Sahil stepped out of the eting room and strode directly towards Alex, who stood by the window that overlooked the parking area of the police station.
"All sorted," Sahil said, in a hushed tone, reworking the latches on his briefcase. "No charges will be filed against Yash for the harassnt claims.
But there is a mutual no-contact order between all parties. Raj has to face legal consequences for the cri he committed in trying to assault her.
"Excellent work. I expected nothing less from you," Alex said with satisfaction, turning away from the window. "Thank you again for handling this so efficiently."
"That is what you pay for," Sahil replied with a slight smile pulling at his lips.
"Though I must say, your cousin managed to get himself into quite a complicated situation there."
"He did," said Alex, agreeing with a heavy sigh. "But my aunt is going to take proper care of him now to help fix this ss, and believe , this ti she will not be rciful in keeping him away from trouble."
Sahil looked over at the woman sitting across the waiting area with Yash, talking in hushed tones with their heads leaned in close. "Is that the woman you hired to break his delusion this ti?"
"Yes," said Alex, in his carefully neutral tone, his eyes never leaving them.
"Interesting," Sahil said. "She seems quite devoted to caring for her target, not unlike soone she just took on as an assignnt."
Alex said nothing, but his eyes remained on Anjali with calculating assessnt.
Sahil, perceiving that more was hidden than his client chose to reveal, did not further press him. "Will you need anything else from today?
"No, you can go," Alex said without stopping staring at the pair. "Send your bill for today’s work."
"Will do," Sahil confird. "And sir, one more thing. There is a condition attached to this settlent that your cousin actually follows through with professional therapy.
The inspector’s demand was quite firm on that point."
"I know," said Alex. "I am already handling those arrangents."
-------------------------
After that Sahil left with a professional nod, Alex walked over to where Yash and Anjali were sitting together on the hard plastic chairs.
"Everything is settled," said Alex, coming up to them. "No charges on anyone for the harassnt claims. Raj will be in a lot of trouble for the attempted assault, but that’s his problem. You two have strict no-contact orders with Kirti and Raj. You completely stay away from them, and they stay away from you."
Yash let out a deep sigh of relief, as the shoulders started sagging. "Thank you, Alex; I don’t know how to repay you enough for everything that you did for today."
"You can repay by actually getting better," Alex said seriously, not leaving room for argunt. "I have already scheduled you with a therapist. Dr. Sharma. She is a very famous therapist-you can start next week."
Yash looked down at his hands, sha coloring his features as the reality of his situation sank in. However, he nodded in acceptance. "Okay. You are right. I know I need to take this treatnt seriously."
"As for your job," Alex added, his tone lightening slightly into sothing almost teasing but still pointed, "you still think you need that security guard position? Leave it behind. I have everything already settled with the building managent. You should go back to working at your father’s company where you actually belong."
Yash winced at the reminder of how far he had fallen. "I know. I just... I needed to be close to—"
"To soone who did not want you there," Alex finished bluntly without softening the harsh truth. "Your mother has been sick with worry because of your behavior these past months, Yash. She was the one who asked to intervene and help you. So you are going to get better, not for , but for her. She deserves that much."
The guilt on Yash’s face heightened further. "I never intended to, and it hurt her this much."
"But you did hurt her," Alex said without understanding that the ’her’ in Yash mouth was not Kirti but Anjali. "So now you fix it by getting the help you need."
Alex now turned to Anjali, who had sat quietly beside Yash. "May I drop you ho? It’s getting late."
"I can manage on my own," she replied automatically, but Alex shook his head firmly.
"It’s late, and you’ve had an extrely stressing day. Let drive you."
Sothing in his tone made it clear this was not just a polite offer but a request that should not be refused.
----------------
And so, the drive began in heavy silence. Yash sat in the backseat, staring out of the window at the passing city lights blurring together while Anjali occupied the passenger seat beside Alex.
Alex drove with his usual calm efficiency, navigating the evening traffic with practiced ease. But there was a tension in the car, which had nothing to do with the state of traffic.
After so ten minutes of eerie silence, Alex spoke, never once taking his eyes off the road ahead. "Yash, you are going to stay with your mother for the next few weeks while you work with Dr. Sharma. I really think so distance from that residential complex would be beneficial for your recovery."
"Alright," Yash agreed softly from the back seat.
"I an it," Alex emphasized. "No going there. No trying to see Kirti one more ti. No closure conversations. You stay away completely."
"I understand."
-------------
Twenty minutes later, they pulled up outside Alex’s building first.
