Page 31 of The Redemption
Suddenly, a very sensible thought hits me. I should leave.Immediately.The last thing I need tonight is another confrontation with this man about invading his spaces and being where I shouldn’t be. Considering our last interaction ended with threats and warnings, it would be wise to avoid giving him another reason to lecture me about his estate.
Unfortunately, my body reacts a second too slowly. Because Raghav Kundra is already moving. He begins walking towards me, cutting through the water with slow, unhurried steps. The closer he gets, the more aware I become of my own appearance… because his gaze begins to move.Lower. Slowly. It travels downwards from my face and pauses at the neckline of my black nightgown.
Only then do I fully register what I’m wearing. Thin straps rest against my shoulders, and the fabric plunges into a deep V, revealing far more than I would normally allow outside the privacy of my room. Sitting like this probably makes it worse, as the angle leaves little to the imagination.
A strange sensation rips through me as his gaze reststhere… at my cleavage.
Men in the mafia world have always known where the invisible line exists when it comes to me. Growing up as Shamsher Vardhaan’s daughter, very few men dared to let their gaze wander too freely in my presence.
Respect, or fear disguised as respect, kept that boundary intact. They understood the consequences of crossing it. But Raghav clearly does not care about such consequences. His gaze lingers just long enough to make me aware of his interest before returning to my face again.
Under any other circumstances, I would have already torn a man apart for looking at me like that. But this… this wasn’t the same. His look didn’t carry the usual hunger and entitled lust men display when they think they have a right to gawk at a woman’s body. It was different. Almost likeadmiration.
A scoff rises in my mind immediately. Men like Raghav must have had half the women in whatever city they lived in throwing themselves at his feet back when he ruled the underworld in Cape Town. A man with that kind of power, that kind of presence, and clearly that kind of body would never have struggled for female attention.
That’s why I’d never choose men like him. I’d rather live my entire life alone than give my trust, my body, and my heart to someone whose past is drenched in blood and power games… even if that man is now standing in front of me looking like temptation carved into human form.
Raghav reaches the edge of the pool where I’m sitting. For a moment, I think he’s going to say something, and I instinctively prepare myself for another sharp remark. But he doesn’t even look at me. Instead, he grips the metal rail beside the steps and pulls himself out of the pool in one smooth motion. Water trails down the length of his finely sculptedbody and drips onto the tiled floor as he climbs out.
I remain seated at the edge of the pool, my gaze following him automatically as he walks towards the row of loungers placed against the far wall.
That walk shouldn’t be distracting. And yet, heat rises beneath my skin before I can stop it.
Raghav reaches one of the loungers and picks up the towel lying on it. He lifts it to his head and slowly begins to dry his hair.
He still hasn’t looked at me.
After a few seconds, he drops the towel back onto the lounger and reaches for a plush white robe resting there. The soft fabric settles over his shoulders as he slips his arms into the sleeves and pulls the sash closely around his body. It’s only when the robe covers him that I realise I’ve been watching him far longer than necessary.
I pull my feet out of the water and straighten, smoothing my palms over the fabric of my nightgown.
Now… now he’ll turn and ask why I’m here. But instead of doing that, Raghav simply starts walking towards the exit, as if my presence is not even worth acknowledging. That irks me to no end. Before I can stop myself, the words slip out.
“My mom thinks I should say sorry to you.” My voice cuts through the silence of the pool area.
Raghav stops immediately. I suddenly realise I’ve already begun moving after him, trying to catch up before he leaves. He turns slowly, and when his eyes land on me again, the expression in them is not calm anymore.
“Your mom?” he repeats.
“Yes. She thinks I should apologise to you for last night,” I say. “Look, I’m grateful that you saved my life. I’m not denying that.” I pause for a second. “But I’m not sorry for what I said.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, something shifts in his expression as he takes a step towards me. Then another. And before I can react, he’s already standing dangerously close to me.
“Last night,” he says slowly, “you told me that no one except you knows my real identity. And now you’re telling me that you told your mother too?”
It immediately hits me.
Oh… oh.
I clear my throat quietly, trying to keep the situation from escalating further. “I don’t hide things from my mother,” I reply, trying to sound as reasonable as possible. “So yes, she knows.She’s known since the first time I saw you. Back in Mumbai. At the Josh Club. I recognised you the moment I saw you.”
Raghav still looks furious. And although I know this won’t calm him down, I say it anyway.
“But she’ll not tell anyone,” I add. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
His jaw clenches, and his hands move so fast that I barely see them coming. One second, he’s standing in front of me. The next, his fingers close firmly around my upper arms and pull me towards him. The sudden force of the movement knocks the breath out of my lungs. He drags me closer until there is almost no space left between us.
“If anyone apart from you and your mother ever learns the truth about who I am,” he says angrily, each word edged with threat, “it’s not me who should be worried, Siya Vardhaan.” His fingers tighten further around my arms. “It will be you.”
