Malishka couldn't sleep.
The moonlight spilled across the plush rug, but her thoughts were far from serene. She lay awake, the letter's words carved into her brain like a brand. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the edge of the blood-stained rose now locked away in her purse.
The silence was heavy—until it wasn't.
There was a knock.
Soft. Slow. Familiar.
She opened the door.
Rivan stood there in black sweatpants and a loose hoodie, hair tousled, eyes dark.
"I couldn't sleep," he muttered. "Too many ghosts."
She stepped aside, letting him in.
---
They sat in silence on her bed.
"I'm not used to this," he said quietly. "Letting someone in."
She looked at him, eyes soft.
"I'm not asking to walk through your shadows, Rivan. Just don't push me out every time it gets dark."
His jaw clenched. His fingers twitched.
"Every time I touch you, Malishka, I feel like I'm writing your name in fire. And fire burns."
She didn't flinch.
Instead, she reached out—resting her hand over his heart.
"Then let it burn."
His control shattered.
In one swift motion, he pulled her to him, their lips crashing like lightning splitting the sky. It wasn't gentle. It was desperate. Fierce. A taste of fire and fear, love and longing.
When they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers.
"You taste like danger," he whispered.
"You taste like truth," she replied.
---
KnightCorp – The Next Day
The office buzzed with whispers again as Malishka entered the boardroom for a creative pitch meeting.
Rivan was already seated at the head of the table—cold and unreadable, his CEO mask in place.
But when their eyes met…
Heat.
Unspoken tension coiled like smoke between them.
Aaryan raised a brow at Malishka from across the room.
"So... last night went well?" his expression teased.
She rolled her eyes, lips twitching.
The meeting began.
But it was interrupted within minutes.
A delivery boy entered with a package labeled for "Ms. Kapoor."
Rivan immediately stiffened.
Malishka opened it with shaky fingers.
Inside: a burned photo of her and Rivan from college… the edges still hot.
And a note:
> "You're playing with fire. He's not the only one who can burn you."
Rivan stood. "Meeting's over."
---
Rivan's Office
He slammed the door shut behind them.
"I swear I'll find them," he growled. "They want a war—fine. But they touched you. That was their mistake."
Malishka placed a hand on his chest.
"This isn't just about threats anymore. This is personal."
He grabbed her wrists gently. "I know. And that's why you're never leaving my side again."
She searched his eyes.
"Even if it destroys you?"
He smirked faintly. "It already has."
---
Knight Mansion – Evening
Siyana was setting up for movie night when the power suddenly cut out.
The mansion plunged into darkness.
Then… silence.
Then… a scream.
Malishka rushed down the stairs with Rivan right behind her.
They found Siyana near the back hallway, pale and shaking, pointing toward the shattered glass of a side window.
"There was someone inside," she whispered.
Rivan's phone buzzed.
Unknown Number. One message.
> "Check the garden. The past blooms again."
Rivan tore open the letter pinned beneath the knife in the garden.
> "The one you love will fall the way she once did. You didn't protect her. Will you protect this one?"
Malishka looked at him, confused.
"Who are they talking about?"
He didn't answer immediately. His body stiffened.
Finally, he said in a strained voice,
"They mean my mother."
Malishka blinked. "But she's alive…"
"Yes," Rivan nodded, jaw clenched. "But she was almost killed once. Because of me."
His eyes shimmered with rage.
"They're reminding me that history repeats itself. And this time, they're aiming at you."
---
Cliffhanger Ending – The Woman in White
Far away, inside a high-security hospital wing, a woman stood by a window, cloaked in white.
Her fingers traced the scar on her side. A soft smile curved her lips as she looked out at the moonlit sky.
Devika Knight turned to the bodyguard behind her.
"Tell my son," she said softly, "the storm is back."