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The diner smelled of burnt coffee and cheap perfume. Aria slid a chipped mug across the counter, balancing three plates on her arm as though gravity was optional. She’d been on her feet for six hours straight, but exhaustion never paid rent.

“Order up, table six,” her boss barked from the kitchen.

Aria tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, plastered on the smile she kept for strangers, and moved through the crowd. Nights were always the same—loud laughter, clinking forks, people rushing through meals on their way to something better. Ordinary. Predictable. Safe.

The bell above the door chimed.

Silence followed.

Aria glanced up, frowning when she noticed how quickly the noise died. People hunched over their food, eyes darting toward the entrance but never lingering. Fear had its own weight, and it pressed through the room now.

Three men in dark suits entered first. Then him.

Tall. Sharp features carved like marble. A suit that didn’t belong in a run-down diner. His presence stretched across the room like smoke, curling into corners, suffocating without a word.

Aryan khan

Aria didn’t know his name yet, but she knew the type: untouchable, dangerous, the kind people whispered about and crossed the street to avoid. The way the waitress beside her froze, pale as paper, told her enough.

He slid into a booth at the back, grey eyes sweeping the room. Cold. Uninterested. Except—when she didn’t look away.

For a second, their gazes locked. Hers steady, his unreadable.

Aria blinked first, rolling her eyes at herself. Whoever he was, he wasn’t her problem. Tips were her problem. Tuition. Rent.

She grabbed her notepad and walked over. Her steps were calm, but her pulse betrayed her, hammering harder the closer she got.

When she reached his booth, he didn’t speak. Didn’t even glance at the menu. Just leaned back, one hand resting lazily on the table, watching her like she was already on trial.

Aria raised an eyebrow. “Are you planning to order, or just scare off my customers all night?”

One of his men stiffened, ready to react. But Aryan's mouth is curved—slow, dangerous. Not quite a smile.

Interesting.

That’s your spark. First clash: she’s the only one who doesn’t tremble, and he notices. From here, their story can unfold—her world colliding with his darkness.

The men at his side bristled at her tone, but Damian lifted a hand and they stilled instantly. Power wasn’t loud; it was the kind that didn’t need words.

He tilted his head, eyes never leaving hers.

“What’s your name?”

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Aria brings light.

Aryan brings darkness.

Are you guys excited about the next chapter!?

Well this is the first chapter, so I'll update every Sunday… So we will see together again… I hope you'll love this, and also you can give me some suggestions or ideas if you have… And it's going to be a dark romance story so if you don't like dark romance so just stay away… Take care ♡

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He tilted his head, eyes never leaving hers.

“What’s your name?”

Aria blinked. “You planning to order my name off the menu?”

The faintest twitch pulled at his mouth. If it had been anyone else, she’d call it a smirk. But on him, it was something darker, like he found her amusing when he shouldn’t.

“Most people,” he said slowly, voice low and smooth like smoke, “answer when I ask a question.”

“Well, lucky for you, I’m not most people,” she shot back, pen tapping against her notepad. “Coffee? Food? Or do you just rent booths to glare at waitresses?”

One of his men muttered something in Italian—sharp, angry—but Aryan silenced him with a glance. His gaze returned to her, sharper now, measuring.

“Coffee,” he finally said. “Black.”

Aria scribbled it down, ignoring how her hand wanted to shake.

“Anything else?”

“You’ll bring it.” It wasn’t a request.

Her brows rose. “That’s not how this works.”

For a heartbeat, silence stretched. No one talked to Aryan like this—not in this city, not in any room he walked into. Yet here she was, standing in a cheap apron, chin tilted like she wasn’t standing in front of a wolf.

And instead of anger, something flickered in his eyes. Curiosity.

She turned on her heel before he could reply, heading back toward the counter. She didn’t notice his stare follow her every step, as though he’d already decided: this girl wasn’t walking out of his world so easily.

Aria returned to the counter, wiping her hands on her apron, pretending not to notice that the man in the corner hadn’t stopped watching her. Customers looked away quickly when she caught their eyes. But not him.

Aryan sat like he owned the place, one hand lazily draped on the table, the other curled around the cup. Aarav leaned closer, murmuring something that made him chuckle under his breath—a low, sharp sound that sent a ripple through the quiet.

“Strange choice of café,” Aarav remarked. “You don’t usually step into places like this.”

Aryan’s gaze flicked back to Aria as she moved between tables. “I didn’t come here for the coffee.”

Aarav followed his line of sight, then smirked. “Huh. Interesting.”

At the counter, Aria could feel it—his stare, heavy and deliberate. She refused to look up, focusing instead on refilling sugar jars. Her pulse quickened in spite of herself. She hated that.

Finally, the chair scraped against the floor. She looked up just in time to see Aryan rise. Tall, broad-shouldered, shadows clinging to him as though he carried them inside. He walked to the counter slowly, each step measured.

Aria straightened. “Need something else?” she asked, steadying her voice.

