Here is the next chapter of this book. English is not my first language so please ignore the grammatical mistakes. Let's continue.

Ruchika walked down the long-polished hospital corridor where the faint and sharp smell of antiseptic lingered in the air. She held a warm cup of coffee in one hand while her other hand pressed her phone firmly against her ear.

"Haan Papa, I am absolutely fine here," she said, trying her best to sound assured into her voice. "Aap bas apna aur Maa ka dhyan rakhiye."

''Wo to mai rakhunga hi,'' Rakesh 's voice came crackling through the line heavy with a father's protective anxiety. "Bas tum theek se rehna, Ruhu." 

His little princess is thousands of miles away, not just in a different city, but in an entirely different country. He had been the one to push her to take this prestigious international project, but now that she was actually there, the distance felt like an ocean.

"Tumhare Papa ka dimaag kharab ho gaya hai" Sarita's voice suddenly cut into the call from the background, making Ruchika chuckle as she took a slow sip of her coffee.

"Budhape mein aisa hi hota hai, Maate. So just chill" Ankush chimed in casually, clearly joining the conversation just to poke buttons.

''Aye!!'' Rakesh snapped instantly. ''Buddha hoga tera baap!!''

''Haan, wo toh hai hi'' Ankush replied putting on a mocking sad tone.

Ruchika burst out laughing and on the other end Sarita too couldn't hold back her giggles either. It took Rakesh sometimes to realize he had just played right into his son's trap.

''Sarita, dekh lo apne bete ko,'' he complained dramatically. ''Kya bol raha hai tumhare pati ko.''

Sarita completely unbothered, sided with her son without a second thought. "Ab kya karein? Sach hi toh bola hai usne." Ankush roared with laughter, while Ruchika could practically picture her father's jaw dropping in betrayal.

''Yahaan toh kisi ko meri padi hi nahi hai'' Rakesh sighed dramatically.

"Hey!!" Ruchika intervened, her voice shifted into a protective warning. "Don't team up against my Papa, okay? Papa don't worry, I am always on your side. Abhi main wahan nahi hoon toh kya hua? Phone kis liye invent hua hai? Jab bhi Maa aur yeh gadha milkar aapko pareshaan karein, just call me. Main yahin se dono ki class laga dungi."

"Haan baccha," Rakesh's voice instantly softened, the playfulness melted into pure affection. "Bas tum hi toh meri apni ho. Jaldi wapas aa jao." On the other side of the screen, Sarita and Ankush exchanged a look and rolled their eyes in unison.

''Dramatic'' Ankush muttered under his breath.

"Okay, bye now." Ruchika said, her eyes catching her friends waiting for her on the opposite side of the corridor. "Mujhe kaam ke liye nikalna hai." She began walking toward them.

"Haan bacche jao" Sarita said gently. "Tumhare Papa ko toh bas bahana chahiye tumse baat karne ka. Har aadhe ghante mein bolte rehte hain...... call karu kya? Call karu kya?"

''Haan toh mujhe meri princess ki yaad aati hai'' Rakesh defended himself.

''Aapki princess ab badi ho gayi hai,'' Sarita cut his words in mid, her tone turned softer. ''thoda use bhi ab apni jindagi jine dijiye.''

''Usi baat ka toh dukh hai...'' Rakesh's voice softened, the playfulness in his tone faded away ''meri beti ab badi ho gayi hai. Apne papa ke sahare ki jarurat nahi hai ab use.''

Ruchika abruptly stopped in her tracks. The bustling noise of the hospital around her seemed to fade into nothingness as a heavy lump formed in her throat. 

"No Papa..." her voice came out thick with emotion. "Main jitni bhi badi ho jau... mujhe hamesha aapki jarurat rahegi."

A brief silence hung in the air until Ankush being him, broke the tension. "Okay, no more emotional atyachaar. Di, you go and enjoy your work. We will handle him."

''Oyee, handle kya bol raha hai, haan?'' Rakesh snapped again, instantly bouncing back to his usual self.

Ruchika laughed softly, quickly blinking away the sudden wetness in her eyes. "Mere Papa ko zyada pareshaan mat karna aap dono" she warned the mother-son duo.

''Ji doctor sahiba. Bilkul nahi karenge.'' Ankush promised, though his tone carried a blunt lie they all recognized.

