Aditya stood in the middle of the road, his eyes burning relentlessly from the pepper spray's effects.

"F***!" he shouted, staggering towards his car, his steps unsteady.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and shouted, "Hey Siri, call Martin!"

Martin is Aditya's trusted personal assistant, appointed by Gandharv Malhotra, Aditya's father. With a sharp, quick-thinking mind, he always stays a step ahead, ensuring everything runs smoothly for Aditya. His intelligence and unwavering reliability have earned him the respect of both Aditya and the Malhotra family, securing his place for the long haul.

Under the dim glow of a streetlamp, Aditya slumped to the ground, his vision blurred and his breathing ragged. The phone rang, and Martin's familiar voice answered.

"Hello, sir."

"Martin," Aditya groaned, barely able to speak. "Come pick me up-AAH!"

"What happened? Where are you, sir?"

"I was pepper-sprayed," Aditya said, wincing. "I don't know exactly where I am. Maybe within a 2-kilometer radius of Aanya's college. I took a right, then the second left. I'm sitting under a streetlamp."

"Stay right there, sir. I'll be there shortly," Martin replied, already grabbing his keys.

"Come fast! I can't bear this-AAAH!" Aditya cried before the call ended abruptly.

"Ah, f***," Aditya muttered, his voice cracking. "I need water. I can't take this anymore."

Squinting his red, stinging eyes, he tiptoed toward a nearby house. His knuckles rapped hardly against the door. He then started thudding the door desperately.

A little girl opened it, her curious eyes widening as she looked up at him.

"Can you... can you give me some water?" Aditya pleaded, his voice barely a whisper.

"Daddy, look at him!" the girl called out excitedly. "I've seen him somewhere!"

A man appeared, adjusting his spectacles. His jaw dropped as he recognized Aditya Malhotra. Without a second thought, the man grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of Aditya-red-eyed, squinting, and visibly distressed.

"I'll get you water" the man said while tapping his phone and sending something.

Just then, the screech of tires announced Martin's arrival. He rushed out of the car, shoving the family aside.

"Excuse me!" Martin barked, hurrying to Aditya's side. "Sir, are you alright?"

Aditya groaned, "It's burning, Martin. I need water."

Placing Aditya on the passenger's seat, Martin grabbed a bottle and splashed cold water on Aditya's face. The relief was instant, though not enough. Aditya leaned back as Martin wrapped some ice in a cloth and gently pressed it to his eyes.

"Just rest, sir," Martin said as Aditya slowly lost consciousness, slumping into the seat.

Martin closed the car door and turned to the father-daughter duo, who stood watching the entire scene unfold.

"Why would you just stand there? Help, or go inside!" Martin snapped.

"What happened to him?" The man asked holding on to his phone tightly.

"Whatever had happened, is now over. It's good that you go back into the house"
Martin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Martin sped then away in his car from the place. Past ten minutes of driving, he noticed his phone vibrating incessantly with notifications from various news outlets. Pulling over to the side of the road, he unlocked his phone and stared at the screen, his heart sinking as he saw Aditya's squinting face plastered across every headline. The footage of him splashing water on Aditya's face at a local residence had gone viral, with speculations running wild.

He opened a live news streaming platform, and the anchor's voice blared through the speakers:
"Breaking news! A shocking image of Aditya Malhotra, the young and ambitious son of billionaire, CEO of Lushlife, has taken the internet by storm. The picture shows him in distress, his eyes red, and seeking water from a local residence. Questions are being raised about what led to this unexpected incident. Stay tuned for more updates."

Martin slammed the steering wheel in frustration, his knuckles whitening. He glanced at the unconscious Aditya sprawled across the passenger seat, thinking of the consequences and quickly started the car again, racing to the house where the incident had occurred.

Arriving at the residence, Martin pounded on the door with urgency, anger radiating off him.

The door creaked open, revealing the man who was visibly nervous.

Martin didn't waste a second, grabbing the man by his collar.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" he barked, his voice seething with rage. "Do you even understand the consequences of this?" Martin have never been this much angry.

The man's face paled, his voice trembling as he stammered, "I... I'm sorry! I just thought of being famous. I swear, I had no idea whatever this stunt was-"

"Save it!" Martin snapped, cutting him off. "I don't care what your intentions were. Fixing this mess is all that matters now. And you're going to help me."

