Yuvaan strode into the dining room, guiding Bhoomi gently to the table. She looked around, her eyes wide with excitement and curiosity.
Riddhi leaned toward Aakash, whispering, "Is… is aunt really going to eat with us?"
Kiara, holding her dish, paused at the doorway, standing silently and watching the unfolding scene. Her heart raced, her hands trembling slightly as the weight of this new family reality pressed down on her.
"Why can't she sit with us?" Yuvaan's voice cut through the murmurs, sharp yet calm. "From today onwards, she will sit with everyone in the dining room."
Susheela's lips curled into a disapproving frown. "What if she creates a ruckus? We've seen enough drama. Can't we at least have a peaceful meal?"
Vinod's brows furrowed in irritation. "Yuvaan, take your mother back upstairs. Let us eat in peace."
Yuvaan's crimson gaze swept across the room. "She stays. And Uncle Vinod… if that's a problem, you're free to leave." His casual villainy sent a chill through the family.
Aakash opened his mouth to argue. "But my father owns the property—"
Yuvaan interrupted with a smirk, "Your dad has only fifty percent. I have the remaining fifty. No one can oust my mother from this dining room. Anyone with a problem… can get lost."
Angad, grinning, chimed in, "I support you, brother."
Kiara took a deep breath, stepping forward with her dish. Her eyes locked on Bhoomi first. "MiL," she said softly.
Vinod and Susheela exchanged incredulous looks. "Why her first?" Susheela hissed.
Kiara's gaze was firm, unwavering. "She and Yuvaan are the reason I'm even part of this family. She is my mother-in-law, so she deserves to taste the dish first."
Bhoomi's face lit up as she took a bite. Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Mmm… my friend is a good cooker!"
Kiara laughed softly. "Cook, not cooker, MiL."
Bhoomi tilted her head, curious. "What's 'MiL'?"
"It's short for mother-in-law," Kiara explained, smiling. Bhoomi clapped her hands, clearly pleased.
Confidently, Kiara moved around the table, serving each family member with composure. When she reached Yuvaan, he instinctively reached for his dish—but Kiara held up a hand.
"Not yet," she whispered, mischievously. Out of sight, she sprinkled a generous amount of spice into his plate. "You can eat it now," she said with a small smirk, her eyes twinkling with playful vengeance.
Yuvaan's brow lifted, amusement and curiosity flickering across his face. Little did he know, this simple act would spark a fiery—and deliciously chaotic—moment in their first shared meal as husband and wife.
Yuvaan lifted the spoon to his lips, a playful smirk dancing across his face. He took a bite—and grinned. The spice hit, but instead of grimacing, he smiled, savoring it with an almost villainous delight.
"Sit," he said, gesturing to the chair beside him. Kiara hesitated but obeyed, lowering herself slowly, her eyes flicking nervously toward him.
Without warning, Yuvaan scooped up another spoonful and brought it toward her lips.
Kiara recoiled immediately. "No! I'm not eating that—it's too spicy!" she protested, her hands pushing his away.
Susheela, exasperated, waved her hand. "A little decency, you two! Can't you behave like civilized people?"
Yuvaan's gaze turned toward her, dark yet teasing. "Decency, auntie? You don't know what I had to go through to marry her. I think I've earned a little indulgence, don't you?"
Kiara blinked at him, flustered, but he didn't let her escape. Gently, with a mischievous smile, he brought the spoon back to her lips.
"Here," he murmured, soft and intimate, "just a little taste."
Reluctantly, she opened her mouth—and froze. The food wasn't spicy at all.
"You… what did you do?" Kiara asked, eyes wide, voice trembling between shock and awe.
Yuvaan leaned closer, his gaze steady and teasing. "My powers, sweetheart. I neutralized the spiciness… just for you."
Kiara's heart skipped. A flush spread across her cheeks as the warmth of the gesture sank in. She looked at him, bewildered yet strangely comforted, and for a fleeting moment, the tension, betrayal, and chaos of their forced marriage melted into something else… something unspoken, yet undeniable.
Yuvaan grinned, watching her reaction, and in that small, shared moment, the battlefield of family politics and supernatural secrets faded away—leaving only them, the meal, and the quiet intimacy of their first shared bite.