"Thud."

Alex rose to his feet, his hand connecting with Alisha's cheek in a resounding slap. With a firm grip on her hand, he pressed her against the wall, his voice seething with anger.

?"How dare you leave," he exclaimed, his voice laced with fury.

Confusion clouded Alisha's face as she asked, her cheek swollen from the impact, "Is this some kind of truth or dare game we're playing?" She struggled to comprehend the sudden assault.

Frustration etched on his face, Alex retorted, "Damn it, why do you have to be so clueless?" His voice dripped with exasperation.

Defending herself, Alisha replied, her voice filled with determination, "I'm not clueless. I'm right because you said 'how dare,' but we're not playing a game, so why would I dare? Yeah, I have to go."

Alex sighed, his mind swirling with questions. "Why does she have to leave?" he wondered, his thoughts racing.

His conscience taunted him, reminding him, "Because she doesn't belong to you. She can go wherever she wants. What do you want, huh?"

Another sigh escaped Alex's lips as he responded, "Are you planning to go outside naked?"

Alisha demanded, her voice firm, "Oh yeah, give me my clothes."

Relinquishing his grip on her hand, Alex instead held her waist, causing her to wince in pain. She pleaded, "Let go of me. You are hurting me with your nails here yesterday. Please, it's painful, just leave."

Releasing her waist, Alex attempted to inspect her wound, but Alisha grabbed his hands, asserting herself. "Hey, nobody is allowed to touch me without my permission. I told you that before, and you're doing it again," she reminded him, her annoyance evident.

Frustration welled up within Alex as he retorted, "How dare you try to stop me."

Alisha stood her ground, her voice unwavering as she replied, "It's not about daring. It's about what's right."

In a fit of anger, Alex grabbed Alisha's hair, his voice laced with menace as he threatened, "If you open your mouth again, I'm going to cut your tongue."

Silent and fearful, Alisha remained quiet, her heart pounding in her chest at his menacing words.

Releasing his grip, Alex commanded, "Go take a bath. I am going to send someone with clothes." Alisha obediently left the room.

Entering the bathroom, Alisha proceeded to take a bath. When she emerged, she found a girl waiting for her. Judging by the clothes she held, Alisha deduced that she was the maid.

Polite and respectful, the maid handed her the clothes and said, "Ma'am, here are your clothes."

Alisha expressed her gratitude and inquired, "Whose dress is this? How did you know my size?"

"The dress was ordered by Sir from a boutique. Please wear it now," the maid replied, her tone courteous.

Alisha proceeded to change into the dress, feeling a sense of curiosity about how they knew her size.

Alex entered the room and casually stated, "You can leave now."

The maid trembled slightly, quickly exiting the room.

"I told her your size," Alex stated matter-of-factly.

Perplexed, Alisha asked, "How do you know my size?"

"When I bathed her, I memorised every inch of her body. Her red hair and red eyes are simply captivating, as if they were a gift from God," Alex pondered, his thoughts drifting.

Interrupting his musings, Alisha repeated her question desperately, "I'm asking you something."

"I don't like it when people ask me questions," Alex replied, his eyes narrowing as a smirk played on his lips.

Innocently blinking her eyes, Alisha countered, "Why? Didn't your teachers ask you questions in school or college?" She brushed her hair aside, her gaze fixed on him.

Changing the subject, Alex suggested, "Let's go eat."

Alisha shrugged, following him to the dining table.

As they sat at the dining table, Alex's mother arrived home, her eyes immediately drawn to Alisha's beauty.

Curiosity piqued, Alex's mother inquired, "Who are you? And why are your cheeks swollen?"

Alisha pointed towards Alex, her voice tinged with pain, as she replied, "He slapped me," the memory of the assault still fresh in her mind.

Shock registered on Alex's face at her bold honesty, his anger intensifying.

Fury consumed Alex's mother as she scolded him, "Why on earth did you slap this girl?"

"Alex, she's still a child! Why can't you understand that you can't raise your hand against women? First, you injured the servant's arm, and now you slapped this girl. Why can't you control your anger? Why do you always end up fighting?" Alex's mother exclaimed, her voice filled with disappointment.

Gasping, Alisha asked, "What? He injured a servant's arm?"

Alex clenched his teeth, pleading, "Mom, please don't bring up that topic again, okay?"

