CHAPTER 7
SIYA
Few minutes ago
Once again, I couldn’t stay inside that suite any longer.
So, I slip out quietly, needing a little space before my thoughts suffocate me entirely.
At this hour, the resort feels almost deserted and quiet.
My steps eventually lead me to the indoor swimming pool.
The water reflects the dim lights above, with not a single soul in sight.
I pause at the entrance, watching the surface of the water.
It looks perfectly calm. Almost inviting.
Maybe this is exactly what my restless mind needs right now.
Without overthinking, I walk towards the edge of the pool.
Reaching one of the loungers nearby, I slip the shawl off my shoulders and place it neatly over the backrest before moving closer to the water.
The cool tiles press against my palms as I sit down slowly at the edge and lower my feet into the water.
The cold sensation travels up my legs instantly, and I release a slow breath, allowing the sensation to settle my racing thoughts.
The water ripples gently around my feet, and with it, something inside me loosens, just a little.
I should’ve come here earlier. Maybe then I wouldn’t have spent the entire evening pacing inside my suite like a restless prisoner. I let my thoughts drift, enjoying the rare calm.
And then… the water moves.
At first, it’s just a subtle disturbance near the centre of the pool. I frown slightly, assuming the filtration system must have kicked in. But then the surface breaks, and Raghav emerges from the water like some dangerous creature rising from its depths.
For a brief second, my mind simply stops working.
Of all the places inside this massive estate, I somehow managed to walk into the one corner where the very man I’ve been trying so hard not to think about is currently swimming.
Water droplets slide down his body as he surfaces, lifting his head above the water and pushing his wet hair back with a slow sweep of his hand.
The faint pool lights beneath the surface illuminate him in a way that makes every single line of his body impossible to ignore.
And, unfortunately for me, my eyes notice everything. He is wearing nothing but a pair of swimming trunks, which normally wouldn’t matter… if the man in question didn’t look like he’d been chiselled out of stone by a sculptor with a dangerously sensual imagination
For a moment, I forget how to breathe. Which is absolutely ridiculous.
I have grown up surrounded by powerful men my entire life.
But somehow, none of them prepared me for this particular sight.
I quickly drag my gaze back up to his face, annoyed with myself for letting it wander that far in the first place.
And that’s when I realise he’s already looking at me.
Not surprised.
Not embarrassed.
Just calmly observing me, as if he, too, hadn’t expected me to be sitting here like an intruder.
Wonderful.
First, his car shed. Then the stable. And now… his pool.
At this rate, he’s going to start believing I’m following him around his own property. Which is so not true.
He runs a hand through his wet hair again, pushing it back from his forehead without once breaking eye contact. The movement is simple, almost casual, yet something about it sends a tingle down my spine.
Suddenly, a very sensible thought hits me.
I should leave. Immediately. The last thing I need tonight is another confrontation with this man about invading his spaces and being where I shouldn’t be.
Considering our last interaction ended with threats and warnings, it would be wise to avoid giving him another reason to lecture me about his estate.
Unfortunately, my body reacts a second too slowly.
Because Raghav Kundra is already moving.
He begins walking towards me, cutting through the water with slow, unhurried steps.
The closer he gets, the more aware I become of my own appearance…
because his gaze begins to move. Lower. Slowly.
It travels downwards from my face and pauses at the neckline of my black nightgown.
Only then do I fully register what I’m wearing. Thin straps rest against my shoulders, and the fabric plunges into a deep V, revealing far more than I would normally allow outside the privacy of my room. Sitting like this probably makes it worse, as the angle leaves little to the imagination.
A strange sensation rips through me as his gaze rests there… at my cleavage.
Men in the mafia world have always known where the invisible line exists when it comes to me. Growing up as Shamsher Vardhaan’s daughter, very few men dared to let their gaze wander too freely in my presence.
Respect, or fear disguised as respect, kept that boundary intact. They understood the consequences of crossing it. But Raghav clearly does not care about such consequences. His gaze lingers just long enough to make me aware of his interest before returning to my face again.
Under any other circumstances, I would have already torn a man apart for looking at me like that.
But this… this wasn’t the same. His look didn’t carry the usual hunger and entitled lust men display when they think they have a right to gawk at a woman’s body.
It was different. Almost like admiration.
A scoff rises in my mind immediately. Men like Raghav must have had half the women in whatever city they lived in throwing themselves at his feet back when he ruled the underworld in Cape Town.
A man with that kind of power, that kind of presence, and clearly that kind of body would never have struggled for female attention.
That’s why I’d never choose men like him. I’d rather live my entire life alone than give my trust, my body, and my heart to someone whose past is drenched in blood and power games… even if that man is now standing in front of me looking like temptation carved into human form.
Raghav reaches the edge of the pool where I’m sitting.
For a moment, I think he’s going to say something, and I instinctively prepare myself for another sharp remark.
But he doesn’t even look at me. Instead, he grips the metal rail beside the steps and pulls himself out of the pool in one smooth motion.
Water trails down the length of his finely sculpted body and drips onto the tiled floor as he climbs out.
I remain seated at the edge of the pool, my gaze following him automatically as he walks towards the row of loungers placed against the far wall.
