"That’s good to know." He glanced at her. "But first, tell me — what are you doing here? I don’t think your house is anywhere near this area, based on the location you shared earlier."

Namrata’s expression immediately brightened.

"Okay so — I got three discount coupons for Inox. Seo-yeon has been dying to watch Captain America: Brave New World and the show is only available at Patel Nagar Metro, which is pretty close to here." She gestured vaguely at the temple surroundings. "I was already in the area when I heard the announcement about the food distribution and just — ended up here."

She paused, then looked at him with carefully constructed casualness.

"Actually — are you free? You could come with us."

Rohit feigned offense, placing both hands on his waist. "Oh, right. Now you remember me? How cheeky."

Namrata smiled apologetically. "Sorry, it really slipped my mind. Everything happened so fast today."

Rohit internally smirked as his eyes drifted down to her cleavage for a brief moment. A chance to get closer to her, both physically and strategically, was tempting. But he checked his watch and remembered his original plan.

"Can’t," he said. "I have something I need to handle. Enjoy the show."

Namrata’s expression visibly dropped.

Earlier, Seo-yeon had already been furious with Rohit for ghosting her calls and replying only with dry one-line messages. She had specifically told Namrata not to invite him. Yet despite that, Namrata had still taken the initiative herself—only for Rohit to casually refuse.

Even though he had declined politely, it still stung.

"Okay..." she said softly, lowering her voice. "As you like."

Rohit noticed. He leaned in slightly, close enough that she had to look up at him, his hands still behind his back.

"Seriously?" he said, his tone quiet and teasing. "That upset?"

Namrata froze.

She was usually straightforward and good at controlling her emotions, but his direct flirtation caught her off guard.

Her cheeks flushed pink as she turned away.

"What — no?" Her voice wavered. "Seo-yeon was right. You really are a crooked tease."

She instinctively clutched the bag strap that had slipped from her shoulder and hurried past him. "I’m leaving. Bye."

Without looking back, she walked away quickly.

Rohit watched her retreating figure with a faint smirk, then turned toward the office building where Riya had disappeared.

He could hear her voice before he reached the entrance, composed yet pointed as she finished whatever conversation with Pradhan Ji she had decided he deserved.

He almost felt amused enough to let her continue when his phone suddenly rang.

It was Akansha.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a video call this time. He accepted.

"Hello."

A tired, exhausted, and hoarse voice came from the other end, as if she hadn’t slept in days.

"Listen, Rohit... I don’t have much time. You are being targeted and tailed. Be safe."

His expression shifted. "Wait — are you safe? Why has your phone been off?"

"Someone is coming." Her voice dropped further, barely above a whisper. "I’ll call again when I can. I’m safe for now. Just — be careful."

The call ended abruptly.

Rohit stood with the phone in his hand for a moment.

’So the Mittals have doubts about me. Jayesh’s death. They’re connecting it.’

Rohit let his gaze sweep across the temple premises without making it obvious...

Devotees moving between the prasad counters. Staff near the entrance. A few people still lingering from the earlier commotion, glancing in his direction.

Any of them could be nothing. Any of them could be the opposite.

He clicked his tongue.

’And there goes the jail visit. Fuckers must have been tailing me since I left home.’

It was then that Riya came out of the office building.

"Rohit."

He turned around. She looked slightly amused.

"You didn’t go with her? I assumed you two might have plans"

The tone was pleasant. Underneath it, something slightly less so.

Rohit caught it and kept his expression easy. "No. I came here to spend some time with you as your younger brother." He tilted his head. "Why would I leave for a casual friend?"

A pause. He let her name sit without calling her ’di’ this time.

"Tell me honestly, Riya — was all of that actually necessary?"

Riya’s smile softened into something more genuine, though a faint trace of ruefulness still lingered beneath it. She stepped closer and reached up to ruffle his hair the way she probably used to when he was younger, then let her hand rest lightly against his cheek.

"It seems I misjudged and reacted too much. But understand my position. You came here to meet me, and then a girl suddenly grabbed your arm so affectionately in public." Her fingers lingered on his face. "I was just worried about you."

