Beneath His Shadow
The man they call RR
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
You haven't slept
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Didn't plan to
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
The Shanghai investors are waiting for a green signal.
Should I move forward?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
They hesitated once.
I don't work with hesitation.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
Noted.
Also... her college transcript came in. Top of her batch. Full attendance. Sold artwork under an alias.
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Of course she did.
She never needed applause to be brilliant.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
You're watching again?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Every night.
Same time. Same building. She turns off the lights at exactly 12:06. Sleeps late. Works quietly. Doesn't ask anyone for help.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
Does she know?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
No. But she will
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
You're not afraid she'll run?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
She won't.
Even if she does...
I never chase.
I just arrive
[Silence... typing pauses]
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Get her landlord's number. The heater in her room hasn't worked in three days.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
Should I say it's from you?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
No.
Let her think it's luck.
Until it's not.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
You know this isn't normal.
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Neither is she.
[RR's Office | Same Time]
RR turns to the security feed. A dimly lit building flickers onto the screen. 5th floor. Window. Still awake.
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
The light's still on.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
Nyra ?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
She hasn't eaten. Not since morning. She skipped lunch.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
RR-are we going to talk about this ?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
No.
Call the diner. She likes the tomato-basil pasta. No cheese. No onion. Extra pepper. And send it anonymously. Again.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
You realize this is borderline-
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
-Devotion?
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
I was going to say obsession
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Same difference.
"One day, she'll know everything. Just not yet. First... I fix the world she's in."
And until she knows... I'll be her shadow. Her shield. Her unseen storm.
The shape of him
Nyra Arvind
[Curled up on her bed, sketchpad balanced on her knees, lamplight soft]
Nyra Arvind
Three days.
Three quiet, curious, aching days.
The lamplight didn't just warm her room-it touched the edges of her soul.
Every line she drew felt like a memory she
hadn't lived yet.
A jawline imagined.
Eyes shaded in charcoal.
A man built from shadows... and knowing
Nyra Arvind
[Whispers to herself]
You always know.
Even when I don't.
She didn't have his name.
Only the silence he left behind-
in deliveries, in drawings,
in the ache beneath her skin when the doorbell rang.
Nyra Arvind
[presses a thumb over the sketch's lips, just to see]
Would you ever speak if I asked?
Three days.
Three nights.
And still... no pasta.
No trace.
Only him-lingering in her mind like a song half-heard.
A quiet knock on her door. Not the world-changing kind. Just a brother's rhythm-three taps and a pause.
Ruhan Arvind (FL Brother)
[leans against the doorway, arms crossed]
"You're drawing him again."
Nyra Arvind
[startled, covers the sketchpad halfway]
I'm just... sketching.
Ruhan Arvind (FL Brother)
[smiles, but it's tight around the edges]
"You always say that. But the sketch is always the same man."
She doesn't answer.
How could she?
She didn't even know his name
Ruhan Arvind (FL Brother)
[walks in, voice softer now]
"Nyra... you okay?
Nyra Arvind
[quiet laugh, eyes still on the page]
Do I ever seem okay?
He doesn't argue.
They both know her silence too well
Ruhan Arvind (FL Brother)
[after a pause]
If anyone messes with you... you'll tell me?
Nyra Arvind
[meets his eyes, honest]
If I ever figure out what's happening... you'll be the first.
She meant it.
Because if this was madness,
She didn't want to face it alone.
But something in her heart whispered- It wasn't madness.
It was a beginning
Ruhan left with a quiet smile and one last glance at her sketch.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Silence returned-familiar, sacred. But tonight... it wasn't empty
Nyra Arvind
[sets sketchpad aside, walks to the window, barefoot on cold floorboards]
"You're there, aren't you?"
She couldn't see him. She never could. But her heart recognized the hush he carried.
A stillness too precise. Like the world paused to let him pass
Nyra Arvind
He's always watching. Not like a ghost.
Like a promise
[She places her palm flat against the glass.]
Nyra Arvind
[softly, to the night]
"You saw him. My brother."
[whispers] "Do you know everything about me?"
The air shifted.
A shadow across the street.
A shape too still to be anything but him.
She didn't need to see his face.
She felt it-
the pull,
the quiet claim
the unspoken mine.
