(Kabir Mehra's POV)
The drawing-room was bright, the kind of artificially cheerful brightness Meera Kapoor preferred for introductions. Kabir stood at the edge, quiet, observing. He rarely attended these social orchestrations, but today he had no choice — Anaya had asked him to accompany her.
Aarav Kapoor entered — polished, confident, perfectly put together. Kabir's eyes traced him briefly: tall, charming, smiles calibrated, presence undeniably effortless. A perfect suitor.
Meera beamed. "Anaya, Aarav's back from his trip. And I thought… well, it's time you met him properly."
Anaya smiled politely, but Kabir could see the subtle hesitation in her posture — the tilt of her head, the careful distance she maintained. Kabir's mind cataloged it silently, noting the variables, the potential outcomes.
Aarav approached Anaya confidently, hand extended, smile broad. "Anaya, it's great to see you."
She shook his hand with warmth, a controlled smile. "Likewise, Aarav."
Kabir stood a few feet away, hands in pockets, posture casual, expression unreadable. To anyone else, he appeared detached — neutral, even indifferent. But inside, a current burned quietly, relentlessly.
Aarav didn't miss a beat. Charming, engaging, subtly confident. Kabir watched every movement, every laugh Aarav elicited from Anaya, every polite glance, every carefully measured compliment. His mind ran calculations: influence, persuasion, intent. And yet… the system's output conflicted with his instincts. Aarav was a threat — not operationally, but personally.
"Anaya," Aarav said smoothly, voice warm, "I was hoping we could catch up over coffee this weekend. Just the two of us?"
Her smile was polite but cautious. "I'll see if my schedule allows."
Kabir's jaw tightened fractionally. He said nothing. His silence was absolute, a calculated wall between perception and reaction. Yet inside, every fiber burned — the irrational, inescapable awareness that he could not — would not — let her be treated as a variable by anyone else.
Veer's presence lingered at the doorway, faintly visible. Kabir noted him, cataloged him, ignored him. He didn't need Veer's amusement today; the heat inside him was already enough.
Aarav laughed lightly, leaning slightly closer, maintaining the air of effortless charm. Kabir's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. Every smile, every gesture, every polite compliment Aarav offered Anaya only strengthened Kabir's internal tension. He could calculate, predict, control — yet the human variable of jealousy and protective instinct was one he could neither suppress nor quantify.
Anaya's gaze flicked toward Kabir briefly, perceptive and measured. His expression remained neutral, unreadable. She saw the subtle weight behind his stillness — the tension he carefully masked. And for a moment, he allowed that observation, that silent acknowledgment of his presence and concern.
The introduction continued, laughter polite, conversation flowing, but under the surface, Kabir's mind ran at full speed: analysis, strategy, and a burning awareness that he could no longer ignore the human side of his calculations. Anaya was not a variable. She never had been.
And for the first time in a long while, he felt the weight of desire and protection intertwining — an unacknowledged force that no calculation could fully contain.