Beside me, Raghav acknowledges the greetings with silent, broody nods. No smile. No excitement. No softness. Just thatsame cold, arrogant calmness. Like a mafia prince accepting congratulations after claiming victory in a war.
Then, before I can gather my thoughts, Esha throws her arms around me. “Oh my God, Siya Ma’am!” she squeals in excitement. “I knew it! I swear I knew there was something between you two.”
I stiffen slightly because she sounds genuinely happy.
Esha and Haider had seen Raghav kiss me that night at the temple. They had noticed the tension between us long before that as well. In her head, this probably feels like some beautiful love story finally reaching its happy ending.
She pulls away, smiling brightly.
“I’m so happy for you,” she says again.
I somehow force a faint smile, even though it feels impossible right now. Before I can say anything, Haider walks into the lobby with a serious expression and heads straight towards Raghav. Heleans in and murmurs something quietly, but I overhear it too.
“The Shergills are here,” he says.
My eyes snap to Raghav.His family is here?
Raghav’s entire body goes rigid beside me. The warmth in his eyes disappears immediately. Without saying another word, he suddenly grabs my hand, his fingers sliding between mine in a firm, possessive hold. Then he starts dragging me out of the lobby and back towards the villa… straight towards whatever storm is waiting for us.
****************
Raghav’s Villa @ RK Estate
The moment we reach the villa, the first person I notice is Kailash Uncle standing in the middle of the living room. Beside him is a woman I recognise instantly from the video call with Raghav that I accidentally barged into. She is Ayaan’s wife…Meher.
She looks even more pretty in real life. Soft-featured, elegant, and visibly pregnant. One protective hand rests on her stomach while her worried gaze remains fixed on Raghav.
And standing beside her isAyaan Shergillhimself. Raghav’s fraternal twin brother. My breath catches for a second. Although I’d seen him during that video call, seeing them side by side makes the resemblance impossible to ignore. Raghav and Ayaan may not be identical twins, yet they look similar enough for anyone to know they belong to the same bloodline. They share the same height, same commanding presence, and the same dangerously intense eyes that seem capable of seeing far more than they should.
And yet, there is a stark difference between them. Where Raghav looks rugged, dark, brutally untamed… Ayaan looks sharper, more polished, and far more controlled.
In other words, Raghav is violence wrapped in expensive clothes, while Ayaan looks like the kind of man who knows exactlyhow to maskthat same violence beneath sophistication and charm. Then, for one stupid second, another thought slips into my mind almost unwittingly.
Both brothers are ridiculously handsome.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I immediately push the thought away and look at Mom, who is standing a little behind Kailash Uncle, visibly confused. By now, she already knows who everyone is, but even she looks tense, as if sensing the storm that is about to explode inside this villa.
The moment Raghav steps inside, that storm finally detonates. He doesn’t look at Kailash Uncle, nor does he greet Meher. He doesn’t say a single word to anyone. His eyes lock directly onto Ayaan.
The shift in the atmosphere is instant.
Before I know it, both brothers are already striding towards each other like two bulls about to lock horns. The energy between them is so intense that my heartbeat spikes before either of them even speaks.
Oh God. Are they actually going to fight?
“How dare you—” Ayaan yells first, grabbing Raghav’s collar tightly.
“No… How dareyou, Ayaan?” Raghav cuts him off savagely, gripping Ayaan’s collar in return. “You changed the f*cking plans behind my back.”
The sudden silence inside the villa becomes almost suffocating. The way they are standing chest to chest, breathing heavily and glaring at each other… it doesn’t look like they’re brothers. They look more like two mafia kings standing seconds away from drawing blood.
Meher looks shocked. But strangely, she doesn’t look afraid. It’s almost as if she has seen this before and already knows how it will pan out.
“You lost your f*cking mind in Cape Town!” Ayaan snarls, then punches Raghav straight across the face.
I gasp loudly. But before anyone can react, Raghav drives his fist straight into Ayaan’s jaw with enough force to send him stumbling backwards. “Because you backstabbed me,” he retorts. And just like that, all hell breaks loose.
