The Singhaniya Mansion glowed like a palace preparing to host the universe. Soft golden lights draped the corridors, flowers filled the hallways, and footsteps echoed everywhere as decorators rushed to complete the arrangements for Misha's engagement. It was one of those evenings where chaos wore a sherwani and elegance sipped chai in the corner.
But upstairs, far from the noise and excitement, something quieter and far more dangerous was happening.Something Rudra Singhaniya could never control even if he controlled the entire city.
Anaya.
She was descending the staircase with him, one step at a time, her fingers lightly brushing the railing, her dupatta floating behind her like the trailing wing of a butterfly. Her backless navy-blue outfit shimmered under the chandelier, catching glints of gold every time she moved. Rudra walked beside her, but his attention wasn't on the stairs or the lights or even the engagement preparations.
His entire world at that moment?Her.
His hand rested lightly on her lower back, fingers grazing her exposed skin. A simple touch, but it burned straight through her spine. Anaya pretended not to react, but her breath had betrayed her the very second Rudra Singhaniya laid his hand there.
He felt it.He always did.
The staircase was quiet except for their breaths. The air between them simmered, full of everything spoken and everything they were too stubborn to admit. Rudra leaned slightly closer as they moved down, and Anaya pretended to look at the flowers downstairs instead of the man who was making her heartbeat go to war with her lungs.
Just as her hand tightened around her dupatta, footsteps appeared from the first-floor landing.
Aarav and Ravi.The two storms walking toward the third.
Aarav spotted them first and blinked as if he'd walked into a cinematic romance scene he had no ticket for.
"Bhai..." he started, raising a finger, "looking... uh... in this attire..."
He looked like someone searching the universe for vocabulary.
Before Anaya could smile, Ravi interrupted dryly,"All work is done, Sir. Me and Aarav are going to check the rest."[Translation: "Sab kaam ho gaya, sir. Main aur Aarav baaki check karne jaa rahe hain."]
Aarav grabbed Ravi's arm."Arre ruk bhaiii...!"[Wait, brother!]
He leaned forward with a grin that was too sweet to be normal for him.
"Bhabhi, you're looking beautiful."[Bhabhi, aap bohot khoobsurat lag rahi ho.]
Anaya's eyes widened slightly. Rudra stiffened beside her.
Aarav added under his breath,"Beautiful hi bol sakta hoon... zyada bola toh 1–2 lag jaayenge."[I can only say 'beautiful'... if I say more, I'll get slapped twice.]
Rudra raised a brow like he was deciding whether Aarav should live to see tomorrow.
Anaya bit her lip, trying not to laugh.
Aarav, oblivious, asked,"Waise bhabhi... aapki friend kahan hai?"[By the way, bhabhi... where's your friend?]
Anaya leaned toward Rudra and whispered,"Tumhara bhai aaj poora shuddh devta lag raha hai."[Your brother is acting like a pure saint today.]
Rudra smirked.
"Aapki behna..." Anaya began.
Aarav jumped as if someone stepped on his foot."Na! Na! Meri behna nahi!"[No! No! She's not my sister!]
Ravi folded his arms, enjoying this too much."Okay Sharma... Janvi Sharma. Behan ki friend behan jaisi hoti hai, right?"[Your sister's friend is like your sister, right?]
Aarav froze.
Rudra stared at Ravi.
Both with identical deathly glares.
Anaya burst into laughter.
Ravi raised his palms, backing off."I'm serious! Dil pe mat lo. Ria bula rahi hai. Ja raha hoon."[I'm serious! Don't take it personally. Ria is calling me. I'm going.]
He was gone in less than two seconds—teleportation level fast.
Aarav grumbled something like, "Behan jaisi my foot," and walked away.
And suddenly, the staircase belonged to only two people again.
Anaya and Rudra.
Rudra stepped closer and murmured,"Bahut hasi aa rahi hai?"[You're laughing a lot, huh?]
"Hasi toh aayegi hi," she said, wiping her tears of laughter."If Ravi calls me his sister, then Ria also becomes my sister."[A laugh will come... If Ravi calls me his sister, then Ria also becomes my sister.]
Rudra paused.
A strange emotion flickered in his chest.
She'd accepted Ravi as a brother.Just like that. No hesitation.Pure-hearted. Honest. The kind of thing people didn't do anymore.
And for some reason, it made something inside Rudra soften until he almost didn't recognize himself.
He moved behind her, sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her into a hug, his chin resting on her shoulder. The warmth of him wrapped around her like a blanket straight out of a dream Anaya would never dare admit she had.
