Chapter 42 — She Throws A Punch

Sanaya gasped as the man in blue clothing was tossed away by the punch that Aryan had rendered on his face. She looked in aghast at them both, unable to comprehend what had suddenly happened.

The man had come up to her. Then he talked to her in such a lewd tone that it had shaken her up momentarily. The next when he asked her if she'd like to spend the night, it had angered her.

How was it possible for a man to be so shoddy? How dare he talk like that to her?

She glanced at Aryan to see a furious expression on his face. He was short-tempered, but he never acted on his temper. The only time he really had acted out on it was previously when he and Randhir had gone into a duel, and instead of working it out with fists, they'd then had a heated basketball match. It had been something regarding Sanyukta at that time.

In seconds, people noticed the commotion happening. Randhir, Sanyukta, Myra, Juan were instantly by Sanaya's side. Others had not yet observed, but as soon as they did, they were flocking behind them, peering at the guy who Aryan now held by his collar, quite literally growling at him.

"How dare you say that to her?" He threatened, "I can ruin your life for doing that."

The guy just smirked, "Of course she knows how to buy you..." Then he gave Sanaya a raking look, making her spine tingle in discomfort at his leering.

"The fuck?" This was Randhir. Soon, the guy was hit on the other side of his face. Just this time, it was Randhir who had done it.

There was blood on the man's face, yet he didn't bat a lash.

"Oh? She knows how to lure married men too?" He said in a nasty tone.

Suddenly, Sanaya realised that this was the last straw. She was angry like never before, and she'd had enough. Clenching her fist, she studied the man who had now two men standing against him, guarding her. But she'd had enough. She didn't need people telling her what she was. She knew. She was human, and she'd made wrong choices in her life once. This time, there was a determination that she wouldn't let her past beckon her present.

She walked through the men who had already thrown a few more hits at the man in blue.

"Sanaya," Aryan started, grabbing her hand. She looked back at him and shook her head.

Not now.

He let go instantly. Randhir just glared at her.

Standing in front of the man, she looked directly at him in the eyes. "You seem to know very well what I do for a living, don't you?"

"Ah. Now! She's coming around." He smirked in a murky way.

"Of course, I had to show you." Sanaya quickly took the stance and punched him in the face.

The man was taken aback, so this time she took the chance to kick his crotch. Hard. That made him tumble on the ground, as everyone else in the dinner party stared at them in bewilderment.

"That's what I do for a living. Kick balls. Thanks for participating." Sanaya clenched her fist and snapped her teeth together in anger.

How dare the man accused her of being a slut? Suddenly, remembering that her father had said the exact same thing about her, her fingers fell apart.

Her expression decayed as she now looked at Aryan threatening the man, growling at him in his low husky voice. It was an intimidating scene. There was a hand on her shoulder, which she knew to be Randhir's.

The memory of her father screaming at her as she laid on the floor weeping back in her childhood home came back to her.

GET CHECKED FOR STDs, SANAYA. AND STOP BEING SUCH A SLUT.

Those had been his exact words.

"Sanaya? You okay?" Randhir whispered to her.

She just nodded.

Soon enough, Abhay, Vardhan and Nirman were standing there with a questioning look in their eyes. Sanaya didn't step forward instantly. Her mind was back at the place where her parents lived, where they had ridiculed their own daughter, claiming absolutely the same thing that the stranger had claimed.

"... you need to say that." Someone told her.

A hand tapped her shoulder, and she came back to the present.

Currently, at the party where everyone was now staring at her.

"Sorry?"

"What this man said, you will have to state that so that we can take action against it, Sanaya." It was Abhay. He looked at her with a courteous look, prodding her.

Sanaya sighed and used the exact words the man had said. The people around her flinched. Randhir grabbed her shoulder tighter, looking at the man with deathly anger, barely holding him in.

If looks could kill, then the man would have been dead seven times over.

"Randhir, please," Sanaya whispered to him as he was about to move. She knew what he was going to do. He would beat the guy until he was dead. They'd already created a scene enough; she didn't want more.

"You should press charges of assault," Abhay said.

She should have pressed charges against a lot of people.

Charges should have been pressed for her being forced and coerced into having sex in a relationship she had, continuously.

Charges should have been pressed when her ex-boyfriend hit her.

Charges should have been pressed when he took videos of them in compromising positions.

Charges should have been pressed when a man sold her drugs as a minor... and she took them.

Charges should have been pressed against her father when he'd beat her black and blue, so much so that she'd been unable to walk.

Charges should have been pressed when someone leaked her old videos. Something she had deleted, yet they were there somewhere.

But none of those charges had been pressed.

"Press a charge from RCIBMT. I don't want to press a personal charge." She mumbled softly.

If the firm pressed the charge, then she couldn't be blamed alone. She would have a person or two beside her no matter what. Then, she would have the support of the company itself.

Sanaya knew she was being a coward, pressing up against the firm for help, but she was still not strong enough to take it all by herself. She just couldn't. It didn't matter to her that she was being a coward. It felt safer; this time, she was going to play safe.

Turned out that the man was one of the new employees on the desk, a clergyman. He was instantly fired for indecent behaviour, and as they took him out, the firm decided to press charges. Abhay didn't mind at all. He had been angry that Sanaya had to experience that at all.

In a few minutes, while everyone was whispering about what had just occurred, most people didn't seem to be judging her. She'd been too social in the office to be snorted at. There were, of course, a few who threw judgemental glares at her whispering away gossip.

Sanaya went to sit down on one of the couches kept on the corner of the banquet. Randhir and Sanyukta didn't want to leave her side, but she had assured them that she would be alright.

"I just need a little time. I'll be back for drinks before you realise." She'd assured them.

After a few moments, the place by her sank with weight. Sanaya looked up to see Aryan sitting beside her. She sighed.

"You really didn't have to punch the man like that. You are better than acting recklessly, you know Aryan?"

"He deserved it."

Sanaya smiled, "He did."

"Nice punch."

That was all he said, but Sanaya looked at him with a smile. He really didn't know how to tackle her mood. He was amusingly bad at it, and still, he was trying. She knew that. But him reacting the way he did, made her feel something — because Aryan was not a man who usually acted like that.

And he had reacted in the manner for her. That conferred a lot than most people would ever understand.