18.

Mira's POV

A loud banging on our door jerks me awake. My heart pounds as I glance at Jiya, who looks just as confused. Before we can react, the door bursts open and a group of men storm inside, knocking over furniture and smashing things without a second thought.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shout, rushing forward to push them back but they don’t even flinch.

"Move!" one of them barks, his rough voice making me shiver.

"Excuse me! We’ll call the police!" I snap, grabbing my phone but before I can dial one of them snatches it from my hand and smashes it onto the floor. The screen shatters into tiny pieces.

"What’s happening here?" A  voice cuts through the chaos.

Jiya and I spin around and my stomach twists in anger. It’s them....the same arrogant women from yesterday.

"Oh, so this is your doing" Jiya growls her fists clenching.

"Yes it’s us" one of the women smirks. "And now, get out. The owner doesn’t want you here anymore"

I glance at Jiya, then back at them. My chest tightens. They can’t just throw us out like this!

"You messed with us" another woman sneers. "Now you’ll see. I’ll make sure you have nowhere to stay not just in this building but in the entire city"

A slow, dangerous chuckle escapes Jiya. I know that laugh. She’s up to something.

"Tell your men to stop" she says coolly. "Or you’ll be the ones with nowhere to go....not just in this city but the entire country."

The women exchange glances before scoffing. "Oh yeah? And what exactly will you do?"

Jiya smirks and dials a number. "Hello Bhai?" she says sweetly. "There are some ladies in our society trying to kick us out. They’ve sent their men into our house, breaking things. Oh and they also smashed Bhabhi’s phone and shout at her"

My mouth falls open. Bhabhi?! This little devil! Just wait until these people are gone....I’ll deal with her. She’s playing the 'sister' card smartly. No doubt, she’s Abhiraj’s sister.

She ends the call and smiles at the women. "Come inside, have some tea. My brother’s on his way" she says casually.

The women burst out laughing, along with the men.

"Do you see these men?" one of them gestures to the bodybuilders around us. "Just one punch from them and your so called brother will be on the ground"

This time, Jiya and I laugh. Hard.

"Oh dear pain-in-the-ass neighbor aunty" Jiya grins. "Call more bodybuilders. You’ll need them when my brother gets here"

"Don’t listen to them! They’re trying to distract us" one of the women snaps. "Throw their stuff out!"

The men obey instantly, grabbing our things and tossing them outside. Glass shatters, books scatter and our home......everything we built with so much struggle......is getting destroyed before our eyes.

I stand frozen, watching helplessly. My heart aches. Jiya stays beside me, her jaw tight. She’s furious, but we both know we can’t stop them. Not yet.

"I'm your Bhabhi now huh?" I mutter, nudging her leg with mine.

Jiya grins. "Yes, you are, Bhabhi"

I roll my eyes but before I can say anything else, a deep, commanding voice fills the room.

Silence falls instantly.

"Asr…" The women gasp, their faces draining of color. I turn.

There, standing at the entrance, is Abhiraj....his eyes dark, his posture rigid. Behind him his guards step inside, their presence alone sending chills through the room.

And just like that the game changes. Abhiraj's guards hold the men tightly as they tremble in fear.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" one of them asks his voice suddenly sweet and polite, as if he wasn’t shouting like a loudspeaker just moments ago.

Abhiraj ignores him and walks toward us. He is dressed in his night clothes....black trousers and a black t-shirt. His hair is messy and his sharp gaze holds an intensity that makes my heart race. And those biceps......ahhh, Mira stop it!

"Are you both okay?" he asks his deep voice laced with concern.

Jiya and I nod quickly. "Yes, we are" I reply, meeting his eyes. His shoulders relax slightly and he gives me a small, relieved smile before turning back to the men.

"Bhai he yelled at Bhabhi and even broke her phone!" Jiya complains again pointing at one of the men.

I bite my lip, trying to hold back my smile. Jiya never misses a chance to add fuel to the fire.

Abhiraj's face darkens with fury as he steps toward the man. Without a second thought, he raises his hand and the sound of his slap echoes through the air. The impact is so strong that the man collapses to the ground, unconscious. My stomach tightens.....I never want to see this terrifying side of Abhiraj again.

"Teach them a lesson" Abhiraj commands his guards. Without hesitation, they drag the men out of the house.

Jiya crosses her arms and steps toward the trembling women. "So, what were you saying to Aunty earlier? That your bodybuilders could defeat my Bhai with just one slap?" Her tone drips with sarcasm and the women visibly shake under her glare.

