As chaos erupted around the marketplace, Jai swiftly guided Ritu away from the nearly demolished café. His hand was steady on her arm, a stark contrast to the pandemonium surrounding them.

"Where's your bodyguard?" Jai asked, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of clarity.

"I-I don't know." Ritu's voice quivered as she glanced around, her panic rising. The street was a sea of shouting protesters, faces blurred in the frenzy. "He... he was just with me. I don't know where he went."

The noise of the crowd began to swell again, another wave of commotion threatening to engulf them. Without hesitation, Jai tightened his grip on her arm and pulled her toward the statue of Netaji, away from the escalating chaos. "Do you have a phone?"

Ritu nodded, her breathing slowly evening out as she fumbled for her phone. "Yes."

"Call him. Tell him where you are. He's probably still searching for you in that mess," Jai instructed, his tone calm but urgent as he scanned the crowd for any sign of Irfan.

Ritu dialed the number, her fingers trembling slightly. As the phone rang, she glanced up at Jai, the words of gratitude forming on her tongue despite the bitterness that came with them. She contemplated for a moment before forcing out the words. "Thank you." The words felt alien to her ears. It must be a cruel blow of her fate. She was thanking the enemy! Hey Krishn! Why?

Jai's expression remained unreadable, but his silence spoke louder than anything he could have said. He gave a curt nod, his focus again shifting back to the crowd as if he were distancing himself from the moment. From feeling their close proximity.

They were still standing close, but only contact between them was Jai's hold on her wrist. He was staring at the chaos across the street. Ritu glanced at him. His demeanor more grounding than exploitative. His jaws ticked as he clenched his teeth, the tension evident in the taut lines of his face. The stubble on his chin remained, rough and untouched since the first time she laid eyes on him. It added a rugged edge to his appearance to his side profile.

Ritu's eyes wavered as she averted her gaze from his face.

The call connected after a few rings, and Irfan's anxious voice immediately burst through.

"Ritusha! Where are you?"

Ritu's attention snapped back to the phone. She clutched the phone tightly and answered in a panicked voice. "Irfan! I'm by the statue of Netaji. Are you okay? Where are you?"

"What? How did you get there? Are you hurt anywhere?" The words came out between pants as Ritu realized he must be running.

"Well, I-" she hesitated. "Someone helped me get out of there."

"Who? And stay right where you are! That's an order!" Irfan almost growled through the phone sending a shiver down her spine. She knew he wasn't trying to be authoritative. He was just doing his job as her bodyguard. Her safety is his top priority and he wouldn't hesitate to place restrictions on her if it meant protecting her. That command had come directly from his leader, Neil.

"I'm not going anywhere. Where's Navi?"

"He's with me. Don't disconnect the call!"

"I won't," she quietly assured him as she looked up and focused her gaze on Jai again. The air between them hung like a thick fog, oppressive and charged. He was still holding her wrist. Ritu shifted uncomfortably, her mind churning with conflicted emotions. She tried to decipher the expression on his face, but he remained guarded, inscrutable. She bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze, cursing herself. Whatever the hell her mind was doing right now, she didn't enjoy at all. She frowned and scolded herself. This is exhilarating! Everything is a mess! Wrong place, wrong person, wrong day!

As they waited for Navneet and Irfan to arrive, Ritu often found herself stealing glances at Jai. His stillness was almost maddening, yet there was a certain charisma about him that she couldn't ignore. She shifted uncomfortably, painfully aware of his hold on her wrist. And the worst thing was, he wasn't even looking at her!

Yet, she found an unexpected grounding in his grip, and she had no desire to let it go. So, she made no effort to pull her hand away, content to remain tethered to him shamelessly.

Jai's aura made her feel cautious and at ease at the same time. She shook her head and turned her gaze to the growing chaos ahead. The crowd was getting rowdier by the minute, and the arrival of a pair of police vans only seemed to escalate the tension. Officers spilled out, swinging their sticks with harsh, sweeping motions, trying to push back the masses. She watched in dread, her breath catching in her throat as the scene unfolded.

