The day had finally come. It was Lilith (Baneva)'s family introduction ceremony—the moment the entire city would come to know her name, her bloodline, and the weight of the legacy she carried.
The mansion had been transformed into something almost celestial. Chandeliers glowed like captured stars, golden drapes flowed from the high ceilings, and the air carried a soft fragrance of jasmine and sandalwood. Every elite figure in the city was present—politicians, powerful families, dignitaries, and even the president himself. This was no ordinary gathering. This was history unfolding.
Upstairs, Nikolai carefully dressed his wife.
Lilith (Baneva) stood quietly, her delicate form wrapped in a deep crimson Bangladeshi ceremonial lehenga. The fabric shimmered like liquid silk, woven intricately with rich gold Jamdani patterns that danced across the surface with every slight movement. Her blouse was velvet, fitted perfectly to her small frame, adorned with antique gold embroidery that caught the candlelight with a soft, regal glow.
Heavy traditional Bengali gold jewelry rested upon her—layered necklaces, stacked bangles, ornate earrings—each piece enhancing her royal presence. Her hair was styled into a low, elegant bun, wrapped gently with fresh jasmine flowers, their scent soft and calming. A fine veil rested over her shoulder, completing a look that felt timeless… almost divine.
Nikolai, standing beside her, wore a red long kurta with short sleeves and a white scarf draped loosely around his neck. His sharp features softened every time he looked at her.
She kept blushing as he adjusted his hair.
"Come on, love, let's go," Nikolai said gently.
"L…Lily wants N…Nikki babies," she whispered softly.
Without hesitation, he lifted her into his arms. She clutched her teddy bear tightly, resting against his chest, her green siren eyes locked onto his face with pure love.
"You haven't taken your beautiful eyes off me all day, love," he said with a smirk.
Suddenly, she slid down from his arms.
He blinked, confused.
She motioned for him to bend down.
He did.
And then—softly, shyly—she kissed his lips.
Nikolai froze.
His face flushed red instantly before he melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her small body.
"Mhmhm…" he murmured into it.
They pulled apart.
She giggled loudly, clutching her skirt as she ran away shyly.
Nikolai stood there for a second, stunned, before rubbing the back of his neck, his heart completely undone… and then followed her downstairs.
The grand hall was alive.
Voices overlapped, glasses clinked, laughter echoed. The entire city seemed to have gathered under one roof.
Lily (Neva) spotted her parents immediately and walked toward them.
"Mumma… h…how are b…b…babies made?" she asked innocently.
Sohan and Riyana froze.
They exchanged a glance.
"Why are you asking, love?" Riyana asked carefully.
"Lily wants to m…make her own!" the tiny girl said proudly.
"Uh oh…" Sohan muttered under his breath.
"T…T…T…tell m…me," she insisted.
Riyana cleared her throat.
"Uhmm… you pray to the Almighty to bless you. You're a very, very good girl… and at night, the Lord sends His angels to place a baby in your tummy. Then you wait nine months for your mini baby to come."
Lily gasped.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Lily pray for her o…own!" she said happily, giggling.
Sohan immediately walked over to Nikolai.
"Your wife—my daughter—wants a baby. She just asked how babies are made."
Ethan chuckled beside him.
Nikolai raised an eyebrow. "What did you tell her?"
"Angels put babies in the belly."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Nikolai let out a quiet laugh… and soon the entire group burst into laughter.
At the center of the hall, Zahuril stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"Welcome, everyone. Today, we welcome a very special and important person into this family. She is the pride… and the Gem… of both the Muard Empire and the Haq Family."
He paused.
"Please welcome… my great-granddaughter… Lilith Baneva Sohan Muard!"
Applause erupted.
All eyes turned.
There she stood—small, fragile, holding her teddy bear.
"I heard she's mentally unstable… she behaves like a child," a guest whispered.
Yet the applause continued.
Her veil was gently removed, revealing her smiling face.
And suddenly… the room softened.
Across the hall, Rima stood holding Yasmin and Yasmine's hands.
Her sister Mina watched quietly, noticing how gentle Rima had become with the twins.
Asif stood nearby.
His eyes fell on Rima.
His heartbeat quickened.
"I can't fall for her… but she's beautiful… I don't know what to do," he muttered.
"Pretty auntie, you have a saree?" Yasmin asked.
"No, sweetie, I don't wear them," Rima replied.
"Hmmm… pretty please wear them," Yasmine added.
Rima smiled softly. "For you girls… I will."
"She doesn't have a saree… that's weird…" Asif muttered.
Mina watched everything silently, memories flooding back—how close they once were… how her little sister had changed.
She took another drink.
As the night came to an end, the party slowly died down.
