2
The urge to pull her close to hold her so tight she forgets the world even exists it's burning through my veins like wildfire.
To pin her against the wall, not out of force but out of sheer desperation...
To feel her heartbeats crash against mine until even silence starts to melt.
My fists clenched, veins straining.
I looked away, jaw tight.
How the hell can someone look like this and expect me to stay sane?
If someone ever said the devil can fall for an angel, I'd laugh until now.
Because she's right in front of me my peace, my chaos, my undoing.
And the worst part? She doesn't even know it.
One soft glance from her, and every wall I built for years... starts cracking.
She blinked at me, nervous, confused.
"Wh...what happened?" she asked softly.
I exhaled slowly, forcing a smirk to hide the madness beneath.
"Nothing, kitten," I said, voice lower than usual. "Just... next time you plan to look like that, at least warn me."
She sat quietly on the edge of the bed, legs swinging a little, lost in her own tiny world while I was in mine, plotting something completely different.
I wanted to see her from close.
Not just close... closer.
So, I did what any genius with a stupid heart would do
I unbuttoned the first button of my shirt, tore the thread a little, and sighed dramatically.
Yup. Perfect.
Now she'll have to come near me. Stitch it. Focus on me.
I'm proud of this plan utterly brilliant, Rivan Thakur-level brilliant.
I walked to her and stood right in front, lowering my tone to make it sound serious.
"Umm... kitten," I murmured, pretending to frown. "It's broken. Can you stitch it for me?"
She blinked once, then twice.
"Oh..." she said softly and got up.
Victory.
She walked to the cupboard.
I folded my arms, ready for the moment she'd return with a needle, maybe blush a little while sewing the perfect setup.
But then
She turned around, holding another shirt.
The same shirt.
My jaw almost dropped.
I stared at her, and she looked genuinely proud of her solution.
"It's okay," she said innocently, handing it to me. "Wear this one, it's not broken."
For a moment, I forgot how to react.
My brilliant plan just got destroyed by her innocence.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead.
"Yeah... great idea, kitten," I muttered, half-smiling, half-defeated.
She just nodded sweetly, completely unaware that she'd just outsmarted Rivan Thakur.
Ah, this girl.
The only one who can ruin my plans and still make me want to pull her close.
.
.
.
We finally stepped outside.
Lights. Laughter. Fake smiles.
The world of pretence that I hated the most.
The sound of people talking, the smell of expensive perfume, the hollow laughter bouncing off the marble walls everything about parties made my blood boil.
Every man here was desperate to please me.
Every woman here was desperate to touch me.
And I wished truly wished I could bury them all in one go.
The noise, the perfume, the eyes... I despised it.
But there's one girl barely 5ft, with messy curls and innocent eyes
whom I couldn't hate even if I tried.
Because she's mine.
My little chaos. My peace. My weakness.
Arav came toward me, stiff and alert.
"Sir, all checked. Security's tight, every corner's covered."
I gave him a short nod, my eyes still following her.
She stood near the entryway, holding her saree lightly, eyes darting around the glittering hall like a lost bird.
She didn't belong to this fake world she was too real for it.
And for a second, I forgot the crowd. The noise. Everything.
All I could see was her.
My baby my kitten.
You won't leave my side. Not for a second. Got it?" Rivan's voice was calm, but the weight in his tone could make anyone's heartbeat stumble.
Devyani just nodded softly, her eyes wide, fingers clutching her saree pallu tightly as if it was her only source of courage.
The party wasn't just a celebration it was a battlefield disguised in velvet and gold.
Flashes of cameras, murmurs of the media, the glimmer of diamonds everything screamed of power, danger, and politics.
Every face held a mask; every handshake hid an agenda.
This wasn't an ordinary gathering of businessmen.
It was a meeting ground for the powerful men who ruled empires both legal and illegal.
Among them were the infamous Oberois
But even they bowed their heads when the real ruler walked in.
The moment he stepped inside, the air changed
the music slowed, the whispers stopped.
The same man who'd moments ago smiled softly at his wife now stood with eyes darker than night itself, his presence suffocating, dominant, and merciless.
Every person in that grand hall froze.
Some in awe.
Some in fear.
Because no one not even the most fearless mafia heads had ever seen Rivan Thakur in public before.
And the biggest shock of all
was the delicate girl beside him.
The one he called his wife.
The one no one had ever heard of.
The one standing next to the devil himself Devyani Thakur.
Whispers rippled through the crowd like wildfire.
Who is she?
How could someone so innocent stand beside a devil man like him?
