THE First meeting
The darkness of the night was slowly swallowing the entire city.
Raindrops fell onto the streets as if the sky itself was mourning an old wound. Behind the glittering skyscrapers lay a hidden world where law held no power—only fear ruled.
And the king of that world was Vihaan Rajput.
At the mere mention of his name, even the most powerful people lost their breath.
In the underworld, people called him the Mafia King.
There was such coldness in his eyes that anyone standing before him felt dead even while still alive.
A black Rolls-Royce sped down the road like a gust of wind. Inside, Vihaan sat silently, watching the rain through the window. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the seat.
“Boss... we should take another route,” said Kabir, one of his men seated in front.
Without looking at him, Vihaan asked,
“Are you scared?”
“Not scared, Boss. The information is confirmed. The enemies have set a trap.”
A faint smile appeared on Vihaan’s lips.
It was the kind of smile that inspired terror.
“People who set traps for a lion often end up trapped in them themselves.”
The car continued racing down the deserted highway.
But then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shattered the silence.
The car was thrown into the air and overturned at the side of the road. Gunfire erupted from every direction.
“Boss, get down!” Kabir shouted.
Their enemies had launched a full-scale ambush.
Rain, bullets, and screams...
The entire highway had turned into a battlefield of death.
Vihaan instantly drew his gun and stepped out of the wrecked vehicle. There was no fear on his face. No panic.
Only rage.
One by one, he shot down several attackers.
But suddenly, a bullet fired from behind tore through his shoulder.
Vihaan staggered.
A second bullet struck his abdomen.
“Boss!” Kabir screamed.
But the enemies were too many.
For the first time, Vihaan was losing ground.
A haze clouded his vision. Blood flowed from his wounds, mixing with the rainwater beneath him.
The leader of the attackers approached him with a cruel laugh.
“Today, the Mafia King finally dies.”
Vihaan glared at him.
The fire in his eyes still burned fiercely.
But his body had already begun to give up.
Then—
A bright white light appeared in the distance.
A small scooter came to a stop on the road.
A young woman quickly stepped off.
She wore a white salwar suit. Her hair was soaked from the rain, and her eyes were filled with panic.
She looked like a college student returning home.
The moment she saw the scene before her, she froze.
Bodies everywhere.
Blood.
Bullets.
And in the middle of the road lay a wounded man whose eyes still shone like those of a lion.
“Run away, girl!” Kabir shouted.
But by then, the enemies had already noticed her.
“Kill her too!”
One of them pointed his gun at the girl.
Fear gripped her instantly.
Her breathing became rapid.
But at that very moment—
Gathering the last of his strength, Vihaan pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The attacker dropped dead on the spot.
The girl trembled.
As Vihaan collapsed to the ground, he whispered,
“Run...”
But she didn’t run.
She didn’t know why.
Yet her feet moved toward him on their own.
Hearing police sirens approaching from a distance, the attackers fled in their vehicles.
Within minutes, the road was empty.
Now there was only rain...
And Vihaan, groaning in pain.
The girl knelt beside him.
“You’re losing a lot of blood...” she said, her voice shaking.
For the first time, Vihaan looked at her carefully.
He had never seen such innocent eyes before.
Slowly, he asked,
“What’s your name?”
“Aarohi.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“That’s a beautiful name.”
Without wasting another second, Aarohi tore a piece of her dupatta and tied it around his wound.
“You need to be taken to a hospital.”
“No!” Kabir immediately objected. “We can’t go to a hospital.”
Aarohi glared at him.
“If he doesn’t get treatment right now, he’ll die!”
Kabir fell silent.
No one had ever spoken to him in that tone before.
Using her trembling hands, Aarohi helped support Vihaan.
“Get up... try...”
Vihaan groaned in pain.
Yet his eyes never left her face.
At that moment, it felt to him as though an angel had descended from the heavens through the rain.
Kabir quickly arranged another vehicle.
Aarohi climbed in with them.
The car sped toward the city.
Throughout the journey, Aarohi kept Vihaan’s head resting in her lap to prevent him from losing consciousness.
“Don’t fall asleep... keep talking...”
A faint smile appeared on Vihaan’s face.
“You’re not afraid?”
Aarohi looked at him.
“I am afraid... very afraid. But I can’t stand by and watch someone die.”
For several seconds, Vihaan simply stared at her.
In his world, people only did two things—
They feared him.
Or they betrayed him.
But this girl...
She was the first person who had tried to save his life without knowing anything about him.
His eyes slowly began to close.
Just before losing consciousness, he whispered softly—“You’re not going anywhere now...”
Aarohi heard the words, but she didn’t understand what he meant.
A short while later, the car stopped in front of a massive old mansion.
Aarohi’s eyes widened in shock.
The entire estate was surrounded by heavily armed men.
“This place...?” she asked.
Kabir replied in a serious tone,
“The Mafia King’s home.”The color drained from Aarohi’s face.
She slowly looked at Vihaan....He’s... a mafia leader?”Kabir nodded.“Not just a mafia leader. He’s the most dangerous man in this city.”
Aarohi’s hands began to shake.The man whose life she had just saved...Was no ordinary person...He was death itself.But it was already too late.Because even in his unconscious state, Vihaan had tightened his grip around her hand.
So firmly...
As if he would never let her leave his life.
The rain continued to pour outside.
But perhaps it wasn’t just the weather that had changed that night.
Fate had changed as well.And Aarohi had no idea that the devil whose life she had saved...Was now destined to make her the queen of his world.
— Radhika 🍂
