Reyna :-
I was sitting at my study table, towel wrapped around my damp hair, trying to finish the last paragraph of my assignment. The cursor blinked on the screen like it was judging me for being slow. The faint hum of the ceiling fan mixed with the soft rustle of pages from Ira sat cross-legged on my bed flipping through a magazine.
A sudden soft knock came at the door.
Before either of us could respond, the door opened and My mother, in her usual elegant, controlled grace- stepped inside. Her arms were full of two beautifully packed kurti sets, each wrapped in delicate tissue paper like they held precious secrets.
Her smile was warm... but tense. Too tense.
Like she was hiding something and knew we'd notice.
She placed the outfits gently on my bed, next to Ira.
One was a deep blood-red suit, rich and heavy, the kind that shimmered even in soft light.
The other was a bold black kurti with intricate silver handwork - sharp lines, clean embroidery... very much my style.
"Ira," Mom said, picking up the red one and handing it to her,
"this is for you. And Reyna, the black one is for you. Go change."
I paused mid-typing. Ira stopped mid-page flip. We both stared at her.
"Why? What's going on?" I asked, twisting in my chair.
Mom didn't meet my eyes immediately. She adjusted the end of her saree the way she always did when she was nervous or buying herself time.
"Our guests are coming," she said.
At this hour?
Ira raised an eyebrow at me. I raised mine back.
I stood up and faced Mom.
"Mom, what guests? Who's suddenly coming over?"
She exhaled softly- too softly and finally met my eyes.
"The Raichands."
Both my eyebrows shot so high they might've left my forehead.
"What? Again? They literally came yesterday. And if they're coming again, why do we need to dress up like this?"
Mom's warning look was instant and sharp.
"There is an important meeting. That's all I can tell you, Reyna."
Her voice dropped a little. "Now go get ready. Both of you."
Before I could argue further, she turned and walked out, leaving the room filled with her perfume... and a lot of unanswered questions.
The door clicked shut.
Ira and I stared at each other like two detectives who'd just discovered a clue that made everything more confusing.
"What is happening?" Ira whispered, clutching the red suit like it was a clue.
"No idea," I muttered, lifting the black kurti, "but this is definitely weird."
We both sat on the bed, the soft fabric pooled between us.
The room felt smaller suddenly, heavier-like the walls too were waiting for answers.
Ira leaned closer. "Do you think... something happened yesterday? Why else would they come again?"
I shook my head, still inspecting the kurti. "I don't know. But Mom's hiding something. You saw her face."
"Yeah," Ira said, "she looked like she was preparing us for a..."
She paused dramatically.
"-mission."
I snorted. "Feels like it."
Still... despite the confusion, the tension, the weirdness, we started getting ready.
Because if Maa used that tone, there was no point arguing.
Something was happening in this house tonight.
And we were about to walk right into it.
She wore the red suit, the fabric hugging her perfectly.
She added matching red bangles, delicate earrings, and a soft touch of makeup.
With her long hair left open, she looked-
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Like the perfect elder daughter of the Rathore family.
I smiled at her.
But then it was my turn.
I slipped into the black kurti.
The color made my skin glow, my eyes look sharper.
I lined them with kajal, added silver jhumkas, and wore black-and-silver bangles that chimed every time I moved.
I wasn't trying too hard...
But somehow, I ended up looking like the kind of beauty that steals attention without effort.
Ira stared at me, brows raised.
Before she could say anything, I smirked and teased,
"Di, you look exactly like a girl whose In- laws are coming to see her."
Ira groaned dramatically, "Rey! Stop it!"
I burst into laughter and she tried not to smile, but her lips twitched.
Then she looked at me properly and said softly,
"And you... you look beautiful, Reyna."
I felt my cheeks warm.
"Thanks, di."
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Just two sisters getting ready.
Just two daughters dressing up for guests.
Except...
Neither of us knew why the Raichands were coming again.
And neither of us knew that fate was about to tie a dangerous knot around all our lives.
"Let's go," Ira said finally.
We stepped out of the room together...
And headed toward the hall.