Devyani's fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the edge of his sleeve.
The lights were too bright, the voices too loud, and every gaze felt like a knife slicing into her skin.
She wasn't used to this the glittering chandeliers, the murmurs, the way people's eyes scanned her from head to toe, whispering things she couldn't understand but could feel.
Rivan glanced down at her just once and saw it.
The nervous swallow.
The way her lashes fluttered rapidly as she tried not to meet anyone's eyes.
Something inside him clenched.
Without a word, he placed his hand on the small of her back, pulling her slightly closer.
His touch was protective, possessive but not rough.
Just enough for the world to see who she belonged to.
"Keep your eyes on me," he murmured, low enough for only her to hear.
Her breath hitched, and she nodded, doing exactly what he said.
She stared at him at his sharp jaw, the dark look in his eyes that could make anyone kneel and somehow, she felt safer.
Meanwhile, whispers continued to flow through the crowd.
"That's his wife?"
"How... young she looks."
"Never seen him bring anyone, ever..."
"He's changed for her?"
But the one person who didn't care about any of it... was Rivan.
When Oberoi himself walked up to greet him, head slightly bowed out of respect, Rivan didn't even extend his hand.
His eyes were cold.
Devyani blinked, confused by his sudden change the softness from a few minutes ago replaced by a terrifying calm.
She tugged lightly at his sleeve and whispered,
"Why everyone looking so scared?"
Rivan's jaw tightened, but when he looked at her again, the storm in his eyes faded for a moment.
"Because, kitten..." he leaned down slightly, his voice a whisper against her ear,
"...they know exactly what happens when someone crosses me."
She didn't understand fully but she could feel the weight of his words.
And still... somehow, she smiled softly.
Everyone in the hall was literally holding their breaths.
One single wrong move, one wrong word and they knew their lives could end right there.
When Rajveer approached, even he kept his voice low and respectful.
"Come, Rivan. We need to discuss some work."
Rivan's sharp gaze flicked toward him; he instantly understood what kind of work Rajveer meant.
Without saying much, he turned toward Devyani, who was standing quietly beside him, her small hands clutching her saree pallu nervously.
"Listen," he said in a tone that was firm but low enough that only she could hear. "I'm going for some work. Don't go anywhere. Stay with Aditya."
Devyani blinked, confused. "Aditya bhaiyya?"
"Yes," he said, eyes softening for a fraction of a second. "Go stand with him. Don't leave his side."
She nodded slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Okay..."
Rivan gave her one last look protective, warning, possessive then turned and walked away with Rajveer
The crowd parted silently to make way for him, heads bowing automatically.
Devyani watched him go, her heart pounding.
The hall was too big, too loud, too bright.
She had never seen so many people in one place all dressed in glittering clothes, laughing fake laughs, hiding real fear.
Aditya noticed her stiff shoulders and sighed softly before coming closer. "Come, bhabhi. Let's stand there away from the crowd."
She just nodded again, following him like a small lost kitten, her eyes darting nervously at every camera flash.
Devyani's soft, shaky voice barely reached Aditya through the noise of the grand hall.
She tugged gently at his sleeve, her big eyes staring curiously at the flashing lights and metal devices in the crowd.
"What are those people holding, Aditya bhaiyya?" she asked innocently, pointing toward the journalists and photographers who stood at a distance, flashing cameras like lightning.
Aditya blinked, startled by her question, then smiled faintly. "Those are cameras. The people holding them are from the media."
"Media?" she repeated slowly, as if tasting the unfamiliar word on her tongue.
"Means... those people who give news?"
"Yes," he said softly, amused by her innocence. "They write about everything that happens here."
Her eyes widened instantly, panic flashing across her face. "Then they will write about me too??"
Aditya bit back a laugh at her horrified expression. "Well... maybe," he said teasingly. "You are the wife of Rivan Thakur. Everyone here wants to know who dared to marry the man who doesn't even talk to people."
Devyani gasped. "But I didn't dare! I just... got married," she said honestly, making Aditya chuckle.
Aditya couldn't help but smile at her innocent curiosity in the middle of the most high-profile, tension-filled party of the year.
While every guest was busy maintaining posture under the crushing aura of Rivan Thakur, Devyani was softly blinking at the cameras like a confused little bunny.
He bent a little toward her and said gently, "Yes, they give news. But don't look at them too much, or they'll click more photos."
Devyani's eyes widened.
"Photos? Why? I didn't even say cheese!"
Aditya choked back a laugh, trying to stay composed. "That's... not how it works here."
Her nervousness faded for a moment, replaced by pure innocence.