Rohit gently took her hand and lowered it.

"That wasn’t affection. She was just feeling guilty for dragging me into that mess." He looked into her eyes. "That reminds me — why weren’t you there when the event was your responsibility in the first place?"

Then she sighed — not performatively, just the quiet exhale of someone accepting a fair point.

"I was on a call I couldn’t step away from. By the time I saw the commotion, you were already handling everything." Her eyes softened with quiet pride. "I was impressed, Rohit. You looked... dependable."

’And that’s why you stayed back, letting it happen until your intervention felt most needed.’ Rohit completed in his mind, carefully noting her words and expressions.

Riya continued, lowering her gaze slightly. "And I felt bad taking away your chance to shine. You can say I was a little curious to see how much my little brother has grown after all these years."

Rohit internally scoffed. Now I understand why Arya hates you. A warm tea is better than cold coffee. He kept smiling on the surface. "At least all misunderstandings are clear. I hope you aren’t that angry with her anymore, right?"

Riya calmly shook her head while exhaling.

"Not with that little stunt. But you have to understand, Rohit — you are a Singhania."

Her voice dropped, turning cold and serious. " I know that might not mean the same thing to you right now with the memory gaps, but it means something to everyone around you whether you’re aware of it or not."

She paused. "Some lines exist for reasons. Some compromises are necessary. I’m not telling you this to be difficult. I’m telling you because I learned it the hard way and I would rather you didn’t have to."

Her eyes held something that wasn’t performance. Real pain sitting underneath carefully maintained composure.

Rohit said nothing. He let her continue.

"Also, it’s better you don’t get too involved with girls like her. She’s naive, emotional, and fragile. Such people create trouble without even realizing it. Today she was spared because of her connection with you... but will you be there for her every single time?"

For once, Rohit found himself unable to answer right away.

The warning carried real weight. That was what made it complicated. Riya wasn’t faking the concern — the pain behind her words was genuine. And yet, the advice just so happened to serve her own interests perfectly.

He studied her face for a long moment.

So you have your own scars too... Was it that mystery boy from your college days? The one who vanished by final year? Or the husband who was already looking at other women on your wedding day?

Very interesting.

"...I’ll keep that in mind," he finally replied, his voice calm and measured.

Then he changed the topic.

"So? Are we leaving now?"

Riya smiled softly before stepping forward and giving him a light hug.

"I’m sorry again," she whispered near his ear. " Come visit me some evening. We might go out for an outing or have a private dinner. My entire daytime schedule is packed."

Rohit returned the hug mechanically, but his mind was racing.

Even though he had glimpsed a crack in her carefully maintained mask today, she was still far from transparent. Strangely, that only made him more intrigued. Understanding Riya felt increasingly important — perhaps even more than the information he needed from her.

The mention of a private dinner planted a dangerous seed in his mind. It could be the perfect opportunity to deepen their bond... and tighten his hold over her.

He kept a pleasant smile on his face as they separated and asked casually, "Oh, by the way — how about we exchange phone numbers and accept each other’s friend requests? That way, I’ll know when not to bother you."

Riya’s eyes lit up. "That’s a good idea." She quickly unlocked her iPhone 16 pro max and added with a smile, "And don’t consider yourself a bother. If you ever stay over late, you can simply spend the night."

Rohit grinned as he watched her accept the friend request — a carefully disguised phishing link.

Perfect. My luck couldn’t be better.

He had expected breaching her iPhone would take days if not months. And staying the night was indeed a golden opportunity, but he decided not to get tempted too quickly and focus on figuring her out first.

After saying goodbye, he stepped outside the temple premises and opened the taxi app on his phone.

Then another thought crossed his mind.

Since the jail visit was ruined anyway...

A faint, dangerous smile appeared on his lips.

Maybe I should go bother Namrata instead.

But destiny had other plans.

His phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.

Rohit narrowed his eyes and answered, "Who’s this?"

A smooth, feminine Japanese voice came through the line, elegant yet laced with amusement.

"Rohit-kun... did you forget to pay a visit to your aunt?"

Rohit’s jaw stiffened instantly. It was Ren Takayama.