Chapter 19

The music was still flowing, the students clapping in rhythm, when Veeresh suddenly felt a discreet tug at his sleeve. He turned slightly to see Arjun, his assistant, standing at the edge of the floor. His usually composed face carried urgency.

“Sir,” Arjun murmured low, almost lost under the music, “the trafficking lead—new intel just dropped. It’s time-sensitive. We need to move now.”

For a brief second, Veeresh’s eyes flicked back to Poornima. She was smiling faintly, her hand still in his, unaware of the storm his other life carried. The softness in her gaze, the warmth of her words about love, still lingered in his chest.

But duty came like iron chains.

He leaned closer, his voice smooth so as not to raise suspicion. “I must excuse myself, Miss Rai. Something urgent has come up.”

Poornima blinked, a little surprised at his sudden seriousness, but she nodded gracefully. “Of course. Important meeting, I understand.”

Her tone was light, dismissive, as though professors like him were always in demand. She brushed off the thought, convincing herself it was nothing more.

Veeresh gave the faintest smile, released her hand, and with quiet precision slipped through the crowd, disappearing into the night.

Poornima stood for a moment longer on the dance floor, students swirling around her, her hand still warm from his hold. A strange hollowness pricked her, but she pushed it away. “He’s busy. That’s all,” she told herself.

Yet, as the music swelled again and laughter filled the hall, a small voice in her heart whispered—busy with what?

Far from the fest’s lights and music, Veeresh was already sliding into his car, his mind shifting gears from the softness of a dance to the hard steel of crime and justice. The two worlds he lived in had collided again—and this time, the pull of both felt stronger than ever.