"We… we didn’t mean…" one of them stutters, unable to form a proper sentence under Abhiraj’s piercing stare.

A thought crosses my mind and I smirk. "Wait a second.....don’t all of your husbands work at Rajvansh Enterprises?" I ask my voice casual but laced with mischief.

Jiya gasps dramatically. "Oh yes! They do!" She nods eagerly catching on to my plan.

Abhiraj turns to one of his men. "Fire their husbands. Make sure they don’t get a job anywhere in the country"

The women fall to their knees, their eyes wide with panic. "No sir! Please have mercy! We won’t do anything like this again! Please forgive us!" they plead but Abhiraj remains unmoved. The guards escort them out.

Abhiraj then turns to us, his voice firm yet protective. "From now on both of you will live in our mansion."

Jiya immediately nods in agreement but I shake my head. Abhiraj’s gaze settles on me, unreadable yet intense. I can already tell this conversation isn’t over.

Abhiraj and Jiya both ask together "Why not?"

I take a deep breath, trying to explain. "How can I live with you? Jiya is your sister, so it makes sense for her to stay but not me" I say momentarily forgetting that Abhiraj and I are in a relationship.

His intense gaze locks onto mine as he steps closer. Jiya, sensing the tension quickly runs inside the room, leaving us alone.

"Babe, I think you forgot that last night I proposed to you" he says in his deep morning voice, making my legs feel weak. "You accepted which means you should live with me. You are mine and I am yours."

I open my mouth to protest but before I can say anything, he pulls me toward him by my waist. My breath hitches as his hand fits perfectly around me as if it was meant to hold me.

"But what my sweetheart?" he murmurs gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

I clutch the fabric of his shirt, my fingers gripping onto him for support. After a moment I nod, silently agreeing to go with him.

"Good" he says with a satisfied smirk before stepping back and making a call.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I rush inside the bedroom. Jiya is standing at the door, clearly eavesdropping. I glare at her and she quickly dashes into the washroom. Within two minutes she is back, making it obvious that she was pretending to take longer to get ready all this time.

I am not mentally prepared to move in with them. Jiya can, since it’s her brother’s house, but me? Even though Abhiraj and I are in a relationship, we aren’t married yet.

"Mira hurry up!" Jiya calls out. I change into a fresh outfit and step out of the room.

"Let's go. Don’t worry about your things my men will handle everything" Abhiraj reassures me. Jiya and I nod before following him outside.

Our apartment is in ruins.....most of our belongings are broken by them. There’s barely anything left in good condition.

As soon as we step out of the building, my mouth falls open. Every single balcony is crowded with people staring....not at us but at Abhiraj. Of course. He is Abhiraj Singh Rajvansh, the mafia king. It’s no surprise that people are watching.

Feeling uneasy, I quickly slide into the car and Jiya does the same. Abhiraj takes the driver’s seat and starts the car.

"You should sit in the front" Jiya says, nudging me.

I give her a tired look. "I’m fine here"

She rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue further. Abhiraj drives us toward his mansion while I struggle to keep my eyes open. It’s only 8 AM but exhaustion is weighing down on me. I try my best to stay awake but it's hard.

By the time we reach the mansion, my eyelids are heavy. We step out of the car and walk inside. I’ve been here only twice before but I never got the chance to explore. The place is massive....big enough to fit over a thousand 1BHK apartments inside it.

Abhiraj walks ahead of us, his presence commanding. Jiya and I follow behind him. We enter the mansion and he leads us to the rooms he has arranged for us.

"This is so beautiful" Jiya says, admiring the room. I glance at Abhiraj and see a pure, content smile on his face. Jiya walks inside exploring the space.

Abhiraj turns to me with a serious yet soft expression. "And you will live with me in my room"

My eyes widen in shock. "N...no I'll stay here with Jiya" I stammer, my mind racing with the possibilities of what could happen if we shared a room.

"Why?" he asks his face looking so adorable that it’s hard to resist.

I take a deep breath and whisper "We will live in one room when we get married Mr. Rajvansh"

His lips curve into a smirk. "Then let's get married, Mrs. Rajvansh" he says making my heart pound wildly in my chest.

Before I can respond, his phone rings. He looks at the caller ID, then glances at me. "You go and rest. We will talk later" he says gently.

I nod, offering him a small smile before heading inside the room. Jiya is already fast asleep. I slip into bed beside her, sinking into the soft mattress......it feels like heaven.

