Arjun didn't wait after reading the message.
She's going to attempt something tonight. And if she does, she'll blame you for it.
He didn't sit and think. He didn't assume it was drama.
He moved.
First call—Neha.
"She went live," Arjun said.
"I saw," Neha replied immediately. "She's not stable."
"Where is she?" Arjun asked.
"She left the office early," Neha said. "Didn't tell anyone."
Arjun checked Riya's Instagram again.
No new posts.
But her last live had comments exploding.
People tagging him.
Speculating.
He ignored it.
He called Aditya.
"She contacted you today?" Arjun asked.
"Yes," Aditya replied. "She sounded… emotional."
"Did she say anything extreme?" Arjun asked.
Aditya paused. "She said if no one stands with her, she'll do something people can't ignore."
Arjun's grip tightened around the phone.
"Send me that message," Arjun said.
Within seconds, a screenshot arrived.
If he thinks he can ruin me, I'll show everyone what he's done.
No direct threat.
But enough.
Arjun called Riya.
No answer.
He called again.
Still nothing.
His heart wasn't racing.
It was focused.
He grabbed his keys and left.
Riya's apartment door was locked.
Lights on inside.
He knocked.
No response.
He knocked harder.
Still nothing.
He called her again.
This time it rang once and disconnected.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
She's not home.
Arjun typed back instantly.
Arjun:
Where is she?
The reply came fast.
Unknown:
Rooftop parking of Skyline Tower.
That was her office building.
Arjun didn't reply.
He ran to his car.
The city traffic felt slower than usual.
Red lights seemed longer.
His hands stayed steady on the steering wheel.
No panic.
Just urgency.
He reached Skyline Tower in fifteen minutes.
The security guard tried to stop him.
"Office closed," the guard said.
"She works here," Arjun replied, showing Riya's employee ID picture on his phone. "She's inside."
The guard hesitated.
"She just went up," he said quietly.
Arjun didn't wait for the lift.
He took the stairs.
Six floors up.
Breathing heavy but controlled.
When he reached the rooftop parking, he saw her.
Standing near the edge barrier.
Phone in hand.
Camera open.
She was crying.
Recording.
Arjun slowed down.
He didn't shout her name.
He walked forward calmly.
She saw him.
Her expression changed instantly.
"You came," she said, voice trembling.
"Yes," he replied.
"You're stalking me now?" she asked loudly, lifting her phone slightly.
Arjun noticed the red recording icon.
She was live again.
"I'm here because you said you'd do something people can't ignore," he said evenly.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"That's not what I meant," she said.
"You're on live," he replied.
She hesitated.
Then turned the camera slightly toward him.
"See?" she said into the phone. "He followed me."
Arjun didn't react.
He stepped back a little.
"Turn it off," he said calmly.
"Why?" she demanded. "Scared?"
"No," he replied. "Because this isn't content."
She laughed weakly.
"You don't control this," she said.
"I'm not trying to," he replied.
She lowered the phone slightly but didn't stop recording.
"You think you can walk away clean?" she said loudly.
"I already did," he replied.
She shook her head.
"You made me look crazy," she said.
"You made yourself look unstable," he replied quietly.
Her breathing got heavier.
"Don't say that," she snapped.
He noticed her standing too close to the barrier.
"Step back," he said calmly.
"Why?" she challenged.
"Because this isn't worth it," he replied.
She stared at him.
Tears running.
"You ruined everything," she said.
"I protected myself," he replied.
She looked down over the edge for a second.
Arjun's chest tightened.
"Riya," he said firmly, not loudly. "Step back."
She turned the camera fully toward herself.
"Everyone," she said, voice shaking, "if anything happens to me tonight, you know who's responsible."
That was the line.
Arjun felt it land.
She was setting the narrative.
He walked closer, but slowly.
"Turn the phone off," he said.
"Or what?" she whispered.
"Or I call security and medical right now," he replied calmly.
Her expression flickered.
She didn't expect that.
He took out his own phone and dialed.
She stared.
"You wouldn't," she said.
"I already did," he replied.
The security guard's voice answered.
Arjun gave clear instructions.
Rooftop.
Possible self-harm situation.
No drama.
No yelling.
Just facts.
Riya's breathing grew uneven.
"You're making me look worse," she said.
"You're making yourself unsafe," he replied.
She lowered the phone.
The live ended.
Two security guards appeared within minutes.
One approached slowly.
"Ma'am, please step away," he said gently.
Riya looked trapped.
Her plan hadn't gone the way she imagined.
She stepped back slowly.
Arjun didn't touch her.
Didn't grab her.
Didn't shout.
He stood still.
When the guards reached her, one of them gently guided her away from the edge.
She started crying heavily now.
Not performative.
Shaking.
"I didn't mean…" she started.
Arjun didn't respond.
Within ten minutes, a small crowd had gathered downstairs.
Someone had called an ambulance.
The situation escalated faster than expected.
Police arrived too.
The same sub-inspector from yesterday.
He looked at Arjun.
"You again," he said.
"Yes," Arjun replied.
The officer looked at Riya, who was sitting on the ground now, crying.
"What happened?" he asked.
Arjun answered clearly.
"She posted live content implying self-harm and blamed me."
The officer turned to Riya.
She avoided his eyes.
"Ma'am?" he asked.
She didn't respond.
Neha arrived shortly after.
She rushed toward Riya.
"What were you thinking?" Neha asked.
Riya didn't answer.
The officer turned to Arjun again.
"Did you threaten her tonight?" he asked.
"No," Arjun replied.
"Did you touch her?" the officer asked.
"No."
Security confirmed his call log.
Time-stamped.
Before the live ended.
That mattered.
The officer nodded slowly.
"We'll document this," he said.
Riya looked up at Arjun then.
For the first time, there was no anger in her eyes.
Only fear.
Not of him.
Of consequences.
Two hours later, Arjun reached home.
Exhaustion hit him all at once.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
Unknown:
You handled that perfectly.
He didn't reply immediately.
Another message came.
Unknown:
She thought you'd panic.
He typed back.
Arjun:
I didn't.
Pause.
Then:
Unknown:
She just lost public sympathy.
Arjun leaned back in his chair.
His phone buzzed again.
This time from Sameer.
"Bro," Sameer said breathlessly when Arjun answered. "Her live got clipped."
"What do you mean?" Arjun asked.
"Someone screen-recorded the full thing," Sameer said. "Before she deleted it."
Arjun felt something shift.
"Send it," he said.
The video arrived.
Arjun watched it carefully.
The full recording showed:
Her saying, If anything happens to me tonight, you know who's responsible.
And then—
His calm voice.
Calling security.
Telling her to step back.
No aggression.
No threat.
Just controlled action.
The clip was already circulating.
People commenting differently now.
He called security.
She looked unstable.
This isn't what she claimed.
Arjun exhaled slowly.
He hadn't planned this.
He had just acted correctly.
His phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
The video is spreading faster than her complaint.
And tomorrow, she'll be called in for questioning instead of you.
Arjun stared at the screen.
Because for the first time since this started—
The narrative wasn't in her control anymore.
And that changed everything.