CHAPTER 27
RAGHAV
Same Night – An hour later
I spent the entire day in my office cabin dealing with the aftermath of the war I dragged back into our lives. Most of it was taking updates on everything that had happened since I brought Siya here. My men kept me informed through encrypted channels throughout the day.
It seems Parag Reddy survived the bullets I put through both his shoulders. The b*stard is furious, unstable, and desperately trying to understand how the dead Dark Prince suddenly resurfaced after disappearing for years.
Then there’s Samarjeet Vardhaan. That man is a different problem altogether. His sister is ripped away from his protection, and his mother is now living under my roof. I know men like Samarjeet don’t react immediately. They plan. That means I need to plan faster.
By evening, my men had been briefed on the additional security measures around RK Estate and the Mumbai properties. Nobody touches this estate without my permission, and nobody even breathes near my family unnoticed.
Unfortunately, Ayaan spent almost the entire day beside me, handling the same damage control.
Not as my brother, but as GLEN’s Director.
We barely exchanged anything beyond discussions about strategy, risk assessments, and preventive measures.
No brotherhood. No forgiveness. I dealt with the underworld while he managed the system.
That’s how the entire day passed. Like two men forced into an alliance neither of them wanted.
And through it all, neither of us once spoke about Siya or why I married her.
By the time I return to the villa, it’s already well past midnight.
Haider walks with me to the entrance, and we continue discussing the security measures that need to be implemented by morning.
Exhausted, I loosen the cuffs of my shirt when Siya steps outside, probably noticing us there.
She doesn’t pause, doesn’t hesitate. She just charges straight towards us.
I see the same cold arrogance and hot fury burn in her eyes as her gaze locks onto Haider.
“How dare you treat my mom like that?” she starts, her voice shaking with controlled rage.
Haider visibly freezes. So do I. This isn’t what I expected.
She steps closer, looking as though she’s ready to tear him apart with her bare hands if she has to.
“Mom told me everything.” Her voice rises with each word. “About how you didn’t let her leave that room back at the Vardhaan Mansion. How you stopped her when Raghav was forcing me into that marriage. She told me everything.”
Oh!
“Had I known Mom was still inside the mansion, I would never have agreed to marry Raghav that night. Mom could have revealed herself. She could have stopped everything had you not pressed her mouth shut and kept her from leaving,” she shouts angrily. “How dare you, Haider?”
Haider opens his mouth, caught off guard by the accusation, but nothing comes out.
“Ever since I came back here,” Siya continues, “I was waiting for the chance to ask you this. I only held back because the family was here and I didn’t want to create more drama than we already had.” Her eyes harden further. “But now, you’d better answer me.”
That’s when I step forward.
“Haider did exactly what I told him to,” I say coldly. “If you have a problem with what happened, talk to me. Not him.”
Siya turns towards me, and her eyes lock with mine.
“You don’t get to speak between us tonight,” she replies.
I narrow my eyes, but her voice rises again.
“The last time I was at fault when you took a bullet for me from the Singhal hitman, Haider gave me an earful because he was protective of you. Did you interfere between us then? No, right?” she continues, looking back at Haider again, “So now, when I finally have every right to question him about my mother, no one gets to come between us either.”
Haider exhales slowly and finally speaks. “Look, Siya, I had no intention of hurting your mother. I was only taking her safely to the jet as instructed. I didn’t want this marriage to happen either, especially not this way.”
Siya shakes her head immediately. “No matter what you say now, you can’t justify this, Haider. I won’t forgive you for it. And the next time you so much as touch my mother, I won’t stay quiet, even if the order comes directly from him.”
Haider doesn’t respond. Anger coils inside my chest as I watch her challenge me so openly.
“Enough,” I say, turning to Siya. “Get inside the house.”
“I’ll go inside when I’m done,” she shoots back. “And I’m not done yet.”
Then she looks at Haider again.
“I need a couch,” she says to him.
For a second, both Haider and I simply stare at her.
“A… couch?” he asks, confused.
“Yes. The kind one person can sleep on,” she replies dryly. “Get one placed in our bedroom by tomorrow morning.”
Oh. Now I already know where this is going.
“Not happening,” I cut in immediately. “I already warned you. You’re sleeping in my room. On my bed.”
“I remember that very well.” Siya folds her arms and meets my gaze head-on. “But it’s not for me. It’s for you.”
