CHAPTER 1: THE STRANGER IN BLACK
The monsoon had hit Mumbai hard. Rain slapped the pavements and thunder cracked above the city skyline as Anaya Sharma ran with her handbag clutched tightly to her chest. Her dupatta clung to her wet skin as she darted down a dark alley to escape the storm.
She didn’t see the man until she collided with a wall of muscle.
“Easy,” a deep, commanding voice said, steadying her by the waist.
She looked up—and froze.
Towering over her was a man in a black suit, his shirt slightly unbuttoned, revealing a chiseled neck and a glint of gold. His face was half-shadowed, but his eyes—sharp, ruthless—burned into hers.
“I’m sorry,” she stammered, stepping back. “I didn’t mean—”
“You shouldn’t be here alone,” he interrupted coldly.
“I was just trying to find shelter from the—”
A car screeched nearby, a group of men leering from the shadows.
The stranger turned slightly. “Stay behind me.”
She obeyed instinctively.
One icy glare from him sent the thugs backing away. The stranger grabbed her wrist and dragged her to a sleek black car.
“I’m not getting in your car,” she protested.
“You are.” His voice was steel. “Unless you want to see what they had planned for you.”
Terrified and breathless, she got in.
And just like that, her life veered off its path—into his.
