Old Warehouse:
3:00AM

"Ahhh! Help! Somebody, please help me!" a man screamed in pure agony as he was mercilessly whipped without any pause. His half-naked body was drenched in blood and covered with deep cuts. The unbearable pain had him slipping in and out of consciousness, but each time he passed out, salt water was poured over his wounds, forcing him to wake up and endure the torture once again.

And this had been going on for three straight hours now.

But the man torturing him showed no sign of stopping. His rage only seemed to intensify.

"Shout all you want! No one's coming to save you here!" Rehansh Raisinghania (RRS) growled as he cracked the whip harder than before, making the man shriek in unbearable pain. His face was twisted in pure hatred and fury. "How dare you touch my Arya!? How dare you even think about laying a hand on her, huh?!" he roared, his voice dripping with venom as he lashed the man again, causing fresh blood to ooze from his already raw skin.

"B-Boss...I-I think you should take some rest now...it's been hours," Shivin, his right-hand man, spoke meekly, afraid to trigger his boss's wrath.

But that was a mistake.

"NO, SHIVIN!" Rehansh thundered, his voice echoing through the abandoned warehouse. "This b***** had the audacity to touch my Arya! My Arya! And you expect me to spare him?!*" His hands gripped the whip even tighter, and without missing a beat, he struck the man twice as hard, making his screams pierce the silence.

Shivin knew it was useless. Whenever Rehansh lost his temper — especially when it involved Arya — it was better to stay away. He quietly turned on his heels, walked outside, and texted Vansh about his brother's current state.

Seven Hills Hospital:
7:30pm:

Hah! What a day..." Arya sighed, dragging her tired feet out of the hospital premises. Her car had refused to start in the morning, so her best friend, Srikant, had offered her a lift. However, his shift was still ongoing, leaving her no option but to find an auto to get home.

After waiting for ten minutes with no auto in sight, she sighed in frustration. "Great! Now I'm definitely going to be late."

Just then, a familiar car pulled up in front of her, honking. She blinked in surprise as the car door opened, revealing Rehansh.

"Hey!" he greeted, flashing his signature smile.

"Hi...what are you doing here?" she asked, confused but smiling.

I should be asking you the same. What's up? Where's your car?"

"Ugh! Don't even ask. The stupid car refused to start this morning, and now I'm stranded," she groaned, clearly annoyed.

"Then come on, I'll drop you home!" he offered without hesitation.

"What? No, no... I don't want to bother you—"

"Bother? Arya, friends do these little favors, don't they?" he said with a cheeky smile. "Or did you forget we're friends now?"

"Friends? When did that happen?" she teased, raising her brows.

"Ouch!" his smile faltered slightly.

"I'm kidding!  Chill...of course, we're friends," she laughed, making his heart melt.

"Great! Now get in...I'm dropping you home, no arguments!" he grinned.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally got in. "Very chivalrous, I must say," she giggled as he shut the door for her.

"Thank you!" Heat rushed to his cheeks as he quickly started the engine.

"So...hungry?" he asked casually.

"Huh?"

"I mean...it's dinner time anyway. Wanna grab something to eat?"

"What? No! You've already done enough—"

"No ifs and buts, Arya. Friends treat friends, right? And tonight, dinner's on me!" he smirked.

Realizing it was pointless to argue, Arya sighed. "Fine! But just tonight!"

"Deal!" he grinned, driving them to one of his hotels

VR Hotel:
8:00 PM:

Arya nervously glanced around as they entered the lavish hotel. "Umm...I'm not really dressed for this place, Rehansh. Let's just—" she whispered hesitantly.

"Don't worry! This is my hotel...and we're heading to the private dining room anyway," he reassured, gently holding her hand and leading her inside.

The manager who witnessed the scene froze in shock. His terrifying boss was holding a girl's hand? That too...softly? "Who is she?" the manager wondered, quickly greeting them before guiding them to the private chamber.

"Order whatever you want!" Rehansh smiled.

