Chapter 1 The Man Everyone Feared
Rain slammed against the black Rolls Royce as it sped through the empty highway.
Inside the car, Ekansh Rathore sat in silence, one hand lazily resting against the steering wheel while blood dripped slowly from his knuckles.
Not his blood.
Someone else's.
The city of Jaipur slept peacefully while its devil drove through the storm alone.
No guards.
No convoy.
No backup.
Because Ekansh trusted nobody.
At twenty-eight, he ruled businesses worth billions, controlled half the illegal trade routes in North India, and had enough enemies to start a war every sunrise.
People called him many names.
Monster.
Psycho.
Devil.
But the underworld feared only one title-
"Ravan."
His jaw tightened as his phone vibrated on the dashboard.
Father Calling.
The veins near his temple pulsed instantly.
He declined the call.
Two seconds later, another message appeared.
Come home tomorrow.
Or your mother's things will be burned.
For a second, the car swerved sharply.
His breathing changed.
Slow.
Dangerous.
The only thing left of his mother was a silver music box locked inside his father's mansion.
And the old man knew exactly how to control him.
Ekansh's grip tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
Then-
Headlights flashed behind him.
Too fast.
Too close.
His expression darkened.
"Finally," he muttered.
Three black SUVs surrounded his car within seconds.
Gunshots exploded across the highway.
Glass shattered.
The Rolls Royce spun violently.
Ekansh didn't panic.
He smiled.
A terrifying smile.
The car hadn't even stopped completely before he stepped out into the rain, gun already in hand.
Bullets ripped through the darkness.
One body fell.
Then another.
Men screamed.
Rain mixed with blood across the road.
Ekansh moved like violence itself-cold, brutal, merciless.
A knife slashed across his shoulder.
He didn't even react.
One attacker rushed him from behind.
Ekansh grabbed the man's throat and smashed his skull against the car window repeatedly until the glass cracked red.
The others hesitated.
That hesitation killed them.
But then-
A gunshot echoed.
Pain exploded through Ekansh's abdomen.
Another shot hit near his ribs.
His body staggered slightly.
For the first time, the attackers looked hopeful.
Big mistake.
Ekansh raised his gun and shot the last man directly between the eyes.
Silence returned.
Only thunder remained.
Blood soaked through his black shirt rapidly now.
Too much blood.
His vision blurred for half a second.
He pulled out his phone and pressed one contact.
The call connected instantly.
"Boss?"
"Come."
That was all he said before collapsing against the car.
Twenty minutes later.
"Absolutely not."
Ekansh's voice thundered through the emergency floor of Mehra Multispeciality Hospital.
Two nurses stepped back immediately in fear.
One doctor tried approaching carefully.
"Sir, you've lost a dangerous amount of blood-"
"Don't touch me."
The doctor froze.
Rainwater dripped from Ekansh's hair as he sat on the hospital bed like a wounded predator, eyes bloodshot with rage.
His assistant, Vivaan Khanna, looked exhausted beside him.
"Boss," Vivaan said carefully, "if you don't let them treat you-"
"I said no."
A nurse accidentally lifted a syringe into view.
Everything changed.
Ekansh's expression snapped instantly.
The room blurred.
White lights.
Leather restraints.
Cold tables.
A voice saying-
"Hold him down."
His breathing turned uneven.
"No..."
The doctor frowned. "Sir-"
The man took another step forward.
Ekansh grabbed the steel tray beside him and hurled it across the room violently.
CRASH.
Everyone jumped.
"GET OUT!"
The entire floor fell silent.
A security guard rushed forward instinctively.
Worst mistake possible.
The second the guard touched his shoulder, Ekansh lost control.
He slammed the man against the wall so hard the nearby monitor cracked.
Nurses screamed.
Another guard stepped back in fear.
Vivaan cursed under his breath.
Not again.
Not here.
Then-
A calm female voice cut through the chaos.
"Everybody outside."
The room stilled.
Footsteps approached slowly.
No panic.
No fear.
Just calm.
Aarohi Mehra walked into the emergency room wearing a white coat, her hair tied neatly despite the storm outside.
Her eyes moved across the destruction once.
Then to Ekansh.
Blood.
Trauma response.
Dilated pupils.
Defensive aggression.
Not anger.
Fear.
The realization hit instantly.
One of the doctors whispered urgently,
"Ma'am, he's unstable-"
"Outside," she repeated softly.
This time everyone obeyed.
Ekansh's chest rose heavily as he glared at her.
"Don't come closer."
But she did.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like approaching an injured wolf.
"No one's going to force you," she said quietly.
His jaw clenched.
Liar.
That's what they all said first.
Aarohi stopped a few feet away.
"You're safe here."
His breathing remained uneven.
She noticed his hand trembling slightly near the wound.
Shock was setting in.
If treatment didn't begin soon, things would get critical.
But forcing him would destroy whatever control remained.
So instead of reaching for medical equipment-
She sat down.
Directly across from him.
No fear in her eyes.
No pity either.
Just calm.
That confused him more than anything.
"You're bleeding badly," she said softly.
"But nobody will touch you without your permission."
Silence.
Thunder echoed outside.
For the first time in years...
Ekansh looked at someone without seeing fear.
A strange ache hit his chest.
Aarohi slowly held out her hand.
"May I help you?"
His gaze dropped to her hand.
Warm.
Steady.
Not forcing.
Waiting.
Something inside him cracked quietly.
Very slowly-
Ekansh placed his blood-covered hand into hers.
And the entire room outside froze in shock.