They hung up. Ruchika started at the screen for a brief second, then took a deep breath before sliding the phone into her pocket. She began walking toward her friends again.

But she didn't even take five steps before the air in the corridor suddenly shifted.

An unnatural freezing coldness seemed to sweep through the hallway, settling deep into the skin. It was instant and unspoken command that everyone felt. The casual chatter of the hospital staff died instantly. Staffs straightened their postures, their bodies freezing in place. The corridor turned quiet.... too suffocatingly quiet for her liking.

Ruchika turned her head towards the left intersecting corridor.

From there, a wall of men in tailored black suits emerged making the place too crowdy. They moved with a terrifying, sync precision, filling the wide hallway and towering over everyone else. Their presence was immense and heavy with the sense of raw power and danger.

And wrapped securely in the center of that lethal formation walked a man.

Ruchika couldn't see his face clearly as the guards surrounded him like human shields, but now she knows his name. Alessandro De Luca.

Their movements were deliberate, unhurried yet filled with a chilling authority as they marched toward the private, restricted elevator at the far end of the hall.

Ruchika's gaze was glued at the far end looking at the group as they stopped near the elevator. When the heavy metal door slid open everyone stood at their place. Two guards stepped inside first, scanning the small space, before Alessandro and the rest of the men stepped in behind them.

She tried to catch a glimpse of the man, but the wall of black suits blocked her view completely. The elevator doors slid shut with a soft final click, and the heavy atmosphere slowly began to lift from the corridor. Yet, Ruchika couldn't move. 

Something about that fleeting glimpse, that sheer terrifying aura of that mysterious man lingered in her thoughts like a ghost. It wasn't fear, she was certain of that. It was an intense, dangerous curiosity that sent a strange shiver down her spine.

"Kya madam?" Ritika's voice suddenly shattered her trance, as she shook her shoulder. "Kahan khoyi hui hain aap?"

Ruchika blinked, snapping her head back to her friend. "Nahi... kuch nahi," she murmured, shaking her head to clear her mind.

She walked away with her friends toward the research department. But just before she turned the corner, she couldn't stop herself. She turned back and her eyes casted one last lingering look at the cold closed doors of the private elevator.

The heavy ICU door clicked shut behind Alessandro as he stepped into the room.The room was quite except for the sound of machines's beeping that now dictated Matteo's survival. His eyes shifted towards the bed.

Matteo lay there, looking painfully still. His body was wrapped tightly in white bandages, his breathing was shallow and artificial. Alessandro stood still, his entire frame turned to stone.It felt wrong.... completely wrong. Seeing the man who always held the strings, the man who is the mind of their empire, reduced to this absolute stillness... it made something dark twist inside his chest.

Dante stood near the door silently watching and waiting.

Alessandro took a slow deliberate step closer to the bed. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists into tight balls, his jawline hardened, staring down at Matteo's bruised, pale face, a dangerous promise formed in his mind. He wasn't going to show mercy. Whoever was responsible for this, whoever dared to spill De Luca blood... they were going to beg for death.

The sharp hiss of the ICU door opening broke the silence. A small group of doctors filed into the room, their movements stiff. Dante quietly stepped aside, his hand resting near his jacket out of habit.

''What is his condition?''

Alessandro's voice wasn't loud. It was a low whisper, yet it cut through the beeping of the machines in that silent room.

Doctors hesitated, none of them wanted to be the bearer of bad news to a man who looked like he could kill them with a glance.

Alessandro didn't like waiting. He tore his predatory gaze away from Matteo and snapped it toward the medical team, his eyes boring holes into them. "I am asking you a question."The temperature in the room seemed to drop to minus.

"We... we have stabilized him for now... but...." the chief surgeons started, his voice trembling slightly under his breath. He choked on his words failing to find a safe way to frame the reality.

"But... what?" Dante stepped forward, his tone sharp and demanding as it cut off the doctor's stuttering.

Alessandro didn't waste words on their fear. His eyes darted from the sweating doctor back to his unconscious brother and then snapped back to the medical team. "Where are the other doctors looking after this case?"

The head surgeon swallowed hard, adjusting his glasses with a shaking finger. "The... the Indian team, Signor De Luca?"