She gasped softly and placed her hand on his arm.
"Kya hua?" she whispered.[What happened?]
His voice scraped low and vulnerable."Mujhe tumhari behna banne ka koi shauk nahi."[I don't want you to be anyone's sister.]
She blinked up at him, confused.
His fingers brushed her jaw as he tilted her face toward him.
"Tum meri biwi hi achhi ho."[You're perfect as my wife.]
Her cheeks flushed instantly.The warmth of the compliment hit her harder than his touch.
His hands drifted lower, sliding across the bare skin of her exposed back, fingers tracing the curve of her waist. She shivered, trying not to show it, but Rudra felt her reaction and smirked like a man with too much confidence and too little patience.
"Wallet ji..." she whispered, breath shaky, "chalo. Misha ki engagement mein late ho jayenge."[Mr. Wallet... let's go. We'll get late for Misha's engagement.]
Rudra leaned so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek.
"Something is missing."
"Kya missing?" she asked, already regretting asking.
"A sweet kiss. Or a lip one."[Either a cute kiss. Or a full lip kiss.]
Her eyes widened."Rudra! Stairs pe?"[On the stairs?]
"So what?" he shrugged."We can go back to the room."
Before she could respond—
"HAYYYYEEEE mere love birds!"A voice echoed up the staircase.
Ria.
And behind her, poor Janvi trying to stop her from being the chaos she was born to be.
Rudra instantly loosened his grip, stepping away as if someone caught him stealing sugar from a temple.
Anaya coughed, fixing her dupatta.
Ria leaned on Janvi's shoulder dramatically."Uff, the romance. The heat. The location. Iconic."
Janvi slapped her arm."Stop. Please. We are on the stairs. Show some respect."
Anaya rolled her eyes."Your moms are looking for you downstairs."
Ria tossed her hair."And YOU are looking for each other everywhere. Balance."
Janvi covered Ria's mouth and dragged her away.
"Chalo! Chalo!"[Let's go!]
They pulled Anaya along with them, giggling all the way.
Rudra watched them go.
He didn't move.Didn't blink.Just stood there like a man whose dessert was taken away after showing it to him.
He muttered softly,"Main puppy hoon kya? Khana dikhate hain, par khaane nahi dete..."[Am I a puppy? They show me food but don't let me eat it...]
No one heard him.
But he definitely felt the tragedy of it.
Anaya turned once from the landing, just one small glance over her shoulder.
Rudra straightened.That one look...that one tiny smile meant more than any kiss he wanted so desperately.
And in that moment, with the whole mansion glowing below them and echoes of laughter in the hallways—
Rudra Singhaniya realized something terrifying.
He wasn't just protecting Anaya.He wasn't just responsible for her.
He was falling for her.And he had already fallen too deep to climb back out.
⋆˚✿˖° 𓂃⊹♡⊹𓂃 °˖✿˚⋆⋆˚✿˖° 𓂃⊹♡⊹𓂃 °˖✿˚⋆
Rudra watched Anaya disappear into the crowd below, and for a moment he stayed frozen on the staircase. The lights of the mansion glowed warm and soft across his face. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips, rare and real.
Under his breath, he murmured to himself,"Bas kuch hi din... Anaya. Phir main announce kar dunga. Sabke saamne. Hamara rishta. Hamari shaadi."[Just a few more days, Anaya. Then I'll announce it. In front of everyone. Our relationship. Our marriage.]
His voice softened in a way even he wouldn't recognize.Because the truth was simple: he wanted to breathe without hiding her.He wanted the world to know she belonged with him, to him, in every way that mattered.
For the first time that day, a genuine smile shaped his mouth. He inhaled deeply, straightened his shoulders, and started walking down the staircase, one slow step after another. The music, chatter, and clinking glasses from the engagement preparations filled the mansion.
The living room was buzzing like a festival.
Guests, relatives, business partners, and half the city's elite were gathered. Mrs. Kukreja had arrived with her daughter, Ruby. The air was thick with whispered judgments, compliments that weren't really compliments, and women measuring women from head to toe in two seconds.
Every eye turned toward Anaya the moment she entered.
Her sari was a soft, royal teal, draping over her like moonlight.Her hair cascaded down her back, hiding the sindoor in her hairline.Her mangalsutra wasn't on her neck—she had wrapped it around her wrist like a bracelet, the tiny black beads hidden under her long sleeve.
To the world... she looked unmarried.To Rudra... she looked like the woman he'd die for.
In one corner, three aunties were already in their PhD-level gossip mode.
