"Is this really necessary, Kevin?"
Mahira's voice was softer than usual, but beneath that softness were countless questions.
Kevin looked at her quietly for a moment before replying.
"I know you don't want to get married," he said calmly. "But right now… I don't have any other way to keep you safe."
His answer made Mahira fall silent.
Deep inside, she knew he was right.
For the first time in many years, Mahira needed something she had never allowed herself to rely on before—someone strong enough to stand beside her, someone she could trust without questioning their loyalty.
Kevin was that person.
After a long moment, Mahira finally spoke.
"Alright."
Her face showed almost no emotion.
"Then this is what we'll do."
Her voice was steady, but inside her heart something twisted painfully.
Her previous marriage had been nothing less than a nightmare.
A dark chapter she had barely survived.
The thought of marriage again felt like stepping back into that same nightmare.
But this time she wasn't doing it for love.
She was doing it for survival.
For herself.
And for her children.
The Next Day
Every television channel in the country was running the same breaking news.
"Famous industrialist Kevin Agarwal is getting married!"
"But the shocking part is the identity of the woman he is marrying. She is a woman who spent ten years in prison!"
"Who is this mysterious woman that Kevin Agarwal is willing to marry despite her dark past?"
"This news has shaken the business world. Why would a powerful man like Kevin Agarwal marry a convicted criminal?"
"There are many questions… but only one man can answer them."
"Kevin Agarwal."
AK Construction Limited
Kevin's company headquarters.
Inside Kevin's private cabin, the television screen was still playing the news.
Kevin's jaw tightened.
"What kind of nonsense are they broadcasting?"
Ivan sighed.
"I honestly don't know, brother. I have no idea how the news about your marriage to Lady Boss got leaked."
He glanced toward the glass walls of the building.
"The media has practically set up camp downstairs. They're not going anywhere until you answer their questions."
Ivan paused.
Then spoke carefully.
"Don't get angry… but can I give a suggestion?"
Kevin looked at him sharply.
"Speak."
"Maybe you should answer them yourself."
Kevin didn't reply immediately.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair and thought.
Press Conference
A short time later, a press conference was arranged in the conference hall of Kevin's company.
Journalists filled the room.
Cameras flashed continuously.
Kevin finally stepped onto the stage.
The entire hall fell silent.
Kevin looked at the reporters calmly.
"Hello everyone."
"I've seen the news reports you've been running."
His voice was steady.
"But I'm disappointed."
"You've twisted the truth."
Murmurs spread through the hall.
Kevin continued.
"For your information, Mahira and I are getting married because we've loved each other since childhood."
The room suddenly erupted with whispers.
"Unfortunately, certain circumstances prevented us from marrying earlier."
"So now… we've decided to correct that mistake."
A reporter immediately stood up.
"But Mr. Kevin, we've heard she spent ten years in prison."
"And she allegedly murdered her husband."
"How can you marry a woman accused of murder?"
The question hung heavily in the air.
Kevin's expression changed.
His anger became visible.
Slowly, his hand tightened into a fist.
The veins on his neck and temples stood out sharply.
Everyone in the room noticed.
And suddenly—
Fear spread through the hall.
Kevin Agarwal was not a man people dared to provoke.
Even in a fully air-conditioned conference hall, many reporters began sweating.
The silence became so deep that even the faintest sound would have been heard.
At that moment—
Kevin's phone vibrated.
A message appeared on the screen.
Mahira.
"Please calm down, Kevin. There's still a long battle ahead."
The moment he saw her name—
His fist slowly relaxed.
His breathing steadied.
As if the storm inside him had suddenly quieted.
Kevin looked up again.
And spoke.
"First of all," he said firmly, "Mahira did not kill anyone. She was framed."
The reporters went silent again.
"And secondly… before accusing someone, you should try finding out the truth."
He leaned slightly forward.
"Even if your accusation were true… you should ask why it happened."
The room was completely still.
Kevin's voice hardened.
"And one more thing."
"If I hear any more false news about Mahira or me…"
He paused.
"You already know what happens next."
He turned to leave.
But one reporter quickly stood up.
"You can't threaten the media like that, Mr. Kevin!"
Kevin stopped.
Slowly, he turned back.
His eyes locked onto the man.
"I don't threaten people."
His voice was cold.
"I act."
And with that, he walked out.
Evening
Kevin returned home.
But the moment he entered the house, something felt wrong.
Mahira wasn't there.
He frowned.
"Where is she?"
He asked the servants.
None of them knew.
Kevin's heart suddenly began beating faster.
A strange uneasiness spread through him.
A feeling he hadn't felt in years.
A familiar fear.
The same fear he had felt…
Ten years ago.
Without wasting another second, Kevin opened the tracking system on his phone.
A small blinking dot appeared on the map.
Location:
Jungle.
Kevin's expression darkened.
He looked at Ivan.
Ivan immediately understood.
Within minutes—
Kevin and nearly a thousand trained bodyguards and soldiers were already on the move.
Black Rolls-Royces and dozens of security vehicles raced down the highway like a storm.
Inside the car, Kevin stared ahead silently.
Lost in his thoughts.
Flashback
Mahira.
Twenty years old.
A girl whose life had been stolen far too early.
She had been married at just thirteen years old because of her parents' helplessness.
She was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her brown eyes alone were enough to shake anyone's self-control.
Her lips were like rose petals—naturally red, needing no lipstick.
Her round, fair face looked like the full moon on a clear night.
Her body was slender and graceful, like a runway model with a perfect figure.
Wherever she went, people couldn't stop staring.
But her life…
Was nothing anyone could imagine.
To protect her parents' honor, she accepted responsibilities at an age meant for playing.
But fate never stopped testing her.
Her husband was fifteen years older.
Her in-laws treated her like she wasn't human.
Every day brought a new cruelty.
Soon after her marriage—
Her parents committed suicide.
From that day onward, Mahira was alone.
Completely alone.
No family.
No support.
She continued living a life filled with humiliation and suffering.
Until one day—
Something unimaginable happened.
Mahira's husband lost everything in gambling.
Including her.
And their children.
He had staked them like property.
And he lost.
One of his friends—who came from a respectable family—came to inform the household.
The moment Mahira and her mother-in-law heard it, the ground seemed to disappear beneath their feet.
Mahira broke down in tears.
But before she could even think clearly—
Her mother-in-law secretly hid the children in another house.
Moments later—
Several men arrived.
They tried to drag Mahira away.
She screamed.
She begged for help.
But no one came.
With desperate strength, she managed to break free from the men and ran.
She ran and ran until she reached an empty road.
And there—
Her husband stood waiting.
"Where do you think you're going?" he sneered.
"Come back."
He grabbed her arm and began dragging her.
Suddenly—
A shadow appeared between them.
A few moments later—
Mahira's husband lay dead.
Blood covered Mahira's hands.
When the thugs arrived and saw the scene—
They panicked and ran away.
Mahira stood there silently for a moment.
Then she turned…
And began walking back toward her house.
Present
Mahira was tied to a chair inside an abandoned bungalow.
Her hands were bound.
But her eyes showed no fear.
She was silent.
Because she was waiting for the right moment.
Still—
She was angry.
Ten years of training…
And yet she had been captured.
Suddenly—
A tall, broad man stepped into the room.
A victorious smile spread across his face.
Then the lights switched on.
And the moment Mahira saw his face—
The color drained from her face.
"You…?"