The House That Missed Her
Mumbai International Airport
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
(rolling her suitcase, sunglasses on)
Two years. And nothing's changed. Except me.
bodyguard/driver
Miss Reyn?"
-holds up a placard "Car's waiting
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Perfect. Time to shake things up.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Let's go
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
[steps out of the elevator, pulling her suitcase]
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Signed the final document, cold gaze steady "Arav."
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
Handled. The Seoul deal is secure.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
"K-Kyra?! What the-?!"
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Smirking
"Don't die, Arav. I came to surprise
someone."
tosses her purse on his desk
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Grinning, hands spread
"Miss me, CEO?"
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Leans back, voice low
"You're early.
Arav Mehta|ML Friend |PA
Muttering as he leaves "God save me from siblings with identical resting death faces."
[Kyra hops onto the edge of his desk, swinging her legs slightly]
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
"Two years, Reyansh."
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
You needed time.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
I needed my brother.
[RR's phone rings. It's dad. He puts it on speaker without a word.]
Adrik Reyne (ML Father)
Kyra's back? Good. Bring her home tonight. We're having dinner. And Kyra-
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Hello to you too, Dad
Adrik Reyne (ML Father)
It's been too long, little lion. Come home.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Glances at RR, whispering "Still pretending it's a palace, huh?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Still yours.
Selina Reyne (ML Step Mother)
Arms wide at the entrance, too-perfect smile Kyra, darling!
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Steps back slightly from the hug
Adrik Reyne (ML Father)
Sweeps her into a real embrace "I missed my daughter. Everything's been empty without you."
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Stands behind them, quiet but alert
[Inside the grand dining room - candlelight, gold accents, tension lurking]
Selina Reyne (ML Step Mother)
So much has happened while you were away-
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
And so much hasn't.
Adrik Reyne (ML Father)
Clears throat
"Kyra. I want you to stay here. The palace is still your home.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Without hesitation
"No. I'm not staying
Selina Reyne (ML Step Mother)
But-
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Turns to RR
My room at your place. Is it still there?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Unchanged
Adrik Reyne (ML Father)
Surprised
"You'd rather stay with him?"
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Always.
[A beat of silence. RR stands, pushing his chair back neatly.]
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Let's go.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Rises too
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Leans back in the passenger seat, gaze fixed out the tinted window
You didn't mention her.
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Eyes on the road
Didn't need to.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Turns slightly, voice softer now
You still sending her food?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Every evening. 6:30. Same order.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Smirking faintly
"She knows it's you."
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
She guesses. That's enough."
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Quiet for a beat "She's beautiful."
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
More than that.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Does she know what you are
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Raises a brow
And when she does?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Then she'll have to decide if the devil can love."
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Exhales
"And what if she runs ?
Ruhan Arvind (FL Brother)
Turns to her briefly, voice steel wrapped in silk
"Then I'll follow."
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
You've been obsessed for years
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
I've been waiting
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Smiles softly, hand on his shoulder "Make sure she's worth it, Rey."
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
She already is.
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
[drapes her shawl on the couch, walking in]
Still cold in here, Rey. Ever thought of heating this place with actual emotions?
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
[leans against the edge of the bar, glass in hand]
Warmth is for people who stay
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
Settles into the armchair, eyes narrowing thoughtfully
"She's not just some muse to chase, Rey. She's a storm. You sure you're ready to be caught in it?"
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
Sips his drink, eyes fixed on the night skyline
"I'm not afraid of storms. I am the storm."
Kyra Reyne (ML Sister)
[quiet laugh] "God, you're so dramatic."
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
[glances at her, soft smirk]
You'll see. This weekend, everything changes.
Nyra's Studio - Late Evening
Soft jazz hums in the background. Nyra is alone, putting the finishing touches on a painting-his silhouette again, faceless, untouchable.
Nyra Arvind
[murmurs to herself] "Why do I keep painting you?"
Her phone buzzes. A text from her PA and friend: "Venue confirmed for the gallery launch this Saturday !
Nyra Arvind
(internal)
I don't even know who he is.
But it feels like... He already knows everything about me
Reyansh stands at the edge of the penthouse balcony, phone in hand. A contact saved only as "Sunshine." No messages sent. Just... watching.
Reyansh Reyne (ML)
(internal)
You won't see me coming, Nyra. But when I do- You'll never walk away
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