***Central Delhi, Singhania Residence, 8:30 PM***

Rohit glanced at his phone before ringing the doorbell of his house. It was still early evening.

A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Mira, the maid. She looked mildly surprised to see him back so soon.

"Young Master," she greeted with a small bow.

Rohit stepped inside and immediately noticed the unusual quiet. The ground floor was dimly lit, and the usual evening bustle was missing. The house felt almost empty.

He frowned slightly.

"Where are everyone?"

Mira answered quickly, "Most of the family went to the hospital to check on Vijay sir. He’s expected to be discharged soon. Only Aisha madam and Arya madam are still home."

Rohit nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

Just the two of them...Nice.

The silence in the house suddenly felt heavier.

His day had not been entirely unproductive. On the ride back, he had spotted a biker tailing his Uber for several blocks. Earlier, he had also noticed a newly opened cobbler’s foot stall positioned directly across from the mansion.

Coincidence was possible.

Two coincidences on the same day were not.

Someone was watching the Singhania residence. Most likely the Mittals.

The thought lingered for a moment before he pushed it aside. There would be time to deal with that later.

As he reached the upper floor, another detail caught his attention — warm light spilling out from the kitchen.

Curious, he walked toward it.

Arya stood at the kitchen counter, quietly preparing dinner.

Artwork.

She was wearing a simple fitted top that hugged her curves and a short skirt that showed off her smooth thighs. Her attention was fully focused on the bowl in front of her while soft music played from her phone.

Rohit stood at the entrance for a moment, watching her silently. A hungry grin spread across his face.

Damn... I really need to cop a feel of that.

He walked forward casually.

"What are you making?" he asked.

Without looking up, Arya replied dryly, "Food."

Rohit let out a low chuckle.

"Very informative."

He leaned against the counter beside her and glanced into the bowl.

"Pasta?" Rohit asked again.

Arya didn’t reply.

That was when he realized something was wrong. Normally, she would’ve thrown at least two sharp insults at him by now. Instead, she was deliberately ignoring him, her movements stiff and cold.

"Are you still mad at me?" he tried.

Silence.

Rohit tilted his head, studying her. "Is this about the shower incident? Look, that was a mistake. I already apologized."

Arya finally stopped stirring. She picked up her phone with sharp movements and shoved it toward him without a word.

Rohit looked down.

It was a selfie.

A photo of him and Riya sitting together inside the car — smiling, looking far too comfortable.

Rohit’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Ah. So that’s what this is about.

Arya folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"I specifically told you not to meet that woman."

Rohit stared at her for a moment, then let out a low breath.

"First of all, that’s not even what happened."

Arya scoffed. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

He calmly unlocked his phone and opened his billing history, turning the screen toward her.

"I was on my way to the dojo. We ran into each other by accident. She offered me a lift. That’s all."

Arya glanced at the screen. Her expression softened — but only slightly. The tension in her shoulders eased just a fraction.

Rohit noticed it immediately.

"Progress," Rohit murmured.

"You know," he said, stepping closer and bringing her phone forward as an excuse, "there’s something funny here."

Arya narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What?"

Rohit pressed himself against her from behind, using the phone as cover. The soft, firm curve of her ass pushed back against his growing bulge. He grinned internally, savoring the warmth.

"You somehow found this picture just five minutes after it was posted," he said casually, eyes fixed on the screen.

Arya immediately looked away, cheeks flushing. "That’s not the point."

"It kind of is."

"It isn’t."

"So you’re not stalking her social media?" he asked, voice dripping with amusement.

Arya’s silence was damning.

Rohit’s grin widened.

Arya shot him a sharp warning glare over her shoulder. "Keep smiling like that and I’ll throw this bowl at your head."

The grin vanished instantly.

"Understood," he replied, though the smug glint in his eyes remained.

Satisfied, Arya turned back to the counter and continued preparing the pasta.

A few moments of relative peace passed before she spoke again, her voice noticeably quieter. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"There are reasons I don’t like her."

Rohit’s expression turned more serious. "What reasons?"

Arya shook her head. "You wouldn’t understand."

He studied her silently. The answer only deepened his curiosity, but he decided not to push. Not yet.

Instead, he changed the subject. "So what’s with all the concern anyway? I joined a dojo today."

That successfully distracted her.

Arya looked at him in genuine disbelief. "A dojo?"

"Yeah."

"You?"

"Me."

She stared at him for several seconds before snorting. "Why?"

Rohit shrugged casually. "Thought it might impress my big sister."

Arya rolled her eyes. "Idiot."

"But imagine this," he continued with a grin. "One day some criminals try to kidnap you and—"

Thwack!

The wooden spoon smacked him hard on the shoulder.

"Stop talking nonsense," she scolded.

Rohit laughed.

For the first time since he arrived home, Arya finally looked close to her usual self again.

Neither of them noticed the figure standing silently just outside the kitchen entrance.

Aisha.

Artwork.

She had been waiting near Rohit’s room earlier. When he didn’t appear, she went looking for him.

Instead, she found this.

Rohit laughing with Arya. Teasing her. Pressing himself subtly against her back under the excuse of watching her cook. And somehow managing to make the perpetually irritated Arya look relaxed — almost soft.

An unpleasant feeling twisted sharply in Aisha’s chest.