Alessandro didn't say a word. He just gave a single, slow nod, a gesture so calm that the doctors felt the air leave their lungs.

The research room had been buzzing with hushed activity. Some were buried deep in files, papers while some were talking in hushed tone, some discussing about nothing important. Then, the heavy doors slid open.

Every head snapped toward the entrance, looking for the intruder. But the moment the entrance was crossed, the room suddenly felt suffocatingly smaller. The air stilled, turning heavy and cold.

Alessandro walked in. His steps weren't rushed; instead, they were slow, calculated and deliberate just like the unhurried stride of a predator moving toward its cornered prey.

His mere presence was so loud that every rustle of paper froze, conversations died instantly in throats. Even breathing felt measured like a luxury no one dared to take.

Ruchika looked up. And for the very first time, she saw him clearly. No distance, no tinted glass, no elevator doors between them. He was toweringly tall with sharp features, and his dark obsidian eyes were so cold that they could freeze you at that instant. He possessed the kind of authority that didn't beg for attention, it ruthlessly commanded the room, taking everything by force.

Her gaze held his. She looked at him a fraction of a second longer than anyone else in that room would ever dare to. Her look wasn't aggressive or challenging; it was filled with a raw, simple curiosity. A pure quiet observation. Only after absorbing his silhouette, she finally turns her eyes toward her friends, who looked just as paralyzed as the rest of the room.

"This is the team?" Alessandro's voice was a low controlled growl that shattered the silence like glass.

The senior Italian doctor nodded quickly, his posture was stiff. "Yes, Signor De Luca."

Alessandro's eyes slowly moved across the room observing briefly at each face. But when his gaze swept over Ruchika, it paused. Just for a fraction of a heartbeat.

In that split second, his mind flashed back to a chaotic roadside incident; a girl stubbornly trying to hold onto her spilling bags while frantically twaiting for her friend to clutch her hair back in the wind. He hadn't expected to find that vibrant spark of life here, buried in a sterile room of dying patients. And almost instantly his mask slid back into place and his gaze moved smoothly to the next person.

Dr. Vivek stepped forward ''We have reviewed the case again and again. There is significant risk'' he said calmly ''The injury to the brainstem is complex''

Alessandro didn't offer a single word of comfort or acknowledgment. He just stared.

Sensing the cold pressure Dr. Vivek continued, ''we can operate him but....''

''What's the chance?'' Alessandro cut him off in middle.

''High risk'' Dr. Meera spoke up this time, her voice tight. "We cannot guarantee a full recovery at all."

"I don't care about guarantees. I want a hundred percent result," Alessandro said, his voice dropped dangerously sharp. "When does the surgery begin?"

''Soon. Probably within next few hours'' Dr. Maanav answered.

Alessandro gave a curt nod and shifted his weight to leave the room. But before he could take a step a soft, steady voice cut through the heavy silence.

"The pressure needs to be managed first."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was crystal clear, ringing through the quiet room.

Alessandro stopped. He slowly turned his head toward the source of the interruption.

Ruchika didn't even look at him; her focus was glued entirely to the glowing scans on the screen. "If the swelling and bleeding are controlled before any intervention, the risk during surgery will drop by thirty percent."

Dr. Aadarsh looked at Ruchika sharply. ''We already know that Dr. Ruchika. But the question is how to approach with safe side because if we proceed patient could lose his vision permanently. And in worst case scenario he may never wake up.''

Ruchika looked at her senior. 'She is definitely cursing him out in her mind right now' her friends thought, watching her jaw tighten.

She stepped closer to the screen and pointed at the glowing edge of the screen. ''Sir, what if we approach from this side? Slowly and carefully. It gives us the narrow view, but we may avoid the most sensitive areas.''

Dr. Vikram shook his head in immediate denial ''No Ruchika, it is safe only in theory. But when is applied in practical life it is same as working blindly. One wrong move and the entire nervous system will disrupt''

Everyone in the room looked back and forth between them while Alessandro's gaze remained anchored strictly on her.

Ruchika stepped forward ''but sir, here choice is not between safe or dangerous. Every option seems dangerous here then why not go with this one. it may get successful and also risk factor is thirty percent less in this.''

