Rudraksh's POV
Udaipur. Midnight.
The Rathod Rajya was never truly silent.
Beyond the grandeur of sandstone palaces and moonlit lakes, in the fortified underbelly of the city, something colder pulsed-his kingdom. Not the kind built on laws or parliament. But one built on bloodlines, fear, and absolute control.
Rudraksh Singh Rathod stood in the war room of The Haveli, where the shadows of ancient royal swords were cast upon modern blueprints and encrypted monitors. His hands rested on the edge of the dark marble table, knuckles white with tension as a trail of digital currency blinked in red.
"The Daman shipment was intercepted in Gujarat. Our mole says it's the Sehgals," Vedang's voice was clipped, professional, but underlined with irritation.
Rudraksh didn't flinch.
"They're testing me again," he muttered, eyes unreadable. "Remind them why we don't tolerate amateurs."
"You want blood or fear?" Vedang asked.
Rudraksh finally looked up. "Both."
The team shifted. Orders were relayed. Silent movements, trained eyes. The Rathod Rajya Corporation was no ordinary empire-it was a symphony of legal assets covering an empire of shadows. Diamonds in Belgium. Arms in Rajasthan. Data silos in Dubai. Everything orchestrated with the precision of a ruler who could break laws-and men-without blinking.
Yet tonight...
His thoughts weren't on weapons or betrayals.
They were on her.
Reewa.
The memory of her-spinning under chandeliers, eyes burning, lips parted after that kiss-kept slicing through his discipline like a dagger. She had kissed him like she hated him. And walked away like she won.
No one walked away from Rudraksh Singh Rathod.
Certainly not her.
The dim glow of the crystal chandelier barely penetrated the smoke-filled room where Rudraksh sat at the head of the long, obsidian table. Around him, shadows moved-men in tailored suits, faces unreadable, their loyalty as silent and deadly as the daggers they concealed beneath their jackets. This was the true heart of Rathod Rajya Corporation - a ruthless empire veiled by wealth and respectability.
Rudraksh's dark eyes flicked to the large screen mounted on the wall, displaying encrypted feeds from their latest operations. Ships loaded with contraband glided through the Arabian Sea, unseen by the law enforcement scrambling in vain. The power he wielded here was absolute, yet his mind wasn't on business tonight.
His thoughts wandered-piercing through the fortress of his control-right to her. Reewa. The sunlit soul whose presence threatened to burn through the shadows he so carefully curated.
The bitter taste of their last confrontation lingered on his lips, igniting a fire he struggled to tame. She was a challenge unlike any other-fiery, fearless, refusing to be subdued. That kiss-her defiance pressed against his obsession-had cracked something in him. Something dangerously fragile.
A sharp knock on the door pulled him back. His lieutenant, Rajveer, entered, face grave.
"Sir, there's an issue with the Mumbai shipment. The customs have raised suspicions."
Rudraksh's jaw tightened, but his voice remained cold, controlled. "Handle it discreetly. No noise, no mess. I want that cargo delivered without delay."
Rajveer nodded and left. Alone again, Rudraksh ran a hand through his dark hair, a rare moment of vulnerability flickering behind his fierce gaze.
Reewa was not just a threat to his heart but to his entire empire. And he would stop at nothing to keep both within his grasp.
The game had only just begun.
The room's shadows seemed to close in tighter as Rudraksh leaned back in his leather chair, fingers tapping a slow, deliberate rhythm on the polished table. Every deal struck, every command given-it all revolved around one unyielding truth: Reewa was his.
Not just a prize or a pawn in the game, but the singular spark that ignited the cold fire inside him.
He had watched her from the edges of his empire for years-her laughter like sunlight cutting through his darkness, her resilience a mirror to his own fierce will. No matter how many ruthless deals he made or enemies he crushed, none could distract him from the ache her absence left behind.
That forced kiss from the gala still haunted him, a reckless defiance that both infuriated and enthralled him. How could someone so bright challenge the shadows he commanded? How could she make him crave softness when all he knew was steel?
He closed his eyes and imagined her-standing tall, radiant, completely unaware of the storm swirling inside him. He hated that she could unsettle him so completely. But beneath the fury, beneath the empire, was something raw and unguarded: a desperate need to protect her, to claim her.
Because in this life of darkness, Reewa was his only light. And he would do anything to keep her near-even if it meant tearing down the walls he had built around his heart.
Rudraksh sat alone in his private chamber deep within the Rathod Rajya Corporation's towering headquarters. The city lights of Udaipur flickered far below, but his mind was elsewhere-anchored to a box of forgotten memories he had long hidden away.
He carefully opened the weathered wooden box, revealing a stack of yellowed envelopes tied with a faded red ribbon. Each letter bore her name-Reewa Singhal-in the elegant handwriting of a boy who had once dared to hope for a life that felt impossibly out of reach.
