PROLOGUE

Ishani Pov

"Ishu"

I heard my friend Avni calling my name from outside my room. I opened the door in irritation and lashed out, "Yes, I know, w-..." I was shocked when I saw her. She was wearing a red Anarkali dress that looked amazing on her, accentuating all her curves. Her hair was left open, giving her a very girly look. I could not even speak as I was so mesmerized by her appearance. She noticed me staring at her and said, "You're getting weirder day by day. Are you checking me out? Huh?"

"I didn't know that a tomboy like you could be so beautiful," I said, giving her a surprised look.

"What the..." she exclaimed, wide-eyed. “Are you still in your pyjamas?"

"Oh... I stayed up late last night," I explained.

"You do realize who's coming today, right?" she asked, giving me a sceptical look.

Before I could respond, we heard the door open and turned to see my lovely cousin Vidya coming towards us. She was wearing a beautiful black dress with long sleeves. She is just 21 years old, a sweet and lovely girl. The dress highlighted her transformation into a beautiful young woman.

"Ishu sis ...Avni sis," she said with a smile.

"Both of you are giving me a heart attack," I said as I started walking towards my room. "I will have a quick

bath." As soon as I turned, I heard them giggling.

When I opened my wardrobe, I started looking at the dresses that I could wear today. Knowing that we could not afford to wear Western clothes, as our family had travelled to Delhi from Ajmer for my brother's wedding shopping, was a bit disappointing.

 My Grandfather, Mr. Devang Rana, and Father, Mr. Yashvardhan Rana, are the top businessmen and the proud owners of "The Rana Empire". They both strictly follow our Indian culture. Father is the carbon copy of Grandfather. He never questions or objects to his father's decisions and follows his strict rules and legacy. Thankfully, other members of our family have opened their minds and stayed in touch with the 21st century.

I could not help but notice the beautiful White Embroidery Sharara Suit that Avni had gifted me last month on my birthday. She joked that I would need it the most when we would go back to our hometown, Ajmer, in the upcoming month. I took out the dress and placed it on the bed before heading to the bathroom for a quick bath. We could not afford to be late to reach the hotel where our family was staying.

                                                                                       *****

I was standing in front of the dressing table, doing my hair, when I heard Avni open the door and lash out, "What the hell are you doing?" She looked at me with one eyebrow raised as she checked me out.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested," I said while applying a bindi (dot mark = a small colored mark or jewel that is worn

between the eyebrows, especially by Hindu women in India.) to my forehead.

"What?" she asked.

"You're checking me out, so I'm just giving my answer," I replied with a smile.

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes.

We left my room and saw Vidi shouting at someone on a call. She ended the call and angrily threw the mobile on the sofa.

Avni asked, 'What happened?” sounding worried.

She turned around. Instead of answering, she walked towards me, hugged me tightly, and hid her face on my shoulder.

"What happened, Vidu?" I embraced her in my arms and asked her in a low voice.

She looked up, rested her chin on my shoulder, and said, "Mother just called."

I pulled her away and asked, "So?"

"She told me to do anything to stop you and Avi from reaching the hotel," she said, struggling to catch her breath.

"What the heck! She hasn't even come to Delhi and she still wants to cause trouble," Avni exclaimed loudly.

I looked at Avni and asked, "Where is Avi?"

"He is in the parking lot with Abhay. They are both waiting for us," she said.

I was lost in thought, looking at Vidi's sad face when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my left arm, as if someone had pinched me. "Ouch, what's wrong?" I exclaimed. I realized it was Avni who had pinched me. She gestured towards the entrance door of a house for me to look in that direction since I was facing the opposite way. When I turned, I saw Abhay standing at the door, with Avinash looking with teary eyes at Vidi, sitting on the sofa, resting her arm on her knees, and hiding her face in both palms.

Before I could say anything, I saw Avinash Walk up to Vidi and stop in front of her. He knelt, removed her hands from her face, and hugged her. Avni, Abhay and I watched them, smiling at each other as they found comfort in each other's embrace without saying a word.

For the Rana Family, Avinash is the younger son of Yashvardhan Rana and Neelam Rana, as well as the younger brother of Agastya and myself. However, outside our family, he is often seen as a stepson and stepbrother. In this world, Vidi's mother, my aunt and the younger daughter of Devang Rana, Mrs. Aachal Veer Chauhan, is also included. She kept my baby brother Avi and meaway from our family for 5 years because she feared that he would demand the Rana Family Property. She plotted against him and convinced my Grandfather to send him to a boarding school in Dehradun. However, I fought against his decision and told him that both Avi and I would stay in Delhi to complete our studies.

