CHAPTER 6 （mahi）
The sound of turning pages filled the room.
Normally, reading helped me focus.
Today, it wasn't working.
The more I tried to concentrate on the words in front of me, the more my thoughts drifted elsewhere.
To a pair of piercing black eyes.
"Is there something else you want?"
"She is right."
The words replayed in my mind.
Again.
And again.
And again.
I closed the book with a sigh.
What was wrong with that man?
Yesterday, he looked ready to kill me.
Today, he was defending me.
First at breakfast.
Then again in front of Avni.
None of it made sense.
And I hated things that didn't make sense.
I tapped my fingers against the book.
What was his angle?
What did he want?
A knock at the door pulled me back to reality.
"Come in," I called.
The door opened.
A girl stepped inside.
She looked to be in her late teens.
Long black hair.
Grey eyes.
Pale skin.
Beautiful.
But not in an intimidating way.
More like moonlight.
Soft.
Elegant.
She smiled warmly.
"Hi, Bhabhi."
My eyebrows rose in surprise.
"I am Noor."
A smile tugged at my lips.
"Noor?"
She nodded.
I tilted my head slightly.
"That's a perfect name for you."
Confusion flashed across her face.
I chuckled softly.
"Because you're literally glowing."
"I'm Aryan's sister," she said cheerfully.
I nodded.
"I know."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You do?"
I laughed softly.
"You introduced yourself as Noor. Aryan's mother mentioned you yesterday."
"Oh."
A sheepish smile appeared on her face.
Then she looked at me carefully and said,
"You're very beautiful."
I blinked.
That was unexpectedly direct.
Tilting my head, I smiled.
"So are you."
Her face lit up instantly.
"Thank you!"
There was something refreshing about her.
No hidden meaning.
No manipulation.
Just honesty.
"So..." she said, rocking slightly on her heels. "If you want, I can show you the mansion."
My eyes brightened.
"Of course."
Finally.
Someone normal.
In a house filled with intimidating people, family politics, and enough manipulation to start a small war.
I closed the book and placed it on the table.
Noor grinned.
I followed her out of the room.
And just like that, she officially became my officially became my tour guide for this enormous maze of the mansion
We continued walking through the long corridors of the mansion.
Noor pointed toward a door on the second floor.
"That's Avni's room."
My eyes moved toward it.
The hallway was brightly lit.
Sunlight poured through the large windows.
And yet—
For some reason, that door felt strangely cold.
Heavy.
I quickly looked away.
Maybe it was just my imagination.
"So..." I said, turning to Noor. "Is Avni your relative?"
Noor answered so quickly that I almost laughed.
"No."
Then she paused.
"If she were my relative, I'd rather stay alone."
A chuckle escaped me.
A second later, Noor started laughing too.
At least we agreed on something.
Once she calmed down, she continued.
"She's actually my mother's best friend."
I raised an eyebrow.
Noor nodded.
"My grandfather and her father were very close friends."
Her expression softened slightly.
"Years ago, their house caught fire."
The smile disappeared from her face.
"Everyone died."
I froze.
Noor looked ahead as we continued walking.
"Avni was the only survivor."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
"My grandfather brought her here after that."
"She grew up in this house."
I looked down at the floor.
A small ache settled in my chest.
Losing an entire family at such a young age...
Living alone afterward...
That kind of loneliness wasn't easy to survive.
"That's tragic," I said quietly.
Noor nodded.
"It is."
"It is what it is," I said quietly.
"We can't change what happened in anyone's past, can we?"
Noor looked at me for a moment.
Then nodded.
A small smile appeared on my lips.
"Exactly."
The past couldn't be changed.
Only lived with.
We continued walking through the corridor.
After a few moments, Noor pointed toward another door.
It was right next to my bedroom.
Our bedroom.
Mine and Aryan's.
"That room belongs to Avni's daughter, Kayva."
I stopped walking.
"She has a daughter?"
Noor nodded immediately.
"Oh yes."
Then she leaned closer and lowered her voice dramatically.
"And she's exactly like her mother."
I laughed softly.
"That's a terrifying description."
"It should be."
Noor looked completely serious.
Which only made me laugh harder.
"Where is she now?" I asked.
"USA."
"She's studying there."
I nodded.
That made sense.
Then Noor hesitated.
The kind of hesitation that usually meant gossip was coming.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
"What?"
A mischievous smile spread across her face.
"You know..."
She paused for effect.
"She used to be in love with my brother."
