My fingers are shivering as I stare at the calendar. Tomorrow Bashar's men will come searching for me. Threatening to steal away the one thing I rejoice the most- My freedom.

Even after selling some of my gold ornament I am still short of four lakhs. What will happen if I fail to repay him? will his men forcefully drag me away as Ivaan watches? Or will Bashar himself come knocking?

I shake my head violently, No no no, I can't let that happen. 

Should I tell Abhiraj about the situation, will he help me? But then I'll have to explain him the whole dimension of my relationship with my sister.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my frenzied thoughts. No, I cannot involve him in my mess. He has already done too much by accepting Ivaan. And secondly I cannot let him know about my negligence and ask him to save me from it.

Digging my fingers into my hair, I sink onto the bed. I rack my brains, trying to think of anyone who can help me.

Wiping furious tears from my eyes, I stand up and begin pacing. There has to be somewhere I can get the money. I cannot lose myself to Bashar. Ivaan needs me. I need me.

In my disrupted state, I knock a glass off the side table. It shatters loudly on the floor. The noise startles me from my panic for a moment. 

"Tinkerbell! Are you alright? I heard a crash..." I jolt and turn around as he stands across the room.

His eyes fall on the shattered glass and he frowns.

I open my mouth but no words come out. How can I explain any of this to him?

"Tinkerbell."

"I am sorry." I come out of trance. "I was picking up the glass and I-I..." My words taper off as he steadily moves towards me.

Why is he coming near me? Did I do something wrong?

"I-I'll clean it up." I mutter, but he's already standing in front of me.

He furrows his brows at he stares. His eyes shift to my hand.

"What's troubling you?" He grasps my fist, prying open my fingers, which were mercilessly digging into my skin.

"Nothing...I was thinking about something and this silly accident happened." I force a tight smile and bend down to pick up the jagged pieces, avoiding his gaze. I wish you could see my suffering.

I feel his gaze on me, prying on my actions. But how can I burden him with the ugly truth? This mess is of my own making.

My hands tremble as I gather the broken shards, blinking back tears. Suddenly a sharp jagged piece catches me off guard and slices into my skin.  

"Ouch!" I wince, feeling warmth spreading where the glass has cut into me. Warm blood begins to ooze from the fresh cut.

"Ishika!" Abhiraj's sharp voice makes me flinch. He grabs my wrists stopping me from trying to pick up the glass. "That's enough." His eyes flash with anger as he knocks the glass from my hand.

"What do you think you're trying to do? Do you want to hurt yourself further with your carelessness?"

He pulls me up, and inspects my bleeding palm. His frown deepens as he sees how deep the cut is. Without a word, he drags me to bathroom sink and shoves my hand under the tap, rinsing away the blood. 

I bite my lip tightly to keep me from crying, the cold water hitting my raw wound. It hurts like a bitch. He squeezes my wound to stop the blood from flowing. His jaw is clenched, muscles in his cheek ticking.

"This is going to need a bandage." He pulls open the cabinet drawer and grabs the first aid kit. Rummaging through the box he pulls out the gauge and antiseptic cream. 

He holds my waist and lifts me up, setting me down to sit on the edge of the bathroom counter.

I gasp in surprise, my eyes flying up to meet his. His face is set in hard lines, jaw clenched. Without a word, he takes my injured hand in his and holds it over the sink basin.

I feel small and meek sitting here while he stands between my legs tending to my wounds.

Squeezing out the gooey substance on the gauge he dabs it on my cut. I jerk my hand from the sting, biting my lips to muffle the moan.

"Don't move." He says rudely.

Holding me with his stern look, "Why can't you be careful? Being upset doesn't mean, you would act reckless."

I break eye contact and look down at floor. Why do I keep pushing myself into problems?

He clasps my chin firmly, "Look at me," Forcing me to meet his eyes.

"Talk to me," His authoritative tone makes me shrink back. My lower lip quivers. 

How can I tell him? Where do I even begin to explain the twisted story of my past? 

"I...It's nothing," I mumble weakly.

He sighs. I can see the internal debate going on behind his gaze, but he finally decides not to push.

"Alright. When you feel comfortable, come to me." His says, his tone turning firm.

I nod mutely, relieved that he's letting it go.

He focuses back on wrapping the bandage around my palm with practiced motions. As he ties the bandage, his eyes meet mine.

"You need to be more careful, Tinkerbell." He says sternly.

I nod. His strict tone is making me feel like a child being scolded. And yet stunned by this commanding and domineering side of his.

Securing the bandage, he ties the final knot. Wordlessly, he places his large hands on my waist and before I can react, he lifts me up effortlessly from where I've been sitting on the bathroom counter and sets me down directly in front of him.

Abhiraj's strong hands remain gripped on either side of my waist, steadying me. Our bodies are nearly flush, me looking up at him wide-eyed as he gazes down at me with softness.

"No more recklessness." He says.