She tugged lightly on his sleeve, whispering, "Then should I smile? Papa says if someone takes photo, you should smile."
Aditya was about to respond when flash! one of the reporters dared to lift their camera higher, focusing right on her face.
And before Aditya could even move, that man felt a sudden chill crawl down his spine.
Because across the hall, Rivan Thakur had seen it.
The cold fury in his eyes was enough to make the reporter's hands shake.
He quickly lowered his camera and looked away, pretending to adjust the lens.
Rajveer, standing beside Rivan, muttered under his breath, "You can kill him later, for now focus."
Rivan gave a slight smirk, but his eyes didn't leave Devyani for even a second.
His gaze followed her every small move the way she nervously held the end of her saree, how she stayed close to Aditya like an obedient child trying not to get lost.
And in that moment, everyone in the hall understood one thing very clearly
"The man who never let anyone close... now has someone he would burn the world for."
The grand hall fell silent the moment she was stepped in.
The chandeliers above dimmed against the glow she carried with her. Devyani Draped in black that kissed her skin like sunlight, her hair cascading down like liquid silk.
Every head turned. Every man froze.
Even the music faltered like the world itself had paused just to look at her.
She looked nothing less than an apsara who had accidentally descended to the mortal world, too pure for this filth, too divine for these eyes.
Her innocence shimmered brighter than the diamonds she wore.
Every single man who had dared to look suddenly found the floor fascinating.
No one, not even the bravest, would risk another glance.
Because one look... just one look from him and they knew he would rip their eyes out without thinking twice.
Aditya's phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen and sighed, muttering under his breath, "Not now..." before picking up the call.
"Yes, I'm coming. Don't let her run," he said but serious enough.
Turning to her, he smiled gently. "Come,bhabhi."
She followed him without question, holding the corner of his coat like a little girl scared of getting lost. He walked her toward where the Thakur siblings were standing.
"Take care of her," he said to Aaradhya and Rudraksh. "I have to go for a while."
Then, without waiting for an answer, he left with hurried steps, phone still pressed to his ear.
The siblings surrounded Devyani almost immediately a mix of curiosity and affection sparkling in their eyes.
"Bhabhi looks like a doll," Aaradhya whispered.
"More like a fairy who lost her way to heaven," Rudraksh added dramatically.
Even Payal giggled softly. "She's so pretty... no wonder Rivan bhaiyya doesn't let her out of sight."
But it wasn't just them the entire grand hall seemed to pause, eyes turning toward her.
The delicate girl in a black saree, her shy gaze fixed on the floor, unaware that her innocence was making every head turn and every heartbeat skip.
Then came Virendra's proud voice from across the hall.
"Everyone," he announced with a warm smile, "meet my daughter-in-law DEVYANI RIVAN THAKUR."
The crowd clapped politely, but Devyani's hands instantly clutched her saree pallu tighter. Her breathing quickened.
She didn't like this attention.
So many faces. So many flashes.
It felt suffocating just like her husband, she hated crowds.
And as if on cue, the air shifted.
The hall went silent again.
Rivan Thakur had entered.
He walked straight toward her, ignoring everyone, his presence alone enough to make the air heavy.
"Excuse us," he said coldly to Virendra, placing a firm hand on Devyani's back.
Without another word, he led her out of the crowd.
Once they were alone near the corridor, he crouched slightly, his voice softer now. "What happened?"
Devyani pouted, her eyes glossy with exhaustion. "I'm hungry..."
For a moment, his hardened expression melted. "Then come," he said simply. "Let's eat something."
He took her hand and guided her toward the dining hall.
The moment they entered, everyone stood up unsure whether to stay or leave, frozen between respect and fear.
Ignoring the stunned silence, Rivan pulled out a chair for her and made her sit.
Then, without hesitation, he sat beside her and began serving her plate spoon by spoon feeding her himself as if the entire world didn't exist.
The hall remained dead silent.
Every man and woman in that room knew what kind of power he held, yet here he was calmly feeding his wife like she was the only person alive.
Devyani, too tired to care, ate quietly.
This wasn't new to her he fed her before.
To her, this was just Rivan being... Rivan.
Meanwhile, the guests watched in awe and disbelief the most feared man in the business world, the same Rivan Thakur who never attended parties, was now tenderly feeding his little wife in front of everyone.
Whispers began like ripples through still water.
"Is that really Rivan Thakur?"
"He's feeding her...? In public?"
"I heard he doesn't even allow his own family near him—"
"Who is she? How did she—"
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
The sound of camera shutters clicked through the silence, every lens now pointed at them.
