"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" Ritu asked, her voice laced with doubt as she eyed the murky streets ahead. Her legs had started straining with each step, weighed down by the gravity of the situation.

"Yes, I am sure," Irfan replied, his voice quiet yet firm. He scanned through the surroundings with unwavering vigilance. After a momentary pause, he shifted his gaze to her, his brows furrowing slightly. "Are your legs okay?"

Ritu had been managing without her stick for a week. Though her legs still felt weak, there was noticeable improvement with each passing day. "Yes," she nodded, determined not to show weakness. "If I can't walk anymore, I'll tell you."

Irfan nodded in response as they continued walking, the alleyway narrowing as they reached the old, decrepit bridge. Beneath it, the slum stretched out like a shadow of the city's darker truths. It was a world she had no knowledge about, let alone been forced to enter.

As they approached the stairs leading down into the slum, Ritu halted, taking in the gloomy, suffocating atmosphere. The rancid smell hit her, making her stomach churn. "Are you sure?" she asked again, uncertainty creeping back into her voice.

"I have a pretty good idea where I am going. It's a part of my job, Ritu," Irfan responded patiently. "I know exactly where the kids are staying."

Ritu stared at him, her mouth slightly open in disbelief. "You knew about them? From the beginning?"

Irfan looked at her incredulously. "That's my job, Ritu. I am supposed to know everything that might be crucial for you and your family's security. Neil updates us every day about every little detail we need to know."

Ritu huffed. "Alright, fine!" She started down the stairs, feeling the uneven, cracked steps beneath her feet. She had no idea where they were going, but Irfan's unwavering confidence gave her a certainty that Irfan would guide her reach there.

When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Ritu felt like she had reached another world, completely different from the one she was familiar with. A pungent odor assaulted her senses, nearly making her gag. The slum buzzed with activity, but it felt devoid of any true vitality. The smell of rotting garbage, open drains, and hopelessness filled the air. The people here looked like they were carved out of another time, another life. Ritu's mind raced, trying to reconcile the stark contrast between this place and the world she knew.

The people here looked as though they had stepped out of a history book from her tenth-grade studies—a time when the famine ravaged Bengal, stripping the land of its essence and life. Kids with sunken cheeks ran barefoot and bare-chested through the alleys. Women in faded, tattered sarees stood by their makeshift homes—if they could even be called that. The houses looked as though they were falling apart, their roofs and walls made of triplon and tin. Men in torn shirts and lungis sat on broken stools. People strolling about glanced at them with beady, curious eyes in order to speculate their motives. The world here looked like an alternate universe.

Irfan took a hold of her wrist firmly and pulled her ahead. "Stay close to me."

Ritu quietly followed. She couldn't believe this was the place where Jai had been living. This place was worser than worse to describe. She couldn't even imagine the feeling it might yield to live here, among these dirty-looking people. How had she never known about these places? The thought of such place's existence never crossed her mind.

"How can he live...in this place? This is pathetic!" Ritu muttered under her breath. She was still in the state of disbelief.

"He didn't choose this, Ritu," Irfan responded, his voice low but sharp. His hand hovered near his waist, instinctively close to where his gun would be. "He and the kids moved in after Boss bought their orphanage. They have nowhere else to go."

Ritu looked at Irfan with wide eyes after his shocking revelation. "Do you mean...the kids...Jai are currently...homeless?" Her voice trembled as her eyes scanned the crumbling surroundings, trying to absorb this harsh truth.

Irfan didn't respond, his face remaining stoic as he continued guiding her through the filth-ridden streets. The gaping roads were flooded with stagnant water. They passed a huge heap of garbage, in front of which there was a food stall. People were eating puri-sabji from small leaf katoris.

The sight made Ritu's stomach turn, and she stepped even closer to Irfan, seeking comfort in his presence. She felt like vomiting. She couldn't take it anymore. She stepped closer to Irfan as he led her through the narrow roads.

"I warned you not to come," Irfan muttered, glancing at her scrunched-up face. "You shouldn't have come here. But you never listen."

Ritu covered her nose with her free hand and responded guiltily, "I'm sorry. But- I- I-"

"Quiet. Not a single word. Keep moving," Irfan cut her off, his voice firm but not unkind. His job was to protect her, and he took it seriously.

After another five minutes of snaking through those dirty narrow alleys, they finally reached a place, comparatively more spacious. Here, the houses looked sturdier, built from bricks and mortar instead of tin and tarpaulin. Irfan led her to a small blue house, but as they rounded the corner, Ritu realized the narrow path opened to a local bustling market. The chatter of vendors, the clinking of metal, and the cries of children filled the air. Her eyes scanned through the area as she noticed the shops. About twenty something shops were there, from food stalls to garments, sweets and stationaries, even a barber shop. It was crowded. The chatter of vendors and hostile arguments of customers filled the air.

"Well, it seems we've avoided a less desirable approach. This timely turn of events spared us from having to visit their tin box. There." Irfan raised his hand and pointed toward a specific direction.

Ritu's eyes darted toward the ice-cream stall Irfan pointed to. In front of it stood a group of children, aged between three to thirteen, enjoying their ice creams. They joyfully licked their ice creams, exchanging playful banter and laughter as they frolicked together. And there, among them, stood Jai. He was smiling at the kids, a gentle expression that made Ritu's heart lurch.

