Arvi's pov:

The night sky stretched above us, stars winking lazily as a soft breeze tangled through my hair. The rooftop was strung with fairy lights, a makeshift setup Vanisha and Aleesha had thrown together at the last minute. Somehow, it looked perfect like a hidden world away from the rest of the mansion.

We sat in a loose circle, giggling and whispering as we passed a glass bottle around. "Truth and Dare," Aleesha had declared. "Old-school style. No skipping turns, no chickening out."

I hadn't expected this kind of warmth here. I hadn't expected to laugh like this freely, fully. But they made me feel like I belonged.

Riaan was sprawled across a bean bag, cracking jokes, already teasing everyone and daring Arekha to do embarrassing things every turn. He was a riot loud, energetic, and weirdly charming.

Vanisha spun the bottle again. It landed on me.

"Ooooh," Riaan grinned, pointing at me like I was on trial. "Arvi. Truth or dare?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Truth."

He leaned in with that signature dramatic flair. "Do you like someone in this house?"

The group erupted into "oooohs" and giggles.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Wow. Straight to the point, huh?"

"Answer, Miss Arvi," he insisted, winking. "Truth is sacred."

I shrugged, replying back " No."

But before the teasing could continue, we heard footsteps on the terrace stairs.

Everyone quieted instantly. I turned my head and saw him.

Rayaan.

Even in the soft lighting, there was something so commanding about him. His presence shifted the energy entirely, like a sudden drop in temperature. The cousins straightened. Even Riaan sat up.

He walked over with that unreadable expression he always wore cool, calm, unreadable but I noticed his eyes flicker across the circle... landing on me. Then on Riaan.

I swallowed.

"You brought him?" Vanisha whispered to Riaan, barely audible.

Riaan grinned. "What? It's no fun without the grump. Don't worry, I'll take the blame."

Rayaan came to stand near the edge of the group, arms crossed, watching us all. "Truth and dare?"

No one said a word.

"Well, don't go silent now," he added. "Continue."

"Rayaan bhai, you can sit," Aleesha offered meekly, scooting over, visibly nervous.

He didn't sit. He just stood there watching. And suddenly the game didn't feel as light and fun as before. Not with his eyes fixed so sharply on us. On me. And Riaan.

Riaan cleared his throat. "Relax, yaar. It's a game. You're allowed to smile, you know."

Rayaan didn't reply. His jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed just slightly subtle, but I noticed.

When the bottle landed on me again, Riaan grinned. "Alright. Dare this time."

I raised an eyebrow, smiling nervously. "Okay."

"Letsss gooo," he winked, then added, "I dare you... to sit next to me for the rest of the game."

I laughed, playfully rolling my eyes. "Seriously?"

"Dead serious."

I was about to move when I felt it that unmistakable tension in the air. I glanced at Rayaan.

He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Riaan. And if looks could kill...

I hesitated.

But before I could say anything, Rayaan's voice cut through, low and sharp, "This is supposed to be a game. Don't turn it into something else."

Riaan blinked, caught off-guard. "Relax, man. It's a dare-"

"I said what I said," Rayaan's voice dropped lower.

Aleesha gulped audibly. Vanisha nudged Riaan under her breath. "Don't push him..."

Riaan raised both hands, smirking. "Fine, fine. Chill, bro."

I didn't move. I stayed where I was. And suddenly, I couldn't look at either of them.

The bottle spun again, this time slower as if it, too, sensed the tension in the air. It landed on Arekha.

Aleesha clapped, trying to lighten the mood. "Truth or dare, Arekha?"

"Truth," she answered quickly, avoiding anything risky.

Vanisha leaned forward. "Who in this circle would you not trust with your secrets?"

Everyone gasped dramatically.

Arekha laughed nervously. "That's evil. But... probably Riaan bhai. He'd make a meme out of it."

Riaan clutched his heart. "How could you?" he cried, fake weeping. "This betrayal stings more than Rayaan's glares."

I glanced at Rayaan.

He still stood off to the side, arms crossed, but his gaze was unreadable now. Still and watching. Watching everything. Watching me.

The bottle spun again. It landed on Vanisha.

"Dare," she said, instantly.

Aleesha smirked. "Send a voice note to your crush saying 'I dreamt of you last night.'"

Vanisha turned red. "Nooo!"

Laughter echoed again nervous, but real. Slowly, the tension began to lift again.

