Arvi's pov:

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers twisting the corner of the bedsheet, heart thudding in my chest. Aleesha and Vanisha had been so sweet, almost too excited when they asked me to come shopping with them. Their warmth made it hard to say no they saw me like a friend. Maybe even like family. But it wasn't them I was scared of.

It was him.

Rayaan.

No matter how many times I told myself to ignore him, the memory of his words clung to me like a shadow. "You knew exactly what you were doing. Gold diggers always do." "Cheap stunts won't get you the Oberoi name." his voice, his anger, the disgust in his eyes it had all carved itself into me. I hadn't even defended myself. I couldn't.

And now I was expected to sit in the same car as him, walk beside him, pretend everything was fine?

I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and stood up, forcing my hands to stop trembling. Aleesha had said they'd be leaving soon, and I knew if I didn't go, she'd come looking for me. I couldn't let her down not when she'd made me feel like I belonged, even if just a little.

But I also knew... the moment I'd be near him, the silence between us would scream louder than anything I could say.

I will leave this house in few days... as sulekha aunty said she will help me to find a job then i will leave i dont want him to be uncomfortable in his own house and besides that he is right in his own way, why would anybody let a stranger live in their house but sulekha aunty did...she is so sweet words cant describe how much i should be thankful to her but i cant take advantage of her kindness.

Rayaan's pov:

I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, each second making my irritation worse. Vivaan sat beside me in the passenger seat, scrolling through something on his phone like we weren't already ten minutes behind schedule.

"Chill, bro. It's just shopping, not a courtroom hearing," he muttered.

I didn't respond.

The front door finally opened, and I saw them Aleesha, Vanisha, Arekha and behind them... her.

Arvi.

I looked away, jaw tightening. Just the sight of her brought that evening back in flashes the clatter of a spilled drink, the look of guilt in her eyes, the chaos she left behind. She had been a waitress. Just a waitress at the restaurant that night. And yet somehow, she had landed in my house, under our roof, wrapped in my mother's concern and my cousins affection.

The girls got into the back seat, their voices light and cheerful. Arvi climbed in last. She didn't say anything. She never did when I was around. Maybe she could sense it that invisible wall of resentment I had no intention of hiding. Good. She should.

I started the engine without a word, eyes locked on the road ahead. I didn't understand it. What had she done to earn this place in our home, in our lives? Nothing about it made sense. She was clearly out of place, uncomfortable. But not half as uncomfortable as I felt having her here like a stranger who had slipped through a crack no one else noticed.

Arvi's pov:

I sat quietly in the back seat, squeezed between Aleesha Arekha Vanisha , trying to make myself as small as possible. Their laughter bounced around the car like music I couldn't quite follow. Vivaan sat in the passenger seat, chatting with him about something funny that had happened last week. It all felt normal too normal for how tense I was.

Aleesha turned to me with a bright smile. "Arvi, what do you usually wear? More ethnic or Western?"

I hesitated. "Simple stuff," I replied, barely audible.

"Come on, you have a vibe," Arekha chimed in. "I bet you'd look stunning in a black saree."

I gave a weak smile but didn't answer. Vivaan turned slightly from the front, grinning. "Maybe we should help her pick something bold today. Shake things up."

I laughed nervously, not because I found it funny, but because I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't here by choice. I hadn't even wanted to come. I had said yes because saying no would've raised more questions and because Sulekha aunty had insisted I should step out once in a while.

But I couldn't ignore the fact that I was sitting in his car.

Rayaan hadn't spoken a word since we left the mansion. He just stared straight ahead, jaw set, one hand on the wheel, the other tapping lightly against his leg like he was counting the seconds until this ride ended. He hadn't glanced back, but I could feel his cold disapproval from here. It clung to the air like dust you couldn't wipe off.

I remembered the look in his eyes the night he called me a gold digger. Cheap. Desperate. Uninvited. That's how he saw me. And now, sharing space with him, even in silence, felt like sitting on the edge of a cliff, waiting to be pushed.

Everyone was so kind too kind. His cousins were warm, playful, including me like I belonged.

But I knew I didn't. Not to them. And definitely not to him.

So I stared out the window, smiled when I was expected to, and said little. Because no one noticed how tightly my fingers were gripping the edge of my dupatta. No one heard the pounding in my ears.

And maybe that was a good thing.

As we pulled up to the mall, the car slowed near the private entrance. I glanced outside, noticing a small group of men with cameras hanging near the front. Not many, but enough to make me stiffen.

Before stepping out, He reached into the compartment between the seats and pulled out a black cap and a face mask. He didn't say anything, just put them on with practiced ease like it was a routine. Like disappearing into anonymity was second nature to him.

