CHAPTER 3

Kishika stumbled through the front door of her family's home, her parents rushing to her side. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear.

"Kishika, what happened?" her mother asked, her voice trembling with concern.

"I fainted," Kishika replied weakly. "I was at the grocery store, and I saw these men with guns. They looked like they were part of a mafia or something."

Her father's face darkened at the mention of the mafia. "Did they do anything to you?" he asked, his voice low and threatening.

"No, no, it's not like that," Kishika said quickly. "I just got scared and passed out. But this guy helped me," she added, nodding towards the young man with glasses who had followed her into the house.

"He saw me faint and helped me inside. I don't even know his name," Kishika explained.

The young man smiled politely. "My name is Rohan," he said. "I just happened to be passing by and saw that she needed help."

Kishika's mother looked at Rohan with gratitude. "Thank you so much for helping my daughter," she said. "We're so grateful."

Kishika's father was still tense, eyeing Rohan suspiciously. "How do we know you're not one of them?" he asked, referring to the mafia.

Rohan looked taken aback. "I assure you, sir, I'm not part of any mafia," he said earnestly. "I'm just a college student."

Kishika's father grudgingly nodded. "Well, thank you for your help," he said. "We appreciate it."

Kishika's mother ushered her daughter to the couch and fussed over her, bringing her a glass of water and checking her forehead for signs of fever.

"Mom, I'm fine," Kishika protested weakly. "I just need some rest."

Her mother nodded, still looking worried. "We'll take care of you," she said. "Don't worry."

Kishika's parents helped her to her room and sat her down on her bed. Her mother brought her a glass of water, while her father stood by the door, keeping watch.

"How are you feeling, Kishika?" her mother asked, placing a hand on her forehead.

"I'm okay, Mom," Kishika replied weakly. "Just a little shaken up."

Her father looked at her with concern. "Did those men do anything to you?" he asked, his voice low and gruff.

Kishika shook her head. "No, they didn't do anything," she said. "I just got scared and passed out."

Her mother sat down next to her on the bed. "What are we going to do?" she asked her husband, her voice trembling. "We can't just sit here and do nothing."

Her father looked at her with a determined expression. "We'll call the police," he said firmly. "We can't let these thugs intimidate us. We have to stand up to them."

Kishika felt a surge of pride for her father. She knew he was a strong man, but she had never seen him like this before. He was like a warrior, ready to defend his family at any cost.

Her mother looked at him with gratitude. "Thank you, dear," she said softly. "You're right. We can't let them scare us."

Kishika's father nodded, then turned to her. "You rest up, Kishika," he said. "We'll take care of everything."

Kishika nodded weakly, feeling grateful for her parents' love and protection. As they left her room, she closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She knew that things were far from over, but she also knew that with her family by her side, she could face anything.

Top of Form

Kishika lay on her bed, feeling exhausted from the day's events. Her mind was still racing with thoughts of the men with guns and the young man, Rohan, who had helped her. But her thoughts kept drifting back to the ring she had found.

She couldn't get the image of the sparkling diamond out of her mind. It was one of the most expensive rings she had ever seen, with a small letter "R" engraved inside the band. She didn't know who it belonged to or how it had ended up near her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow important.

As she closed her eyes and tried to relax, the image of the man who had dropped the ring flashed in her mind. She couldn't see his face clearly, but she remembered the intensity of his eyes. They had been dark and mysterious, with a hint of sadness behind them.

Kishika wondered who he was and what he was doing with such an expensive ring. She couldn't help but feel curious, even though she knew it was none of her business.

But as her eyelids grew heavy and sleep overtook her, she decided to put the ring and the man out of her mind. She had more important things to worry about, like staying safe and protecting her family from the dangers of the mafia. With that thought in mind, she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

THIRD PERSON POV….

The man was alone in his mansion, his body tense with pain as he cleaned the blood from his hand. He was tall and muscular, with chiseled features that made him look like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. But there was something dangerous in his eyes, something that hinted at a life of violence and brutality.

The mansion was a sprawling estate, with manicured lawns and towering oak trees. It was located on the outskirts of the city, far away from prying eyes and the noise of the streets. The white walls of the mansion were adorned with columns and archways, giving it an ancient Greek feel.

Inside, the man's room was equally grand. The walls were painted a soft cream color, and the room was filled with natural light. But there was nothing soft about the room itself. Every piece of furniture was dark and imposing, made from polished wood and adorned with intricate carvings.

The man's bed was a massive four-poster, draped in luxurious silks and surrounded by heavy curtains. His closet was filled with designer suits and expensive shoes, each one carefully arranged on hangers and shelves.

But it was the small details that really gave the room its dangerous edge. The walls were adorned with weapons - swords, knives, and even a few guns - all displayed like works of art. The bookshelves were filled with volumes on history, warfare, and strategy.

As the man finished cleaning his hand, he stood up and walked to the window. From here, he could see the entire estate spread out before him, a testament to his power and wealth. He knew that the world outside was a dangerous place, full of people who would do anything to take what he had. But he was ready for them. He had the strength, the intelligence, and the resources to protect himself, and nothing would stand in his way.

The man searched his hand frantically for his ring, but it was nowhere to be found. He groaned in frustration, knowing how important the ring was to him. It was a symbol of his power and influence, and losing it would be a blow to his reputation.

As he continued to look for the ring, his phone rang, interrupting his search. He picked it up, his mind still on the missing ring.

