Page 42 of One Hellish Love

Kashish’s smile faded at the joke. Her voice was sharp as she replied, “He has nothing to do with me, Tanuja.”

Rudra flinched, the weight of her words hitting him hard. Could he ever have her for himself? Could he ever claim that space in her life? He doubted it. He was nothing to her. Just a shadow of the man who had destroyed her world.

Sensing the tension, Shekhar quickly jumped in to diffuse the situation.

“Kashish is brilliant, but she wasn’t ready for big projects before. We’re lucky she chose yours, Tanuja.”

Tanuja smiled, oblivious to the undercurrents. “Well, I’m the lucky one. Enjoy the party, everyone!” she said before moving on to greet other guests.

Shekhar turned to Kashish, his tone softening.

“Don’t let your personal feelings slip into your professional life, Kashish. It could hurt our relationships.”

Kashish sighed, nodding. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, Shekhar.”

“It’s fine. How about a mocktail? You deserve to relax,” he suggested.

“I’ll try one,” she agreed, watching Shekhar rejoin his circle of business friends. She would try to forget about Rudra tonight, but deep down, she knew that was impossible.

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Sanjay handed a drink to Kashish, who was engrossed in conversation with Pallavi, too absorbed to ask whether it was a mocktail or a cocktail. Without thinking twice, she took a sip. Rudra, watching from a distance, clenched his fists. He had noticed Sanjay picking the glass from the cocktail section. Maybe it hadn’t been deliberate—Sanjay likely hadn’t known that Kashish had never consumed hard liquor before. But now she had, and the thought of her unknowingly drinking alcohol gnawed at him. Rudra knew he would have to keep an eye on her for the rest of the night. She could easily lose control or vanish, and the sight of Sanjay standing so close to her only added to hisfury. He could have intervened, stopped Sanjay from passing her the drink, but he wasn’t there to babysit her. And even if he had tried, all Kashish ever gave him was hatred, and she wouldn’t hesitate to throw it at him, regardless of who was watching.

Kashish sipped the cocktail again, still unaware of what she was drinking, while continuing her conversation with Pallavi. The crowd erupted in cheers when Tanuja cut the cake. She asked Rudra to open the Champagne to celebrate their new deal, and he obliged, temporarily distracted. But as he served the Champagne to Tanuja and the others, his eyes scanned the crowd again. Something was wrong—Kashish was nowhere in sight.

A wave of unease washed over him. She had been there just moments ago. His instincts sharpened when he noticed that Sanjay was also missing. Panic surged inside him. He handed the Champagne bottle to Shekhar, quickly excused himself, and began searching for her, dread tightening its grip on his chest. Where had she gone? If Sanjay was with her, and they were alone somewhere, Rudra knew he wouldn’t be able to control his fury.

After several tense minutes, he found her. Kashish was alone by the bushes at the back of the venue, retching and pale. She looked weak and exhausted, clearly suffering from the aftereffects of the cocktail. Rudra exhaled, feeling a small surge of relief at seeing her alone, though she was obviously unwell. Without hesitation, he hurried over to her.

CHAPTER 16

Kashish hunched over a bush, throwing up again. She looked pale, utterly drained. Gently, Rudra wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to calm her as she continued retching.

“Ssh,” he soothed her.

The sound of his voice made her freeze. She straightened up immediately, her eyes meeting his. The moment she realized who was holding her, she shrugged his arm off.

“Get off me!” she spat, stumbling as she tried to push him away.

Rudra gritted his teeth. She could never understand that all he wanted was to keep her safe. With a sigh of frustration, he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her.

“Wipe your face,” he ordered, his voice laced with irritation.

Kashish eyed him warily, confused by his uninvited help. Even in her drunken haze, she knew something didn’t add up. After a moment, her eyes blazed with suspicion.

“What did you put in my drink?” she snapped.

Rudra’s patience snapped. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to take a deep breath.

“I would NEVER do that to you!” he roared.

“Oh yeah?” she retaliated. “Then why the hell am I feeling like this? Why am I so dizzy?”

“Because you drank a damn cocktail, Kashish!” he fired back. “Did you even bother checking what was handed to you?”

Her eyes widened as his words registered.

“A cocktail? I… I thought it was—” she trailed off, her face flushing with realization. “Shit,” she cursed, slapping her forehead in disgust.

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