Ansh Rajvanshi stood at the balcony of his grand mansion, gazing out at the city that lay beneath him like a world he owned yet couldn’t touch. The weight of the crown he was destined to wear and the darkness of the underworld he secretly ruled had bound him in a cold, emotionless cage. He wasn’t afraid of the world, but he was terrified of what emotions could do to him. Love? It was an illusion for him, a lie wrapped in promises. His heart had long been buried beneath layers of power, control, and vengeance.

His fingers clenched around the glass of scotch, the bitterness of the drink mirroring the bitterness of his life. He’d always kept his emotions in check, never showing vulnerability, never letting anyone see the cracks in his fortress of solitude. The only people who had access to his softer side were his family, the people he swore to protect at any cost.

Then came Avni Singh.

Avni. A name that felt like sunshine breaking through a storm cloud. She was the complete opposite of him — bright, playful, carefree, but with a mysterious depth he couldn’t quite grasp. Her eyes held stories of a past she never spoke of, a past filled with hurt and loss that she hid behind her smiles. He had seen glimpses of that darkness when her gaze flickered over to him, a silent cry he was afraid to acknowledge. She was a puzzle he didn’t want to solve but couldn’t stop trying to.

Avni had already lost so much. She had lost her parents in a tragic accident, and her two older brothers had shielded her from the world with their love and protection. But Avni was no fragile girl — she had learned the hard way that life...