Nodding, I give him a tight smile, "Thank you."

"Get some sleep, you look tired." he says softly. 

I agree quietly.

Bashar's pov

"Still no word from the girl?" I ask Raj as I lazily swirl my scotch.

Raj shakes his head, his eyebrows drawing together. "No sir. Ishika has gone silent. It's been days since her last plea for an extension."

I chuckle darkly at his naivete. "Of course she has. She likely realized she has no chance of paying back what she owes." I drain the rest of my drink, savoring the burn in my throat.

Poor little Ishika. So young and desperate when she came to me all those years ago, begging at my feet for money to save her precious education. Having a pretty young thing owing her life to me could prove amusing.

"Sir, should we pay her a visit? The deadline is tomorrow and we already have some impatient clients lined up," Raj says. Of course.

I wave a hand dismissively. "No need. She'll come to us." At Raj's confused look, I grin, baring my teeth. "Call her. Put her on speaker."

Raj obediently pulls out his phone and dials Ishika's number. She picks up on the third ring, her timid voice like music to my ears.

"H-hello?"

"Miss Ishika," I purr, delighting in the sharp intake of breath that means she recognizes my voice. "I believe you know why I'm calling."

"Mr. Bashar sir-" she squeaks. I cut her off.

"Let's not waste time with excuses. You owe me a great deal of money that you failed to repay on our agreed date. You know what that means, yes?" I make my tone pleasant, friendly even, but the threat lurks below the surface.

A muffled sob. "Please sir, p-please just give me one more week, I swear I'm trying-"

"Enough!" I snap, relishing her whimper of fear. "I've given you more than enough chances. Playtime is over."

I nod at Raj who continues the instructions.

"Be at the 21st Street Cafe at 4pm tomorrow. My men will pick you up and bring you to meet Mr. Bashar. It's time you pay back what you owe through your...services." Raj's commanding tone says no argument.

Not that she has a choice anymore. She is mine now, to do with as I please.

"N-no, you can't! I have a son, please!" Ishika dissolves into panicked tears. Something twists unpleasantly in my chest at the mention of her child but I ignore it. Business is business.

"You should have considered your boy before getting in over your head with loan sharks," I say coldly.

"See you tomorrow." Raj ends the call on her anguished cries.

I refill my scotch, grinning in anticipation. "Go inform the clients that wait is nearly over. Have men bring the girl to our other facility once she's secured." Finally, after years of her attempts and excuses, Ishika will pay back her debt on her knees. The men there tends to be rough with new girls but they learn quickly.

Raj dips his head in agreement and departs to make the arrangements. I settle back, mood lifted. Silly Ishika thought she could escape. But no one steals from Bashar and gets away with it. I always collect what is owed to me, one way or another.

I'm relishing the last drops of my scotch when my phone suddenly rings. The customized ringtone tells me it's my boss and head of this entire network. I set my glass down swiftly. Boss rarely calls me directly unless it's extremely important.

"Sir," I answer respectfully.

"Bashar," His deep voice fills my ear. "I'm calling for an update on collections. Any outstanding debts I should know about?"

I hesitate briefly. Technically Ishika's paltry sum doesn't require escalation to the top level. But Boss appreciates details. "There is one girl who has defaulted on her loan, sir," I explain carefully. "Owed only a few lakhs originally but with interest accrued over the years, it's become a more substantial amount."

"Hmm, I see," He says. "And I assume you are utilizing the standard alternative collateral payment system for defaults? The clubs?"

"Yes sir," I reply swiftly. "My man Raj arranged for her pickup tomorrow. She will repay the debt through...services." I trail off as Boss makes a thoughtful noise.

"While I applaud your initiative Bashar, perhaps we should discuss this further before taking extreme measures," He says, to my utter surprise. "What do you know of this girl and her circumstances?"

I frown but provide the details about Ishika, her college loan and her education background.  He listens closely, thoughtfully .

Finally He sighs. "She was young and made a mistake born of desperation. But forcing her into sexual exploitation is not always the only solution."

I blink rapidly, startled by this direction. "But sir, she owes us a substantial amount-"

"There are alternatives, Bashar," He gently reprimands. "Have the girl brought to me directly tomorrow. I believe we can work out an arrangement to utilize her skills legally and morally. Sometimes compassion bears better fruits than ruthlessness."

"Of course sir," I agree, chastened by his wisdom. His methods may be unorthodox but none can match his intelligence. "I apologize for this."

"Good man," Boss approves before disconnecting.

I immediately call Raj with orders to bring Ishika to Black square office instead of the club. Perhaps this girl may yet avoid her fate thanks to the generosity of men better than the likes of me. I shall have to reexamine my methods going forward to better align with Boss ethos.

            To be continued...

Hii Reader's...

I know the chapters are going a Lil slow but please bare it with me.

So finally the deadline is over... What do you think is going to happen with her?

Next update soon too, hope you liked the chapter. Until then don't forget to 👇