Shortly, her vision got obscured by Navneet and Irfan running toward them, slightly disheveled from the chaos of the cafe, but unharmed. They arrived and Ritu caught Irfan's eyes sharply turning toward Jai's way. She straightened, sensing the sizzling tension arising. She noticed Irfan's tense gaze locked on Jai before it flickered down to where Jai's hand gripped her wrist.

"Are you alright?" Irfan asked, concern etched on his face as he slowly grabbed her other hand and pulled her to his side. Jai let go of her at the same moment.

Navneet added with a frown, "That was a near miss. Almost got hit!"

Ritu glanced at Navneet for a brief moment before her eyes involuntarily drifted back to Jai. Her mind still stuck on Jai's unexpected rescue and it was bothering her to the core. Why would he do that? Why in the bloody hell would he do that?

Irfan asked Jai sternly, "How come you noticed her amidst the chaos? Roys and you are enemies."

"Just because we're enemies doesn't mean I'm incapable of basic humanity. The important thing is she's safe now."

Irfan's hold around her wrist tightened slightly as Jai made a direct eye contact with Ritu before taking a step back and striding away from the group, his back straight and shoulders set in a resolute manner. His gait was purposeful. There was something about him that caught her attention every time he crossed her path. It was as if the air around him was charged with a quiet confidence. Jai's aura made him look like a man who was sure of his actions and the consequences that follow.

When he didn't even glance over his shoulder even once, Ritu blurted, her voice softer, "I didn't expect such kindness from an enemy."

Navneet responded with a mock chuckle, "Kindness? That's a strong word for someone like him. Isn't he trying to take down Manyu da?"

Ritu ignored Navneet's tone, her eyes still glued to where Jai had disappeared. "But why did he help me out of that place? He could've saved just himself. Why did he risk getting hurt in order to save me?" She sensed her chest tightening with a heaviness she couldn't explain.

Irfan responded with a grave tone, "Leave it. Let's get out of here. The crowd can get much violent if things escalated for worse. I'll call the driver to bring the car around. He's probably parked in the alley nearby."

Ritu stayed silent as Irfan made the call, giving the driver instructions to meet them at their current spot.

Once the call ended, Navneet raised his hands with a sheepish grin, the shopping bags still intact in his grip. "I'm not sure how I didn't lose any of these."

Ritu shook her head slightly, then she said something unexpected making the men's expression turning sour in an instant. "I think we should follow him," she muttered. It was more of a statement than an order.

Irfan's brow furrowed. "What? Why? Why do you want to follow him? Leave it here, let's go home."

"No," Ritu said, her voice firmer now. "I need to know why. Why he did that, why he..." Her words trailed off as she pulled her hand from Irfan's grip, her gaze still fixed on the path Jai had taken.

"You're serious?" Irfan sounded incredulous, glancing between her and Navneet, who just raised an eyebrow in equal confusion.

"Let him go, Ritu. We don't know for sure why he did that. Perhaps, he has some hidden agenda," Navneet added with a shrug, clearly not understanding the gravity of Ritu's absurd demand.

But Ritu wasn't swayed. "Please Irfan. I want to know. I promise I won't tell anyone." She took a step forward, her mind already made up. Jai couldn't just swoop in, save her, and walk away like nothing happened. Why the hell would he pretend being so generous while he was hell bent to ruin her family's reputation? She remembered his words when he came to Ishani to do a meeting with her father and brother for the first time.

"I do not wish to harm any innocent."

Was it just his façade or did he actually mean it? She had to know. There was an unruly urge inside her heart that screamed for answers, driving her to seek the truth despite the risks.

Irfan reached out, grabbing her wrist again, gentler this time. "But what does it matter what his reason is?"