I suddenly wonder where Zar is, realizing I didn’t see him when I entered. Maybe he’s asleep too, I think to myself.

As I lay there, my fingers brush against the rings given to me by both father and son. A small, pure smile spreads across my face. My eyes slowly close and I drift into sleep, thinking about how much our lives have changed in just one day.

Dev's POV

I step out of my room after freshening up. It’s the weekend, so I slept in a little too much. Glancing at the clock I realize it’s already 10:30 AM. I head downstairs and spot Zar and Abhi already at the dining table.

"Good morning" I greet them taking a seat beside Abhi. Zar still looks half asleep his head resting lazily on the table.

"Good morning! And I have a surprise for both of you" Abhi says with a mysterious smile. My curiosity piques as I exchange a glance with Zar.

"What surprise?" I ask my brows furrowing in confusion.

Abhi smirks. "Turn around."

Zar and I exchange another puzzled glance before turning around as instructed. My breath catches in my throat. Jiya stands there, looking right at me.

Zar immediately dashes towards her, excitement bubbling in his movements. He jumps around them like an overexcited kangaroo. This white tiger.

"Aww my cutie pie!" Jiya coos, bending down to his level and planting a soft kiss on his forehead. My chest tightens at the sight. Why is she kissing him? I know Zar acts like an affectionate little baby in front of her but does she have to kiss him? Does she kiss anyone she finds cute?

And what about me? I look cute too, don’t I? Yet she never kisses me. In fact, she’s been ignoring me completely for the past week. But then again, I did ignore her a lot when we first met… maybe I deserve this.

"Good morning, Dev" Mira greets with a warm smile, pulling me from my thoughts.

I return the smile. "Good morning."

Still confused about Jiya and Mira’s presence here so early in the morning, I glance at Abhi, silently demanding an explanation.

"Actually" Mira starts, sensing my unspoken question, "our landlord told us to leave the house this morning. He even started breaking our things, so we called Abhiraj and he brought us here."

I nod in understanding. That explains the situation. Zar lets out a low roar turning his head towards Jiya and Mira.

"Yes they'll live with us from now on" Abhi answers and Zar starts jumping around again, clearly thrilled.

I shake my head with amusement. "Sometimes, I really doubt whether you're a tiger or a kangaroo"

Everyone bursts into laughter while Zar narrows his eyes at me in mock annoyance.

As breakfast is served we chat about random topics but I notice something peculiar. Every time Jiya speaks, I remain silent and every time I speak, she stays quiet. The unspoken tension between us is evident.

last night When I found out Jiya is Abhi's sister, I felt an unexpected rush of happiness. Abhi had broken down, crying as he told me how guilty he felt for not knowing he had a sister all these years. I tried to make him understand that it wasn’t his fault....he was just a child himself at the time.

"Dev?" Mira’s voice snaps me back to the present.

"Yes?" I look at her shaking off my thoughts.

She gives me a reassuring smile. "Are you fine with us living here in your house?"

I return her smile. "This isn’t my house...it’s yours. And who am I to tell you to stay or leave? You are Abhi’s soon-to-be wife and my soon-to-be bhabhi. So in every way this is your home too."

I can feel Jiya’s gaze on me but I don’t turn to meet her eyes.

"I don’t want to hear anything more on this topic" Abhi interjects. "You both belong here. If anything, we should be the ones asking you for permission to stay in this mansion"

We all chuckle at his words, the atmosphere finally lightening.

After finishing our breakfast, we move to the living room knowing we have a lot more to talk about.

Jiya's POV

Why didn't he say anything about me? Dev Malhotra, I'll teach you a lesson for sure! You are ignoring me huh? I can see it clearly. Just let me settle inside this house first and then I'll make my place in your heart because I'm not just Jiya Rao anymore. I'm Jiya Singh Rajvansh now.

I cross my arms, leaning back against the plush couch, my gaze fixed on him. He sits across from me, deep in conversation with Mira, completely unaware of my burning stare. His sharp jawline, the way his fingers absently drum against the armrest ......everything about him irritates me right now.

He acts like I don’t exist, like I'm invisible. But not for long. Oh, no. Dev Malhotra, you have no idea what’s coming your way. A slow smirk tugs at my lips as I imagine all the ways I'll make him acknowledge me.

Just wait and watch.

Second update at 11.30 PM ❤️ 🌎 ✨.