Raunaksh’s POV

I booked the entire restaurant. Why not? I own hotels, I’ve invested in countless businesses—this is nothing compared to what I want tonight. I want her. I want time with her. After Vihaan’s words, I know I cannot let her slip away. No chance.

 But somewhere in me, a nagging instinct whispers—Vihaan calls her his sister, yet he might try to keep her away from me. That thought burns quietly until I see her walking in with my brothers.

 She’s in a simple kurti and jeans, her earrings catching the rooftop lights, her spectacles perched neatly on her nose. She always wears them. And damn, she looks adorable in them. I avert my gaze quickly, not wanting to look like a creep.

“Hello Mr. Rathore. Why are you here?” she asks, her voice calm, curious.

I open my mouth, “Hi—” but my brothers cut me off.

 “Actually humne bhai sa ko bulaya hai. We’re sorry, but we have to leave. Important meeting. We can’t stay for dinner,” the twins say in unison.

 Her face falls. “But you guys said we’d spend time together…”

 “That’s why we called bhai. He’ll accompany you. Don’t spoil your mood,” Sagar adds with puppy eyes.

 She hesitates, then nods. “It’s okay. Some other day.”

 No. Not some other day. Tonight is mine. but somehow they convince her. then she messaged someone.

 The twins wink at me before leaving, and I can’t help but smile. Sometimes I feel blessed—Viraat gave me her number, Vihaan promised support if she agreed, and now the twins set me up with this dinner. My brothers… they’re gems.

 Author’s POV

 Now only the two of them remain.

 Raunaksh steps forward, holding out a bouquet of yellow roses. “This is for you.”

 She blinks, surprised, then takes it gently. “Thank you.”

 “Roses… something special?” she asks, tilting her head.

“Yes. You… I mean, your help. You saved our company,” he says, his voice low, eyes fixed on her.

 The rooftop restaurant glows under the night sky, Rajasthan spread out like a jeweled carpet below. She doesn’t reply, her silence heavy with something unspoken.

 Because deep inside, she still carries the sting of being called a gold digger.

 Without a word, she walks toward the edge, drawn to the breathtaking view. Raunaksh follows, his steps quiet, his presence steady.

 “Sorry,” he says softly, almost unsure.

 She turns, her eyes locking on his. “Aap sorry bol rahe hai? Aapki personality ko suit nahi karta.”

 Her words are sharp, but beneath them, her heart warms. She’s happy he asked.

 “You’re not angry?” he asks, amused.

“Actually, my brothers… they over-speak every time without thinking.” She pauses, then cuts him off again. “I don’t care what others think. It’s obvious—they’ve met many people like that. But I’m not one of them. They’re cute. It’s okay.” She smiles, and the rooftop lights catch her face.

 She moves closer to the edge, eyes lost in the horizon. “Rajasthan is so beautiful.”

He watches her, utterly captivated.

 “I never visited Rajasthan before. This is… so beautiful.” Her voice is hushed, reverent.

And he is lost—not in the view, but in her. Standing behind her, he feels the world narrow to this moment.

Then suddenly, she leans back against his chest.

 His breath catches. The city glitters below, but all he sees is her.

 Raunaksh’s POV

 My breath hitched. My heartbeat quickened. She leaned against me, her body dropping into mine, and I smiled like a maniac inside. But I controlled myself—I couldn’t let her see. Still, I was happy. She was comfortable with me. She was sharing her feelings with me.

 “You want to explore Rajasthan?” I asked, my voice low.

 She turned toward me, her eyes bright. “Aap mujhe dikhayenge Rajasthan?”

 “Yes, if you don’t mind,” I replied.

 “Why would I mind? You know I always wanted to visit Rajasthan, but nobody allowed me. And then I myself didn’t want to visit becau… I’m sorry, I’m blabbering.”

 I cut her gently. “You can say and share anything. I’ll always listen to you.”

 “You’ll get bored,” she said with a sad smile. Pain flickered in her eyes. She turned her back to me.

 “Try me. Trust me, I’ll never be bored,” I said firmly.

 “You know, there’s nobody who listens to me. Only Vihaan listens to my nonsense.” She paused, then side-glanced at me. We were standing shoulder to shoulder. “Vihaan… he’s my brother. Not real, but more than real.”

I saw the trust on her face when she spoke of him. And I realized—she didn’t know that Vihaan and I are brothers.

 “Bhaisa.”

 I turned sharply. Virat was standing there with Darsh.

“What are you both doing here?” I asked, my tone clipped.

 “I called them. They wanted to meet me, so I invited them,” she said, walking toward the table.

I followed, glaring at both of them.

 “Sorry, Bhaisa, but she invited us,” Virat said, Darsh nodding beside him.

We settled at the table. She sat between me and Virat. We ordered food, and I noticed every choice she made. She is health conscious always prefer healthy food. Dinner passed mostly in silence.

 “So, what’s the matter?” she asked, finishing her last bite.

 The waiter cleared the dishes. Virat looked at me. I nodded. Then he slid a pen drive across the table toward her.

Diya’s POV

 I met Mr. Rathore. I don’t know why I shared my feelings with him. I was never like this. Somewhere, I find myself attached to him. I feel comfortable with him. But I don’t want to get attached. I don’t want anyone to hurt my feelings.

Maybe I like…

Shut up, inner voice.

Virat’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. He handed me a pen drive.

 “We found this pen drive in a suspect place. It’s encrypted,” he explained.

 I didn’t ask further. I know the army and their missions.

 “Okay, I have my laptop in my car. I’ll check,” I said, about to get up.

 “No need to go. Darsh will bring it,” Mr. Rathore ordered.

King attitude. Always giving orders.

 “Fine.” I handed my car keys to Darsh.

 After some time, he returned with my laptop, his face lit up. “Ma’am, your car is amazing. It’s different.”

 “I know. It’s customized,” I chuckled. Boys and their car obsession.

 I opened the laptop and started working.

 Ten minutes passed. “Is it done?” Mr. Rathore asked.

 Did I mention he asked the same question ten times in ten minutes?

 This time, I glared at him. My anger flared. “Keep patience, Mr. Rathore. If you’re in such a hurry, do it yourself!” I snapped.

 I heard Virat and Darsh giggle. He glared at them, and their faces paled instantly. Then he looked at me, fumbling. “No… take your time. Do it.”

 I focused again. “There are details of some girls and a contact number. I tried to track it, but it’s switched off.”

 Their faces hardened with anger.

 “They’re selling the girls,” Darsh said grimly.

 “Diya, keep tracking the number. If there’s any movement, inform me. I’ll try to find the girls,” Virat said.

 “I’ll send the list to your number,” I replied.

 “Seal all borders. Search for the girls. I want all of them safe and sound,” Mr. Rathore commanded.

 “Okay, boss,” Darsh said.

 Virat and Darsh left. Now it was just us.

 “Suniye,” I called softly. He looked at me.

 “Aap un sabko bacha lenge na?” I asked. I would try at my level, but I knew—he had the power. He was the king.

 “Don’t worry. Trust me. Just call me if you have any problem,” he assured. But then my phone rang. Shree.

 “I have to take this,” I said.

 “Bro, kaha hai tu?” Shree’s voice was urgent.

“Office,” I replied.

 “Sab chhod aur ghar ja apne. That parcel was delivered to your home instead of office.”

 “What the hell,” I muttered, cutting the call. I rushed toward my car.

 “What happened?” Mr. Rathore asked.

 “There’s an emergency. I have to go,” I said hurriedly.

 “I can help if you want…”

 “No. I’ll manage. Thank you.” I left without looking back.

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