Lily (Neva) had fallen asleep in the living room.
In her dream, she found herself in a beautiful garden.
Flowers bloomed endlessly. The air was soft and warm.
And then—
She saw her.
An old woman picking flowers.
Her eyes widened.
"Rhea NANI!" Lilith (Baneva) shouted, running toward her.
"N…N…Nani!" she whispered, hugging her tightly.
In reality, she murmured in her sleep, clutching her teddy bear.
"Lily… Nani…" she mumbled, giggling softly.
Rhea hugged her.
"I missed you so much, my Mihu."
"M…M…Miss you a lot too!" Lily said, both in her dream and out loud.
The family turned toward her.
Nikolai gently lifted her head and placed it on his lap, stroking her hair.
"How are you, meri baccha (my baby)?" Rhea asked.
"I m…m…m…miss y…you a lot!" Lily whispered.
"I missed you too," Rhea said, wiping her tears. "Nikolai is taking very good care of you, right?"
Lily nodded faintly.
"Nikki… take care of Lily…" she murmured in her sleep.
Nikolai smiled softly.
"How is heaven, Nani?" she asked.
"It's very, very beautiful. There are many wonderful people… and the Almighty knows Lily is a very good girl."
"Lily is a good girl!" she said loudly, clapping.
"Lily will have a lot of babies… and be a very, very successful woman too."
She gasped.
"Sach mein (really!?)"
"Haan (yes)."
"I love y…you, Nani!"
"I love you too, my Mihu."
Light surrounded Rhea.
"Bye, my little star… till we meet again."
"B…B…Bye bye N…N…Nani! I LOVE YOU!"
Her voice echoed through the room.
Tears streamed down her sleeping face.
Nikolai's heart broke.
Later that night, Rima tucked the twins into bed.
"Nighty night, lovies," she whispered.
As she turned—
She jumped.
"Fuck!"
"Tumi pagol naki (are you crazy!?)" she snapped.
"Sorry… I… I got this for you," Asif said nervously. "I heard you don't have a saree… the girls want you to wear one… this was my late wife's… she never wore it…"
Rima paused.
"It's okay. I heard what she did to you… for the girls, I'll wear it. I've never worn one before… but I'll try. Thank you."
She smiled, took it, and walked away.
That night, she lay staring at it… before drifting to sleep.
By sunrise, Lilith and Nikolai were cuddling.
"Baby… come on, let's go have breakfast," he whispered.
"Nunu…" she murmured sleepily, kissing his forehead repeatedly.
He smiled, lifting her into his arms.
They bathed together.
Downstairs, Rima was still asleep.
Mina entered her room with the others.
They had made breakfast.
"Pretty auntie…?" Yasima whispered.
"Hmm?" Rima murmured.
"Wakey wakey!" Yasmine shouted, jumping onto the bed.
"Areee careful, love," Rima said.
"Good morning, pretty auntie!"
"Morning, sweethearts," she said, kissing their foreheads.
She looked up.
"…There's something called knocking. You all know that, right?"
"We made breakfast for you," Nancy said.
"Did I ask for it?" Rima replied coldly.
"Pretty auntie… that was meanie," Yasima said sadly.
"…Sorry, baby."
"Let your sissy feed you please… for me and Yaya?"
Rima sighed.
"Fine. For you both… Mina will feed me."
Mina sat beside her and fed her gently—mixed vegetable curry, Chirer polao, and Rong cha.
Tears slipped down Mina's face.
"Thank you…"
"Mhm," Rima hummed, chewing.
The twins giggled.
Asif walked in.
"Good morning, Baba!" the twins said.
"Morning, my babies."
"Are you and Rima dating?" Jeffrey suddenly asked.
Rima choked.
Asif laughed. "No. My kids love her—that's all."
"Are you okay, pretty auntie?"
"Yes, love."
"Alright… Ria, we need to talk. Please don't leave this time," Everly said.
"…Okay."
After they left—
The twins kissed Rima's cheeks and ran off laughing.
Asif stood nearby.
"They seem to like you very well."
"I love them… they make me feel happy again. If we go to Russia… can they spend weekends with me?"
"…That's fine."
"Thank you."
She blushed.
"…I think I'm starting to like him… am I?" she whispered.
He heard.
But stayed silent.
She sighed.
"…Maybe the feeling will fade… I don't have the heart to fall in love again… not after that betrayal… but I'll love those girls."
Asif smiled faintly and walked away.
"Asif, there's a girl coming today. We want you to meet her," Shabnam said.
"I'm busy."
"But she's coming!"
"Not my business."
He walked off… then suddenly stopped.
A smirk formed.
"Rima…" he whispered softly.
And chuckled.