Advik :-
I stood in front of the mirror, buttoning the last piece of my black suit.
Sharp. Clean. Dangerous.
Exactly how a Raichand heir was supposed to look.
But inside... I felt nothing.
No excitement.
No curiosity.
Just a dull heaviness pressing against my ribs.
Because today wasn't about me.
It wasn't about marriage.
Or choice.
Or happiness.
It was about power.
About the Raichand name.
About loyalty.
About obeying the men who raised me.
Behind me, the room felt too large, too quiet, too aware of everything I was trying not to feel.
My thoughts drifted to the tension running through this house for years.
My father, Raghav Raichand- a man who had always been at odds with Kabir's brutal, merciless ways.
He believed in strategy, not slaughter. In control, not chaos.
And because of that, friction between the brothers never truly ended.
He and Mom- Meera didn't know the truth behind this alliance.
They didn't know this marriage wasn't about peace or family or happiness.
It was just another move on a bloody chessboard.
A knock came at the door.
Before I could answer, the door slid open and Mom walked in- elegant in her navy-blue saree, her eyes warm yet shadowed with worry.
Behind her came Dad, spine straight, silent, the weight of responsibility stitched into every line of his face.
And then... the man whose presence could silence an entire room:
Shamsher Raichand. My grandfather
The original mafia king of our family.
The man whose word held more power than all of ours combined.
I immediately bent down, touching their feet-first Mom's, then Dad's, and finally dadu's because respect wasn't optional in this house. It was carved into our bones.
Dadu's voice sliced through the room like a cold wind.
"Ready, Advik?"
I straightened, nodding.
I didn't have the luxury of saying no.
Mom stepped closer, her fingers trembling ever so slightly as she adjusted my collar.
"You look handsome," she whispered.
But her eyes... her eyes held fear.
Fear of the alliance.
Fear of the Rathores.
Fear of losing me to a marriage built for power, not love.
Dad placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"I never liked your way of dealing with things," he said quietly, a rare honesty in his tone.
"I always argued with Kabir for making you follow those brutal methods. But... I'm happy you're finally giving value to relationships. I'm happy you're getting married."
If only he knew.
For a moment, something twisted painfully in my chest.
My mind flashed to Reyna-
her sharp tongue,
her fearless eyes,
the way her breath hitched when I pinned her against the wall,
the spark in her gaze that shouldn't have affected me but did.
And now I was going to meet her sister.
To see if she would become my wife.
I swallowed hard.
"Yes, Dad," I said.
"I'm ready."
Even if I wasn't. We stepped out of the farmhouse, and instantly the air changed.
A long line of black SUVs waited outside.
Bodyguards in black surrounded us.
Gifts were kept neatly in the last car- expensive, formal, heavy.
A declaration of power.
Raichands were never subtle.
My grandfather stepped inside the first car, followed by my parents.
I sat beside my father, staring out of the tinted window.
I wasn't doing this for love.
Or for Ira.
Or for some fairytale future.
I was doing this because Chachu had asked me to.
Because my grandfather expected it.
Because power required sacrifice.
Even if the sacrifice... was me.
When our convoy finally rolled to a stop in front of the Rathore mansion, the world seemed to fall into a disciplined silence.
The guards stationed outside straightened immediately, their expressions shifting the moment they recognized us.
They stepped aside in perfect sync, bowing with crisp respect-
not to us as individuals,
but to the Raichand name written in shadows across the city.
The massive iron-and-gold gates began to open.
Slowly.
Majestically.
Like a kingdom allowing entry only to those powerful enough to command its walls.
We stepped out of the cars together.
Raichand men in black.
Sharp tailored suits.
Silent footsteps.
A presence that demanded attention without needing to say a word.
Authority. Power. Danger.
The three traits we carried like second skin.
Gifts wrapped in deep maroon silk were lifted by our staff, the boxes heavy with gold, silver, and everything required for a high-profile alliance meeting. Two rows of bodyguards followed us-disciplined, brutal, trained to kill before asking why.