 It was difficult for a 19-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy to live in an unfamiliar city away from their family when they needed them the most. Before we came to Delhi, our Mother had not only made my college and Avi's schooling arrangements, but also our living accommodations in a spacious bungalow with 5-6 rooms, a large kitchen, a beautifully decorated living room, and maids were also arranged for house chores. At first, I thought it was too big for two kids to stay, but when the Thakur Twins, Avni and Abhay, followed us to Delhi, it made it worthwhile. I did feel sorry for them as they had to stay far from their family.

 But I felt even more sorry for Vidi. She is my aunt's younger daughter, but to me, she feels more like a sister, just like Brother Agastya and Avi. When my aunt conspired against Avi and me, sending us far from the family, Vidi, a 16-year-old girl, felt sorry for her mother's actions and followed us here to Delhi. Avi and I both feel sorry for her, as she had to go against her mother for him. Avi admires and loves her just as he loves me.

Twins occasionally visit their family in Jaisalmer. But over the past 5 years, Vidi, Avi, and I have not visited our hometown. However, our older brother Agastya and our mother have visited us and stayed for 2-3 days at times. I opposed Grandfather’s decision, which affected our relationship with him, and now, we rarely keep in touch. After 5 years, he called us on my birthday for the first time, most likely to inform us that Brother’s marriage was arranged with Ishika, Thakur's older daughter and twin's older sister and would be happening next month, and we would now be staying in our hometown, Ajmer.

 When I was lost in the lovely moment between my baby brother and sister, Avni shook my shoulder and gave me a single to lead Abhay into her room.

 In Avni's room, we were discussing how to maintain Vidya's relationship with my Aunt. Even though she was not here, her older daughter Aankia came with our family. She will find out if Vidi doesn't follow her instructions. We were all lost in thought when I had an idea. I called Brother Agastya and informed him that there would be traffic if we went directly to the hotel. Instead, I suggested that we meet at Select Citywalk Mall. After ending the call with him, I asked Abhay if Baby had obtained the information that Avni and I had asked for.

*(nick name of Avinash will be Baby)*

"Your baby brother is skilled at his job," he replied. "The information booklet is in the car. You can both read it on

the way."

 We three exited Avni's room. Baby and Vidi were standing in the living room, waiting for us with a smile.

We all stepped out of the house and headed towards the black BMW parked outside. Abhay took the driver's seat, I sat in the front, while Avni, Vidi, and Baby settled in the back. After Abhay started driving, I asked Baby to pass the information booklet. He handed one cover to me and another cover to Avni.

"Why do we need information about the Mafia King of Jaisalmer?" Abhay asked while driving.

"Didn't you learn that we need to thoroughly understand our enemies before entering their clans?" I said while opening the cover.

After removing the booklet from the cover, I placed the cover on the car dashboard. As soon as my eyes fell on the first page of the booklet, I saw a photo of a man. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants. His shirt sleeves were folded, showing the veins on his hands. He was standing casually, leaning against a wall on his right side, with his left hand in the left pocket of his pants. He looked both handsome and beautiful at the same time. His natural brown hair was messy, and he had an oval face shape with a light beard that gave a sharp look to his jawline. He had a straight nose and dark black eyes that seemed to look right at me from the photo, sending a chill through my whole body. His shirt's upper two buttons were open, revealing part of his neck and chest. As I looked at him, I felt a desire to touch his hand and face.

I was mesmerized by the man's beauty until Avni shouted, "Are you sure he is the Mafia King of Jaisalmer?"

"Why?" I asked, but my eyes were still scanning him.

"Did you read his information?" she asked.

"No, I just looked at his photo," I replied to her.

Suddenly, the car stopped and I looked up to see that we had already reached the mall. I glanced down at the photo and realized that it takes 45 minutes to travel from our home to the mall. During the entire 45-minute journey, I continuously looked at the photo. I blinked, cleared my thoughts, closed the booklet, placed it in the cover, and handed it to Baby to keep it safe until we returned home.

Abhay parked the car in the parking lot, and we went to the first floor, where both the Rana Family and the Thakur Family were waiting for us outside the saree shop. While walking towards their direction, Baby came to me, held my hand, and walked with me. After 5 years, Avi and I were meeting Grandpa for the first time, so I was feeling nervous about what would happen or how he would react. As we reached near them, Agastya and Ishika came and hugged us one by one. We also greeted the elders by touching their feet. Grandma looked at me and Baby with teary eyes and hugged both of us together. After hugging her, she pushed me towards her right side where Grandpa was standing next to her. Avi and I nervously touched his feet and felt his heavy hand touch my hair, giving us his blessing, but he didn't say anything or look into my eyes. Papa and Maa also gave us blessings and hugs. After meeting everyone, we all went inside the shops and started shopping.

 After spending 2-3 hours checking out all the shops at the mall, we went to the local markets. We bought many things and enjoyed eating chaat, golgappa, and some local foods at the market. After shopping, both families went back to the hotel where they were staying, and then we came back home.

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