After that night, everything changed.
Aarav didn’t just watch Vanshika anymore.
He guarded her.
Silently. Intensely. Possessively.
Two cars followed her from a distance wherever she went. Cameras appeared near her apartment. Unknown numbers disappeared the moment they tried to bother her.
When she found out, she was furious.
“You put guards around me?” Vanshika snapped, storming into his office without knocking.
Men with guns stepped forward nervously.
Aarav raised one hand.
They froze.
He leaned back in his chair, calm as ever. “For your safety.”
“I didn’t ask for protection.”
“You didn’t ask to be targeted either,” he replied smoothly.
She marched closer to his desk. “You don’t control me, Aarav.”
His eyes darkened — not with anger, but something deeper.
“I don’t control you,” he said quietly. “I protect what’s mine.”
The air went still.
Vanshika’s heartbeat quickened, but her voice stayed steady.
“I am not yours.”
Aarav stood up slowly, towering over her — powerful, dangerous, yet strangely careful.
“You’re right,” he said. “You’re not my possession.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“But you are my choice.”
That hit differently.
Days later, she saw another side of him.
Not the mafia king.
Not the ruthless mastermind.
But the man who couldn’t sleep without checking if she reached home safely.
The man who softened when she laughed.
The man who listened — truly listened — when she spoke about her dreams.
One evening, she confronted him again.
“Why me?” she asked.
“You could have anyone. Models. Powerful families. Women who aren’t trouble.”
He didn’t hesitate.
“They’re impressed by my power.”
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his touch surprisingly gentle.
“You’re unimpressed by it.”
Her breath caught.
“You fight me,” he continued. “You challenge me. You don’t see a throne when you look at me. You see flaws.”
“And that doesn’t scare you?” she whispered.
“It terrifies me,” he admitted.
A mafia king admitting fear.
Only for her.
But Aarav’s world wasn’t forgiving.
A rival sent a message — not to him.
To Vanshika.
A warning.
A threat.
When Aarav found out, the city felt his wrath.
Deals were crushed. Alliances shattered. Enemies vanished overnight.
Yet when he stood in front of her later, his voice wasn’t angry.
It was desperate.
“This is why I said you shouldn’t be near me.”
Vanshika stepped closer instead of backing away.
“You think I’m fragile?” she asked.
“No,” he replied instantly. “I think you’re strong.”
“Then stop deciding for me.”
Silence.
For the first time in his life, Aarav realized something:
Power meant nothing if it silenced the one person he loved.
He took a slow breath.
“Then choose,” he said.
“Choose me knowing the danger. Choose this life knowing it’s messy.”
She held his gaze.
“I choose you,” she said.
“But not as your weakness.”
Aarav’s expression softened.
“Never,” he promised.
“You’re not my weakness, Vanshika.”
He placed her hand over his heart.
“You’re the only reason I remember I have one.”
From that day on, Aarav was still feared.
Still ruthless.
Still untouchable.
But when it came to Vanshika?
He didn’t cage her.
He stood beside her.
A king who could command the underworld…
And a fearless girl who commanded his heart. 🔥🤍