Before she could dwell on it, she stepped into the kitchen with a dramatic yawn.

"So annoying," she muttered.

Both Rohit and Arya turned toward her at once.

Aisha stretched lazily, pretending she had only just arrived. "What are you two doing here?"

Rohit smiled casually. "Trying to line up for dinner."

Arya immediately distanced herself from him but said nothing.

Aisha watched the interaction with a forced smile. "Big sis... can you please make some for me too? I’m feeling really hungry right now."

Arya wanted to ignore her at first, but the memory of her mother always cooking for Aisha stopped her. She shot her an irritated look before turning back to the stove.

"You’ll eat whatever I make. Don’t have high expectations."

Aisha shrugged, then turned to Rohit. Her eyes carried clear scorn as she nudged him from behind, though her voice remained sweet and polite in front of Arya.

"Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. Rohit, can you come to my room for a minute? I need help fixing some boxes. My hands can’t reach the top of the wardrobe."

Rohit noticed the mocking tone and the sharp look in her eyes. He played along smoothly.

"Sure. If you say so."

Just as they turned to leave, Arya’s voice rang out from behind them, sharp and laced with warning.

"It’s almost ready. If you two aren’t back by the time I finish, forget about eating. I’d rather finish it myself than serve it cold."

***

The moment Aisha entered her room, she closed the door behind her and folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Care to explain what the hell that was?"

Rohit shrugged casually. "About what?"

She grabbed his collar and pulled him threateningly. "Don’t play dumb with me, Rohit. You know exactly what I’m talking about."

Rohit’s eyes narrowed. He gripped her wrist firmly, freed himself, and in one smooth motion pinned her against the door.

"Since when do I owe you an explanation?" he said coldly."Just because we fucked doesn’t mean you own me."

Aisha’s eyes filled with tears. Her voice cracked with pain and betrayal. "So that’s all I am to you? Just a cheap fuck you can use and throw away?" She broke down, sobbing openly. "How is that any different from my sister?"

Rohit felt a sharp discomfort twist in his chest. He hadn’t meant to hurt her this deeply. The memory of the morning episode with Tanya resurfaced, making him feel even worse for letting Aisha compare herself to her sister.

His expression softened immediately. He released her and pulled her into a hug, holding her gently.

"Hey... stop. Don’t cry, okay? My bad." His voice turned quieter, almost soothing. "I’ll give you an explanation, but please stop crying. I don’t like seeing you like this."

Aisha paused, looking up at him with expectant, teary eyes. "You promise... you’re not discarding me?"

Rohit sighed and explained calmly, "No, never. I only meant I refuse to bind myself to one woman. Make no mistake — you are my woman now, and I mean it. But whoever else I choose to involve myself with... that shouldn’t be your concern. That’s if you want to continue what we have cultivated."

Aisha paused, a subtle smirk forming in his arms. She had already figured out one of his few weaknesses — her tears. Internally, she liked him precisely because of this duality. He was a beast... but one she could control. She asked, still sobbing softly, "So what was that with Arya?"

Rohit patted her back gently, trying to calm her. "You’re looking at the result and ignoring the reason. Arya is one of the most important people in Raj Singhania’s life. Getting close to her was supposed to be a means to an end. The closer people become, the more they reveal about themselves. That’s all I intended."

Aisha looked shocked. "She’s your sister, Rohit... How can you even think about doing that to her?"

Rohit seemed surprised by her reaction. "Come on. Then what are we? Don’t forget I’m adopted. If the girls have no problem with it, why does it matter?"

Aisha stared into his eyes, absorbing his cold determination. There was not a shred of lie or hesitation. She realized she was talking to a different person now — someone who, after losing his memories, had forgotten what family truly meant and saw women mostly as objects of lust.

Yet, despite every warning in her mind, she couldn’t dislike this version of him. On the contrary, she was falling deeper and deeper.

After a long moment, she asked the question that had been haunting her since morning.

"So what... you’re planning to sleep with every woman in this house just to get what you want?" Her voice trembled with hurt. "I don’t understand... why I am not enough for you. Today it’s Arya, tomorrow it will be my sister Tanya, and next... who? My mother? Your mother Ragini as well?"

Rohit’s expression darkened. His grip on her shoulder tightened, making her flinch.

"Wait... stop it... you’re hurting me, Rohit... stop."

Something shifted in Rohit’s demeanor. The mention of Ragini had snapped something inside him. A cold surge of irritation rose unexpectedly, making his fingers tighten around Aisha’s shoulder before he forced himself to let go.

He released her abruptly and sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temple as he tried to regain control.

’Damn... I seriously wanted to choke her.’

’What’s wrong with me?’

"Look," he said, his voice calmer but still cold, "I have my reasons. You don’t need to understand all of them.. If you cant tolerate this, forget about your revenge against Raj Singhania. You’d be on your own."

A new fire ignited in Aisha’s eyes at the mention of her uncle. The hatred she held for Raj ran far deeper than her jealousy toward Rohit. She wiped her tears and hugged him again, this time without any malice.

"As long as you don’t leave me... I don’t mind."

Rohit returned the hug, holding her firmly. "Never. I promise."

At least he is honest, she comforted herself. Why can’t I hate this jerk?

*****************************************************

A/N//: Will be taking leave for the day. have dental infection and going through intense pain.