Aadhya's POV
Lunch done.
Pet thoda shaant. Mood thoda better.
I walked back towards class…
And stopped at the door.
"…"
Chaos.
Pure chaos.
These people were literally fighting.
Over nothing.
"Yeh log kabhi normal reh sakte hain kya?" I muttered.
One pushing.
One shouting.
One grabbing someone's collar.
"Bhookhe lag rahe hain…"
A small thought popped into my head.
Hmm.
I opened my bag.
"Dekhte hain…"
Few snack packets.
"Bas itna hi bacha hai…"
I looked at them again.
"Chalo… de dete hain."
I called out—
"Mahesh!"
"What?" he snapped, irritated.
I threw a packet of Lays at him.
He caught it.
Looked at it.
Paused.
And then—
BOOM.
Chaos level ×100.
"DE DE!"
"MERA HAI!"
"CHHOD!"
They jumped him like wolves.
"OH MY GOD—"
I blinked.
"…seriously?"
One packet.
Just ONE.
"Tum logon ko toh ration ki zarurat hai," I muttered.
I shook my head and threw the rest of the snacks I had.
And now—
Full war zone.
They were grabbing, snatching, stuffing food into their mouths like little kids who hadn't eaten in days.
And honestly?
I laughed.
"Pagal log…"
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"
A loud voice echoed.
I turned.
A new guy.
Tall. Sharp. Intimidating.
"Ab yeh kaun hai…"
Mahesh immediately went to him.
"Actually… tu nahi tha na… toh khana nahi mila…"
"What?" the guy frowned.
"And Vivaan didn't do anything?"
Mahesh looked down.
"Tu usse jaanta nahi kya…"
The guy's jaw tightened.
Then his eyes shifted—
To me.
Straight.
Cold.
"Who's she?"
"Oh… she's Aadhya. New transfer student," Mahesh said casually.
"Does Vivaan know this?"
"Yeah… kal se hi hai."
The guy looked at me again.
This time—
Harder.
I frowned slightly.
"Problem kya hai sabko mujhse?"
He walked towards me.
Each step… heavy.
"You," he said sharply.
"Why are you here?"
I blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"And why are you treating my friends like dogs?"
His voice rose.
Anger.
Real anger.
I stepped forward.
"Wait— I was just giving them food," I countered.
He stared at me for a second.
Then looked away.
And just… walked off.
"…what the hell?"
I turned to Mahesh.
"Kaun hai yeh?"
"Oh, woh?" he said casually, still licking his fingers.
"Woh Nikansh Mittal hai. Hum usse Nick bolte hain."
"Nikansh…"
Locker wala naam.
"But he wasn't here?"
"Haan… woh cafeteria se khana laaya tha… isliye do din ke liye suspend ho gaya."
I stared at him.
"Seriously?"
"Ek baar toh serious ho jaa…"
But he was busy licking masala off his fingers like life depended on it.
I sighed.
Ignored him.
"So… that's Nikansh…"
I glanced at him again.
He looked… different.
Not loud like the others.
Not openly aggressive.
But still—
Something about him felt… heavy.
Possessive.
Like Vivaan.
But Vivaan…
Vivaan was different.
Darker.
Scarier.
Like a storm that hasn't hit yet.
And somehow…
That felt worse.
—
Vivaan's POV
"So… how you doing?"
Nikansh walked in and pulled me into a quick hug.
I didn't react much.
"Nothing," I said dryly. "Same."
He stepped back.
"How's your grandpa?" I asked.
"Heard there was some issue with that international deal."
He scoffed lightly.
"Nothing. Grandpa threatened them."
Casual.
Like it was nothing.
"Simple. Either they agree to our terms… or we back out."
A pause.
"Their brand collapses without us anyway."
Of course.
Power.
Money.
Control.
I just nodded.
"Hmm."
Silence settled for a second.
Then—
"So… Aadhya, huh?"
His tone changed slightly.
I looked away.
"She's getting on my nerves."
He smirked.
"Did you scare her?"
"Of course I did."
"But she's still here."
…
That's the problem.
I exhaled slowly.
"That's exactly the problem."
"She's not scared of me."
Nikansh leaned back slightly.
"The last girl?" he said.
"Usse toh bas thoda sa push kiya tha… roti hui transfer le li."
I remembered.
Crying. Begging. Leaving.
Weak.
But this one—
"She doesn't break," I said quietly.
"She doesn't step back."
Something in my voice shifted.
"She looks straight at me."
Challenges.
Doesn't flinch.
Doesn't bend.
"She's… different."
Nikansh's smirk faded slightly.
"Then we need to fix that."
My eyes darkened.
"I will."
A slow, cold calm settled inside me.
"I'll break that confidence."
"Piece by piece."
"Until she wants to leave on her own."
Nikansh nodded.
"We need her out."
A pause.
"What happened last time… we can't repeat that."
Silence.
Heavy.
Yuvika.
My jaw tightened.
"I remember."
Every second of it.
Every look.
Every betrayal.
"She won't be like her," I said coldly.
"She won't get that far."
My fingers curled slightly.
Control.
That's what matters.
"She stays…"
My voice dropped.
"…only if I allow it."