Aryan's expression was pure rage when he saw the damage. "This was a damn assassination attempt."
Anaya placed a hand on his arm. "It was a warning."
"Next time, it won't be." His voice was tight with anger. "I swear, Anaya, if anything happens to you—"
She looked up at him, determination in her eyes. "Then we strike first."
A tense silence stretched between them before Aryan exhaled sharply. "You're not backing down."
She smirked. "Would you?"
His lips quirked, but there was no humor in it. "Never."
Anaya stepped closer. "Then help me end this."
His answer was immediate. "Always."
---
Vikram's Deadly Ultimatum
Vikram Sethi sat in his study, listening as Avni ranted. She was furious, desperate, unhinged.
"She's ruining everything! She's making us look weak!" Avni's voice shook with rage. "And you're just letting it happen?"
Vikram studied his daughter carefully.
Avni had always been a weapon, sharp and ruthless. But a weapon that couldn't be controlled was a liability.
And Vikram did not keep liabilities.
"Enough." His voice was calm, but the finality in it made Avni freeze.
She swallowed, suddenly uneasy. "You're not—"
He leaned forward. "I let you make one move. You failed. If you do something reckless again, I will fix it myself."
Avni's breath hitched. "You wouldn't—"
His stare was cold, emotionless. "Try me."
Silence.
For the first time, Avni felt something she had never felt before with Vikram.
Fear.
---
Anaya's Final Warning
The next morning, Avni received a single text message.
"Try again, and I won't miss. – Anaya"
Avni stared at the screen, her heart pounding.
Anaya wasn't just fighting back.
She was coming for blood.
And for the first time, Avni wondered—
Had she already lost?
---
Avni paced inside her room like a caged animal her mind spinning caos. She couldn't believe it. Anaya was still standing.
The failed attack had backfired. Instead of making Anaya afraid, it had only made her more dangerous.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Meera.
" Come to my study. Now"
Avni clenched her jaw. She knew what this was about. She stormed downstairs, throwing open the doors. Meera sat at her desk, sipping tea as if everything wasn't crumbling around them. "You called?" Avni snapped.
Meera placed her cup down with deliberate calmness. " You acted without thinking. Again".
Avni let out bitter laugh. "Oh, I m sorry mother. Mother should I have waited for Anaya to destroy is completely?".
Meera's expression didn't change. "You were reckless". "She's the reckless one!" Avni exploded. "She's turning the whole world against us!".
Meera sighed shaking her head. "And that's exactly why you should have waited." She leaned forward, her gaze piercing. "Do you really think I don't have my own plans in place?"
Avni's hands clenched into fists. " Then why haven't you done anything?".
Meera stood, walking over until she was mere inches away. " Because unlike you, I don't act out of desperation. I act to win."
Avni's breath hitched, but before she could respond, Meera turned away.
" You're loosing control, Avni". Meera's voice was dangerously soft. " And people who lose control become useless to me".
Avni's chest tightened. "You wouldn't -"
Meera glanced at her over her shoulder, a cruel smirk forming. "Wouldn't I?"
Avni swallowed hard.
For the first time, she realised her own mother might be preparing to cut her loose.
Avni barely felt the cold night air as she stumbled into the dimly lit bar. The weight of her humiliation pressed down on her like a vice—her whole world had just collapsed in front of Delhi's elite.
She wasn't a Kapoor.
She wasn't Raghav Kapoor's daughter.
She had been nothing more than a pawn in Meera's game.
The realization burned deeper than the whiskey she downed in a single gulp. She motioned for another. The bartender barely glanced at her, pouring another drink into the glass she gripped with shaking fingers.
Everything was slipping through her hands. Kapoor Industries. Her future. Even Vikram Sethi, the man she had called father, was distancing himself, choosing Meera over her.
And worst of all—Anaya had won.
The thought made her stomach churn. Anaya, the girl she had despised her entire life, had taken everything. The company. The family name. The power.
Her vision blurred, a mix of alcohol and fury. She barely noticed when a figure slid into the seat beside her.
A low voice spoke. "Tough night?"
Avni turned, eyes glazed. A man—tall, well-dressed, but with an air of danger—watched her with curiosity.
"You have no idea," she slurred.
"I might," he murmured, signaling the bartender for another drink. "After all, I know what it's like to have everything stolen from you."
Something in his tone cut through her drunken haze. She frowned. "Who the hell are you?"
He smirked. "A friend. One who can help you get everything back."
Avni narrowed her eyes, suspicion creeping in. "And why would you help me?"
The man leaned in, his voice a whisper. "Because we have a common enemy. And I never let my enemies win."
Avni stared at him, her pulse quickening. She didn't know who this man was. But right now? She didn't care.
Because revenge was all she had left.
---