The air in New Delhi was thick with smog, but to Anaya Kapoor, it felt heavier with memories.
She had spent seven years away, trying to bury the past beneath new cities, new identities, new lives. But the past wasn't something that could be forgotten. It clung to her, whispering in her ear every night.
And now, she was back—not to remember, but to reclaim.
The black Mercedes moved smoothly through the crowded streets, weaving past honking cars and restless pedestrians. Anaya sat in the back, her fingers curled tightly around the handle of her suitcase.
Her mother's face flashed in her mind—warm, kind, dead.
The blood. The silence.
Her mother's murder had been ruled an accident. A lie.
The people who had stolen everything from her were still thriving inside Kapoor Mansion, wearing the wealth and power they didn't deserve.
But things were about to change.
She had come home to destroy them.
Kapoor Mansion: A House of Lies
The iron gates swung open, revealing the estate that once felt like home. The sprawling gardens, the marble pillars, the golden chandeliers visible through the towering glass windows.
Everything looked the same. That was the problem.
Nothing had changed, even after her mother had died. Even after Anaya had been sent away.
As the car came to a stop, she took a steady breath and stepped out. The air smelled of jasmine and deception.
And then, a voice she hadn't heard in years rang out.
"Well, well. The prodigal daughter returns."
Anaya turned.
Standing on the front steps, dressed in an elegant emerald saree, was Avni Kapoor—her stepsister.
Her enemy.
Avni's lips curled into a smirk. "I almost didn't recognize you, Anaya. You actually look… expensive."
The words were a test, baiting her into a reaction. Anaya smiled instead.
"Money does that, Avni," she replied smoothly. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
Avni's smirk faltered for a split second before she tossed her hair back, eyes gleaming with challenge. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Before Anaya could reply, another voice joined the scene.
"Anaya, my dear."
A figure emerged from the doorway—Meera Kapoor.
Her stepmother.
The woman who had married her father and taken her mother's place.
Her beauty was still intact, frozen in time by wealth and vanity. But her eyes… they held secrets.
Meera smiled, stepping forward as if to embrace her. Anaya didn't move.
"Such a surprise," Meera said, voice sweet as honey. "You didn't even tell us you were coming."
Anaya tilted her head. "I didn't think you'd care."
Meera's smile didn't waver. "Of course we care. You're family."
Liar.
Anaya's grip tightened on her suitcase. "Well, then. Let's see if I still belong here."
She walked past them, stepping into Kapoor Mansion for the first time in years.
Behind her, Meera and Avni shared a glance.
Avni chuckled, descending the stairs with the grace of someone who believed herself untouchable. "Oh, Anaya. You left. What did you expect? That the world would pause for you?"
"No," Anaya said smoothly. "I expected to take back what's mine."
A thick silence settled between them, the air charged with unspoken battles.
Meera placed a delicate hand on Avni's arm, a silent command to ease the tension. "Now, now, let's not start the night with hostility. We are family, after all."
Anaya's lips curled. "Are we?"
Meera's smile didn't falter, but her grip on Avni tightened. "Come, dear. You must be tired from your journey. Your old room has been prepared for you."
"Good," Anaya said, brushing past them. "I plan on staying a while."
She didn't wait for their response. The moment she stepped past them, she knew she had unsettled their carefully curated world.
And this was just the beginning.
Because they knew.
They knew why she was back.
And they weren't going to let her win.
Inside the grand hallway, a familiar portrait caught Anaya's eye.
Her mother.
Frozen in time, forever smiling.
A slow, burning anger spread through her chest.
This place had stolen her mother.
It had tried to erase her.
But Anaya had returned not as a victim, but as a storm.
And she would burn it all down.