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The jet door slammed open even before it fully stopped.

Veeresh Deewan stormed out, his black suit rumpled, eyes bloodshot, and rage burning like wildfire in them. His guards followed, struggling to keep up as he strode into the hospital, every step radiating power, desperation, and fury.

The moment he reached the ICU, the air itself seemed to shift — nurses froze, doctors went silent.

The Underworld King was here.

> “Where is she?” Veeresh’s voice was a low growl, the kind that made even fearless men tremble.

A trembling nurse led him toward the ICU, where Poornima lay — pale, lifeless, wires attached, her body wrapped in white bandages. His heart clenched painfully, a sight he’d never imagined seeing.

The girl who once smiled at him over dinner, who teased him for being late, who made him do push-ups like a schoolboy — was now fighting death.

Veeresh turned to the doctor, his voice dangerously calm.

> “Tell me her condition.”

The doctor swallowed hard.

> “Mr. Deewan… she was hit seven times. One bullet grazed her head — severe trauma. Two in the chest, one dangerously close to her heart. One in the stomach, one in the arm, two in her legs. We removed five… two still remain lodged deep. She’s lost a lot of blood. She might… she might not make it.”

The words hit him like gunfire.

> “Say that again,” Veeresh whispered, his eyes darkening.

> “She might die… or slip into a coma. I’m sorry.”

For a long moment, there was silence — until Veeresh suddenly slammed his fist against the wall, cracking it.

> “You will save her. I don’t care what you need — machines, doctors, countries — bring them! If she dies…” His voice trembled, raw with emotion. “…if she dies, this entire hospital will burn.”

The doctor nodded quickly, terrified.

> “We’ll do everything we can, sir!”

Veeresh entered her room, ignoring the rules. The sight shattered him — his ruby, once full of laughter and light, now still as porcelain. He walked closer, brushing her hair gently away from her forehead.

> “Ruby…” his voice cracked, barely a whisper. “You said forever, remember? You don’t get to break that promise now.”

His hand shook as he held hers — small, cold, fragile. He kissed her fingers softly, his eyes glistening.

> “You made the devil kneel, Ruby. Don’t leave me now. Please…”

The monitors beeped steadily, her life hanging on threads of faith and fate.

Veeresh sat by her bedside, his empire forgotten, his power meaningless. For the first time in his life, the underworld king prayed — not for victory, not for vengeance — but for her heartbeat to keep going.