She had felt it earlier too, during lunch with Navya. A man at the next table had kept watching her. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now the uneasiness bloomed into something stronger. Was it the same man? Or was she being followed by Reyansh’s men, assigned secretly to protect her? She had no clue, and she wasn’t about to take chances.
She flagged down a passing cab from the corner and got in, even though her apartment was only a block away. When it came to her safety, a short ride was worth the peace of mind.
Back home, she keyed in and bolted the door tight behind her. Emailing Reyansh wasn’t going to cut it. She needed answers now. It had been a while since they’d spoken over the phone, but that didn’t stop her from dialling his number, even if it was late night back in India.
He answered on the first ring.
“Aanya?” His voice was alert. Not groggy. Not sleepy. Awake.
“Reyansh, someone was following me today. In the market. Please tell me they were your men.” Her voice trembled. Reyansh had once told her his men were watching her for her safety, but until today, she’d never felt their presence.
“Calm down, Aanya,” he said, his grip on the phone tightening. God, he wanted to be with her right now. Wrap her in his arms. Make sure she felt safe.
“Just tell me if it was your men or not!” she snapped. “Even if they were, I’ve never felt them this close before. I was scared, Reyansh. You have no idea how I got myself home.”
“Aanya, listen to me. Firstly, calm down. If you don’t, I swear I’ll drop everything and take the next flight to you,” he said sharply.
She took deep breaths before she heard his voice again.
“Now hold on. Just stay on the line and drink some water,” he said, already switching gears. “Give me two minutes.”
While she sat on the couch, gulping water and trying to steady her breath, Reyansh was already making calls on his second phone. She knew the award ceremony was coming up and Reyansh had a lot riding on it. Flying to Cape Town to collect the honour was a big deal, but in this moment, she mattered more to him.
By the time he returned to her line, she was okay, but waiting impatiently for updates from him.
“My men tracked down whoever was following you,” he said finally. “It’s being handled. Everything is under control now. I promise. You’re safe, Aanya.”
She froze.
So someone was really following her?
She wondered what would have happened if Reyansh hadn’t assigned his men to protect her?
“Who was following me?” she asked, still in panic.
“We don’t know yet. But we’ll find out. Call Navya and check if she reached her hotel safely.”
Of course, he knew Navya was here. She shouldn’t have been surprised. His men would’ve informed him.
“Yes. She messaged me when I got home.”
Reyansh let out a sigh of relief.
“Why don’t you and Shikha shift to Di’s house for a couple of days? Just until I sort this out.”
“No,” she protested instinctively. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“I’lldecide that, Aanya,” he said, his tone firm. “When I ask you to do something this seriously, don’t argue. Just follow it.”
She realized he was right. This wasn’t him trying to control her. It was him trying to protect her and she respected that.
“Okay,” she agreed softly.
He hated ordering her around, but until he got to the bottom of this, he couldn’t risk anything happening to her. Hoping to distract her, he shifted the conversation.
“Have you written your speech yet? For the Certificate of Excellence ceremony?”
“No,” she admitted. “There’s no speech. But we’re having a party to celebrate. And what about you? Are you excited for the award function?”