Martin released the man and paced the room, running his hands through his hair, thinking of a solution. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and a sly grin crept onto his face.

"You'll have to talk to the press," he said, pulling out his phone to make some calls.

"W-what?" the man stuttered, his fear mounting.

"You heard me. You'll give a statement to the reporters, and you'll say exactly what I tell you to," Martin said firmly, writing something in a piece of paper and thrusting into the man's trembling hands.

The man hesitated, his lips quivering as he read the script. "But... I-"

Martin leaned in close, his tone menacing. "Listen carefully. If you don't follow through, I can't guarantee your daughter will get to see you again. Do you understand me?"

The man froze, his eyes widening in horror.

Martin straightened up, pulling out a bundle of cash and handing it to the man's young daughter, who watched the scene silently from the corner.

"You'll be rewarded generously if you handle this correctly," Martin added, his voice softening as he tapped the man's cheek lightly. "Don't mess this up."

The man swallowed hard, nodding reluctantly, his hands clutching the script.
---

The Next Morning,

Aditya woke up groggily, his head pounding and his eyes still red and swollen. He reached for the folded newspaper on his bedside table, sipping his coffee as he unfolded it.

The headline caught his attention:
"Aditya Malhotra's Pepper Spray Campaign Goes Viral!"

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed, throwing the paper aside.

"Martin! Get in here!" he shouted.

Martin, who was on phone, standing outside the room, entered as Aditya switched on the TV. The man on the screen, giving an emotional interview:

"I was the one who leaked the picture," the man confessed. "Aditya sir gave us a surprise visit last night. He even had dinner with us, and we felt so honored. He talked about his upcoming product, LushLife's Pepper Spray, and handed one to my daughter. He then asked her to spray it on his eyes." Aditya was whole confused to hear this.

"Watching him cry and shout in pain was unbearable. He even lost consciousness in our house before his assistant took him home. And this morning, Aditya sir called me. He said, 'This is the effect of our product. Your daughter and any other girl on the planet will feel safe if they have LushLife's Pepper Spray with them.' His dedication to women's safety is unparalleled. I regret leaking the photo and the footage because it was meant to be a surprise launch by his company, but I'm glad people now know the lengths he goes to for a cause."

Aditya groaned, burying his face in his hands. "The empire of pride I've built is crumbling, Martin. I wanted to be seen as a visionary, not a clown. See this picture, my face. How come this is viral?" Aditya threw the newspaper to Martin's hands.

"Sir," Martin interjected, "I told you to stay there under the post light itself--"

"Now you're blaming me for all this. Is it so Martin?" Aditya asked, his tone sharp.

"Im sorry sir, I didn't mean that way. But we are not in a place change the things that happened last night." Martin said quickly. "Yet, this could be turned into a positive thing, sir. The campaign has gone viral. Let's embrace it. We could even create an ad featuring you as the model. It would be a first for a product like this. Have you ever seen a pepper spray advertisement, sir?" Aditya looked at his well calculative PA.

"Even though it's a bad thing, this could turn into a win-win situation for us, sir," Martin said, his tone firm.

Aditya raised an eyebrow but remained silent, prompting Martin to continue.
"We could spin this to our advantage. Say that our company is actively involved in women's safety, protecting them from predators... you know, all those cliché lines, sir."

Aditya leaned back until his head rested against the headboard. He closed his eyes for a moment, tapping the back of his head lightly on the wooden surface.

His voice was low and strained when he finally spoke. "Am I a predator, Martin?"

Martin's face froze, caught off guard. "What do you mean, sir?" he asked, his confusion evident.

Aditya opened his eyes and looked directly at Martin, the weight of his emotions visible on his face. He exhaled deeply, trying to steady himself.

Martin hesitated before speaking again, his tone softer now. "Sir, if you tell me what really happened last night and what pushed you to this pepper spray, we can handle this better. We can control the narrative and stop this from spiraling further out of control."

Aditya remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ceiling as he wrestled with his thoughts. His mind flashing back to Krisha's words the previous night:
"I'm warning you, Mr. Aditya Malhotra." and the spray's hiss echoing his memory.

He shook his head, pushing the thought aside. "Nevermind" he muttered.

