The sterile air of the room, thick with the unshakeable scent of Dhruv's cold assertion, seemed to crystallize around Rhea, trapping her even before the steel bars. His words, delivered with a detached precision that was far more terrifying than any scream, echoed in the sudden, cavernous silence: "For the world, Rhea, you are dead. Erased. And for me, you will be caged in my mansion, a permanent fixture in my private collection." The chilling finality of his tone was a physical blow, stealing the breath from her lungs. She stared at him, her mind frantically grasping at the impossible reality he was constructing, her eyes darting to Juhi, who stood frozen, her young face a mask of silent, uncomprehending terror. Dhruv merely smiled, a predatory curve of his lips that promised an eternity of torment.