"How dare I what?" Anjali interjected her mid way, her tone rising slightly.
"Don’t want to reveal the truth about your intentions to people? If you genuinely felt threatened by him, you could have inford building managent or law enforcent.
Yet you choose to create this public scene to humiliate him, how hypocrite you can be."
She moved forward by a step, maintaining her composure steadily.
"Let share another truth with you. Yes, Yash might have made mistakes earlier. Yes, he crossed the limits that he should not have. However, I have also been observing you over the past several days."
Anjali t Kirti’s gaze without flinching. "I saw how you sotis replied to his ssages just enough to keep his hope alive. You found so pleasure in the attention, did you not?"
"That is completely false!" Kirti exclaid, although her voice trembled slightly with guilt.
"Is that so?" Anjali was never the type to back down. "Then explain why you never blocked him completely from the beginning if you genuinely did not want his attention?
Why did you occasionally engage just enough to let him think he stood a chance?"
A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers.
"Wait, is that true?" soone murmured from the back.
"Really is she this scheming?"
"Truly one should not judge a book by it’s cover, who else would have believed that she can do such a thing?" another voice questioned.
"Oh my god, now is getting ssy," a woman whispered to her friend.
"I knew sothing was off about this whole thing," an elderly man muttered, shaking his head.
Kirti’s boyfriend, witnessing his girlfriend being challenged, advanced aggressively. "You better shut your mouth right now or—"
"Or what?" Anjali interrupted boldly, though Yash noticed her hands trembling faintly at her sides.
"Are you going to threaten ? Attack ?"
"Co on, attack ; let all these witnesses capture everything on cara, let the whole world know about you guys real faces."
"You better shut-up right now, you have no idea who you are dealing with," the boyfriend snarled threateningly, his face flushing with rage. "My family has power in this city. If I wish I could destroy your life and leave you nowhere to go."
"My backing is not to be underestimated either, so you better watch your mouth," Anjali retorted without hesitation. "So keep making threats in front of witnesses. I would gladly add harassnt charges to whatever else cos from this."
Yash watched the exchange with growing amazent and fear. Anjali was defending him against strangers, putting herself at risk on his behalf.
Why? he wondered with confusion. Why would she do this for ? What am I to her?
Kirti, realizing she was losing control of the narrative, played her final card with dramatic flair, thinking that this might bring the public opinion on her side. "This is insane! You know what? I am calling the police right now. They can deal with this stalker properly!"
"Go ahead," Anjali responded calmly as she pulled out her phone too. "anwhile I will contact my lawyer. I am confident they would be very interested to learn how you have been deliberately encouraging his behavior while simultaneously humilating him. That will file emotional manipulation and potential harassnt case on your part."
"But that is not what happened!" Kirti scread, her composure shattering completely.
Nothing will change unless and until the authorities determine that based on evidence rather than your theatrical performance," Anjali replied evenly.
The crowd had beco fully absorbed in the unfolding drama, whispers spreading rapidly about who was truly at fault but no one wants to enter the muddy waters.
Just as Anjali reached for her phone to inform Alex of the incident, Kirti’s boyfriend Raj couldn’t stand still any longer.
Raj completely lost control in that mont.
"SHUT UP!" he roared at Anjali, his fist suddenly swinging toward her face with vicious intent.
For Yash, ti seed to stretch endlessly as he watched the punch aid directly at Anjali’s exposed face.
His body moved before his mind could process what was happening. Every instinct scread at him to protect her, the woman who had stood by him when no one else would.
Anjali, seeing the fist coming at the last second, had no ti to dodge or shield herself properly. She could only close her eyes reflexively and brace for impact.
She expected to feel the blow connect with her face, her heart racing frantically in her chest. But the anticipated pain never ca.
After what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds in reality, she cautiously opened her eyes to see what had happened.
What she saw left her completely stunned.
Yash stood directly in front of her, his arm raised defensively.
Raj’s fist had connected solidly with Yash’s forearm instead, producing a sickening thud that made several onlookers gasp.
He had taken the hit ant for her.
"Do not dare touch her," Yash said quietly, his voice low and dangerous in a way no one had ever heard from him before.
His arm was already reddening where the punch had landed, but he did not lower it. He stood like a wall between Anjali and any threat.
The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs and exclamations.
"Oh my god, did you see that?"
"He just took the punch for her!"
"Was he really about to hit a woman?" a man asked incredulously, his tone edged with disgust. "What the hell is wrong with him?"
"Soone better be recording this," a voice called out urgently, followed by another, more excited one, "Don’t worry I got it all on video, It will surely going to be viral!"
Anjali stared at Yash’s back with wide eyes, her breath catching in her throat. Sothing shifted inside her chest, a warmth spreading through her body that had nothing to do with the afternoon heat.
He protected . Without hesitation. Without thinking of himself.
The sensation intensified as she watched him standing firm despite the pain he must be feeling.
This was not part of the plan. This was not supposed to happen but yet she couldn’t help but think,
When was the last ti anyone had protected her like this?
"You crazy bastard!" Raj snarled, pulling back his fist to swing again with even more fury.
But before he could launch another attack, the sharp wail of police sirens pierced through the air.
Multiple police vehicles ca racing into the complex with lights flashing, screeching to dramatic stops near the gathered crowd. Car doors flew open and officers erged swiftly.
And stepping out of the lead vehicle with calm authority was Alex.
The crowd parted instinctively as Alex walked through with asured steps, his expression calm but his eyes sharp as they assessed the situation in seconds.
Behind him, uniford officers fanned out to secure the scene.
"What exactly is happening here?" Alex’s voice carried across the courtyard with quiet authority.
Raj, still holding his fist raised, froze as he realized police had arrived.
The color drained from his face as the reality of his actions in front of multiple witnesses and caras hit him.
"Officer, this man has been stalking my girlfriend for months!" he tried desperately, lowering his fist and attempting to salvage the situation.
"We were just trying to confront him about it!"
"By attempting to physically assault a woman?" one of the officers said dryly, gesturing to the multiple phones that had captured everything. "We will need to see all that footage."
Alex’s eyes found Anjali, checking silently if she was unhard. She gave him the slightest nod, still shaken but safe.
Anjali had spotted the confrontation escalating earlier and had quickly typed out a ssage to Alex under the pretense of checking her phone: "Situation critical. Co now."
Alex had understood imdiately and called in a favor with the local police, explaining that his cousin was involved in an incident that required intervention.
No suspense the response had been swift.
"I am Alex Carter, officer," Alex announced calmly, addressing the crowd and the officers. "This is my cousin Yash. I was inford there was an incident here requiring police presence."
One of the senior officers approached Alex respectfully. "Mr. Carter, we received your call about a potential assault. Can you clarify what we are dealing with here?"
"From what I understand Officer," Alex said smoothly, his voice carrying to the entire crowd, "my cousin has been accused of harassnt.
However, it appears that when he attempted to defend himself and a female resident from false accusations, this man," he gestured to Raj, "attempted to physically assault the woman."
"That is not what happened!" Kirti protested shrilly.
"Then perhaps we should review the video evidence," Alex suggested mildly. "I see at least a dozen phones that captured the entire incident."
Raj’s face went white. "No wait, I did not actually—"
"Did not actually what?" Anjali interrupted coldly. "Did not actually throw a punch at ? Because from where I am right now, that is exactly what you attempted to do; anyone here can justify ."
Reviews
All reviews (0)