Shagun walked back from the garden with a newfound predatory hum in her veins. She had spent her life being manipulated by men; now, she held the strings. She wasn't going to run to Esha like a schoolgirl telling tales. No—Esha valued power and results. Shagun would present Esha with a broken, compliant Mihika, and a vulnerable Ishita.
But as she looked at Mihika, who was trembling by the hedge, Shagun felt a different kind of hunger. Esha's touch had awakened a physical restlessness in Shagun that she couldn't suppress. Her skin felt too tight; her pulse was a constant, demanding thrum.
The New Aesthetic
Shagun retreated to her suite to prepare for the "interrogation." She remembered Esha's critique of her Western dress. Esha lived in a world of blatant skin; what she lacked was the agonizing, slow reveal of the East.
Shagun chose a saree of gossamer-thin black chiffon. It was draped dangerously low on her hips, the pallu pinned with a single diamond so that it barely covered the curve of her breast. The blouse was backless, held together by thin silk threads. It was more provocative than any gown because it teased the boundary between the sacred and the profane. She looked in the mirror and smiled. She wasn't just a trophy; she was the trap.
The Confrontation
She summoned Mihika to her room. The younger girl entered, her eyes darting toward the door.
"Close it, Mihika. And lock it," Shagun commanded, reclining on her chaise longue, a glass of dark wine in her hand.
Mihika obeyed, her voice shaking. "Shagun, please. If you tell Esha, she'll ruin my family. She'll take the clinic. I was just trying to protect my sister."
"I know what you were doing," Shagun said, standing up and walking toward Mihika with a slow, rhythmic grace. "But you're playing a game you aren't equipped for. Esha doesn't just 'ruin' people, Mihika. She erases them. You're a spy? You're barely a distraction."
Shagun reached out, her fingers grazing Mihika's jaw. "But I'm feeling merciful. I haven't had a... companion... in this house. Someone to help me pass the time while Esha is busy with her 'business'."
A Dangerous Exchange
Mihika froze. She saw the look in Shagun's eyes—it wasn't just malice; it was a desperate, carnal heat. Mihika's mind raced. If she could tie Shagun to her, if she could make Shagun obsessed with her, she could turn Esha's lieutenant into a double agent.
"You're lonely, Shagun," Mihika whispered, forcing herself to step closer, defying the traditional distance. "Esha ignores you. She uses you as a tool. But I... I see how beautiful you are in that saree. I see how much you're hurting."
Shagun's breath hitched. She hadn't expected the girl to push back with affection. "You think you can manipulate me, little girl?"
"I think we both want something Esha isn't giving us," Mihika said, her hand tentatively reaching out to touch the bare skin of Shagun's waist where the saree dipped.
The contact was electric. Shagun let out a low, shaky breath. The conservative walls of her upbringing were crumbling under the weight of her own physical need. She grabbed Mihika's hand, pressing it harder against her skin.
"If you want my silence," Shagun hissed, her eyes dark with a mix of hunger and threat, "you will satisfy me. You will be my secret, Mihika. And through you, I will get to Ishita."
The Seduction of the Spy
Shagun pulled Mihika toward the bed. The room was bathed in the amber glow of evening. Shagun's movements were frantic yet controlled. She wanted to reclaim the power Esha had taken from her by exerting it over Mihika.
As Shagun pressed Mihika down into the silk pillows, the dialogue became a blurred edge of threats and desires.
"Is this what you wanted, Mihika? To see what the Khannas are really like?" Shagun whispered against her neck, her teeth grazing the skin.
"I'll do whatever it takes to save my sister," Mihika gasped, though her own body was betraying her, responding to the practiced, intense touch of the older woman. She realized that to manipulate Shagun, she would have to lose herself in this sensory overload.
The scene was one of heavy atmosphere—the rustle of silk, the scent of expensive perfume, and the rhythmic sound of two women crossing a line they had been told their whole lives didn't exist. Shagun used Mihika to dull the ache Esha had left, while Mihika used the intimacy to anchor herself to Shagun's soul, hoping to find a weakness.
The Master's Return
Hours later, Esha returned from the factory, her clothes smelling of smoke but her spirit triumphant. She had crushed Ashok's little rebellion.
She walked past Shagun's wing and paused. She smelled the heavy scent of jasmine and something deeper—the scent of two women who had shared a secret. She didn't knock. She simply stood in the hallway, a small, knowing smile on her face.
She didn't know about Mihika's spying yet, but she knew Shagun had taken a "pet."
"Good, Shagun," Esha whispered to the shadows. "Break her for me. It makes the final molding so much easier."
Esha went to her room and pulled out a photo of Ishita. The final piece of the puzzle was drifting closer. With Shagun and Mihika bound together in a web of blackmail and lust, Ishita would have no allies left.