That walk shouldn’t be distracting. And yet, heat rises beneath my skin before I can stop it.
Raghav reaches one of the loungers and picks up the towel lying on it. He lifts it to his head and slowly begins to dry his hair.
He still hasn’t looked at me.
After a few seconds, he drops the towel back onto the lounger and reaches for a plush white robe resting there.
The soft fabric settles over his shoulders as he slips his arms into the sleeves and pulls the sash closely around his body.
It’s only when the robe covers him that I realise I’ve been watching him far longer than necessary.
I pull my feet out of the water and straighten, smoothing my palms over the fabric of my nightgown.
Now… now he’ll turn and ask why I’m here. But instead of doing that, Raghav simply starts walking towards the exit, as if my presence is not even worth acknowledging. That irks me to no end. Before I can stop myself, the words slip out.
“My mom thinks I should say sorry to you.” My voice cuts through the silence of the pool area.
Raghav stops immediately. I suddenly realise I’ve already begun moving after him, trying to catch up before he leaves. He turns slowly, and when his eyes land on me again, the expression in them is not calm anymore.
“Your mom?” he repeats.
“Yes. She thinks I should apologise to you for last night,” I say. “Look, I’m grateful that you saved my life. I’m not denying that.” I pause for a second. “But I’m not sorry for what I said.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, something shifts in his expression as he takes a step towards me. Then another. And before I can react, he’s already standing dangerously close to me.
“Last night,” he says slowly, “you told me that no one except you knows my real identity. And now you’re telling me that you told your mother too?”
It immediately hits me.
Oh… oh.
I clear my throat quietly, trying to keep the situation from escalating further.
“I don’t hide things from my mother,” I reply, trying to sound as reasonable as possible.
“So yes, she knows. She’s known since the first time I saw you.
Back in Mumbai. At the Josh Club. I recognised you the moment I saw you. ”
Raghav still looks furious. And although I know this won’t calm him down, I say it anyway.
“But she’ll not tell anyone,” I add. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
His jaw clenches, and his hands move so fast that I barely see them coming.
One second, he’s standing in front of me.
The next, his fingers close firmly around my upper arms and pull me towards him.
The sudden force of the movement knocks the breath out of my lungs.
He drags me closer until there is almost no space left between us.
“If anyone apart from you and your mother ever learns the truth about who I am,” he says angrily, each word edged with threat, “it’s not me who should be worried, Siya Vardhaan.” His fingers tighten further around my arms. “It will be you.”
Anger sparks inside me instantly. I lift my chin, refusing to let his warning intimidate me. “I’ve heard that you don’t kill women,” I mock, my eyes meeting his without flinching. “Has that changed?”
His dark eyes stay locked on mine, burning in a way that would have made most people look away. But I don’t.
“I don’t kill women,” he says at last, his jaw tight as he forces his temper under control. “But I can definitely bury one in my vineyard, and make sure she never sees the light again.”
Before my mind fully processes what he said, I react, shoving him back with all my strength. The sudden movement catches him off guard just enough for him to release my arms.
“As if I would let you do that,” I snap, taking an immediate step back.
“I’m not one of those showpiece mafia princesses you might have been acquainted with in your past, RK.
” My fingers curl into fists at my sides as I glare at him.
“One wrong look, one wrong touch… and I can make even the mightiest men like you crawl on their knees.”
He looks furious, the expression on his face so dark that it looks like he might actually lose control.
I brace myself, half expecting him to step forward again, to grab me like before and prove that my words mean nothing in his world.
But he doesn’t. He simply turns and walks away without another word or threat.
“Unbelievable,” I mutter under my breath.
The man truly believes he can threaten me and walk away as if nothing happened.
I shake my head lightly and turn towards the exit as well, ready to return to my suite and forget that this ridiculous encounter ever happened.
But the moment I take a step, something catches my eye.
A faint flash of gold glimmers near the floor under the pool lights.
I pause and look down at the small object lying on the tiles where Raghav stood just moments before. Bending slightly, I pick it up and turn the object between my fingers.
It’s a pendant.
Solid gold. Simple, but clearly expensive.
It must have slipped from the chain around his neck during our argument. I turn it over and notice the engraving immediately.
The letter R is carved into the centre.
R for Raghav. Of course.
I glance towards the exit where he disappeared only seconds ago.
I consider going after him to return it.
It’s the logical thing to do. But why should I go after him?
The man literally threatened to bury me alive in his vineyard two minutes ago.
I stare down at the pendant resting in my palm and scoff.
“If you’re careless enough to lose something like this,” I murmur, “then that’s your problem, RK.”
I’m certainly not doing any favours tonight for a man who clearly believes threatening me is an acceptable way to end a conversation. With that thought firmly in place, I turn away from the pool and walk back towards the corridor leading to my suite, the gold pendant resting warmly in my hand.
I’ll return it tomorrow, either to him or to one of his staff. Tonight, he can very well wonder where it has disappeared. And perhaps the next time he decides to threaten someone, he’ll remember that even the mighty Dark Prince is capable of losing things when his temper gets the better of him.