His lips curved—not in kindness, but in amusement. “Your name.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

He leaned just close enough for her to catch the dangerous calm in his tone. “I asked for your name. I don’t like not knowing what to call… people who stand out.”

Her heart thudded, but she forced a shrug. “It’s written right here.” She tapped the small name tag pinned to her apron: Aria.

Aryan’s gaze lingered on the tag, then drifted back to her eyes. “Aria,” he repeated, almost tasting the syllables. Then he smirked and turned away, coat brushing his side as he walked out. Aarav threw her a parting smile, following after him.

The bell above the door jingled shut. The air felt heavier in their absence, and yet—her chest was lighter, buzzing with a strange unease.

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Hello lovely Readers so here's the 2nd chapter.. hope you'll like it.. Take care.. ♡

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The morning sun had just begun to climb the sky, painting soft streaks of orange and pink across the campus buildings. The university courtyard buzzed with energy—students rushing to lectures, groups chatting on benches, the occasional burst of laughter echoing against the walls.

Aria adjusted the strap of her worn canvas bag on her shoulder, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. Her shift at the café had ended late the night before, and though she was tired, she carried herself with quiet determination. This was her routine: work, study, survive.

But even as she walked through the familiar campus gates, her mind betrayed her. It drifted back to the man in the café. His eyes. His voice. The way he spoke as if he could command the very air around him. She clenched her jaw, shaking her head. It was ridiculous. She had dealt with difficult customers before. He was just another face she would probably never see again.

“Aria!”

The call snapped her from her thoughts. Sara hurried toward her, auburn hair catching the sunlight, her energy a sharp contrast to Aria’s quiet presence. Sara had always been the brave one, unafraid to speak her mind, unafraid to stand up for Aria when others tried to push her around.

“You look like a ghost,” Sara said, linking arms with her the moment she reached her side. “Don’t tell me you pulled another double shift.”

Aria gave a small laugh. “Just the usual late closing. Nothing new.”

Sara narrowed her eyes, scanning her face like she could see every secret Aria was trying to hide. “You’re lying. You’ve got that look. Spill it.”

Aria sighed, not sure how to explain without sounding… ridiculous. “There was this customer,” she admitted finally. “Different from the usual. He was… unsettling.”

Sara’s brows arched. “Unsettling how? Creepy? Flirty? Do I need to march into your café and break someone’s nose?”

Aria smiled faintly despite herself. “No, nothing like that. He was just… intense. The way he looked at me, it felt like he could see right through me. And he asked my name.”

Sara’s expression shifted immediately, her teasing gone. “Did you tell him?”

“No,” Aria said quickly, shaking her head. “Of course not.”

“Good,” Sara muttered, her jaw tightening. “Men like that don’t ask out of politeness. They ask because they want something. And trust me, Aria, you don’t want to get tangled with anyone who carries that kind of… energy.”

Aria frowned. “You don’t even know who he is.”

“I don’t need to,” Sara shot back. “I know you. And if someone shook you up enough that you’re still thinking about it this morning, then he’s trouble.”

They reached the steps of their lecture hall, and Aria hesitated. Sara was right—she always was. But part of her hated how easily this stranger had lodged himself into her thoughts. It wasn’t supposed to happen. She had her life under control. She didn’t have room for shadows.

Still, his words from last night whispered at the edge of her memory. I don’t let people walk away that easily.

She shook the thought away as they entered the hall.

---

Meanwhile, across town, in an office that overlooked the bustling city streets, Aryan leaned back in his leather chair. A cigarette burned slowly between his fingers, though he hadn’t touched it in minutes. Aarav sat across from him, sprawled comfortably, watching with that same lazy grin he always wore when Aryan was deep in thought.

“You didn’t drink your coffee last night,” Aarav said, breaking the silence.

Aryan’s eyes flicked up, sharp as ever. “It wasn’t about the coffee.”

Aarav smirked. “No. It was about her.”

For a moment, Aryan didn’t reply. He took a drag of the cigarette, exhaling smoke that curled lazily toward the ceiling. “She wasn’t afraid.”

Aarav tilted his head. “I think she was. She just didn’t show it.”

“That’s the point,” Aryan said quietly, almost to himself. “She looked me in the eye. No hesitation. No pretending. Most people can’t do that.”

Aarav leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his grin fading into something more serious. “So what now? You’re not usually the type to… notice.”

Aryan stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray, his movements slow, deliberate. His gaze turned to the city beyond the glass, distant yet sharp.

“I told you once,” he said, his voice low, dangerous, “when I want something, I don’t stop until it’s mine.”

Aarav studied him for a moment, then sighed, leaning back again. “I knew you were going to say that.”

Back at campus, Aria was too busy scribbling notes to notice the dark car parked discreetly across the street. Too busy to notice the pair of sharp eyes behind tinted glass, watching her every movement as if she were the only person in the world.

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Hello my lovely Readers!

I hope you're all fine.. hope you'll like this chapter too..