The bottle turned once more and stopped... right in front of Rayaan.

The circle went quiet. No one breathed.

"Truth or dare, bhai?" Aleesha asked, her voice small.

Rayaan looked at all of them, his stare steady, coldly amused. "Truth."

Riaan leaned in, eyes mischievous. "Okay then. Do you like someone currently living in this house?"

Silence fell like a hammer.

I forgot how to breathe.

Rayaan's gaze didn't shift. He didn't blink. His voice, when he spoke, was quiet but every word hit like thunder.

"No."

And just like that, the air shifted again.

Everyone chuckled awkwardly. Vanisha made a weak joke. Aleesha laughed too hard. The bottle spun again like nothing had happened.

But I didn't smile. I didn't look at him.

Because I knew what he was really saying. And I wasn't sure if it hurt more that he said it or that I wanted him to say something else.

Rayaan's pov:

I slammed the door harder than I meant to.

The silence of my room was deafening after the rooftop. I yanked off my blazer, tossing it somewhere across the couch, not caring where it landed. My blood was still boiling, crawling under my skin like fire.

I didn't want to go up there in the first place. It was Riaan's idea of course it was. "Come on, bhai, let's crash their little midnight madness," he'd said like it was some harmless joke.

And I, agreed.

I should've stayed away.

I should've never seen the way she laughed with him so freely, so easily, like he'd known her for years. I should've never heard her admit there might be someone she liked in this house.

And I definitely should've never seen that look she gave him when he dared her to sit next to him.

That almost smile.

That tiny moment of hesitation.

Like she wanted to.

I ran a hand through my hair, jaw clenching.

Riaan always had that effect on people. Loud. Fun. Effortless. He could walk into a room and make it spin around him and people loved that. She loved that.

God, the way she looked at him.

I hated it.

The worst part? I knew Riaan wasn't serious. He flirted for sport. He didn't even know what he was doing half the time. But she didn't know that.

And I'd stood there like a damn statue, watching him pull her into the center of attention while I faded into the edge just the brooding presence no one dared joke with.

Except that wasn't what bothered me.

It was her.

Her laughter. Her warmth. The way she belonged up there.

And the fact that for even a second, I wanted to tell them all to shut the game down just so she'd stop smiling at him like that.

She's not yours, I reminded myself.

She works under me.

She lives here because of my mother.

That's it.

Arvi's pov:

I was in the middle of helping Jaya aunty in the kitchen when Vivaan's voice echoed through the hallway.

"Arvi! Come fast!"

Something in his tone made my heart skip. Urgent. Panicked.

I wiped my hands and rushed out, nearly bumping into him in the corridor. "What happened?"

His eyes were wide, face pale. "You... You're in the news."

My footsteps faltered.

"What?"

"Just come," he said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward the living room.

Everyone was there. Sulekha aunty, Shankar uncle, Aleesha, Vanisha, even Arekha. The TV was on volume loud, the channel switched to a news report.

And then I saw it.

"BREAKING: Girl Missing After Job Termination Incident. Is There More to the Story?"

My face.

My name.

My old job's name.

Frozen, I stared at the screen. My photo from the restaurant,the ID picture I thought I'd never see again flashed beside the news ticker. The voice of the anchor rang in my ears, but it was drowned under the roaring in my head.

I could hardly breathe.

"She's been missing for weeks, according to sources," the reporter said. "Seen last in a viral video where she was fired after an alleged mishap with a high-profile guest-"

The video.

The tray.

The drink.

Rayaan.

A familiar voice interrupted the segment a recorded statement.

"We don't know where she went. She never came home. She's not someone who disappears like this..." the voice cracked, laced with worry.

I choked.

Nia.

The news anchor continued, "This was her best friend Nia Kapoor who filed the missing report two days ago."

Everyone turned to me at once.

"I didn't know," I whispered. "She didn't... I didn't have a phone. I couldn't contact anyone after I was fired."

Aleesha stepped forward. "Arvi... that girl. She's your best friend?"

I nodded slowly, still staring at the screen.

"She thought you were missing?" Sulekha aunty asked gently, placing a hand on my back.

The room was quiet. Too quiet.

Until Aleesha broke it softly, "What are you going to do now?"

I looked around at all of them at the family who had taken me in.

"I need to talk to Nia," I said finally. "She deserves to know I'm okay."

Rayaan's pov:

Her face on the television screen made my blood run cold.