''You think that thirty percent less risk is more valuable than his entire nervous system?'' Dr. Aadarsh's voice rose, the anger bleeding into his tone. ''if we proceed from you said plan we might protect the vision area but could leave him permanently paralyzed ''

''And if we delay finding a 'perfect' path, the pressure inside the skull may increase'' Ruchika argued back, her voice rising to match his intensity as she tried to make him see reason. ''The blood flow to the stem will choke and he will be brain dead even before we touch him.''

The conversation turned heated. Both were trying to prove their way as good approach. But the Indian doctors in the room knew Aadarsh's stubborn nature, once he set his mind, it was nearly impossible to change his mind. His plan is to go straight which of course has risk but not like damaging the nervous system completely but it is like almost rushing straight to the critical parts.

Dr. Aadarsh was again about to say something but Dr. Vivek smoothly intervened ''We can combine both approaches!!'' he looked directly at Aadarsh ''We start from the safer side and once the swelling reduces, we can move closer when there is less pressure.'' Ruchika looked at Vivek.

Aadarsh though wanted to deny but kept mum clearly catching the unsaid warning of Dr. Vivek. He just simply nodded ''ok''

Ruchika's eyes shifted from Vivek to Aadarsh and then instinctively landed directly on Alessandro whose gaze still rested on her.

He didn't break the eye contact. His gaze was resting heavily on her face, as if he was measuring something. Ruchika blinked, a sudden wave of self-consciousness hit her. She quickly looked at her back to see if there is somthing past her that had caught his interest. Finding nothing but a blank wall she looked back at him. He was still staring her. Under the sheer intensity of his gaze she shifted her weight, her fingers nervously curling into her dress.

Then he spoke ''Your name?''

The question pulled every single eye in the room to him. Everyone followed Alessandro's piercing gaze, that landed on the junior doctor.

Ruchika straightened her spine. This time she didn't look away. She held his freezing gaze with a quiet, unwavering confidence. "Ruchika Sinha."

Alessandro's gaze lingered on her face for a second more, capturing her features, before he smoothly shifted his attention back to the rest of the senior staffs.

"Do what is necessary. I want results," he said, turning his freezing attention to the Italian chief surgeon. "Positive results."

He turned on his heel to leave, the heavy doors parting for him. Dante fell into step right behind him. But before Dante stepped out into the hall, he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. His eyes landed on Ruchika, a flicker of pure curiosity crossed him. He too had noticed that brief chilling exchange when she introduced herself. He had noticed the complete lack of fear in her eyes, a survival instinct that usually forced people to look at the floor whenever talking to Alessandro De Luca.

The doors slid shut and the pressure in the research room evaporated, not completely but enough for them to again breathe in relief. A collective sigh of relief echoed through the space.Doctors looked at each other, the tension was still vibrating in the air. But this time not because of Alessandro's presence but because of the heated conversation that happened between Ruchika and Aadarsh few moments ago.

''That was terrifying,'' Ritika whispered under her breath, leaning in close so only the juniors standing next to her could hear. "Their shouting match and on top of it...... that man's terrifying presence. I thought we were dead."

"Yeah," Divyansh agreed, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Seriously."

Ruchika stared at the closed doors, her heart still thumping against her ribs. "Woh banda bilkul bhi normal nahi lag raha tha," she murmured softly, remembering the suffocating weight of his eyes. It felt as though he hadn't just looked at her, but he had looked directly into her soul.

Outside the research room, the hospital hallway was completely quiet.

Alessandro marched down the polished floor, his expression was rigid. Next to him, Dante too walked quietly while the guards followed them from behind.

To anyone watching his face looked cold and calculating as if he is ready to tear down the entire hospital if his brother didn't wake up. But beneath that cold, calculating exterior his mind wasn't entirely on surgery now because for the first time in that day something else has entered his mind; a voice that was calm, unshaken and totally fearless. He didn't show any reaction on his face, but yes, he remembered it clearly.

Alessandro stopped abruptly right before the glass doors of the private wing. The guards behind him immediately halted, spreading into defensive position without any word.

Dante stepped forward, his eyes fixed on his boss. He had spent enough years by Alessandro's side to read the dangerous shifts in his mood. He knew exactly what was coming.