Unsent letters.
Letters written every birthday, every festival, every summer they spent apart. Letters filled with words he never had the courage to speak aloud.
The first was from when they were eight years old-a childish scrawl describing a stolen mango from the Singhal orchard and how her laughter had chased away the afternoon heat. The letter ended with a promise to meet again next summer, a promise he kept silently in his heart, even if no words ever crossed her lips.
He unfolded another, from the Diwali festival years later. He'd written about the fireworks, how the sky lit up like her smile, and how he wished she could see the world through his eyes-dark, dangerous, but with a place only for her light.
Rudraksh's thumb traced the ink, now faded with time, and a rare softness softened his usually hard gaze. Those letters were his truth-his vulnerability concealed beneath the ruthless facade of the Mafia kingpin he had become.
Because no matter how cold and calculating he seemed to the outside world, Reewa was the one constant that kept his humanity tethered. His obsession wasn't just possessiveness; it was the desperate need to protect the only fragment of innocence left in his life.
Every business decision he made, every alliance forged in the shadowed underworld, was filtered through this singular lens. He moved with precision-controlling the empire to shield her from dangers she could never comprehend.
Tonight, as the letters whispered memories of a simpler time, Rudraksh resolved to stop hiding behind silence. The boy who had once penned these words in secret was gone, replaced by a man who would claim what was his-not just in power, but in love.
He folded the letters carefully, sealing away the past but carrying its spark forward. No longer would he be content to watch from the shadows. The game had changed. And this time, he would not let Reewa slip away.
Rudraksh rose from his chair, the letters now tucked away safely. His dark eyes gleamed with renewed purpose, the weight of his empire pressing down like iron chains-but beneath it all, a singular fire burned for Reewa.
He pulled out his phone and summoned his most trusted aide, Vikram. "Arrange a meeting with the security team. I want increased surveillance around the Singhal properties. No one gets near her without my knowledge."
Vikram nodded, accustomed to the boss's sudden bursts of protectiveness. "Anything else, sir?"
Rudraksh's lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile. "Yes. Get the latest intel on her upcoming business trips. I need to be one step ahead, always."
As the plans set in motion, across Delhi, Reewa was unaware of the eyes that had silently started following her every move. But the subtle changes began to prick her intuition-a shadow in a crowded room, a whisper on the wind. The feeling that someone was watching her, not with mere curiosity, but with a hunger that unsettled her.
Later that evening, as she sat in Dewdrops' rooftop garden, her phone buzzed with a message she hadn't expected.
"I'm closer than you think. Always." - R.S.R.
Her breath caught. The initials were unmistakable.
Rudraksh Singh Rathod.
A chill ran down her spine-not from fear, but from the undeniable spark of a connection that refused to fade. Beneath his darkness lay an obsession that was both terrifying and magnetic.
And in that moment, Reewa knew their twisted game was far from over.
The sleek conference room hummed with quiet anticipation as Reewa straightened her blazer, trying to center herself. She had come prepared to negotiate hard, but nothing had readied her for the moment the door slid open - and Rudraksh stepped inside.
He looked impeccable in his black suit, every bit the powerful CEO she knew - and every bit the man she'd secretly longed for all these years. His gaze immediately found hers, intense and unmistakably personal.
"Reewa," he said softly, as if savoring the sound of her name after so long.
She lifted her chin, holding his gaze with a mix of challenge and something warmer she didn't want to admit. "Rudraksh. I didn't expect to see you here. What brings the infamous Rathod Rajya Corporation to our turf?"
He smirked, stepping closer, the scent of his cologne filling the air between them. "I could ask you the same. Seems like fate has a strange sense of humor."
Her pulse quickened, but she matched his teasing tone. "Fate or business? You know I'm not easily swayed."
"Oh, I don't plan to sway you. Just remind you of all the reasons you shouldn't underestimate me," he said, his eyes softening for a flicker of a second before hardening with resolve.
Reewa caught that softness, a crack in his usual armor, and it unsettled her in the best way.
"Funny," she whispered, "I was about to say the same."
For a long moment, they simply stared, the rivalry melting away into something unspoken but electric - memories of childhood summers, stolen glances, letters written and never sent, birthdays and festivals where their worlds touched in innocent dreams.
Rudraksh cleared his throat, breaking the spell. "Shall we get down to business?"
She smiled, but her eyes held a promise. "After all, business always comes first - until it doesn't."
As the meeting began, the room seemed to shrink around them, the air charged not with hostility, but with an undeniable spark - a dangerous dance of love and obsession neither wanted to admit yet.
The negotiation table was long, but the distance between Reewa and Rudraksh felt impossibly small. Each word they exchanged was layered-business on the surface, but beneath it, a conversation only they understood.