I froze.
For a second, I wasn't sure I had heard her correctly.
Noor continued before I could say anything.
"She even took this room so she could stay close to him."
My gaze drifted toward the closed door.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I nodded, taking in the information.
There was no point dwelling on it right now.
Noor was already walking again, so I followed her downstairs.
A few minutes later, we stepped into the garden.
The moment I walked outside, a gentle warmth brushed against my skin.
I paused.
The morning sunlight felt comforting after spending so much time inside the mansion.
Flower bushes lined the pathways.
Tall trees swayed softly in the breeze.
Birds chirped somewhere above us.
For a moment, it felt less like a private estate and more like a park.
I took a deep breath.
Fresh air filled my lungs.
The tension I hadn't even realized I was carrying eased slightly.
"This is beautiful," I admitted.
Noor smiled proudly.
"I know."
We continued walking along the stone path.
And somehow, the conversation never stopped.
We talked about everything.
Her studies.
My job.
Her favorite subjects.
The patients I had met.
The teachers she hated.
The surgeries I had assisted in.
The more we talked, the easier it became.
For the first time since arriving at this house, I wasn't thinking about Aryan.
Or Avni.
Or Aarushi.
I was simply enjoying the morning.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I practically collapsed onto the bed.
My legs finally sighed in relief.
Libraries.
Guest wings.
Studies.
More hallways.
More rooms.
And somehow even more rooms.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
The soft creak of the door reached my ears.
I wanted to see who it was.
So I stayed exactly where I was.
"Why are you lying like that?"
Aryan.
I opened one eye.
"I'm tired."
He placed his watch on the table before looking at me.
"Really?"
"What were you doing?"
With considerable effort, I pushed myself into a sitting position.
"Exploring."
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"What were you exploring?"
A pause.
"Dora the Explorer?"
I narrowed my eyes immediately.
"The maze you call a mansion."
His smirk widened.
"It's not that big."
I stared at him.
He stared back.
Then I pointed a finger at him.
"That's exactly what someone who lives here would say."
For a second, silence filled the room.
Then, to my annoyance, his smirk grew even wider.
He started unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt as he walked toward the wardrobe.
"You'll get used to it."
"I don't think so," I replied immediately.
His hands paused.
"Why?"
He looked at me.
I shrugged nonchalantly.
"No reason."
There was absolutely no chance I was telling him the truth.
That I had the directional sense of a lost pigeon.
That I could get lost in a place after visiting it five times.
Only Alina knew about that.
And I intended to keep it that way.
Aryan studied me for a moment.
Like he knew I wasn't telling him something.
But thankfully, before he could ask another question—
A knock sounded at the door.
"Sir, dinner is served."
Aryan looked toward the door.
"We'll be there."
The servant left.
Silence settled in the room again.
I glanced at Aryan.
He glanced back.
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then he nodded toward the door.
"Come on, Dora."
My jaw dropped.
"I said it once!"
"And it was memorable."
I narrowed my eyes.
This man was impossible.
Aryan and I made our way through the endless corridors until we finally reached the dining room.
To my surprise, Avni wasn't there.
Thank God.
I took my seat and picked up my fork.
For the first time that day, dinner seemed peaceful.
Which should have been my first warning.
Peace never lasted long around me.
Conversations flowed around the table as everyone ate.
Then—
The dining room doors opened.
The sound was enough to make several people look
I did too.
And immediately noticed the change in the room.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Avni stood at the entrance.
A victorious smile rested on her face.
Beside her stood a young woman.
Brown hair.
Brown eyes.
Rose-red lips.
Sharp features that demanded attention.
Beautiful.
Striking.
Confident.
Avni's smile widened.
"Kayva is back for the holidays."
My hand froze around my fork.
So this was Kayva.
The daughter.
The girl who had once been in love with Aryan.
I glanced around the table.
Everyone seemed tense.
nteresting.
Very interesting.
Then my eyes returned to Kayva.
She wasn't looking at her mother.
Or Noor.
Or anyone else.
She was looking directly at me.
As if trying to see through me.
Most people looked away first during staring contests.
I wasn't most people.
So I held her gaze.
And didn't blink.
nteresting.
Very interesting.
Then my eyes returned to Kayva.
She wasn't looking at her mother.
Or Noor.
Or anyone else.
She was looking directly at me
As if trying to see through me.
Most people looked away first during staring contests.
I wasn't most people.
So I held her gaze.
And didn't blink.