CHAPTER 13 #3
“We’ve got him,” Haider says. “The shooter is secured. But he wasn’t here for you.”
Not for me? Then who?
My eyes slowly shift to Siya, who is listening to this conversation with the same confusion.
“He was here for Siya Vardhaan.”
Siya goes completely still.
“He broke faster than expected,” Haider continues. “He was sent by the Singhals.”
Something inside me breaks loose.
The Singhals… one of the most powerful mafia clans operating across North and West India, especially controlling routes through Gujarat and Rajasthan.
They deal in arms, land, and political leverage, expanding quietly yet aggressively.
Although I have never dealt with them directly, I have heard enough whispers about them pushing their daughter’s alliance with the Reddys for control over the western corridor.
Except that wasn’t happening, as Siya was already promised to Parag Reddy. Suddenly the dots connect, flaring my anger.
“Take him to the den,” I instruct Haider, before disconnecting the call and glaring at Siya.
She is already staring back at me. Confused. Shaken. Trying to process what she just heard.
I take a step towards her. “I had a feeling this would happen the moment you stepped into this place, Siya.”
Her brows knit together. “What—”
“You being a Vardhaan,” I cut her off, “is enough to drag the entire underworld right back into my territory.”
I gesture around us, my anger barely contained.
“This place… this estate… I built all of this away from that world. Kept it clean. Kept it untouched.”
I take another step closer.
“First the Vardhaans… and now the Singhals.” I let out a short, humourless laugh. “They’ve both found their way here. Into my space.” My eyes lock onto hers. “And it’s all because of you.”
My hand comes up and grips her upper arms, pulling her closer until she has no choice but to look straight at me. Pain shoots through my injured arm, but I ignore it.
“I didn’t do any of this,” she retorts, struggling to free herself. “I didn’t even share my location with them when I contacted them.”
My eyes narrow immediately.
“WHAT?” I ask, barely holding on to my control after hearing that. She pulls away as soon as my grip loosens.
I stare at her in shock. “You… contacted the Singhals?”
Siya exhales slowly. “Yes. A few days ago, after I got here.”
My hand shoots out again before she can finish, grabbing her arms tighter than before.
“You contacted the Singhals?” I repeat, my disbelief giving way to fury now. “Why the hell would you do that, Siya? They are against the Vardhaans. You know that. So why would you even think of getting in touch with them?”
Her chin lifted defiantly despite everything. “I contacted them to help me cancel my wedding.”
For a second, I think I must have misheard her. Then she continues, “They want their daughter to marry Parag, and I’m more than willing to let that happen. Samarjeet wouldn’t stop my marriage with Parag, so I needed someone who could. I thought—”
“So you went to the enemy,” I respond flatly. “You asked the opposite clan for help.”
My arm throbs, blood still seeping through the scarf wrapped around it, but I barely register the pain.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” I bark, unable to hold back my anger anymore. “Look at what that decision just cost you.”
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Siya says, looking confused. “I was willing to help them. I was ready to step aside for their benefit… then why would they send someone to kill me?”
A harsh, disbelieving laugh escapes me. She really does not see it. “Isn’t that obvious?”
I lean in closer.
“Why would they negotiate?” I reply. “They didn’t want any loose ends or the risk of you changing your mind. So instead of taking a chance on you, instead of trusting you… they chose to eliminate you. Forever. This way, their daughter could marry Parag without any resistance.”
Her face drains of colour. Too late.
“What if I hadn’t reached in time?” I ask. “What if that bullet had gone through you?”
Her eyes lift to mine, and something flashes there.
“So what?” she shoots back. “Dying would have been better than getting married into that life.”
Before I even think, I pull her flush against me, my frustration rising. This time there is no space between us. Not even for air to pass.
“I never took a mafia princess like you to be a coward.”
“I’m not a coward,” she fires back instantly. “And I don’t want to die either.”
“Then what the hell do you want, Siya?”
“I want out,” she finally spills out, pushing me away with force. “I want out of this mafia world. For me… and for my mom.”
What the f*ck does that mean?
“I want to leave all of this behind. These people. This life. I want a place where none of it can reach us. Where Samarjeet, the Reddys, or anyone from that world can never find us again.”
I go still as I study her face. There is no defiance there, no lies. Only a desperate need to leave the mafia world behind. I didn’t expect this. I knew she didn’t want the marriage, but this? Wanting to walk away from the entire underworld? That is not something people like us even consider.
She notices the moment the realisation hits me and continues. “That’s why I came to RK estate. To ask for your help.”
That’s another shock for me. But I don’t respond. I need her to say it all.
“I could have asked anyone else to help me escape,” she says after a moment. “But everyone who tried before… they were found and killed by Samarjeet.”
Her eyes remain fixed on mine.
“But you,” she pauses. “Despite ruling the mafia world, despite being the Dark Prince, you still walked away. They all think you’re dead. No one ever found you. So if there’s anyone who knows how to disappear from that world, it’s you, RK.”
Something tight coils in my chest.
“If you could walk away from that… if you could disappear and start a fresh life…” Her voice lowers. “Then you are the only one who can help me do the same.”
My jaw tightens.
“No,” I say flatly.
Her brows pull together, confusion flashing across her face. But before she can ask, footsteps approach. Haider and Esha reach us quickly.
Haider’s gaze drops straight to my arm, assessing my wound, while Esha looks between us in worry. I don’t give either of them time to speak. My eyes stay on Siya throughout.
“Take her back to the cottage,” I say to Esha.
Siya stiffens instantly. Even Esha hesitates for half a second before stepping closer to Siya.
“Ma’am, please—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Siya shouts, her eyes, now teary, but still locked on mine. “Not when you are bleeding because of me.”
“I said go back to your room.”
“But—”
“Now, Siya.”
She looks at me, not in fear but trying to understand what just changed between us.
Then slowly, reluctantly, she steps back.
Esha gently guides her away, but Siya does not look at Esha.
Her gaze remains locked on me even as the distance grows between us.
Then finally, she turns and walks away, discreetly wiping at the corners of her eyes.
I watch until she disappears down the dimly lit pathway. Only then do I look down at my arm again. Blood has soaked through the scarf. It stings, but it is not the wound that lingers. It’s her words. What Siya asked of me tonight. And the fact that for a brief second, I almost considered it.