breath trembled as she stammered,

“Y-yes… it’s the same. I’m not lying… it’s the same, believe me…”

Her breathing turned ragged, panic rising in her chest. Siya immediately pulled her into a hug, whispering gently, “Shhh… relax. We believe you, Ishu. We believe you, okay?”

Saaisha nodded against her shoulder,  but Siya needed more clarity. Stroking her back, she asked softly, “Can you tell me… the color of Lady Justice’s eyes? On that man’s tattoo?”

Saaisha, still clinging to her, closed her eyes. The image of the tattoo burned in her mind—unshakable, haunting. In a broken voice, she murmured,

“It… it was black.”

The words made the four of them freeze. Their eyes widened in shock. Black eyes.

Because only the Four Pillars of Kaala Darbar bore that colour eye.

Saaisha’s lips quivered, her chest heaving as though she couldn’t breathe. Then suddenly she gasped, shaking her head frantically.
“No… not black. It was blue! Yes, it was blue!”

Her eyes flew open, panic shimmering in them. She broke Siya’s hug, her breathing frantic, as if she was trying to convince not just them but herself.
“It was blue! I remember now, it was blue!”

The four exchanged a loaded glance.

In Kaala Darbar, everyone bore the same Lady Justice tattoo on their chest. But the eyes… the eyes were what set them apart.

The Four Pillars carried black eyes, mirroring Shaurya’s own.

The Tech Division bore green eyes, like Siya’s.

The Intellectual Division had blue eyes, like Veer’s.

And the Torture Division carried grey eyes, identical to Ryan’s.

The room grew heavier, as if the truth itself was pressing down on them.

Siya leaned closer, holding her hands tightly.

“Now tell me everything, hmm, Ishu.”

Saaisha took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling unevenly.

“I don’t know exactly where I was… but it wasn't the same place as before. I only know it was night. There was a small window in that room. For a moment, I thought if I shouted, maybe someone would hear me. But the reality hit me my mouth was gagged, and my limbs were locked. When I looked down at myself…” her voice broke,

“…I was dressed in something that covered nothing, just enough to hide my private parts. Like I wasn’t a human… just a showpiece put on display.”

Her hands trembled, sweat gathering at the side of her neck. Siya quickly whispered, “Ishu, relax… if you want, we can do this later. Just breathe.”

But Saaisha shook her head firmly. “No… I can do it. I have to.” Her father’s words echoed in her mind—my brave Saaishu.

She swallowed hard and continued. “Then… a man came in. He was drunk, I could tell by the way he walked. He looked at me… then without hesitation, he removed his shirt and sat beside me. He started pulling at my clothes while I shook my head, begging silently, ‘please stop…’ But he wasn’t in his senses. He unbuckled his belt… and I thought like the others he would rape me and then leave. But no…”

Her voice cracked, “He turned me around… and started beating me with the belt. Every strike was more brutal than the last. When I screamed from the pain, he struck harder, yelling that I ‘deserved it’… that instead of screaming I should be moaning or staying quiet. He kept going, like it would never end. And when my body finally gave up when I had no energy left to scream and just lay there with half-open eyes…”

her voice broke into a whisper,
“…he still didn’t stop. He raped me… the whole night. And in the morning… he left me there like nothing had happened.”

Saaisha’s gaze drifted towards Shaurya, and her eyes caught the redness burning within his own eyes.

For a moment, she hesitated, but then her lips parted, her voice barely above a whisper, fragile yet sharp enough to cut through the heavy silence of the room.

“When he was…” she faltered, her chest tightening before she forced herself to say it, “…when he was raping me, the only thing I could see in front of my eyes was his chest. That tattoo.”

Her fingers trembled as she lifted her hand slightly, as if tracing an invisible figure in the air.

“The Lady of Justice… with her eyes wide open, staring at me. In that moment, I wanted to laugh...laugh at the irony. Laugh at the hypocrisy. And I wanted to ask him… why? Why did he choose to carry something so sacred on his skin before dirtying it with such filth?”

Her words sank into the air like stones hitting still water, leaving ripples in everyone’s chest. Silence tightened around them.

Then Saaisha’s eyes, glistening with tears but steady with fire, moved to each of the four pillars of Kaala Darbar—Shaurya, Veer, Siya, and Ryan.

Her voice grew steadier, heavier with pain and conviction.

“So tell me… what is the difference?” Her voice sliced through the silence, trembling yet merciless.

“That night, it didn’t matter if the Lady of Justice had her eyes open or closed. It didn’t matter if the world claimed to worship truth. None of it saved me. Because justice doesn’t come from symbols, tattoos, weapons, or big words. Justice comes only from strength. And strength is nothing but the courage to rise when wrong is done especially when it’s easier to stay silent.”

Her chest rose and fell with a shaky breath. She lifted her gaze, locking it with Shaurya’s, her eyes unflinching now, her tone turning to ice.

“You built this empire - this mafia group - to punish the guilty, to deliver the justice the system denies. You wear it like a crown, like a shield. But tell me…” she paused, her voice breaking into steel,

“…what happens when that very empire - your empire-harbors men who use its power to beat, torture, and rape women?”

Her last words struck the air like a curse, pulling every breath from the room.

And for the first time, the four pillars of Kaala Darbar sat in silence answerless, exposed.

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