The entire area was drenched from the rain that had poured all night. Aside from the sound of water droplets falling from the leaves and hitting the ground, nothing else could be heard. Nature was slowly recovering from the downpour.
On the outskirts of the village, a luxurious mansion stood in silence, but inside, it overflowed with the arrogance of power and oppression.
Amruthavalli... the undisputed master of that house. She had just finished her shower and stepped into the bedroom with damp hair. Standing before the mirror, she admired her own beauty as she began to get ready.
Suddenly, Deva approached from behind with feline steps and hugged her tightly. Showering kisses on her shoulders, he asked playfully, "Where are you heading so early in the morning?"
Looking into his eyes through the mirror, Amruthavalli replied, "There's a party meeting, Deva. I have to go to Delhi for two days. Until I return, be a bit careful regarding Chaya," she warned, planting a light kiss on his lips.
At that exact moment, Chaya entered the room carrying two cups of coffee. Her faded, torn clothes and disheveled hair reflected the hell she was living through. Seeing the two of them in that position, Chaya stood frozen for a second. Deva and Amrutha pulled apart instantly.
Amruthavalli's eyes flared with rage. "Doesn't that mud-brain of yours know to knock before entering?" she roared, walking up to Chaya and slapping her hard across the face.
"Forgive me, Amrutha... I didn't see..." Chaya stammered, tears welling in her eyes.
Hearing those words, Amruthavalli seemed possessed by fury. She grabbed Chaya's hair in a tight fist, pulling her back. "Amrutha? What did you say? It's Amrutha Madam... do you understand? You must call me Amrutha Madam! If you call me by my name again, I'll cut your tongue out!" she screamed, striking her cheek once more.
Chaya looked desperately toward Deva with tear-filled eyes, but there was no mercy in his gaze.
"Get out of here! If you make a mistake like this again, you won't leave with your life," Amruthavalli warned, pointing a finger. Chaya turned and left the room with silent, trembling steps.
"Ugh... I saw her face first thing in the morning, and my mood is completely ruined," Amruthavalli grumbled, returning to the mirror to apply mascara.
Deva walked up to her with a smirk. "You know I know how to fix your mood," he said, scooping her up in his arms. Amruthavalli gave a guilty laugh, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking deeply into his eyes.
He laid her gently on the bed, staring at her without blinking. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look good?" she asked, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him closer.
Deva took a bit of the mascara from the corner of her eye with his finger and smeared it on her waist. That touch sent a new jolt through Amruthavalli. In the next moment, their lips met. The cool breeze blowing through the nearby window couldn't stop the heat rising in the room. Prisoners of each other's embrace, they began a battle of passion on that bed.
The atmosphere in the room felt like a scorching fire. Deva's aggression and Amruthavalli's longing played out like a war. Both were drowning in a sea of intimacy. Amruthavalli's breathing quickened.
However, remembering the time, she tried to escape his hold. "Deva... it's already late. I have to go, stop it now..."
But Deva didn't listen. His eyes, filled with lust, wouldn't let her go. "Five minutes won't hurt, Amrutha," he muttered, ripping his shirt buttons off. His touch started from her feet and slowly crawled upward. At that heat, Amruthavalli's body arched and trembled. She reached out and welcomed him back into her embrace.
Like a lion that had tasted blood, Deva shook his head once and lunged toward her. He touched every inch of her body, leaving marks with his teeth. Amruthavalli was savoring the sensation when, suddenly, the piercing ring of the landline phone shattered the silence.
She reached out from the bed and answered. Whatever was being said on the other end, her voice faltered because of what Deva was doing to her. She was caught between power on one side and passion on the other.
After hanging up, she pushed Deva aside firmly. "Deva, that's enough! The flight is waiting for me, I have to go," she said anxiously.
"Two minutes, Amrutha... please," Deva tried to pull her back again.
But Amruthavalli's resolve suddenly snapped awake. "Deva! Listen to what I'm saying... let go!" she shouted, her eyes widening with intensity. The sheer venom in her gaze made Deva stop instantly. Frustrated, he got off the bed, grabbed his discarded shirt, and stormed out of the room.
Amruthavalli went to the mirror. As she fixed her messy hair and adjusted her slipped saree, an unknown fear and anxiety flickered in her eyes. Her thoughts seemed to sense an impending danger.
Outside by the swimming pool, Deva was smoking a cigarette, exhaling his frustration into the smoke. Amruthavalli walked slowly toward him. She came up behind him, kissed his neck softly, and said, "Deva, forgive me. I behaved like that in the tension of missing the flight. It's only two days... once I return, all the time you want will be ours." Having consoled him, she hurried toward her car.
The fire in Deva's eyes as he watched the car leave had not died down. Whether it was love, anger, or some hidden conspiracy, only the silence knew.
Leaning back in the rear seat of the car, Amruthavalli closed her eyes and took a deep drag of a cigarette. As she released the smoke into the air, her mind traveled back in time.
She remembered her voice echoing in a public hall: "I, Amruthavalli, as the head of 'Navashakti,' will stand by you through all your hardships."
Today, she might be the head of the "Navashakti" NGO, but once, she was just an ordinary middle-class girl.
Years ago...
7:00 AM. Woken by the alarm, Amruthavalli lazily finished her bath. She walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped only around her chest. While picking a dress from the wardrobe, she heard strange noises coming from Kaushal's (her brother's) room.
Worried, she went to his door. "Kaushal... where are you?" she called out. No one was in the main room. Then, Kaushal's voice came from the washroom, filled with anger and panic. "Why did you come into my room? Get out of here!" he yelled.
"I heard a sound, so I came..." Amrutha said, turning to leave when her eyes fell on the bed.
"There was no sound! I've told you many times not to enter my room! Why do you keep coming in?" Kaushal continued to shout from the bathroom.
"Fine, I'm leaving," she said, picking up a cigarette pack from the bed to examine it. Next to it was a Bluetooth headset. Hearing a sound coming from it, she put it to her ear.
Moaning sounds were clearly audible through the Bluetooth. Her eyes widened in shock. Realizing her brother was watching porn in the washroom, a shiver ran down her spine. With a mix of fear and disgust, she checked his bag and found dozens of cigarette packs along with a photo of a girl.
Without saying a word, she left the house immediately for the office.
3:00 PM. Amruthavalli was sitting alone in her office, working. An employee walked in with a laptop and said, "Madam... there's a bug in this code, it's an emergency..."
Already irritated by Kaushal's behavior, those words sparked her temper. "Leave it there, I'll look at it!" she snapped. When the girl tried to say something else, Amruthavalli stood up. "Hey! Don't tell me stories, just leave it and go!" she screamed, raising her hand as if to hit her.
The entire office looked at her in shock.
The game has just begun... Stay tuned.