"Uh...I'll have Soupe à l'oignon and Coq au vin. For dessert, Chocolate Soufflé, please," Arya ordered.

Soupe à l’oignon:

Coq au vin:

Chocolate Soufflé:

I'll have the same," Rehansh quickly dismissed the waiter, his gaze fixed solely on Arya.

"What?" she asked awkwardly.

"Um...have you tried these dishes before?" he asked curiously.

"Uh...no. I just liked the name," she laughed, making him chuckle.

"Well, your French accent was perfect!"

"Thank my language teacher for that," she smiled.

God...he was falling harder with every second.

Arya began eating while Rehansh still couldn’t take his eyes off her.
How can someone eat so adorably yet elegantly... Damn, what am I even doing? he wondered, mentally scolding himself for getting distracted by the way she chewed and relished her dinner with such innocence and grace.

Snap. Snap.

The sound snapped him out of his thoughts, and he found Arya staring at him curiously. Her large, doe-like eyes were locked onto his, unblinking. He wasn’t used to such direct eye contact—not because people didn’t look at him, but because they never dared to maintain it out of fear. But her? She didn’t look away. She didn’t flinch. She kept looking right into his soul—not with defiance, but with innocent curiosity and unspoken questions.

“What happened? Aren’t you going to eat?” her sweet voice asked gently.

“Huh? I mean, no! I was about to eat, I just—uh—yeah,” he stammered, shocked to find himself fumbling over his words. That had never happened before. She made him nervous, and only he knew how many pep talks he’d given himself, how many times he’d rehearsed this moment in front of the mirror like some awkward teenager. But even then... he didn’t mind. Not in a bad way. No—she drove him mad. Madly in love.

“This soup is really tasty!” she said cheerfully, licking her lips cutely.

Oh, how I wish I could do that, he thought, and instantly scolded himself for having such unholy thoughts.
“So... what did Dr. Anand say about the reports?” she asked.

“He said everything’s normal. There’s nothing to worry about,” Rehansh replied, smiling.

“Oh, that’s great to hear! So... you’re into the restaurant business?” she asked, intrigued.

“Well, not just me. My brothers and I run it together. We own restaurants across India, and also have resorts, cruises, a sea sports equipment company, a finance company, and even a music recording label called AR Music.”

“Wow! That’s an impressive family business,” she said with genuine admiration.

“So, tell me about yourself,” he said, leaning slightly forward.

“Is this an interview?” she teased.
“Well, friends need to know each other, right?”

“Alright then. What would my friend like to know about me?” she grinned.
“Hmm... Who all are there in your family? Any siblings?” Rehansh asked

“Uh... I’m alone,” she said quietly, her voice dropping, her expression suddenly distant.
“Huh?”

“I don’t have a family. Srikant and his boyfriend Jay are the only people I know here. I guess that’s my family.” She smiled softly, trying to lift the mood. “What about yours?”
Her response hit him harder than he expected. He instantly regretted asking, but quickly composed himself.

“Oh... well, I don’t have parents either, My Uncle and Aunt raised me and my siblings. And as you saw, the one who yelled at you was my twin brother, Vansh. I also have two younger sisters, Ishani and Siya. One younger cousin, Arhaan , my Uncle and Aunt's son—you haven’t met him yet. And then there are two of our close friends, Arav and Shivin, who live with us. A lovely grandmother, and of course, our uncle and aunt.”

“Wow... that’s a big family! Do you all live together?” she asked, her smile returning.

“Yes, all of us live in the VR Mansion,” he said. “So... what are you doing currently?”

“Well, I’ve completed my MBBS and I’m now nearing the end of my 12-month internship at Seven Hills Hospital,” she replied.

“Oh okay... and what after the internship?”

“I’ll be preparing for the NEET PG exams,” she chuckled.

“Too much studying,” Rehansh commented with a soft laugh.

“Yeah well, what can I do? To become a good doctor, I have to go through all this,” she said playfully, winking at him.