"Hello?" he answered, trying to sound composed.

"Boss, we have a problem," said a voice on the other end.

"What kind of problem?" the man asked, his tone sharpening.

"The shipment that was supposed to come in today, it's been seized by the police. We don't know how they found out, but it's a disaster."

The man cursed under his breath. This was the last thing he needed right now. He had already lost his ring, and now he was facing a major setback in his business dealings.

"Get everyone together," he said. "We need to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. And find out who's responsible for this."

The line went dead, and the man sat down heavily on his bed. He knew that his business dealings were dangerous, but he couldn't help feeling frustrated at how everything seemed to be going wrong at once.

He glanced around the room, taking in the luxurious surroundings. His mansion was a testament to his wealth and power, with its marble floors and crystal chandeliers. But even here, he couldn't escape the feeling of danger that seemed to lurk around every corner.

He sighed heavily, knowing that he had a long night ahead of him. He had to find his ring and deal with the fallout from the seized shipment. But he was determined to come out on top, no matter what it took.

The man rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to clear his head. But as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw the same pair of beautiful eyes looking back at him. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen them before, but he couldn't place them.

In the girl's eyes, he saw fear and something else, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He tried to focus on her features, to see if he recognized her, but all he could see were her eyes.

With a sudden jerk, he opened his eyes, the image of the girl's eyes burned into his mind. He shook his head, trying to clear the image, but it lingered.

Who was she? And why was he seeing her eyes so vividly? He had a feeling that he had seen her before, but he couldn't remember where.

He stood up and walked over to his dresser, trying to distract himself by looking for his ring again. As he rummaged through his belongings, his mind kept going back to the girl's eyes. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something important about her, something that he needed to remember.

He shook his head again, frustrated with himself for being so distracted. He had more pressing matters to attend to, like dealing with the fallout from the seized shipment.

But as he walked out of his room and down the grand staircase of his mansion, he couldn't help but feel that something had shifted inside him. He couldn't explain it, but he had a feeling that he was about to be pulled into something much bigger than himself.

The man walked down the grand staircase of his mansion, his mind still preoccupied with the image of the girl's eyes. He walked towards his bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey, hoping that it would help clear his mind.

Just as he was about to take a sip, his phone rang. He sighed and picked it up, seeing his sister's name on the screen.

"Hey, sis," he answered, taking a sip of his drink.

"Hey, big bro," his sister said, her voice laced with determination. "Listen, we need to talk about something important."

He raised an eyebrow, sensing that this was not going to be good. "What's going on?"

"I know you've been avoiding it, but you need to meet this girl for a potential marriage alliance," she said, her voice firm.

He groaned, knowing that his sister was not going to let this go easily. "I've already told you, I'm not interested in getting married right now."

"I know, I know. But this girl is different. She's smart, she's beautiful, and she's from a good family," his sister said, her voice growing more and more excited. "You have to at least give her a chance."

The man sighed, knowing that he was not going to win this argument. "Fine, I'll meet her. But don't expect anything to come out of it."

His sister squealed with delight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it, I promise."

He rolled his eyes, already regretting his decision. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

He hung up the phone and took another sip of his drink, wondering what he had just gotten himself into. The thought of meeting this girl made him feel uneasy, but he knew he couldn't keep avoiding marriage forever. Maybe, just maybe, this girl would be different.

The man took another sip of his drink, hoping to calm his nerves before he had to deal with his mother's phone call.

Just as he was about to set his glass down, his phone rang again. This time, it was his mother's name flashing on the screen.

He answered with a sigh, already anticipating what she was going to say.

"Hello, Mom," he said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"Hello, my son," his mother replied, her voice stern. "I heard from your sister that you are still not willing to meet the girl we have chosen for you."

The man rolled his eyes, knowing where this conversation was going. "Mom, I'm not ready for marriage yet. Can't you just let me focus on my career for a little while longer?"

His mother's tone softened slightly. "I understand that you're busy, but you can't keep putting this off forever. We have found a suitable girl for you and you need to at least give her a chance."

The man sighed, feeling like he was trapped. "Fine, I'll meet her. But I don't want any pressure from you or anyone else."

His mother's tone brightened. "That's all we ask, my dear. Just give her a chance and see where it goes."

The man hung up the phone and took another sip of his drink, feeling like he had just lost another battle. He couldn't help but feel frustrated with his family's constant pressure to settle down and get married. But maybe, just maybe, this girl would be worth the trouble.

The man took another sip of his drink and leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. He had always known that his family was a little unconventional, but he never imagined that he would end up leading a double life.

On one hand, he was the prince of Udaipur, expected to follow in his father's footsteps and rule the kingdom with honor and integrity. But on the other hand, he was a powerful mafia leader, feared and respected by those who knew him in the underworld.

It was a dangerous game he was playing, and he knew that one false move could mean the end of everything he had worked so hard for.

As he gazed out at the view of the city from his luxurious mansion, he couldn't help but wonder if it was all worth it. The constant fear of being discovered, the pressure of leading two separate lives, and the guilt of keeping such a huge secret from his family and loved ones was taking its toll on him.

But at the same time, he couldn't deny the rush he felt from being in control, from having power and influence over so many people. It was a high that he couldn't get from anything else.

He knew that he couldn't keep up this charade forever, but for now, he had to keep his guard up and stay one step ahead of anyone who might try to bring him down. It was a lonely existence, but it was the only one he knew how to live.