chapter 5
The night was restless. Aarav Sen sat alone in his room, the silence pressing against him like a weight. Ishani's words from the confrontation at the Kapoor estate echoed in his mind: "I would rather walk through fire than depend on you—or him.
He hated her. He loved her. He hated that he loved her. The contradictions tore at him until only one truth remained—he could not let her win.
Across town, Ishani Kapoor sat with Sanya Mehta and Rhea, her cousin. Sanya's voice was sharp, protective. "You can't trust the Sen brothers. Dev may look polished, but he's dangerous. And Aarav… well, you already know what he's capable of."
Rhea, ever curious, tilted her head. "But isn't it thrilling, Ishani? To fight Aarav at his own game? To prove you're stronger?"
Ishani's lips curved into a bitter smile. "I don't want to fight him. I want to erase him.
Meanwhile, Aarav's elder brother, Dev Sen, was already plotting. His gaming empire was expanding, and Ishani's potential involvement intrigued him. To Dev, Ishani wasn't just a sharp mind—she was leverage. And leverage was power.
When Aarav confronted Dev about his interest in Ishani, Dev's reply was calm, almost mocking. "You should thank me, little brother. I'm giving her a future. Something you could never offer."
The words struck Aarav like a blade. He had always lived in Dev's shadow, but now Ishani was being pulled into it too. His resentment deepened, his love twisted darker, and the embers of revenge began to glow.
Aarav whispered to himself, almost a vow: "If Ishani wants fire, I'll give her flames. If Dev wants power, I'll burn it down. No one will walk away untouched."
The petals of love had cracked, the thorns had pierced, and now the embers of revenge were ready to ignite.