Alessandro stood before the massive glass window and looked out at the city of Rome stretching under the sky. "Dante," he murmured, his voice dropping into a low lethal hum. He slowly began to rotate the ring on his finger.

''Yes Capo?"

''These Indian doctors,'' Alessandro said softly, his thumb tracing the cold metal of his ring. ''I want you to investigate everything about them. Every single detail, run a background check on each and every person. Every hospital they have worked for.''

Dante's brow twitched slightly in surprise. ''The entire team?'' he asked, trying to clarify. He had assumed Alessandro would only care about few doctors.

''Everyone.'' he commanded. His eyes darkened, the image of Ruchika's fearless, confident face flashed in his mind. ''Especially that girl, the junior doctor who thought she could negotiate the terms of my brother's life in front of my face.''

Dante nodded slowly, understanding the weight behind his words. In their world, anyone who stood out was either an asset or a threat. ''I will have the background checks done by tonight, boss.''

''Good.'' Alessandro said coldly. ''And ensure she has no idea that she is being watched. I want to know exactly what makes her that brave...... or that stupid.''

With a brief nod Dante stepped aside and turning back to execute the order. Alessandro pushed through the heavy glass doors, stepping alone into the shadows of the VIP lounge.

Meanwhile, inside the research room, the atmosphere was suffocatingly awkward. No one dared to speak or move because of the high voltage drama that happened moments before. Dr. Vivek looked extremely angry because of the unprofessional behaviours from his team right in front of an international team. It had clearly pushed him to his limit.

The exact moment the heavy door slid shut behind Alessandro, Vivek turned his head pinning Aadarsh and Ruchika with a freezing glare.

"Dr. Aadarsh... Dr. Ruchika," he called out. His voice wasn't loud, but it was laced with a quiet dangerous fury that made the junior doctors stiffen. "Can we have a word? Right now. "Everyone looked at them as they both nodded their head.

"Follow me" Vivek commanded, already turning on his heel and marching toward the private consultation room attached to the lab.

The second the door clicked shut behind them and it isolated them from the rest of the team, Vivek's control snapped. "What the hell do you both think of yourselves?!" he roared.

He slammed his clipboard onto the conference table. The loud metallic bang echoed in the silent room making Ruchika flinch. "Is this a joke to you? A playground?"

Aadarsh tried to step forward ''Dr. Vivek, listen to me....''

''Shut up, Dr. Aadarsh!! Just shut up!!'' Vivek whipped around, his face flushed with rage as he pointed his finger at him. ''You are the senior doctor and what were you doing out there? Outside in front of others? Fighting with a junior doctor like a medical student bullying the freshers.''

Aadarsh clenched his jaw. ''Dr. Vivek, her approach was completely reckless. Agar patient ko table par kuch ho jayega toh puri team ka naam kharab hoga. I was just trying to save our reputation.''

''Saving our reputation?" Vivek let out a harsh sarcastic laugh, his eyes flashed with anger.''The drama you two created has already ruined our reputation. They are probably laughing behind our backs at our absolute lack of internal discipline. Is there any reputation left to be saved?''

Breathing heavily Vivek turned his predatory focus onto Ruchika as he shot her a glare. Ruchika stood there with her head hung low like a guilty child. A heavy sudden wave of guilt passed through her making her chest tighten.

"And you Ruchika," Vivek's voice dropped, shifting from hot rage into a heavy disappointment. ''I know you are talented; I know your track record. But you just finished your residency, but you are still junior in this team. If a senior doctor says something rule is absolute; that if you disagree instead of arguing, you talk to them privately later on.''

A thick silence fell over the room. Ruchika who was still looking down swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to raise her head. Her eyes were wide filled with regret, but beneath the guilt there was a stubborn spark that refused to die.

''Sir I know I was wrong,'' she said softly, her voice steady ''It was entirely unprofessional from my side, and I am sorry for it. But sir.... what I said out there was not wrong. It could save the patient life.''

Vivek let out a long-exhausted sigh, the anger draining from him leaving behind nothing but pure stress. He brought his hand up and rubbed his temples aggressively. ''I never said you were wrong, Ruchika. But you can't behave like that in front of so many people. Argument aise zidd ke sath nahi kiya jaata hai....''

Aadarsh intervened in between ''That's what I was saying, Dr. Vivek. She was being reckless.''