My grandparents walked ahead-
Shamsher Raichand, steady as an unshakable mountain, graceful yet sharp-eyed, the observing queen of our empire.
Raghav, my father, walked to my right- quiet, firm, conflicted.
Chachu walked to my left- calculating, unreadable, the man whose decisions had carved half the scars on my soul.
And me...
walking between power and bloodlines, into a future chosen by everyone but myself.
As we crossed the marble courtyard, my heartbeat wasn't steady.
Not nervous- Raichands don't fear alliances.
It was something else.
Maybe disgust.
Maybe rebellion.
Maybe something I shouldn't even allow myself to feel.
We stepped inside the mansion, and servants lined up with folded hands. The smell of sandalwood and fresh roses filled the air- beautiful, suffocating.
I walked forward, but my mind...It wasn't here. It was stuck on the memory of a girl whose voice had cut through me sharper than any blade.
Reyna.
Her furious eyes.
Her stubborn chin.
Her boldness- beautiful, reckless, unforgettable.
The way she looked at me like I wasn't a Raichand heir,
but a challenge she would break or burn.
I clenched my jaw.
And today I was here...
to meet her sister.
To choose a bride for an alliance built on power, not affection.
This marriage, this alliance,
this move on the board...
It wasn't just political.
It was going to shift everything.
In both families.
And deep down, every instinct inside me whispered the same truth:
None of us were ready for what came next.
Reyna :-
I had barely adjusted the bangles on my wrist when I heard it.
Footsteps.
Not the normal ones.
Heavy. Sync-matched.
Like soldiers walking in formation.
I turned toward the hall, confusion curling inside my stomach.
And then... they entered.
A wave of Raichand men, all in black, with the kind of aura that could silence an entire street. Bodyguards, elders, relatives-too many for a casual visit. Too organized. Too formal.
Something was wrong.
Beside me, Ira stiffened.
"Rey... this isn't just a meeting."
"No kidding," I muttered, grabbing her hand.
Without thinking twice, I pulled her toward the kitchen.
"Reyna-what are you doing?" she whispered.
"Stay here," I said firmly. "Don't come out till I call you."
"But why?"
"Because I'm getting a very bad feeling," I whispered. "And Papa never prepares like this unless something huge is happening."
Ira looked nervous but nodded.
I adjusted her dupatta and smiled softly at her.
"Just... wait. I'll find out."
Then I stepped out of the kitchen, inhaling deeply as I walked into the main hall.
I took one step-
and the world stopped.
Because he was there.
Advik Raichand.
Dressed in a black suit, looking like the kind of danger mothers warn their daughters about.
Cold eyes, sharp jaw, hair perfectly messy- exactly how he looked when he annoyed the hell out of me that day.
But today...
Something was different.
He stood slightly behind his elders, shoulders stiff, lips pressed in a thin line. There was a kind of heaviness around him-a tiredness, almost.
And then
He looked at me directly.
As if the room fell away and it was just us again.
For a second, my breath betrayed me.
Because that look...
It wasn't arrogant.
It wasn't mocking.
It wasn't even hostile.
There was sadness in his eyes.
A flicker, but real and I hated, absolutely hated- how my chest tightened at that.
Why do I care?
Why does his sadness matter to me?
He's the same cruel, irritating man who stole my gun, insulted me, grabbed me, and called me names.
He's the enemy.
But before I could understand any of it-
He looked away.
Just... looked away.
As if I didn't exist.
A sting hit the back of my throat.
Annoyance.
Something else I refused to name.
Why does it hurt?
Why is he affecting me like this?
I quickly straightened my dupatta and walked further into the hall, pretending everything was fine when inside my heartbeat was all over the place.
From the corner of my eye, I saw him again.
Standing stiff there, Jaw locked avoiding my gaze deliberately.
And for the first time since yesterday...
I felt something unsettling.
Something silent.
Something that tasted like destiny tightening around my throat.
Because the Raichands didn't come with this much formality for a casual meeting.
Something was being planned.
Something I wasn't being told.
And the way Advik refused to look at me again...
Made me feel like whatever was coming-
was going to change everything.