"Aur wo ladki... kaun hai? Sari mein?"[And that girl... who is she? In the sari?]
"Arre wo? Anaya. Ria ki dost."[That one? Anaya. Ria's friend.]
"Hm. Khoobsurat hai."[She's beautiful.]
Another aunty leaned closer."Kya woh single hai...?"[Is she single?]
Before anyone could answer, more chatter started from the other side of the hall.
"Who is the girl in the blue? That gown-like saari?""Oh that? That's Janvi. Ria's friend.""Pretty. Very pretty.""Is she single...?"
Komal Singhaniya—Rudra's grandmother—overheard this with her sharp, eagle-like ears. She tilted her head a little, trying to find Janvi in the crowd. Aunties smelled love gossip like dogs smell biscuits.
Janvi, looking both stunning and nervous, was admiring a tray of bangles when the question repeated again behind her.
"Is she single?"
Aarav was walking past at that exact moment.
And he froze.
His shoulders tensed. His jaw set. His hair betrayed him by falling into his eyes in perfect slow-motion hero style. He turned slightly...
Yes.The aunties were talking about Janvi.
The Janvi he pretended he didn't care about.The Janvi whose smile he memorized.The Janvi who annoyed him for no reason at all.And the Janvi he would absolutely murder someone for—if needed.
He moved before thinking.
One long stride.Second stride.Third.
And suddenly he was standing right behind her.
Janvi turned, startled, as Aarav placed a hand on her shoulder.Warm. Firm. Protective.
She blinked up at him, eyes round.
He leaned down, lips almost brushing her ear.
"Bas smile kar dena..." he murmured.[Just smile...]
"Woh aunty tumhe apni bahu bana degi warna."[Otherwise that aunty is about to make you her daughter-in-law.]
Janvi's eyes widened so dramatically she looked like a cartoon.Aarav hid his smirk.
"So agar bacha chahte ho..." he whispered,[to save yourself...]
"Act like we're close."
Janvi froze.Smile froze.Brain froze.
Then she forced a smile so painfully sweet that even God cringed a little.
Across the room, the aunty who had been evaluating her stopped mid-sentence.
"Oh... toh yeh ladki single nahi lagti."[Oh... looks like this girl isn't single.]
Komal Singhaniya followed their gaze. She saw Aarav's hand still resting on Janvi's shoulder. The way he didn't move it. The way Janvi didn't remove it.
Her lips curved into a knowing smile.
"Bilkul apne bade bhaai jaisa..." she muttered softly.[Just like his older brother...]
Her voice blended into the background noise as she moved on to greet another guest, but her amused expression didn't fade.
Aarav stepped back once the aunties looked away.Janvi turned toward him, flustered.
"Tum... tumne yeh kya drama tha?"[What... what was that drama?]
Aarav shrugged like he hadn't just turned into her personal bodyguard."Aunty ko tum par crush tha. I did what I had to."[The aunty had a crush on you. I did what I had to.]
"Crush?!" Janvi squeaked.
Aarav smirked."Relax. Tum attractive ho. Hoti rehti hain cheezein."[Relax. You're attractive. These things happen.]
Janvi's face flushed so red she could power a whole generator.
"Aur haan," Aarav added, leaning a bit closer,"Aise hi rehna. Mere aas paas."[Stay like this. Close to me.]
Janvi swallowed.
Her heartbeat tripped over its own feet.
Before she could ask why, Ria came bouncing toward them, hijacking the moment.
"GUYS! Misha's engagement decorations are almost done! Let's go help!"[Let's go help!]
Janvi practically ran toward Ria, away from Aarav.
Aarav watched her run, jaw tight, eyes softening despite his attempt to act unaffected.
He muttered to himself,"Drama queen."But there was a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Across the hall, Rudra finally stepped into the living room.The buzz dropped for a moment.People straightened.Men adjusted their jackets.Women whispered among themselves.
Rudra Singhaniya in a black royal sherwani was a walking warning sign that also looked heartbreakingly handsome.
He searched only one face.
Anaya.His wife.His heartbeat.His soon-to-be declared truth.
She stood near the flower arrangement, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, unaware that half the hall was staring at her... and the other half was staring at Rudra staring at her.
When her eyes met his, her breath caught.And Rudra stopped walking.
His gaze softened so visibly that even Ria whispered,"Yeh log shaadi-shaadi nahi... jaan de dene wale pyaar mein hai."[These two aren't just married... they're in a love so deep it's dangerous.]
Rudra didn't care who saw.
In a room full of people, he saw only her.
And just like he promised himself moments ago—
In a few days... the world would know she belonged to him.