The cap shaded half his face, the mask covering the rest, but somehow... he still looked like him. Sharp. Intimidating. Untouchable.

Vivaan laughed. "Paparazzi only spot you when you're with girls. I'm telling you, the cameras love drama."

Rayaan didn't respond. He adjusted the cap lower and stepped out without waiting for the rest of us.

Arekha leaned in and whispered to me, "He hates the attention. Gets followed a lot."

I nodded like I understood, but the truth was, I didn't. This was his world flashbulbs, headlines, public image. And I was just someone who used to take orders behind a restaurant counter.

I stepped out slowly, suddenly hyper aware of every move I made, every breath I took. It wasn't the cameras I was scared of.

It was the man walking ahead of me, silent and unreadable, making it clearer with every step that I didn't belong in his frame.

By somehow we reached the mall and

I had only stepped a little away from the store when it happened.

The others were still inside, laughing over heels and handbags, and I am feeling out of place, like always ,had slipped out, needing a moment to breathe. A second away from the noise. From him.

Then I felt it. His hand. Wrapping around my wrist.

Firm. Cold.

I froze. Turned. And there he was-Rayaan.

The cap was off, his mask shoved into his pocket. His jaw was clenched, eyes sharper than I'd ever seen them. Something in his face made my stomach twist.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WANDERING OFF?" he snapped, voice low but forceful. "TRYING TO MAKE A SCENE?"

I blinked, my breath catching. "I wasn't- I just needed-"

"DON'T," he cut me off, voice even colder now. "DON'T START WITH THAT ACT."

He stepped closer, his hand still gripping my wrist.

"I KNOW GIRLS LIKE YOU," he hissed. "QUIET ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT ALWAYS CALCULATING. LOOKING FOR A WAY IN. A WAY UP."

I flinched.

"YOU THINK YOU'LL EARN THEIR TRUST, AND THEN WHAT?" he scoffed. "STAY? CLING TO THE OBEROI NAME LIKE IT MEANS SOMETHING TO YOU? WAKE UP, ARVI. YOU'RE NOT ONE OF US. AND YOU NEVER WILL BE."

He let go suddenly, like even touching me disgusted him.

And then he walked away leaving me there, heart hammering in my chest, wrist burning, eyes stinging.

No one saw. No one heard.

I tried to act normal when I walked back into the store.

Tried to smile when Arekha asked where I'd gone. Tried to nod when Aleesha held up a dress to my face and said it would look "so cute" on me. But my throat was closing, and no matter how hard I blinked, my eyes kept burning.

I felt cracked open. Exposed.

And then, all at once it spilled.

Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them. Silent at first. Then sharp and messy.

"Arvi?" Vanisha stepped toward me, eyes wide. "Hey... what happened?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

"Don't lie," Arekha said gently. "You're crying."

Vivaan appeared beside them, his expression shifting from confusion to concern in seconds. "Did someone say something to you?"

I bit down on my lip, trying to hold it in-but it was too much.

"I don't want to be here," I whispered. "I didn't want to come in the first place."

They all went quiet.

"I know I don't belong," I said, my voice shaking. "This... this whole thing isn't for me. I didn't ask for any of it. I just want to leave."

For a moment, no one moved.

Then Aleesha nodded, voice soft. "Okay. It's okay, we'll go."

"Now?" Vivaan replied

"She said she wants to leave," Arekha snapped at him. "Let's not make it worse."

Without another word, they gathered their things. No questions, no forced comfort just action.

And in the car, no one asked what happened.

Maybe they didn't need to.

Maybe they already knew.

The car ride back was quiet. No jokes from Vivaan, no teasing from Aleesha or Arekha. No chit chatt from Vanisha. Just silence, heavy and awkward, like they were afraid any sound might shatter what little was left of me.

When we reached the mansion, I stepped out quickly, avoiding everyone's eyes. My head throbbed, my chest felt hollow, and all I wanted was to get to the room, close the door, and disappear.

Rayaan got out last. He walked past us like we didn't even exist like nothing had happened.

Not a glance.

Not a word.

Just cold, unaffected silence.

He handed the keys to the guard, nodded once, and strolled inside. As if I hadn't just fallen apart in the middle of a shopping mall. As if I wasn't a complete mess because of the things he said.

"Are you okay now?" Aleesha asked softly, walking beside me.

I nodded, but my eyes drifted to the tall figure disappearing into the hallway. The one who didn't pause, didn't care, didn't look back.

Rayaan Oberoi was untouched by the chaos he caused.

And maybe that was the part that hurt most.