The media had just found gold the first public appearance of Rivan Thakur, the man no one dared to photograph without permission... and his mysterious wife.
Devyani blinked at the sudden bursts of light, her small fingers clutching Rivan's sleeve tightly. "Pati Parmeshwar ji... what are they doing?" she whispered softly, panic in her voice.
He froze mid-bite, his sharp jaw tightening.
Every flash felt like an insult how dare they make her uncomfortable.
The air changed instantly.
He placed the spoon down, turned his head toward the cameras, and glared.
One look.
That's all it took.
Half the media team instinctively lowered their cameras, their hands trembling. The ones who didn't
"Delete. It. Now," he said, voice low but lethal.
A few reporters tried to mumble excuses, but the Thakur bodyguards were already moving in silence, collecting devices, deleting photos before anyone could react.
The guests who were gossiping moments ago now stood stiff, pretending to admire the chandelier or sip their drinks.
Devyani, still unaware of the chaos her innocence caused, whispered softly, "They took our picture..."
Rivan turned to her again the anger in his eyes replaced with something tender. "No one dares to keep it, kitten."
She blinked, confused. "Why?"
He leaned slightly closer, voice husky yet calm. "Because you're mine. And no one has the right to look at what's mine."
The hall remained silent no music, no laughter, no whispers now.
Only the sight of the man who ruled both business and fear... holding a spoon to his wife's lips, like the world outside didn't matter.
Then after feeding her, they came back to the main hall. His phone buzzed, and the change in his expression said it was something serious.
He leaned close to her ear and said in his usual deep tone, "Stay here. I'll be back soon, okay?"
Devyani looked up at him and nodded obediently, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hmm... okay."
He brushed his thumb over her cheek for a fleeting second a silent warning mixed with care before walking away to take the call.
She stood there quietly, her fingers nervously clutching the edge of her saree. Soon, rudraksh and aradhya and Payal joined her, talking lightly so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable.
Then, amid the laughter and soft music, a young boy maybe fourteen or fifteen walked up to her, his eyes wide in awe as if he had just seen a fairy step out of a dream...
He simply stood in front of her, smiling wide eyes sparkling with admiration.
Devyani looked around, a little confused, then smiled politely. "Hello," she said softly.
The boy blinked as if mesmerized, then blurted out, "You look like an angel."
Devyani's smile widened shyly. "Thank you," she replied in her sweet tone.
Before anyone could react, he added with complete seriousness, "Will you marry me?"
Aradhya nd Payal burst into laughter, while rudraksh nearly choked on his drink.
"Sorry, kid," rudraksh said, amused. "She's already taken."
The boy's face fell instantly. "Oh... but she's really beautiful."
Devyani, feeling bad, bent a little and said with her innocent warmth, "Arey, don't be sad." Then she gently kissed his cheeks both right and left and said, "You are also so cute."
The boy turned red like a tomato, grinning ear to ear, while everyone around started giggling.
The moment felt pure, innocent until a sudden, heavy silence blanketed the hall.
Everyone froze.
Because standing behind them, eyes dark and jaw clenched, was Rivan Thakur.
His presence alone was enough to make even the music seem to fade.
Rudraksh uttered under his breath, "Uh oh... he's dead."
RIVAN came, anger fuming all over his face his steps heavy, eyes burning with rage. The laughter, the music, even the clinking of glasses faded.
Silence ruled the grand hall.
The boy, barely fifteen, stood fearlessly in front of Devyani, still smiling.
"Oh... this is your wife?" he asked with a mischievous tilt of his head.
Then, calmly, he added,
"You both are complete opposites a devil with an angel"
Every single person froze.
Even Devyani blinked in confusion, her lips parting softly.
RIVAN's jaw clenched tight. His voice came out low, laced with danger.
"Mind your words, kid. And for your information children aren't allowed in these parties. How the hell did you get in?"
But the boy didn't back down. He smiled that confident, careless smile that carried arrogance in every curve.
"Well, Mr. Thakur, I do respect you," he said, "but I'm not afraid of you. Many are, but not me."
The crowd gasped quietly.
The boy fixed his cufflinks, meeting RIVAN's deadly gaze head-on.
"I didn't attend this party as a kid," he said coolly. "I'm here as a representative of my father's company."
He paused, letting his words sink in before finishing with quiet pride
"I'm Zayden Calder, the only heir of Ritwik Calder the man who built the Calder Conglomerate from dust. You and my father stand on the same throne, Mr. Thakur... just on opposite sides."