She stopped in her tracks, frozen by the sight. These kids were from the orphanage. They lost their home, so they've come down here, to this dirty place, to live like pests.

Jai bent down in front of the littlest one when she tugged on his pants and made sure she was holding the melting ice-cream properly.

As if sensing something instinctively, Jai shifted his gaze from the little girl as he scanned the surroundings. They eventually landed on her, and a subtle recognition flickered across his face. His eyes locked onto Ritu's, and for a brief moment, she forgot how to breathe. She averted her gaze immediately, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Let's go, Irfan," she muttered, trying to pull away. She didn't want to face Jai. Not here, not like this, not now.

Irfan noticed the sudden change in her demeanor as he tightened his grip on her wrist. "But you wanted to talk to him."

I don't want to anymore. Let's get out of here." She turned back toward the narrow alley they had come from. Irfan's grip on her wrist tightened as he gently informed her, "Turn around. He's coming this way.

As the words left Irfan's mouth, she froze. Her heart started to palpitate. Why was he coming here? Oh Krishna! How would she face him? Why should she face him? What would she say? As the realization of the situation hit her, anxiety crept in. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Ms. Roy."

The words sent a shiver down her spine. She slowly turned and lifted her gaze.

He stood there with the little one in his arms, the girl studying her with curious eyes. Ritu's eyes shifted from the child to Jai. When their eyes locked, she suddenly felt cornered. How was she supposed to explain why she was here? That she came looking for him?

Jai spoke slowly, "Is there anything you're looking for?"

You. She wanted to say, but the word wouldn't come out. Instead, she enquired, "How many of them are there?"

"Seventeen," Jai responded softly, without a trace of hesitation in his voice.

"Are they all—" she faltered, unable to say the word 'orphan.' It felt wrong to utter it in front of them. But she didn't need to, as Jai understood and replied. "Yes, they're orphans. Just like me." His intense gaze lingered on her, making her self-conscious.

The little girl stared up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "Jai dada, who is she? Is she here to take me away?"

Ritu frowned and shifted her questioning gaze to Jai.

Jai clarified, "I'm trying to find new homes for them, so they can at least live a natural life. I don't want them to go through the same hardships I've endured." He paused, glancing at the little girl on his lap. "Some of them don't want to leave me or the others. They see each other as brothers and sisters. Right, Pari?" he asked, looking at the girl.

Pari nodded.

Something twisted in Ritu's heart. How could this man be the same person determined to destroy her brother's life? It didn't add up. The more she saw of him, the more he unraveled her beliefs about him. How could someone so caring, so protective of these children, also be her family's worst enemy?

"You didn't answer me," Jai's voice broke through her thoughts. He asked gently. "Why are you here? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Ritu's heart raced at his questions, and the words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop herself. "Why did you save me?"

Jai's eyes didn't waver as he replied, "We aren't enemies, Ms. Roy, like you think we are. I don't see any reason why I couldn't save you."

"We aren't?"

"No. Circumstances put us on opposite sides, but that doesn't make us enemies. Your brother got involved with my grandfather before he was killed. That alone isn't reason enough for me to see you as my enemy. And as for the accident, I saw you struggling. You needed help."

"But I didn't need help from you!" she snapped, her pride flaring.

Jai shook his head, sighing. "Perhaps not. But I happened to be there at that moment for a reason. The universe placed me there to rescue you. How could I refuse?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Maybe it seems that way, but we cannot change it anymore. Whatever happened, happened. We cannot change the past. You have to live with this piece of information that I was your savior."

"Shut up!" Ritu could no longer bear his savage replies. She turned to Irfan, her voice tight with fury, "Let's go."

Irfan nodded, his expression serious. But before they could move, Jai spoke again, his words cutting through the tension like a blade. "You came here looking for me because I saved you, and your superiority complex couldn't accept the truth?"

Irfan raised his hand at Jai, a silent warning, while Ritu clenched her jaws together, her eyes burning with indignation.

"Hey, enough! You're stressing her out," Irfan cautioned.

Jai didn't acknowledge Irfan's warning as he added, "Ms. Roy, your family might belong to the elite class, but you have no idea of the real world. You may close your eyes to it, doesn't make it invisible."

After seeing their condition, Ritu had been entertaining the thought of consulting her father about helping these children, arranging a better place for them to live. But after hearing Jai's cutting words, all she wanted to do was slap him.

Furious, she snapped, "I was thinking of arranging a house for them in a better place. But I guess your arrogance doesn't want that."

Jai raised one eyebrow, tilting his head slightly as if amused. "Oh—so you came here to buy me. Helping me was just a ploy. You wanted to give shelter to my kids in exchange for my retreat from the case? Was that your plan all along? Is it Abhimanyu Roy? Is he the one who sent you here?"

Ritu's heart pounded in disbelief. How could he so thoroughly misunderstand her intentions? She wanted to deny him but that'd make the situation worse. So, she just gritted her teeth. "You'll suffer. I'll make you."

She turned sharply, signaling to Irfan that she wanted to leave this hell-hole.

Irfan, still gripping her wrist, took the hint and turned to leave. Behind them, Jai stood unmoved, calm and composed, cradling a three-year-old. His expression showed no remorse or regret for the harsh words he had directed at the rich father's spoiled daughter.

The battle had come down to one on one.