Sighing, Alex's mother thought, "He's not going to listen. Let it be."

Turning her attention to Alisha, she asked, "Child, what is your name?"

"I don't tell my name to strangers," Alisha replied, her voice firm.

Alex's mother's stern gaze met Alisha's, as she asserted, "Child, I am older, and you must respect your elders."

Apologising, Alisha conceded, "Sorry," before adding, "My name is Alisha."

Curiosity getting the better of her, Alex's mother questioned, "Why are you here, Alisha?"

"Yesterday, my dog accidentally entered your house. I came to retrieve him, but your son shot and killed him. I fainted, and when I woke up, he had changed my clothes and made me sleep in his room. He also injured my waist by digging his nails into it," Alisha explained, leaving no detail unmentioned.

Shock washed over Alex as he witnessed her boldness in speaking the truth.

Growing angrier, Alex's mother demanded, "How could you kill a dog, Alex? Why did you change this girl's clothes and make her stay in your room? And why did you hurt her?"

In a fit of rage, Alex shouted, his hand slamming onto the dining table, causing the glasses to shatter and his hand to bleed.

Fear gripped both Alisha and Alex's mother at the sudden outburst.

"Mom, I don't want to answer. You're irritating me," Alex shouted, his frustration evident.

Stepping forward, Alisha reached out and held his injured hand, concern etched on her face. "You're injured," she stated, her voice filled with genuine worry.

Alex was taken aback, as his mother had never approached him when he was angry. Yet this little girl had the courage to do so.

As Alisha's dress became stained with his blood, Alex attempted to pull his hand away, but Alisha held on firmly.

Alex's mother watched in astonishment, realising that her son had never allowed any woman to touch him, let alone change his clothes or tend to his injuries. Yet here he was, allowing this girl to do so, even in his anger.

"Aunty, please give me the first aid kit. His injury needs to be treated first,"

"Darling, take this first aid kit", Alex's mother tenderly passed the first aid kit and softly urged.

With utmost care, Alisha led Alex to the sofa, then knelt before him to attend to his injury. As she tended to his wound, Alex's gaze never left her.

"She's my guardian angel. Unfazed by my blood staining her dress, she cares only for me," Alex pondered, looking at her with newfound admiration.

Alex's mother noticed a longing in his eyes, something she had never seen before, a desire he kept hidden. She understood he yearned for this girl, yet she feared that his darkness might consume her purity.

"If Alex truly desires something, he'll stop at nothing to attain it," she thought, her mind troubled by it.

Once Alisha had finished dressing Alex's wound, she gently declared, "Alright, I must be on my way now. Mr. Alex, promise me you won't harm yourself or others."

Alex snapped out of his daze, but her words ignited a storm of anger within him. "How dare she lecture me as she leaves?" he seethed silently.

"Alisha, at least change your dress; it's stained with blood," Alex's mother advised.

Alisha paused, then replied graciously, "It's alright, Auntie. My mother must be worried about me too. I didn't return to the orphanage last night either."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise, and he questioned, "You're an orphan? But when I asked before, you said you had a mother. What's the truth?"

Alisha smiled softly, explaining, "I'm the eldest at the orphanage, so I call the owner 'mother.' But Mr. Alex, I want you to know something. In all my life, I've never met anyone as cruel as you. You took an innocent life, and I hope never to cross paths with you again."

After Alisha's departure, Alex's thoughts consumed him. He realised his angel was an orphan, and her words cut deep. "Yes, they all think I'm heartless," he contemplated. "But her words sting. She left me in this abyss, taking her radiance with her."

Alex's mother watched him silently, knowing he desired Alisha. She believed she could be the beacon of hope he desperately needed.

Alex storms out of the house, his mind consumed by one question: "Why has my angel left me?"

He spots the negligent guard who had failed in his duty, allowing an intruder into his home. Anger courses through Alex as he approaches the trembling guard, declaring, "You haven't forgotten what I told you. You will pay for letting that intruder into my house."

The guard stammers,"I'm sorry, sir," as he continues to tremble.

"You know that Alex Sharma doesn't forgive mistakes," Alex asserts, watching the guard's fear intensify.

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Alex's conscience taunts him about his initial indifference to the girl. He responds with a dismissive shrug, saying.

"So, your punishment..." Alex begins, his voice dangerously calm, "how about death?"