Zayden words hung in the air like a thrown gauntlet.
Rivan looked at him slow, measured every inch of him coiled like a spring. If the boy had been five years older, five feet taller, I swear the hall would've known a different story. The room tightened; breaths were held as if someone had pressed pause on the entire world.
Zayden grinned, utterly fearless, and took a step back as if testing the temperature of the room.
"Alright, I'll go before you shoot me with those eyes," he said, voice light as if making a joke.
"Don't worry, I won't steal your wife. Your daughter, however... she'll be mine, Mr. Thakur."
The insult landed jagged. Conversation died. Forks hovered mid-air. Even the chandeliers seemed to hush. Faces drained of color.
Zayden idn't stop there. As he turned to leave he threw one last barb over his shoulder, breathless with bravado: "Hurry up if you're worried I'm already thirteen, you know. Don't make it a huge age gap."
That casual cruelty that fearless insolence echoed in the stunned silence.
Rivan's expression didn't change outwardly, but the air around him thickened. A muscle in his jaw worked; his fingers tightened until knuckles blanched. He didn't shout. He didn't move. He didn't have to.
Silence answered him for a long, loaded heartbeat.
Devyani, who'd watched the whole exchange with wide, frightened eyes, felt Rivan's hand tighten once on her palm possessive, steady, grounding. He didn't loosen his hold; he didn't need to.
Tonight had just become far more dangerous than any of the glitter and music had suggested.
My chest burned the way it does before a storm. My daughter. The thought flared hot and ugly in me the idea of anyone daring to touch what's mine, to look at her, to breathe near her as if she were theirs. No one. No one would make my girl anything but a princess in my world.
I could feel the raw possessiveness coiling inside me, a promise that people would regret the day they even glanced at MY DAUGHTER the wrong way. She will only ever be mine, MY PRINCESS I told myself, and the words had the weight of an oath.
Than when i saw my kitten laughing, so innocent, bending down to kiss that foolish boy's cheek.
How dare she kiss someone else like that? She'd never kissed me like that; never so freely, so casually. A new, sharp anger flared not at her, not truly, but at the insult of the moment, at the idea that anyone would think they could claim even a fragment of her.
I excused myself from the party without a courtesy smile.
Business could wait. The world could wait.
I needed her away from prying eyes, from brazen fools.
I took her hand and left my steps long, my jaw clenched and once we were behind the closed door of the room I slammed it shut, not with childish fury but with the iron certainty of a man who will not lose what he has found.
Inside, the anger roared and then slowed, because she was trembling in my arms. The sight of her frightened that small, broken thing did what nothing else could: it hollowed out my rage and replaced it with a fiercer, quieter resolve.
The door barely clicked shut before something in me snapped a hard, animal sound that had nothing to do with reason.
I moved before thought could catch me and pressed her against the wall, close enough that the plaster felt cold under the heat of us.
The world narrowed to the small space between us.
God, even this stupid wall was an offense now it kept us from vanishing into each other, from doing anything that might fix the awful taste of that boy's words.
I hated that it existed. I hated how much I hated the idea of anyone touching her.
I hated the furious, foolish thing inside me that wanted to obliterate anyone who dared.
She shivered beneath my hands. Not from anger from fear. Her little body trembled in a way that made something inside me ache and tighten at the same time. The sound she made a tiny, helpless inhale made me want to break my own rules and break the world in equal measure.
I could feel the edges of my control fraying. I have never been good at gentleness. I have never been taught patience. But the sight of her so exposed, so raw forced a different kind of strength into me: one that said protect first, destroy later.
I closed the distance until our breaths found the same rhythm, hot and fast and dangerously close. For one horrible, beautiful second I almost let everything go the thunder inside me, the heat behind my ribs. Almost.
I whispered in her ear. Her breathing was heavy; so were mine. "Please I want to kiss you. Right now. Until you forget to breathe," I breathed.
She clenched my shirt so tightly I could feel every tremor; she was scared, and damn it, Rivan, control yourself. The little mole at the base of her neck didn't help.
"Then you won't scold that boy?" she asked, voice small and worried still thinking about that fool who'd spoken up.
My anger tightened at the thought, but when I opened my mouth to warn her, she murmured, "Wrong time," and before either of us had time to think, she pressed her lips to mine.
Glimpse of new chapter:
"So... may I know why you didn't learn how to wear a bra?"
Her ears turned red instantly.
Rivan suppressed a smile.
"It's normal," he said calmly.
She frowned seriously.
Rivan froze.
Silence.
He stared at her like... what dimension did this girl come from