CHAPTER 1: THE GIRL WHO FAUGHT IN SHADOWS
PROLOGUE
“But she killed your mom.”
“I know.”
“But will she kill me too?”
“No. No, this can’t happen.
I have to keep you safe.”
“But you loved her...”
“I know.”
“Please, eat something.
She took my EVERYTHING!!!”
''I’m going to end my life.''
''NO.''
[At Home – 7:30 AM]
The morning light fell across Lavanya Malhotra’s face, but she had no intention of waking up. Curled beneath her blanket, she wished she could hide from the world for a little longer.
Her father stood at the doorway, watching her with tired eyes.
“Get up, Lavanya. You are going to be late again.”
Lavanya groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.
From the hall, the house help called out playfully,
“Dad is saying, go wake up Lavanya.”
Lavanya finally sat up, her hair a mess and her eyes heavy from another sleepless night.
“Yes Dad, just 2 minutes.”
A few minutes later, she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
“At least eat your breakfast.”
“I will eat in college, bye.”
She rushed out before he could stop her.
Her father watched the door long after she was gone. He knew she was lying.
[Underground Boxing Club – 10 AM]
Lavanya was not in college.
She was in a rundown boxing club hidden in a forgotten corner of the city. The air smelled of sweat, blood, and cigarettes. Men shouted, money changed hands, and fighters battled inside a damaged ring.
Here, Lavanya was a different person.
Cold.
Silent.
Unreachable.
A bruised fighter approached her.
“Agree for fifty thousand... okay fine, agree for one thousand and fifty?”
Lavanya continued counting money.
“Madam please increase it a little.”
She finally looked up.
“Fine, two thousand, not a single rupee more than that! I have a lot of work and anyway, let’s hurry to the spot.”
She tossed the money toward him.
Moments later, the fight ended.
“And the winner is Shamu!”
A small smile appeared on her face.
“Yes. He won.”
“You! Where were you? I have been searching for you everywhere!”
Lavanya’s smile vanished.
Mitali stood before her, exhausted and angry.
“Where would I be... here only.”
Both of them knew it was a lie.
Mitali dragged her away from the crowd.
“Listen dude! Please don’t do this. Bunking college to make goons fight each other is not going to get you anywhere. Have you ever thought what will happen if your dad finds out? What will happen to him?”
Lavanya looked away.
“Don’t start the same thing again.”
“But whatever you are doing is not wrong?”
Something broke inside Lavanya.
“Really?! And whatever they did was right!? Mitali, those people killed my sister! How can I forget that? Since the day we got the news of my sister’s death, my mother left for the temple. She just left a note and has not returned till now. And I don’t enjoy doing all this... making these goons do boxing...”
Her eyes moved toward the ring.
“I only make them fight so that one day, when I find out who killed my sister, I can make those people cry tears of blood. That’s why I only look for the strongest, most powerful guys. And as for Dad, who is going to tell him? No one.”
Mitali’s anger faded.
“But for how long?”
Lavanya’s answer came without hesitation.
“Until I find my sister’s killer. That’s how long.”
Mitali sighed.
“Fine, do whatever you want. But today is our viva. So for today, at least come to college. You can do your goon business later.”
“Yeah, fine.”
[In College]
At college, Chirag Pathan was panicking.
“We took admission a few years ago, what if we fail? What do you think, Dev?”
Beside him sat Dev Oberoi.
Calm.
Quiet.
Unreadable.
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, man, at least be happy today.”
“Yeah... I am happy.”
But his eyes suggested otherwise.
Then Chirag noticed someone entering through the gate.
A girl.
Beautiful.
Unapproachable.
“Wow! How can someone be so beautiful!!?”
Dev looked up.
“Hmm... Thank you! By the way, I even washed my hair today.”
“Idiot... I am not talking about you... look at that girl!”
Before Dev could stop him, Chirag was already walking toward her.
“I am going.”
“Hey... where?”
Too late.
Chirag stopped in front of Lavanya and smiled.
“Hi! Actually me and my friend Dev.. he is there.. so, actually we are new here.. we saw you from over there.. you are really beautiful.”
Lavanya raised an eyebrow.
“And you came all the way from there to here just to say that?”
Chirag immediately lost some confidence.
“Umm... leave all that.. meet my very shy, introvert friend Dev.. Dev Oberoi.. and I’m Chirag...”
The world froze.
''OBEROI!''
Lavanya’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.
The surname hit her like a knife.
Without saying another word, she turned and walked away.
“...Pathan.. at least listen to my name,” Chirag shouted.
Dev arrived moments later.
“Why did you have to do all that!?”
[The Decision]
Near the library stairs, Mitali caught up with Lavanya.
“What happened, Lavanya? Why did you leave from there so suddenly?”
Lavanya grabbed her shoulders.
“Didn’t you hear!? He said Oberoi!... Dev Oberoi... And the person who killed my sister Shivanya was also a OBEROI... What if it’s him!”
“It doesn’t have to be him. There are so many ''Oberoi'' in the world.”
“Yeah... but what if it is him... his whole demeanor was weird... I have a feeling... he is the one who killed my sister.”
“And what if it’s not?”
Lavanya looked across the campus at Dev.
Maybe it was him.
Maybe it wasn’t.
But she needed answers.
“Whether it is or not, now I will stay around him and find out the truth... and after knowing everything, I will give him a painful death as well... and Mitali, that’s final.”
“But how?”
A dangerous smile appeared on Lavanya’s face.
“Listen... we will have to trap him in my love trap... First I will start with making him attracted towards me... then we will date... and then marriage.”
Mitali stared at her in horror.
“What!! Everything else is okay but marriage... no.. Lavanya.”
Lavanya never looked away from Dev.
“It’s final.”
Far away, Dev Oberoi had no idea that the girl watching him had just decided to enter his life.
A life built on secrets.
A life built on lies.
He didn’t know she was a liar.
She didn’t know he was also a liar.