"You are getting out here," Alex told his cousin firmly. "Go upstairs to the guest room I have prepared for you tonight. Tomorrow your mother will pick you up. I need to drop Anjali at her place."
Yash hesitated and looked at Anjali in evident reluctance to leave her. "Will I see you again?"
Anjali smiled softly, though the ache in her chest was obvious. "Focus on getting better first. That is all that matters right now."
"Right," Yash said, though disappointnt flickered clearly across his face. He slowly got out of the car and shut the door with a soft click.
Alex waited patiently until Yash had entered the building and disappeared from his sight before pulling back onto the road.
The silence between them, now, stretched heavier with the things that went unsaid and needed saying.
Finally, Alex spoke into the quiet car. "You did well today handling that situation."
"Thanks," Anjali replied in a low tone, staring out into the passing streetlights.
"But you went off script...." that prompted her to look at him. Alex continued, his tone neutral but pointed with aning. "The confrontation with Kirti was not supposed to happen that way."
"I know," Anjali admitted without defensiveness. "Kirti arriving with her boyfriend was completely unforeseen. I had to go with the flow."
"You did more than adapt," Alex observed while changing lanes smoothly. "You defended him quite passionately. That went beyond the scope of what I hired you to do."
Anjali was silent, staring at her hands folded in her lap.
"Anjali," Alex said, his voice laced with a warning that brooked no dishonesty. "I need to know where your head is with all of this.
"What do you an?" she asked, though she knew perfectly well what he ant.
"I an," Alex said carefully, keeping his eyes on the road, "this was supposed to be so kind of professional job. Help my cousin break free from his delusion. Show him what healthy attention looks like. Guide him toward clarity and self-awareness. Nothing more."
"I did that," Anjali protested weakly.
"Yes, you did," Alex agreed. "But sowhere down the line, it beca sothing altogether different. I saw the way that you looked at him today. It was not acting, neither was it professional detachnt.
Anjali closed her eyes, unable to refute what he was saying. "I did not an for it to happen."
"But it did happen," said Alex matter-of-factly. "So now I gotta ask you: are you gonna play on his feelings to your advantage? Is this gonna be yet another one of your gas?
Anjali whipped toward him, her expression genuinely offended. "What? No! I would never do that to him!"
"Would you not?" Alex cut her off, his voice as even as ever yet slicing like a blade. "You have a reputation, Anjali. I hired you specifically for the reason that you are a master at playing with n’s emotions. So pardon if I need reassurance to make sure that you will not take advantage of soone in such a fragile state."
These were words that really stung deep, but Anjali couldn’t deny they were completely fair given her history. "You are right," she said quietly. "I do have that reputation. And yes, I know how to use people and manipulate their feelings. But...."
She took a deep breath before continuing. "I am not going to use Yash like that. What I feel... it is real. I did not plan for this."
Alex was silent for a long mont, his mind working through this unexpected admission as he worked his way around a turn.
"Then you must be very careful from now on," he finally said. "Because my cousin is in no place to handle another complicated relationship now. He needs to heal. He needs to understand himself and build healthy boundaries. He cannot do that if you are adding another layer of emotional confusion."
"I know", Anjali said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"So here is what is going to happen," Alex concluded finally. "You are going to step back completely. Give him space and distance. Let him work through his issues with professional help without your presence complicating things. If, after he has done the real work and gotten genuinely better, sothing authentic develops between you naturally, then fine. But not now. Not while he is vulnerable."
"You are right," Anjali agreed painfully. "I will stay away from him."
"Good," said Alex, who was satisfied.
They drove for a few more minutes before Anjali spoke again, her tone hesitant.
"Alex. thanks for not telling him about our arrangent. About you hiring to do this."
"I considered telling him the truth," Alex said honestly. "But I realized that it would only hurt him more right now, when he is broken. He needs to believe that soone saw value in him-not hired to do so. Later, when he is a little stronger and more stable, perhaps I will tell him everything. But not yet."
"I appreciate that consideration," Anjali said quietly.
"But let make one thing crystal clear," Alex said, his voice firming into a near threat. "If I see you using him in any way, if I see you taking advantage of his feelings for your own gain or entertainnt, I will tell him everything imdiately. And I will make absolutely sure he understands exactly what you are and what this arrangent was."
The threat hung in the air between them, clear and undeniable.
"I understand completely," Anjali said.
They pulled up to her apartnt building monts later.
She got out of the car and walked toward her building entrance without looking back at him. Alex watched until she disappeared safely inside, then pulled away into the night traffic.
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