What? For me?
Even Haider looks stunned. I let out a dark laugh. So that’s her first move? Trying to throw me out of my own bed? Not happening. Siya ignores me completely.
“Get the couch arranged,” she tells Haider authoritatively. “And make sure it’s strong enough to hold him. I don’t want it collapsing under the weight of his ego.”
Haider presses his lips together. Even I stare at her in shock. Ego?
“Ignore her,” I say to Haider.
“Excuse me?”
She charges at me this time.
“You heard me.”
“No,” she fires back, stepping closer. One more step closer and she would be invading my personal space.
Not that I mind.
“He doesn’t get to ignore me anymore. Not after you forced your name on me.”
Her eyes burn straight into mine.
“I’m your wife now, remember? That makes me the lady of this estate. So when I give instructions, your men follow them. No questions asked.”
Haider exhales slowly as he scratches his jaw and looks between us. “I think… I should leave.”
Smart man.
But as soon as he starts to back away, Siya reminds him again. “Haider…. don’t forget,” she says without taking her eyes off me. “Tomorrow morning, I want that couch in our bedroom. Because your boss clearly has trouble understanding boundaries.”
The muscle in my jaw ticks. The audacity of this woman to enforce something like this on me. The moment Haider disappears through the door, I take a slow step towards her.
“You don’t get to make decisions like that for me without my consent, Siya.”
Instead of backing away, she closes the distance between us. “You married me without my consent, RK. So forgive me if I’m not interested in asking for yours every time I decide something from now on.”
The challenge in her eyes is impossible to miss.
Then she turns to leave as if the conversation is over.
I catch her wrist before she can take another step and pull her back.
The movement is so quick that she collides with my chest, and a few loose strands of hair fall across her face from the abrupt movement.
Neither of us says a word. My gaze drops briefly to those loose strands.
Without thinking, I lift my free hand and brush them aside.
Her breath hitches. Mine isn’t exactly steady either.
As if my touch affects her, Siya immediately looks away.
But I don’t let her escape that easily. Hooking two fingers beneath her jaw, I turn her face back towards me, making sure she looks directly into my eyes.
“So, this is your idea of a grand revenge?”
“I haven’t even started yet.” That dark fire flashes in her eyes again.
F*ck. I almost enjoy it.
“Fine,” I say calmly. “You can keep playing these little power games if you want. But honestly, what’s the point of getting a couch? You fall asleep like the dead anyway.”
She frowns.
“I saw it last night.”
Now she looks genuinely offended.
“So even if I sleep on some pathetic couch for your satisfaction,” I continue darkly, “and crawl back into my bed later, you won’t even realise it until morning.”
Her mouth parts slightly, but I’m not done yet. I pull her in closer, our lips inches apart from touching again.
“Where I sleep in that room isn’t a problem, Siya.
Bed. Couch. Floor. It doesn’t matter. Wherever I sleep, you’re going to end up with me anyway.
So now you decide which option sounds safer.
Next to me on the bed, or on top of me on the couch.
Because either way, every morning, you’re still going to wake up and see me first.”
She has no comeback this time. Just fury. I can practically see her wanting to hit me. Instead, she places both hands against my chest and shoves me hard, then turns around and stomps towards the stairs.
I watch her go, shaking my head.
Unbelievable woman.
A reluctant smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. Then, throwing my coat over my shoulder, I follow my furious wife back to our room.
SIYA
Next Morning
Not finding Mom or the rest of the family downstairs, I step out into the front garden and immediately come to a halt.
A massive breakfast table is being arranged right in the middle of the lawn under the soft morning sunlight. Kailash Uncle is standing beside a live dosa counter, dressed in an off-white kurta with the sleeves rolled up, instructing the staff.
“Careful with the batter,” he says to one of them. “The dosa has to be crisp, not burnt.”
And standing beside him is… Mom. I lift my brows in surprise. She’s actually helping him prepare dosas, while another staff member arranges the plates and cutlery on the table. I slowly walk closer.
“Mom?” I ask. “What exactly is happening here?”
Mom turns towards me, and for the first time in days, she looks relaxed and happy.
“Kailash Bhai Sahab decided to host a proper South Indian breakfast for everyone. I’m just helping him. It doesn’t look good if I simply sit and watch while he does all the work.”
Although I agree, my eyes narrow at the title. Bhai Sahab?