1: Old Memories, A New Wound
Rain kept striking the windowpane without pause.
Each drop felt as if it were questioning the silence of the night itself.
An old ceiling fan rotated slowly inside the room, its dull hum making the stillness feel even heavier.
The clock had already crossed two a.m., but for Arjun, sleep was nothing more than a word.
He lay flat on the bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling.
His eyes were open,
yet his mind was somewhere else.
Some memories never fade.
They don't leave—you simply learn to live while they wear you down from the inside.
From that chaos, one face surfaced again.
College days.
Rain.
And Ananya.
Her voice was still painfully clear in his head—
cold, merciless, and without hesitation.
She had laughed while saying it:
Arjun was nothing more than a way to pass time.
There was no future with torn jeans and a cheap bike.
Love, promises, walking together in the rain—
It was all just a game.
Arjun did not belong to the world Ananya saw herself in.
"You're poor."
Those words had pierced him that day,
and they cut just as deep now.
Arjun jolted upright.
His heart raced, his breathing uneven.
Sweat soaked through his kurta.
He picked up the glass of water beside him and drank slowly.
The coolness reached his throat, but his chest still felt unbearably heavy.
He spoke to himself, quietly—
"Poverty doesn't just starve you.
It takes away your dignity too."
The pain was still there in his eyes,
but beneath it, something harder had begun to form.
No memory would weaken him again.
No relationship would ever be greater than his responsibility.
The door suddenly burst open.
Light flooded the room as Arjun turned away in irritation. He was already sleep-deprived—this noise only made it worse. A voice full of raw energy echoed through the room.
"Oy, my serious hero!"
Ronny laughed.
"What are you still doing in this dark cave? The sun's already out, and you're still in full Devdas mode."
Arjun rubbed his eyes and looked at him. His face was tired, his mood clearly sour.
"Ronny,"
he said calmly, without raising his voice,
"How many times have I told you—knock before entering. One day my patience will run out, and then there'll be a problem."
Ronny didn't take it seriously at all.
He stood there casually, chewing on an apple with a grin.
"Relax, bro,"
he said.
"So much anger doesn't suit you.
You're a bodyguard, not a bouncer.
Put a little smile on your face, or people will start getting scared."
Then he casually shifted the tone.
"Anyway, good news. Something big's coming up today. The Boss wants to see you."
This time, Arjun sat up straight. The sleep vanished from his eyes, replaced by focus. Without asking a single question, he grabbed his jacket.
"If the Boss has called,"
he said evenly,
"then it must be important. The rest can wait. Let's go."
Ronny smiled faintly.
He knew that tone well.
When Arjun spoke like that,
it meant one thing—
A new chapter was about to begin.
The agency office felt alive, as always. The constant tapping of keyboards, ringing phones, and hushed conversations blended into a restless tension. Arjun and Ronny walked straight toward the large cabin where every major decision was made.
Inside, the Boss sat in his chair, staring at a thick file. His face carried the same old hardness—no smile, no curiosity. As soon as they entered, he looked up.
"Sit down, Arjun,"
His voice was heavy.
"This assignment is different from everything you've done before."
Arjun sat silently, his posture straight, though something inside him had already gone alert. The Boss slid the file across the desk.
"This time, we don't need ordinary security,"
he said.
"We need someone who can move like a shadow… and end everything when necessary."
Arjun opened the file.
The moment he saw the first page, his hands froze.
A photograph.
His breath caught for just a second, though his face remained unchanged. The name was printed clearly—
Ananya Singhania.
The Boss spoke again,
"CEO of Singhania Industries. Her life is under threat. The danger comes from outside… and from within."
Ronny glanced at the photo and let out a low whistle.
"Bro,"
he said with a smile,
"It's a fifty-lakh contract. This time, the game is serious."
Arjun said nothing. His eyes stayed fixed on the picture.
Fifty lakh.
Enough to take care of many needs at home.
Enough for his sister's wedding—without compromises.
But along with that thought, an old weight returned.
The Boss studied him carefully.
"It won't be easy,"
he said.
"But the money reflects the risk."
Arjun closed the file. His fingers pressed firmly against its cover before he looked up.
"The money is my compulsion, sir,"
His voice is calm, almost cold.
"And this mission… is just work to me."
He stood up.
"I'll go to Mumbai."
Ronny looked at him without asking a single question.
He understood.
Once Arjun made a decision,
He never left anything behind.
The airport buzzed with movement. Announcements echoed, people rushed past, and the tension of departure filled the air. Arjun and Ronny stood near the boarding gate.
Ronny looked at Arjun. This time, there was less humor and more concern in his voice.
"Take care, bro,"
he said.
"That city shines bright—but it's just as dangerous.
And… you packed Mom and Dad's photo, right?"
Arjun nodded slightly.
"Yes,"
he replied calmly.
"I packed everything.
Even my heart."
Ronny gave him a questioning look.
Arjun didn't add much—just said quietly,
"I've already made myself stone-cold. There's no room left for feelings now."
A few moments later, they turned in different directions. Ronny stayed behind as Arjun walked forward—without looking back.
When Arjun took his seat on the flight, the runway lights streaked past the window. As the plane began to move, something shifted inside him.
He took out an old photograph from his pocket.
From my college days.
Slightly faded.
But the memories were crystal clear.
Ananya.
Her voice.
Her laughter.
And those words—
the ones that never left.
Arjun stared at the photo for a long time, then murmured softly,
"You've built a beautiful world for yourself, ma'am…
I just don't know what place, if any, is left for me in it."
He put the picture away.
"I'm coming,"
his voice held no emotion.
"To protect you…
or perhaps to settle my own unfinished account."
The aircraft picked up speed.
Within moments, the ground was left behind.
As the plane rose higher,
Arjun's life crossed into a new turning point.
Everything below looked smaller now—
but what awaited ahead
was far bigger.
Will Arjun rise above his past?
Will Ananya mean nothing more than an assignment—or will an unfinished story come alive again?
And when they finally stand face to face…
what will remain—
hatred, obligation…
or something far more dangerous?
VEINS OF DESIRE
The story has only just begun…