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The noise from inside faded the moment the balcony doors slid shut behind them.

Cool evening air rushed in, carrying with it the distant hum of the city below. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Shravan stood with his hands resting on the railing, his gaze fixed ahead, while Inder remained a step behind—tense, guarded.

Shravan exhaled slowly before finally breaking the silence.

“These two sisters…” he began, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips, “once they set their mind on something, there’s no turning them back. Stubborn would be an understatement.”

Inder let out a quiet breath.

“I have noticed,” he said dryly.

And he had.

From the very first moment Damini had walked into his life, things had… shifted.

No.

Not shifted.

Spun.

Every major turn, every unexpected decision—somehow, it had all aligned with her will. And the most unsettling part?

He had gone along with it.

Not forced.

Not manipulated.

Just… gone along.

Inder’s jaw tightened as the realization settled deeper.

He had spent twenty-eight years building control. Over his business. Over his decisions. Over himself.

And yet—

This girl had walked in, smiled, argued, teased…

…and somewhere along the way, he had started following her lead without even realizing it.

“How the hell did that happen?” He muttered under his breath, more to himself than to Shravan.

Shravan glanced at him briefly, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

“Damini has decided she is going to fall in love,” he continued calmly. “And when she decides something, she doesn’t treat it like a possibility. She treats it like a plan.”

“That sounds about right.” Inder let out a humorless huff.

Shravan’s gaze softened slightly as he looked out into the distance.

“They have grown up watching something rare,” he said. “Their parents… their love wasn’t ordinary. It survived things most people wouldn’t even come back from. Time, distance, circumstances… nothing broke it.”

He paused, then added quietly,

“When you grow up seeing that kind of love, you don’t settle for anything less.”

Inder didn’t respond.

But for the first time, the thought lingered.

Extraordinary love.

He almost asked about it.

Almost.

But something held him back.

Because questions like that… meant interest.

And interest was dangerous.

Shravan turned slightly then, his expression losing its warmth, becoming more serious.

“I will be straightforward with you, Inder,” he said.

Inder met his gaze.

“If you have no intention of building a life with her,” Shravan continued, voice firm now, “don’t give her hope. Not even a little.”

The words landed heavily.

“She might look fearless,” Shravan added. “Carefree. Like nothing can touch her.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips again.

“That’s because it hasn’t. Not yet.”

Inder’s chest tightened slightly.

“She has never had to face real loss. Real heartbreak,” Shravan said quietly. “And trust me… when it comes to love, she won’t know how to protect herself.”

Silence followed.

The weight of those words pressed down harder than anything else said that evening.

“So if you don’t believe in this,” Shravan finished, holding his gaze steadily, “be clear. From the beginning. Don’t let her build something that you have no intention of being a part of.”

Inder looked away.

His fingers curled slightly against his palm.

How was he supposed to say that?

I don’t believe in love.

That part was easy.

He had said it before. Meant it. Lived by it.

But now?

Now there was Damini.

And nothing about her was… easy.

His mind rejected the idea of love, of marriage, of emotional entanglement.

But his actions?

His reactions?

His thoughts?

They had started betraying him in ways he didn’t understand.

The kiss.

The jealousy.

The pull.

The irritation when she laughed with someone else.

The unsettling calm when she was near.

Inder let out a slow, frustrated breath.

“I don’t…” he started, then stopped.

Because for the first time in his life—

He didn’t have a clear answer.

And that bothered him more than anything else.

Shravan watched him for a moment longer, then turned back toward the city.

“That confusion,” he said quietly, almost as if reading him, “is exactly what you need to figure out.”

Inder remained silent.

But inside—

There was no certainty.

Only a storm he didn’t know how to control.

The balcony doors slid open, and Inder stepped back into the living room with Shravan.

The warmth—and noise—hit instantly.

Yash leaned slightly toward him, voice low enough that no one else could hear.

“Take the chance,” he whispered. “Your father-in-law is right there. Talk to him about the resort project.”

For a split second—

Inder’s mind stilled.

The businessman in him reacted first.

Vihaan Malhotra.

Right here.

In his house.

The very man he had been trying to reach for weeks.

The opportunity was… perfect.

Too perfect.

And then—

He recoiled.

Sharp. Immediate.

No f*cking way.

His jaw clenched.

He was not going to use Damini like that.

Not like a bridge.

Not like leverage.

Not when he himself didn’t even understand what this marriage meant… or what she meant.

Not when everything between them was already so uncertain.

“No…” Inder breathed out, barely above a whisper.

Yash studied him for a moment.

Then nodded.

He understood.

Inder might be ruthless in business—

But not here.

Not with her.

Before anything else could be said, laughter burst across the room.

Both men turned.

Damini and Drishti were huddled together on the couch, whispering something and then breaking into identical giggles like conspirators.

“What are you two plotting now?” Shravan asked suspiciously, walking in behind them.

“Nothing,” both sisters replied instantly.

“That sounded very guilty.” Yash snorted. 

“We are just discussing important family history.” Damini grinned.

“Dangerous words,” Shravan muttered.

“Tell him about the goat.” Drishti leaned forward, eyes sparkling.

“Di, no!” Damini gasped. 

“Oh yes,” Drishti insisted. “She once convinced Maa that she had rescued a ‘rare exotic animal’—”

“It was exotic!” Damini defended.

“It was a goat,” Drishti finished.

There was a pause.

Inder blinked.

“…a goat?” He repeated.

“Very intelligent creature.” Damini nodded proudly. 

“It ate half the garden,” Divya added.

“And chased the gardener,” Shravan said dryly.

“Character building,” Damini shrugged.

Yash burst out laughing.

Inder dragged a hand down his face, exhaling slowly.

This girl…

Nothing about her made sense.

And yet—

Everything about her demanded attention.

Damini suddenly turned toward him, catching his expression.

“What?” She asked, eyes gleaming. “Thinking of expanding Ranawat Enterprises into goat farming, husband?”

“I am not doing anything of that sort,” Inder said flatly.

“Good,” she nodded thoughtfully. “Start small then.”

“With what?” He asked before he could stop himself.

Her smile turned wicked.

“With me.”

Yash nearly choked.

Drishti slapped her thigh laughing.

Shravan closed his eyes in resignation.

Inder exhaled slowly, but despite himself—there was the faintest twitch at the corner of his lips.

He caught it.

And immediately wiped it away.

Damini noticed.

Of course she did.

Her eyes softened for a fraction of a second.

Then—

Victory sparkled there.

“Oh ho,” she leaned back, crossing her arms smugly. “That was almost a smile.”

“It was not,” Inder said instantly.

“It was,” she insisted.

“It wasn’t.”

“It was,” she repeated, leaning closer now, her voice dropping just enough to make it personal. “Careful, Inder. You are improving.” 

“One month is too much. He will fall in love in two weeks.” Yash leaned toward Shravan and whispered loudly.

“Don’t encourage her.” Shravan shot him a look. 

“Too late,” Drishti said cheerfully.

Damini beamed.

“I like this support system,” she announced. “Very motivating.”

“God help us.” Vihaan groaned. 

Divya shook her head, though there was clear fondness in her eyes now.

Meanwhile—

Inder stood there, surrounded by laughter, noise, chaos—

And her.

Always her.

He glanced at Damini again.

She was still smiling.

Still glowing.

Still completely unbothered by everything.

And somehow—

That unsettled him more than anything else.

Because his world didn’t feel controlled.

It felt… unpredictable.

And dangerously close to slipping out of his hands.

A/n

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