''You keep quiet, Dr. Aadarsh.'' Vivek snapped at him; his voice was sharp enough to cut him off instantly. ''Your big ego made this fight worse. You have to accept it that not every time you will be right. Both of you are equally at fault.''

Vivek took a deep breathe to calm himself down a bit, he forced his shoulders to relax as he tried to regain his composure.

''Remember one thing,'' he started, his voice dripped with authority ''We are here for research program naaki apni aapas ki dushmani nikaalne ke liye. I don't want such unprofessional behaviour coming from anyone. Is that clear?''

Both remained silent nodding rigidly.

''And one more thing, Dr. Ruchika,'' Vivek added, delivering his final order ''You will stand in the OT only as an observer. You will not touch the patient, keep your hands back until and unless asked for.''

Ruchika nodded quietly ''Yes sir.''

Without another word, Vivek turned and walked out. Aadarsh and Ruchika followed him back into the main research lab, where the remaining doctors were standing like statues waiting for them.

The moment Ruchika stepped into the room her friends gave her a sympathetic look; they knew what must have happened inside. Vivek is very strict about the protocols no matter if you are right.

The next three hours were full of high tension and suffocations. The VIP corridors were filled with armed guards; their eyes were cold and calculative looking for any sign of threat. Every nurse and technicians who passed from there had their IDs checked twice. The air in the corridor felt heavy, thick with the silent promise of violence if anything went wrong.

Matteo was kept in preoperative care. Inside the conference room, the atmosphere was lethal. Italian medical team and Indian team stood crowded around the glowing board, staring at the recent scans. The swelling in Matteo's brain was increasing with each passing second and bleeding near the brainstem made it more difficult for them to how to start the operation.

Dr. Vivek stood near the table, his knuckles turned white as he leaned against the table. His expression was unreadable. ''We won't get a second chance with this.'' he said that his voice dropped to a dangerous quiet whisper that cut through the room.

Dr. Meera nodded approving him, her face was pale. ''The pressure is increasing with each passing seconds. We can't delay any longer.''

Dr. Aadarsh leaned back slightly in chair; his jaw was tightly clenched. He was still not ready with Ruchika's approach, but he kept mum knowing very well Vivek will not like if he denies.

The scrub room drowned in thick, nervous tension. The rhythmic harsh sound of water rushing from the taps echoed against the basin as the lead Italian surgeon and Dr. Vivek washed their hands side by side.

Ruchika was already dressed in her blue surgical scrubs, her hair was tucked neatly beneath the cap. She stood near the counter quietely observing everyone. As Dr. Vivek told her not to step in, so she remained like a statue in the corner keeping her distance.

One of the Italian doctors turned around shaking the excess water from his hands and looked at her. "Dr. Ruchika, everything is prepared. I hope you are ready for what's coming?"

Ruchika looked up at him, her heart hammering against her ribs. She glanced past his shoulder her eyes briefly meeting Dr. Vivek's sharp glance before she forced a firm nod. "Yes doctor."

But as the entire team began moving toward the heavy double doors of the operating theatre Dr. Aadarsh stopped in his tracks blocking the path slightly. He shot a cold look at Ruchika before turning to the lead surgeon. "Think again. I am warning you all one last time. Trusting a junior doctor's blind calculation in such a high risked surgery is a very bad idea.''

The Italian doctors paused looking at each other in confusion.

Ruchika clenched her jaw. Her lips parted, a sharp retort forming on her tongue as anger flared inside her chest. But before she could speak Dr. Vivek's icy glance snapped toward her. The raw authority in his eyes was an unspoken command, don't you dare.

Ruchika swallowed her anger and looked down.

Seeing the unnecessary friction the chief Italian doctor stepped forward, his tone was respectful ''But Dr. Aadarsh what is wrong in going with her approach. If her approach gives us a safer pathway to reduce the swelling and cure him, we would be fools not to take it."

Aadarsh looked away and his eyes met Vivek's glare, the kind that reminded Aadarsh exactly who held the absolute power in this team and what he had promised inside the office. He quietly stepped back.

The silence that followed was absolute. Without another word the doors were pushed open and the team walked into the sterile white light of the operating theatre where Matteo's life hung.

******************************

End of the chapter.

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