《6》

Anvitha

Standing there in that goddamn garden, I should've felt calm.

The cool wind rustled the trees, the sky hung in gentle bruises of blue and violet, and the soft hum of jazz floated from the open windows of the estate hall behind me. People laughed, clinked glasses, wore smiles too tight to be genuine.

But I couldn't breathe.

My spine stiffened under the weight of his gaze.

Ryan Raichand.

He stood near the marble columns, half-shadowed, half-bathed in golden light. Like a sculpture carved from arrogance. The bastard wore his confidence like his tailored suit-like it belonged to him. Like it had been stitched from silk and secrets.

And those eyes. Those pale, unsettlingly light brown eyes were on me. Watching. Daring. Mocking.

I didn't blink. Didn't flinch. My face schooled into indifference like second nature. But inside, every inch of me was on fire.

How the fuck did he know about the pills?

That question hadn't left me since his words carved through me like glass dipped in acid.

"By the way, Anvitha, did you take your pills this morning?"

What kind of man said something like that with a straight face and then walked away like he'd just complimented your dress?

A monster. Or worse, someone who knew too much.

He smirked and waved in my direction. Like we were old friends. Like I wasn't moments away from grabbing the nearest wine bottle and shattering it against his skull then pick the broken piece of glass from the ground and strave him multiple times.

Control, Anvitha. You're not that girl anymore.

Devraj's security guard leaned into me and whispered, "Miss , sir is ready to leave."

I nodded, still staring at the demon in a suit.

Ryan didn't look away. Didn't pretend to be polite. No. He watched me like he owned every inch of me. Like he'd already peeled away my skin and seen what I was trying to keep buried.

Fuck him.

I turned and followed the guard, heels stabbing into the perfectly trimmed grass like weapons. One step. Two. Three. And then I made the mistake of glancing back.

He was still there. Still watching. Like a ghost in the garden. A warning. A fucking promise.

But he leave before I turn with a witty smile on his face . If he think he is the greatest, the smartest then let him .

Because pretending dumb is better than showing your innocence, your moves . So other person don't have any idea of what your are up to .

If he wanted war-he would get one.

----------

The car was silent when I slid into the back seat. Appa sat beside me, his posture relaxed, but I knew him better than most. His calm was never real. It was curated, constructed to make people underestimate him. He has his phone in hand and going through emails.

Across from us, in the front passenger seat, Mihir was already there. Since when?

I might not know why and how Ryan knew about my pills. I might not know what secrets still lay hidden in Devraj's empire. But I knew one thing for sure.

I wasn't walking into their world.

I was going to own it.

All of it.

Every goddamn piece of this empire. The gold, the rot, the legacy, the blood. Nothing would be left for those vultures who dared to call me weak, unworthy, disposable.

I wasn't disposable. I was Devraj Ramaswamy's daughter-by name, by title, by spirit.

And I was going to burn every last assumption about me to ash.

But first... I had to keep an eye on him.

Ryan Raichand.

The man who stared at me like he could unzip my skin and read the secrets underneath. The man who said one fucking sentence that's been playing in my head like a curse ever since:

"By the way, Anvitha, did you take your pills this morning?"

No smile. No context. No mercy. Just that.

Like he knew. Like he'd been watching.

But how?

I don't know who he really is, but I know what he's not-he's not just a business partner.

Ryan Raichand knows something. Something that could shatter me. And I felt it. I feel it.

The way his gaze stripped me bare. The way he stood there in that garden like a hunter admiring a wounded deer, calculating where to aim next.

He's more than a deal-maker in a suit. He's a storm disguised as order.

And I... I might be his next stormfront.

I gritted my teeth, nails curling into my palm.

Why the fuck does he know about my pills? Does he spy on every single person he works with, or just the ones he's planning to destroy?

My head hit the back of the car seat as I stared at the leather ceiling. The night air was cool outside the tinted windows, but it did nothing to put out the heat burning beneath my skin.

I had so many questions.

Questions that only he could answer.

But there was another question. A bigger one. One that scratched at my soul .

Why don't I feel anything for Avantika?

Not a flicker of warmth. No maternal pull. Nothing but numbness and... distance. The kind of space that isn't just emotional. It feels genetic. Like we don't share the same blood. Like she didn't want me. Like I wasn't supposed to happen.