She met his confused gaze, her heart racing. She wasn't sure herself but she had this gut feeling that there was more to Jai than he let it show. Perhaps, if she could find more details about him, she could help her brother escape the defamation from this murder case. "Because I want to know him." The words left her mouth before she could comprehend what they actually meant.

Both Navneet and Irfan stilled as she let those words out. Their eyes never left her when she added more slowly, "It doesn't make any sense to me. He had no reason to come to my aid. He hates me, right? Or at least, he should. He must hate my whole family. This doesn't add up. Then why did he..." she trailed off. She was almost frozen back in the café. But he... he noticed that she was struggling and...

"I have to know." There was a finality in her voice.

Irfan opened his mouth to argue, but he saw the determination in her eyes and sighed, releasing her wrist. "Fine. But I don't like this. If we're really doing this, then there's a condition you must oblige."

Ritu eyed him questioningly, there was a visible frown forming on her face. She knew the severity of his conditions. She had experienced them herself in the past. This could go wrong any moment.

Irfan added in his deep voice, tilting his head high, "If I sense anything off, I'll not stop myself from using this." With a slight shift of his eyes, he indicated the right side of his waist where his gun was supposed to be under his suit.

Ritu's eyes widened at his cold proclamation. "No! I don't want that. You know violence is my trigger. And I'll not let you harm anyone."

"And you also know this. Your safety is my responsibility. I won't compromise with that." Irfan's voice was unyielding.

Ritu pressed her lips together, contemplating. But after a while, she let her irrational urge win over her rational thinking. "But I don't want to drag Navi into this. Send him home."

"What? Hey!" Navneet objected immediately. "I can't let you go alone."

"I'll not be alone. Irfan will be with me. And I can't let you get hurt. You have to go home safely."

"And that's not for you to decide!"

"Of course, I can decide it! Your safety is important. I won't be able to face Jeet uncle otherwise."

"Papa will be mad at me if I push you toward potential danger without accompanying you. Forget it. I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not! I'm older than you. So, you have to listen to me!"

"Ritz, don't bring our ages into this!"

"Why not? I'm older than you..."

"ENOUGH!" Irfan's voice cut through their argument, firm and commanding.

Navneet and Ritu fell silent, startled by the sudden intensity. Irfan turned to Navneet, his expression leaving no room for further debate. "You're going home, Navneet. End of discussion. I'll make sure Ritu's safe."

Navneet opened his mouth to protest, but Irfan raised a hand. "You heard me. Get into the car and leave. If anything happens, it's my job to be the one answering to her family, not you. You're here as a guest to the Roys. I cannot let harm come to you."

Navneet hesitated, clearly torn between staying and obeying Irfan's orders. But the seriousness in Irfan's eyes eventually broke his resolve. With a reluctant nod, he opened the car's door that had arrived in the meantime. "Fine. But what should I tell them if they ask about her whereabouts?"

Ritu said suggestively, "Tell them I wanted to eat ice-cream. So, Irfan took me there. But you weren't feeling well. So, you left."

Navneet shot her a seething glare, his eyes filled with intense anger. "I'll see you later. And, you!" He shifted his eyes on Irfan, his hand gripping the door's handle firmly, "You better take care of her."

"I will," Irfan said, his tone softening as he nodded professionally. "Go."

Ritu watched him climbing into the car. She felt a small twinge of guilt but quickly pushed it aside. This was something she needed to do, and dragging Navneet into it didn't feel right.

The car drove away.

Irfan turned to her once Navneet was out of sight. "You sure about this, Ritu?"

She nodded as she noticed he had dropped the honorifics to her name for quite some time. But it was better that way. She wouldn't have to feel more awkward than being trailed by a handsome man in a black suit all the damn time. "I have to know why, Irfan. I want to know his background, and what's going on in this case."

Irfan nodded slightly. Without another word, he took Ritu's hand and headed in the direction Jai had gone.

This could either be eye-opening for the case, or go down in flames.