Aditya scrolled through the flood of notifications on his phone, his heart sinking further with each headline. Amid the chaos, his eyes landed on a voicemail from his father. Reluctantly, he tapped to play it.

His father's voice crackled through the speaker, laced with anger and frustration.
"What is this, Aditya? Is this some sort of publicity stunt? Do you even realize what you've done? Think about the family's reputation before pulling something like this!"

There was a brief pause, followed by a softer but still sharp tone. "Your mother is beside herself with worry. She hasn't stopped pacing since we saw the news. We are receiving constant calls from everyone. We're supposed to be on a pleasant trip, but thanks to you, we're anything but relaxed!"

The anger returned, sharper now. "Don't make this situation worse, Aditya. Do you hear me? Whatever you're planning, stop! Wait until we arrive. Don't do anything rash!"

The voicemail ended abruptly, leaving Aditya staring at his phone, his father's words echoing in his mind like a scolding he couldn't escape.

Aditya gripped his phone tightly, his jaw clenching in frustration.

"Martin, do whatever it takes to fix this," Aditya said, his voice cold and firm. "Gather a team of chemists immediately and have them come up with a new formula for pepper spray. It must be groundbreaking-something no one else has done before. I want this product ready to launch in a week, before Mom and Dad return."

Martin nodded firmly. "Understood, sir. I'll take care of it."

Just as Martin left, Aditya's phone buzzed. It was a call from Aanya.

"Bhaiya, are you ready?" Aanya asked, her voice cheerful.

"For what, Aanya?" Aditya replied, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

"The fest, brother! Did you forget?" she asked, laughing lightly.

Aditya sighed, leaning back. "Yeah, I almost forgot. I'll be there."

"Okay, Bhaiya. Come sooner; we have a surprise waiting for you. Also, the students' performances won't start until you arrive," Aanya added excitedly.

"Surprise, huh? Alright," Aditya said, sipping his coffee.

"And Bhaiya, the product promotion for pepper spray was great. Good luck with that too," she said encouragingly.

Aditya nodded, though she couldn't see him. "Thanks, Aanya. Let me get ready for the fest."

"See you soon, Bhaiya!" Aanya chirped before hanging up.

Aditya stood up and turned to Martin. "I've got something to attend, Martin. Just handle this."

"Sure, sir," Martin replied confidently.

Later,

Aditya stepped into the shower, letting the warm water cascade over him. His mind was consumed by thoughts of one person-Krisha. Her name escaped his lips in a soft whisper, "Krisha," as he kept his hands on his bitten shoulder and the events of the previous night played on a loop in his mind.

Aditya stepped out of the shower, water dripping from his hair and tracing rivulets down his toned body. He didn't bother to dry himself, letting the cool air mix with the warmth of his skin as he wrapped a towel loosely around his waist.

Still damp, droplets of water glistening on his chest and arms, he moved to the table by the window. Opening the drawer with purpose, his fingers skimmed through its contents. Frustration mounted when he couldn't find what he was looking for. With a sharp movement, he tipped the drawer, spilling its contents across the table.

Among the scattered items, his gaze locked onto a small camera. A wicked grin spread across his face as he picked it up. This was it-the camera that held the memory of what had happened two years ago.

Aditya carefully extracted the memory card, with a mix of anticipation and something darker. He inserted it into a reader and connected it to his personal laptop. As the video loaded, his breath quickened. He leaned forward, water from his hair dripping onto the keyboard as his eyes remained fixed on the screen.

The footage began to play, and Aditya watched without a single blink, his body responding instinctively to the imagery. His towel hung precariously at his waist as his arousal grew, the intensity of the moment taking over completely. He couldn't agree the fact that this video ended abruptly, not giving him a complete feeling.

"While I was trying to play you, you played with my own pride, you naughty girl," Aditya muttered to himself, a wicked smile tugging at his lips. His grip on the towel tightened as his thoughts turned darker, a fire igniting within him. "You'll see my game now."

He took a deep breath, shaking off the intensity of his thoughts.

"Let's begin this fest," he said aloud, as though resetting his focus.

‐--------------------------------
Hello lovely readers,
Please let me know if you have any suggestions on how this story goes and I'll try it to be unpredictable for you, lol. Support me through your votes and follows. Have a good time reading.