I'd seen the portrait. Her in that perfect silk saree, eyes too empty to feel like home. Rhea stood beside me that day, staring up with silent reverence. She missed her. She loved her.

I didn't.

I couldn't.

Maybe it was because Avantika never held me like a mother should. Maybe it was because she never looked at me like I belonged. Maybe it was because she didn't want me at all. I heard stories-how she had dreams of being a classical dancer, how she wanted to perform internationally. Maybe I was the accident that destroyed those dreams. The punishment her womb delivered.

I don't know.

Even Tanishkha had a good bond with her , good and sweet memories . Memories about those she talk so proudly of. I seen her expression every time when she talk about her . Soft and admirable. Like she could yap about her all day with full power.

And Appa-Devraj-he never talked about her. He kept his past in sealed boxes, and I never dared to open them. Not until now.

But if anyone knew the truth, it was him.

Not Devraj.

Mihir.

The man in the front seat.

Devraj's right hand. His shadow. The one who moved mountains quietly while the world looked the other way.

Mihir knew everything.

He knew why Devraj made every decision. Who he trusted. Who he feared. Who he paid to disappear.

And he sure as hell knew the reason behind my pills.

He knew why I was broken.

He also knew how to fix me... or destroy me.

I glanced at him. He was swiping through files on his tablet, the blue light from the screen reflecting off his glasses. Not a wrinkle in his grey suit. Not a flicker of emotion. He is a emotionless fucker .

Just Mihir.

Cold, calculating, unshakable.

But I wasn't going to play nice.

Not anymore.

If I had to dig the truth out of his throat with a scalpel, I would.

I leaned forward slightly, voice steady.

"Mihir," I said, not missing theway his shoulders twitched the slightest bit.

"When did you get here?"

He didn't bother looking back. Just raised a hand, adjusted his glasses with his middle finger like I was a mosquito buzzing near his ear.

"If you pulled your head out of your personal hell for once, you'd know what's going on around you," he said, voice flat. "And you want to rule the hierarchy."

God, that sarcasm. I could slap the taste out of his mouth.

Before I could respond, Appa cut in.

"Mihir. School your tone."

Two words. Calm. Controlled. But Mihir shut the hell up immediately. Of course he did.

I smirked slightly and leaned back.

But the thoughts didn't stop churning. My nails tapped against my thigh.

"Appa," I said finally, my voice quieter than before.

"Do you really believe I can take over your empire?"

I didn't even glance at Mihir, though I knew damn well he was listening with one ear under those overpriced noise-cancelling headphones.

Appa didn't hesitate.

"Of course."

Just like that. Without flinching. No dramatic pause. No fake encouragement.

It wasn't a motivational speech.

It was a fucking fact.

"You're not doubting yourself, kanna," he continued, reaching for my hand. His fingers were rough, worn from years of building this legacy. "You're doubting my decision."

I blinked. Swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Even after everything?" I asked. "After all the judgments, the whispers, the looks?"

He squeezed my hand tighter.

"Yes. Even after that."

"Why?" I asked, voice barely a breath.

His thumb stroked over my knuckles. And I finally looked up into those eyes that raised me. That saw me when I couldn't see myself.

"Because they're judging you based on your gender. Not your worth. Not your strength. And being my daughter gives you the privilege to do anything. But earning this empire? That's you. That's yours."

I stared at him.

"That scares them. When a woman makes powerful decisions, it bruises fragile egos."

A tear formed in the corner of my eye. I blinked it away before it could fall.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "For ever doubting you."

He leaned in, rested his forehead lightly against mine.

"Don't apologize for learning. Apologize if you ever forget who the fuck you are."

I chuckled softly and laid my head on his shoulder, eyes fixed on the city lights blurring past.

Devraj Ramaswamy believed in me.

That was enough.

But still... my mind wandered to him.

To those pale eyes.

To that smirk in the garden.

Ryan Raichand.

What do you know about me, Mr. Raichand?

And what will it cost me to find out?

Because if you're playing a game-

You better know I don't fucking lose.



Thank you very much for reading this chapter.

And I hope you enjoyed my imaginary world .

If you do enjoy pls give your vote and comment down your thoughts.

Your voice mean I lot to me and it gave me motion to write with full energy.

_kelly_