That simple wink nearly knocked the air out of his lungs. He shook his head at how easily she made him flustered. Like a foolish teenager.
Dinner ended. He dropped her back home.

Sarvodaya Apartments:
9:45PM

So... should I pick you up tomorrow?” he asked hopefully.

“Um... Rehansh, I don’t want to trouble you—”

“There’s no trouble at all, Arya. If friends don’t help each other, who else will?” he said with a playful pout.

Her resolve melted instantly.

“Okay, you win. You can pick me up at 10:30 AM... but only—”

“Until your car is back, right? I know,” he replied with a wide smile.

“Alright. Goodnight, Rehansh. Drive safe and take care,” she said warmly.

I wish I could tell her I just want to stay with her a little longer, he thought.

“Sure! You too—take care. Bye. See you in the morning,” he said.

But just as she turned to walk inside, he clutched his stomach and let out a soft groan.

“Hey... are you okay, Rehansh?” she asked, concerned.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” he tried brushing it off, but she didn’t let it go. Eventually, he confessed he was feeling a bit of indigestion.

She immediately pulled out a bottle of Gelusil from her bag and gave it to him. After taking the medicine, she suggested playing badminton to help with the digestion.

Inside, Rehansh was doing a happy dance.

He eagerly agreed, and they played for a while. But during the match, the shuttlecock got stuck on a tall tree. Without much thought, Arya threw her racket at it, but it hit a branch and came flying back toward her.

Rehansh’s reflexes kicked in. He dashed forward and pulled her into his arms just in time—but stumbled on a small rock and fell backward, with Arya landing on top of him.

They lay there, frozen, locked in a gentle, innocent eye contact. Rehansh could feel her breath on his face, her heartbeat against his chest. He was completely lost in her eyes.

VR MANSION:
10:40 PM

Rehansh parked his car and walked into the house with a glowing smile on his face, humming softly to himself.

“Rehan beta?” a sweet, loving voice called out.

“Yes, Daadi?” he turned around to see his grandmother.

“You look very happy tonight... what’s the reason?” she asked with a smile.

“Oh... nothing, Daadi! Just like that,” he said, trying to brush it off, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Oh really? Nothing?” she chuckled. “Alright then, keep your little secret. But one day, I’ll find out. Just make sure this happiness and smile always stay with you.”

She blessed him, and they both went their separate ways for the night.

There’s just something so intoxicating about this feeling. I know I’m falling deeper every day, but I can’t stop. I don’t even want to.

What spell have you cast on me, Arya? I’m drowning in your love, and I see no shore. All I see is you. Everywhere. Every moment. Is this what love is?

Yes... this is love. Rehansh’s love. And my love knows no limits, no boundaries. You said you’re alone... but that will change soon, Arya. I’ll change it. One day, you’ll proudly say you have a big family too. That’s my promise, mi amore.

Rehansh's POV ends

Rehansh drifted off to sleep, thinking only of her—his Arya.

The morning was cheerful for Rehansh. He didn’t dress for work, but for a moment with Arya. He knew she would be at the joggers park and silently followed her again.

Today she was alone. He hesitated to approach her, instead watching from a distance. Then suddenly, an elderly man walking beside her stumbled and fell.

“Uncle ji! Are you okay?” Arya rushed to him, helping him up and guiding him to a nearby bench. She returned his walking stick and gave him some water.

Without hesitation, she knelt to examine his knee. After checking that it wasn’t serious, she sat beside him to ask a few more questions.

She found out that the man had lost his wife years ago and his children lived far away.

“So... what can I do for you, Uncle ji? Can we have breakfast together? I’ll make sure you reach home safely afterward,” she offered with a warm smile.

The old man agreed happily. She took him to a nearby restaurant where they shared a lovely meal. Afterward, she called a cab, paid for his trip, and ensured he reached home safely.

All the while, Rehansh watched from a distance—completely smitten, his admiration for her growing tenfold. She wasn’t just beautiful—she was kind. And that kindness made him fall even harder.