Rudraksh slid a folder across the table, his fingers brushing hers just for a heartbeat. "Our proposal offers you a stake in the new hospitality venture in Mumbai. Dewdrops' signature can only make it stronger."
Reewa's eyes flickered to his hand, then up to meet his gaze, steady and teasing. "Generous. But we both know you want more than just business growth."
He leaned forward slightly. "Isn't that the truth? I want what's always been out of reach."
Her breath caught. "And what's that?"
He smiled, slow and dangerous. "You. Your trust. Your world."
Reewa fought the flush rising to her cheeks, forcing a professional tone. "This isn't a game, Rudraksh. I don't mix business with personal feelings."
He raised an eyebrow, voice low. "Yet here we are."
The tension crackled like electricity. She could almost forget the mafia empire he ruled, the power and shadows behind that calm exterior. All she saw was the boy who had once written her letters, the man whose obsession was threaded through every word unspoken between them.
"Careful," she warned, a coy smile tugging at her lips. "I might just take that as a challenge."
Rudraksh's grin deepened, eyes smoldering. "Good. Because I never back down."
The meeting ended with no clear winner, but a silent promise hung heavy in the air-this was only the beginning of a game far more dangerous than any business deal.
As Reewa gathered her papers, Rudraksh's voice caught her attention once more. "Dinner tomorrow? To discuss terms... and perhaps a little more?"
She hesitated, then nodded, heart pounding. "You're on."
The restaurant was dimly lit, with flickering candles casting golden glows on polished wooden tables. Soft sitar music mingled with the murmur of conversations, creating an atmosphere both intimate and electric.
Reewa sat poised, her eyes gleaming under the chandelier's shimmer. Rudraksh arrived like a storm in tailored black-magnetic, commanding. His gaze locked onto hers the moment he stepped in, and the world around them seemed to blur.
As they settled, the waiter brought a platter of exotic Indian delicacies-saffron-infused biryanis, tandoori prawns, and butter chicken that smelled like a festival of spices.
Rudraksh broke the silence first, voice low and teasing, "You always choose the best places. Trying to impress me?"
Reewa smiled, a spark in her eyes. "Maybe. Or maybe I just like seeing you out of the boardroom, without the Mafia mask."
He chuckled, a rare, genuine sound that softened his sharp edges. "You think I have a mask?"
She leaned in slightly. "Everyone does. Except you-only you wear it so well."
The conversation danced between playful banter and meaningful glances. At one point, a Bollywood song unexpectedly swelled from the speakers-a classic romantic number, its lyrics dripping with longing.
Rudraksh's eyes darkened with something fierce and tender. Without a word, he stood and extended his hand.
Reewa's breath hitched.
"Dance with me," he whispered.
Caught off guard but unable to resist, she placed her hand in his. As they moved to the center, the world shrank until it was only the two of them-his hand firm on her waist, her fingers tracing the contours of his broad shoulders.
Their eyes locked, speaking volumes in silence. The music wrapped around them like a spell, every step a pulse in the story they'd been avoiding.
In that moment, the CEO and the heiress were just two souls tangled in a dance of obsession and desire, the past and future swirling like the colors of the setting sun outside the window.
The music softened, the last notes lingering in the air as their bodies swayed in perfect sync. Rudraksh's breath was warm against Reewa's ear, his grip steady but gentle.
For a moment, the world outside-the Mafia empire, the power games, the endless battles-vanished.
Then his voice dropped to a whisper, raw and unguarded.
"I've never stopped thinking about you," he said, eyes searching hers like a man revealing his soul for the first time. "Every birthday you celebrated without me, every festival, every summer... I wrote letters I never sent. Words I couldn't bring myself to say aloud."
Reewa's heart thudded, the intensity of his confession unraveling years of carefully built walls.
"I wanted to protect you-from everything, even from myself. But the truth is... I'm obsessed. Not with your business, not with your family, but with you. The girl who once laughed in my face and stole my breath."
He paused, his gaze fierce and tender.
"You're the only one who ever saw the real me. And I'll spend the rest of my life proving I'm yours."
Silence stretched between them, heavy with meaning, until Reewa finally whispered, "Why now?"
His thumb brushed her cheek, a promise in his touch.
"Because I'm done hiding in the shadows. It's time you knew the truth."
---
Rudraksh's confession hung in the air like a charged storm, and Reewa's mind raced. She searched his eyes, finding the vulnerability beneath his usual steel.
"I don't know if I can believe you," she said softly, her voice trembling between doubt and hope.
He smiled, a rare, disarming smile that reached his eyes. "Then let me earn your trust. One day at a time."
The Bollywood song faded, replaced by the quiet hum of the city outside. In that moment, everything changed - the war between them paused, replaced by a fragile, flickering spark of something new.
Would Reewa dare to take the leap? Could Rudraksh truly leave his shadows behind for her?
Their story was just beginning.
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