"Sir, please don't! I have children to feed, a wife, and an ailing mother who depends on me for her treatment," The guard pleads.

Alex remains unswayed, saying, "It doesn't matter to me. I pay you to do your job, which you didn't do properly."

The guard's tears flow freely, catching the attention of Alex's mother, who comes outside to investigate the commotion.

Approaching Alex, she asks, "What happened? Why is the guard crying?"

"Mom, he's going to die today because he didn't do his job when someone intruded into our house."

His mother, shocked by his response, implores, "Alex, he's a human being. How can you take a life for a mistake?"

"That's precisely why I'm punishing him, Mom. Because he's human, and this world has no room for those who make mistakes," he retorted.

His mother tries to reason, "Alex, making mistakes is part of human nature. They teach us, and we learn from them."

Alex remains resolute, saying, "Mom, there's no place for forgiveness in my dictionary. This is my final decision."

His mother, deep in thought, contemplates how to save the guard. She eventually says to the guard, "You can go."

The guard leaves, still trembling and in tears, leaving Alex furious. Through gritted teeth, he asks his mother, "Why did you do that?"

His mother explains, "The guard made a mistake, but you met that girl, right?."

"I know, so what?"

"You can't hide anything from me, you know," his mother states. "I'm your mother, and I can see that you feel something for her, something you've never felt for anyone else."

Alex leaves without a word, his mother's observations weighing heavily on his mind.

"I may have made a mistake by involving that girl. Perhaps she doesn't deserve to be protected by someone like him. If fate brings them together, I'll leave it to destiny to decide. It's hard to coexist with Alex," His mother sighs, thinking.

In his office,

Alex's anger intensifies as he begins hurling objects around. His previously injured hand, tended by Alisha, starts bleeding once more.

Sitting on the office floor, Alex contemplates his feelings. "I want her. I want her in my life. That foolish girl has made me fall for her."

He questions himself, "Do I love her? No, Alex, what's happening to you? Why have you fallen for someone so half-minded?"

Closing his eyes, he reflects, "It's only been three hours since she left, but it feels like someone has drained the life out of me. I don't know what I'm feeling, but I want her. I want her in my arms, in my life, in my bed, moaning my name and crying out in pain."

"I want to corrupt her purity. I want to immerse her in my darkness. I want her to see only me, and heal me, only me," he admits.

"I want to possess her every night, as if there's no tomorrow. I want her to never leave my bed, to be with her every moment. I love her. Is this love? When you want someone more than your breath, when you love them more than yourself, when you need someone more than the blood flowing in your veins..."

"Yes, yes, I love her. I love my angel. No one can take her away from me. Anyone who tries will face death."

Examining his injured hand, he murmurs, "You are my source of peace, my angel. Your screams of pain, your moans, your tears—those are my solace. You are the only good thing in my life."

"Your shouting in pain, your pain filled moans, your tears—these are my peace," he muses, "You know what makes you an angel? You are the only one who can provide me peace."

"I have to make you my angel," he concludes. "I want to hear your angelic voice when you cry for me, see your beautiful eyes filled with tears because of me, and feel your body marked by my touch. I want to taint your purity, and you will be painted in my colour—black."

He yearns for her and whispers, "Just wait for this monster to taint you."

After office.

Alex drives home with his bloody hand. Which is bleeding? I think, “Don't worry Alex; you are going to have someone soon who is going to tend to your injuries."

And then he reaches home and sees his mom sitting in the lobby at the dining table.

Alex's mom says, "Please eat something."

"Mom, don't worry, I'm fine," he replies.

Alex's mom sees his hand and notices how much he is bleeding.

She goes toward him, grabs his hand, and says, "You are not fine in this condition. What happened? Why is your already injured hand more injured now? Let me first aid it."

Alex removes his hand from his mother's hand and says to his mom, "Don't worry; soon someone is going to come into my life to take care of me."

"I know for whom he is talking like this. Now, no one can save that poor soul from him. I hope she will change my son; I can only pray, "Alex's mom thinks.

And she too leaves from there for her room, praying things just don't worse then this.

Seeing his mom leave, Alex leaves for his room, in his room he just washes his hand and thinks, "Soon, angel, very soon, you are going to tend to this injury of mine. Soon, you are going to take care of me, soon you are going to sleep with me in my arms." He changes his clothes and falls asleep, dreaming of his angel.