It was Manik.
Manik Maheshwari.
"Let the girl go," he said, hands in his jacket pockets, eyes steady.
His tone was light, almost lazy—but his words landed like iron.
"Unless you want a lawsuit to go with that cheap perfume you're wearing."
For the briefest second, Vidya felt something settle in her bones.
Relief.
Finally. Someone decent in this city.
But of course, the universe refused to make anything easy.
Scooter Guy raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Oh? And if we don't? What'll you do, Mr. Wannabe Hero ?"
Manik shrugged, taking two casual steps forward. "Simple. I'll teach you how to mind your own damn business."
Hoodie Guy let out a low chuckle. "This guy's serious, Rahul."
Airpods Boy cracked his knuckles. "Let's break his face."
The tension broke like a string snapping.
Scooter Guy lunged first—wild, sloppy.
Swoosh—
Manik ducked, the swing missing his head by inches.
Wham!—
He jabbed upward, knuckles connecting with the guy's jaw—more rage than technique, but it did the job.
Hoodie Guy lunged at him from the side.
Thwack—
Manik turned just in time to elbow him in the ribs—only to stagger as AirPods Boy kicked at the back of his knee.
"Ugh—dammit!" Manik grit out, stumbling but staying upright.
They crashed against the wall in a blur of elbows and curses.
Vidya stepped back.
Her instincts screamed: Move. Vanish in the chaos. Let the self-declared hero deal with the mess.
He stepped in willingly. He can deal with the consequences.
Scooter Guy swung again. Manik caught his forearm and twisted it back—crack—then used his shoulder to shove him into a stack of crates. Plastic clattered.
AirPods Guy grabbed Manik's jacket from behind, yanking him back. Manik retaliated with a hard elbow to the gut—thud—then spun and slammed a fist into his jaw.
Scooter Guy recovered quickly and came again, this time swinging the jagged edge of a broken helmet visor like a blade.
Swoosh! Clack!—
Manik blocked with his forearm, grunting.
"I'm not scared of thugs who dress like rejected extras of a third-rate movie," he snapped, swinging wide.
But then—
From the corner of her eye, Vidya saw it—
Hoodie Guy, grinning, pulling something from his pocket. He lunged toward Manik, who was grappling with the other two.
Steel glinted.
A pocket knife.
Her heartbeat thudded.
The blade arced fast.
Vidya's mouth parted in alarm.
"Hey!" she shouted instinctively.
Manik turned—but not fast enough.
Slash—
The blade slashed forward, grazing Manik's right arm as he spun away from Scooter Guy.
Blood bloomed across his sleeve.
"Shit!" he hissed, stumbling back.
Vidya exhaled, furious.
So much for playing a hero.
She took one step back, ready to disappear.
But then he snapped—
"You messed with the wrong guy," Manik growled, clutching his bleeding arm.
"I'm Manik Maheshwari. My father's the Chief Prosecutor. I'll have you all arrested by evening."
Vidya froze
Maheshwari.
Her pulse jumped.
He's not just some reckless stranger.
He's Aria di's brother.
And she'd just stood there. Let him walk into danger.
For her.
Her body went still.
Her choice cleared.
Time snapped back into motion.
Vidya launched forward—fast, sharp and precise.
Hoodie Guy struck the again—but Vidya was already moving. Her hand locked around his wrist mid-air and twisted just enough to make him drop the knife without breaking it.
Clatter—
The knife hit concrete. She kicked it aside.
Before he could yelp, she brought her knee up and drove it—crack—into his gut, then shoved him into the wall with enough force to knock the breath out of him.
Manik blinked at her, still clutching his arm, Mouth slightly agape. "Holy—"
Airpods Boy turned too late. Vidya's fist slammed into his chin, and then her elbow followed, driving into his collarbone.
Scooter Guy growled and rushed forward, to try and tackle her from behind.
She spun, dropped low, twisted, let her shawl swing just enough to distract him before using his momentum to flip him over her shoulder—thud—onto the pavement.
Barely a minute.
And all three down—groaning, moaning, stunned.
Vidya straightened, breath steady, hair slightly loose around her face. Shawl ruffled.
She adjusted it, dusted off her shoulder like nothing had happened.
"Idiots."
Manik stared at her, eyes wide. "That was… amazing. Like some action movie awesome. Who are you?"
She paused. Just for a beat.
"Vidya Sharma."
"Well, Vidya Sharma..." he grinned, despite wincing slightly as he cradled his arm, "You're definitely not a damsel in distress."
She rolled her eyes and turned to leave.
"Wait!" he called after her. "Aren't you going to take me to a doctor or something? I got injured saving you, you know. That deserves— like—a hero tax."
"I'm the one who saved you."
"Still! I stepped in first. That should count for something."
"I didn't ask for your help. Your injury is on you."
He pouted. "I'm not saying it's your fault. But c'mon. Isn't taking me to a hospital what any normal person would do?"
She stopped.
Normal.
The word hung between them.
Her jaw clenched.
Then—
Groan. Shuffle.
Scooter Guy, bleeding from his nose, was dragging himself up. The others followed, dazed and bruised.
Vidya stepped forward, ready to strike again—but Manik stopped her with his uninjured arm.
AirPods Guy pointed, voice shaky. "We'll sue you for assault! Just wait—"
Manik bared his teeth in a grin. Feral and unbothered.
"Please do. I, and my lawyer brother would love to return the favor—with charges of sexual harassment, unlawful use of a weapon, public disturbance... hell, I'll even throw in an attempted murder for flavor."
The three cowards bolted, cursing under their breath.
Vidya didn't bother watching them leave.
Manik turned back to her, buzzing with adrenaline. "By the way... are you, like, a professional fighter?"
Vidya's spine stiffened.
Careful.
She smoothed her expression. "No... it was just some self-defense. My father taught me."
His jaw dropped, impressed. "Woah! That's so cool! Is your father a professional then, like, ex-military or something?"
She shot him a look.
This guy is more interrogative than an actual interrogator.
Ding.
She checked her phone.
〔1 new message: Aria di〕
> Don't come inside. Change of plans. Someone's here who must not see you yet.
Vidya frowned.
Someone?
She looked up at Manik.
"Don't you have someone waiting for you or something?"
He shrugged.
"Nah. Came with my sister and her babies. But we ran into her fiancé, so I gave them space. I figured if he can't handle his own babies for a few hours, he doesn't deserve to marry her."
Vidya's stomach dropped.
Fiancé.
Rudra Sir…?
Her breath hitched.
She wasn't ready to face him.
Not yet.
"I'll take you to a doctor," she said suddenly. "But no questions. No talking."
Manik grinned, even bruised and bleeding. "Deal. Though… if this is your idea of flirting, I'm not complaining."
She shot him a glare sharp enough to slice concrete.
He shut up instantly.
And so, while Ahaan and Aria continued their tangled ballet of truth and misunderstanding inside the mall—
Outside—fate had just twisted the threads a little tighter.
Two strangers, bound by a secret neither of them yet understood.
And a story that had quietly begun to bleed through.