It was not only Riya and Lucy who recognized the name.

Khushi hearing that name felt like a bucket of cold water thrown directly at her face, and for a moment she genuinely forgot how to breathe properly.

Her mind, which had been quietly processing Meera’s story with the appropriate sympathy of a good friend, had now completely derailed and was racing backwards at full speed toward a very specific night several months ago.

A security guard named Alex.

Khushi’s eye twitched.

Because she remembered that name very well.

She remembered it far more vividly than she would have liked to.

She remembered standing in the bathroom of the bar for twenty full minutes, touching up her already perfect makeup, telling her reflection that she was doing all of this for Riya’s sake and that it was absolutely necessary and completely selfless of her.

She remembered walking out of that bathroom like she owned the city, fully convinced that no man alive could resist her when she was showcasing her charm at one hundred percent.

She remembered the moment she slid onto the barstool beside Alex, crossing her legs with what she absolutely believed was devastating enough to turn heads.

She remembered every single thing she had tried.

The casual invitation, followed by that shameful voice, and when nothing worked, the direct suggestion about coming to her apartment after he dropped Riya home.

She remembered, with a kind of deeply buried horror that she had spent months trying to forget, exactly how Alex had responded to every single one of those attempts.

It had led her to genuinely believe that she was getting old and losing her charm, a thought that had devastated her far more than she cared to admit.

It was only recently, when several boys her own age had begun fawning over her again, that she had managed to recover some of her confidence.

And this man the security guard she had spent an entire evening trying to expose as some money-chasing fraud who was not good enough for her best friend had turned out to be the same man who had saved her friend.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, and then looked at Riya.

That was all it took.

She did not need confirmation.

She already knew. Of course it was the same Alex.

Now that she thought about it, it was truly laughable.

Whatever doubts she had harbored about Alex shattered completely in that moment. Hearing what he had done that night, she could now think of no one more deserving of Riya than him.

Rich, handsome, and humble. Unlike any other second-generation heir she had ever met.

She sighed.

------

Meanwhile, in the lavish presidential suite of the Grand Horizon Hotel, a very different scene was unfolding.

The air inside the opulent bedroom was thick and heavy, saturated with the unmistakable musk of sweat, expensive perfume, and fish like smell.

The king-sized bed was a mess of tangled silk sheets and scattered lingerie.

A slightly obese, ugly man with a receding hairline and pockmarked cheeks, a second-generation heir to a emerging politician lay sprawled in the center like a satisfied toad.

Two young women, barely out of their teens, were draped limply over him, their hair disheveled and bodies glistening.

If Meera had seen him right now, she would have instantly identified that repulsive face. This was the same Rahul who had tried to drug and force himself on her months ago.

The man was still buried deep inside one of the girls, grunting with animalistic pleasure as he chased his climax. His hips pistoned forward with wet, obscene sounds.

The girl beneath him could only moan weakly, her eyes half-closed, clearly out of it from the rough treatment.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A loud, frantic banging suddenly rattled the heavy wooden door of the suite.

"Boss! Big news! Boss! Open the door! It’s urgent!" his lackey shouted desperately from the hallway.

"Shut the fuck up!" Rahul roared mid-thrust, his voice strained and furious. He didn’t slow down even for a second. "I’m busy, you piece of shit! Fuck off!"

"It’s urgent! Boss!"

Annoyed, he gripped the girl’s slim waist with both hands, he pounded into her even harder, chasing the release that was just seconds away.

The lackey’s knocking continued, but Rahul ignored it completely, his breathing growing ragged until he finally buried himself to the hilt and came with a loud, guttural groan, his entire body shuddering.

He stayed there for a few moments longer, savoring the aftershocks while lazily groping the other girl’s breast beside him.

A smug, satisfied smirk spread across his ugly face.

Even while fucking these paid whores, his mind would occasionally drift back to that proud actress Meera, the girl who had dared to escape him last time.

That bitch, caused me no less trouble after that escape, I was even beaten by my dad no less...don’t you dare to come in my hand otherwise.....hehehe

The memory of her terrified yet beautifull face filled him with burning resentment and dark lust.

A minute later, the exhausted girl slipped out from under him on shaky legs and quickly gathered her clothes before disappearing into the bathroom without making a sound.

Rahul wiped himself carelessly with a corner of the sheet, pulled on a silk robe that barely covered his protruding belly, and stormed toward the door.

He yanked it open violently and grabbed his trembling lackey by the collar, slamming him against the wall with surprising strength for his size. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Slap!

The sharp sound echoed down the luxurious corridor.

"If this isn’t important enough to interrupt me during my fuck, your head is going to roll right here!" Rahul snarled, his face twisted with fury. "Speak, you worthless piece of shit!"

The lackey’s face had gone deathly pale.

He stammered in terror, "B-Boss, you will definitely be satisfied by this news! I swear on my mother! This is a golden opportunity... a real, once-in-a-lifetime chance to finally capture Miss Meera!"

Rahul froze.

The rage on his face melted instantly into stunned disbelief. His grip on the lackey’s collar loosened as he blinked rapidly, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

"What?" he whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse. "What did you say?"