Page 20 of Lawfully Yours

The words hit hard, but not in the way they intended.

Arundhati stiffened, anger rising like wildfire.

“My marriage is none of your concern,” she said, voice laced with warning. “And you are crossing a line, Ma’am.”

The woman smirked mockingly, taking a step forward.

“Oh? We’re crossing a line? We’re just calling out the truth. A woman like you, who failed at marriage, shouldn’t be standing up for one.”

The tension spiked.

Arundhati was done playing nice.

“You think a woman’s worth is measured by whether she remains in a marriage?” she shot back. “Then let me educate you.”

She took a deliberate step forward.

“I am a lawyer. I fight for justice, not for convenience. And justice isn’t about blindly supporting one gender. It’s about finding the truth. You claim to fight for women, and yet you’re the ones attacking another woman because she dares to take on a case? So, tell me, where does your so-called morality stand?”

There was a pin-drop silence. The women hesitated, some exchanging uneasy glances.

But just as Arundhati thought reason might seep in, a sudden whoosh of movement broke through the air. Her vision blurred, her head snapping back as a stone struck her temple before hitting the ground at her feet. The world tilted for a split second. A warm trickle of blood slid down her face, followed by a gasp rippling through the crowd. It was one second of absolute shock before chaos erupted.

“ENOUGH!”

A deep, commanding voice cut through the uproar.

The crowd turned sharply, and before Arundhati could even register what was happening, strong hands gripped her shoulders. The next thing she knew, she was being pulled against his broad chest.

Kushal.

His presence towered over her as the security guards rushed forward, forming a barrier between them and the protestors. Arundhati barely had time to process the burning heat in histouch before he tilted her face up to him, scanning her wound. His jaw locked, and his entire body went rigid at the sight of blood.

With an unmistakable fury in his eyes, he turned to the crowd and snapped.

“How dare you?” he growled, his gaze burning into the women before him. “How dare you hit a lawyer for doing her job?” Kushal scoffed, his grip on Arundhati tightening just slightly.

No one answered. The group shifted uneasily, some lowering their banners, while others still held onto their stubborn glares.

“The court has yet to give its verdict. Until then, neither you nor anyone else has the right to decide who is guilty and who isn’t.” His gaze turned deadly. “And no one has the right to tell us which cases we should take or who we should defend.”

The women hesitated, their anger faltering. But Kushal wasn’t done.

“This is the last time I’ll tolerate something like this.” His snapped. “If any of you lay a hand onheragain, you’ll be facing charges before you can hold another protest.”

Then, without another word, he pulled her inside the Verma & Associates building, away from the chaos.

His heart was still raging with fury. And for the first time in a long time, he didn’t know if he was angrier at the protestors or at the fact that seeing Arundhati bleeding had driven him insane.

“Someone get the first aid kit NOW!” he barked, his voice thundering across the reception area.

One of the junior associates scrambled to obey, rushing towards the medical cabinet.

Kushal barely spared him a glance before turning to the security personnel standing near the entrance.

“I want those protestors cleared from our gates immediately,” he snapped. “I don’t care how you do it. Call thepolice if necessary. I don’t want a single one of them loitering around this firm by the time I step outside again.”

The guards nodded quickly before hurrying out.