And then it boiled.

I ended the call with the journalist and stormed toward the center of the living room where Arvi stood silent, small, eyes wide with guilt.

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS, ARVI?"

Everyone jumped. Even Riaan, who'd been lounging on the armrest, straightened instantly.

"WHY IS YOUR FACE ON THE NEWS? WHY ARE THERE HEADLINES CALLING YOU MISSING?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE? YOU'VE BEEN LIVING IN OUR HOUSE, WORKING IN OUR OFFICE AND OUT THERE, PEOPLE THINK YOU'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED! BY US!"

She took a small step back. "I..I didn't know-"

"YOU DIDN'T KNOW?" I barked, laughing bitterly. "OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T. BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T THINK! NOT ONCE DID IT OCCUR TO YOU THAT DISAPPEARING FROM YOUR LIFE WITHOUT A WORD MIGHT WORRY SOMEONE?"

"She's my best friend..." she whispered. "I didn't know Nia would go to the media-"

"OH, SO THIS IS NIA'S FAULT NOW?" I threw my hands in the air. "YOU DIDN'T HAVE A PHONE? FINE. YOU COULD'VE TOLD MY MOTHER! ANYONE! INSTEAD, YOU STAYED QUIET AND LET THE WHOLE WORLD THINK YOU WERE DEAD IN A DITCH SOMEWHERE!"

Arvi looked like she was about to cry.

Good.

Maybe then she'd understand the weight of what she'd done.

"This is bad, Bhai..." Aleesha muttered under her breath, but I didn't even glance at her.

"DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE OBEROI NAME? FOR MY FAMILY? FOR ME?"

I stepped closer to her now. "IF YOU WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM YOUR LIFE, FINE. BUT DON'T DRAG US INTO YOUR CHAOS!"

"Please-" she tried again, her voice barely a whisper now.

"NO. YOU FIX THIS. YOU CALL YOUR FRIEND. YOU TELL HER WHERE YOU ARE. AND YOU CLEAN THIS MESS UP BEFORE IT DESTROYS EVERYTHING I'VE BUILT."

The silence afterward was so sharp, it felt like the walls themselves were holding their breath.

I looked at her one last time.

She looked like she might break.

And maybe if I weren't this furious, I would've cared. But right now?

All I saw was a girl who had unknowingly turned my entire world into a goddamn scandal.

So I turned and walked out of that room.

Slamming the door behind me.

Let her feel it.

Let her really feel it.

Authors pov:

Rayaan's footsteps echoed like thunder as he turned to leave, fury radiating off him in waves. His jaw was clenched, hands balled into fists, and his eyes usually so unreadable were now burning with a fire no one dared stand too close to.

But Sulekha Oberio did.

"Rayaan!" her voice rang out, sharp, commanding.

He halted mid-step, breathing heavily. Everyone's eyes snapped to him, to her, to Arvi who stood frozen, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

"Don't walk away like this," Sulekha said, stepping forward, placing herself between him and the exit. "Not after saying those things."

He didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed on the door. "Mom, don't-"

"She's already shaken," she said quietly. "And she didn't know. You think she wanted this kind of attention?"

"She should have thought, Mom!" Rayaan shouted, voice raw. "She should have told us! Do you even understand what this can do to our name? To the board? To our entire reputation?"

"Rayaan-" Sulekha began again, but this time, he snapped.

"No, Mom. No. I have stayed quiet for weeks while she walked around this house like she belonged here, like none of this was a problem. But now? Now the entire country thinks we kidnapped her!"

"She's just a girl who had nowhere to go," Sulekha said softly. "You know that. I know that."

He turned toward Arvi for the briefest second enough to see the pain in her eyes, the way she hugged herself like she was trying not to fall apart.

And something inside him cracked. But only a little.

"She should've said something," he muttered.

"Maybe," Sulekha said. "But shouting at her like that won't change what happened."

Rayaan didn't reply. He stared at his mother, then at Arvi once more.

Then he pushed past Sulekha, ignoring her hand reaching out to stop him, and stormed toward the hallway.

"She needs to fix this," he growled.

And this time, not even Sulekha could stop him from walking away.

Arvi's pov:

I couldn't stop shaking.

My face burned from the heat of his words. My chest felt too tight to breathe. I sat on the edge of the couch, hands trembling, vision blurred with tears I couldn't even wipe away fast enough.

I had never felt so small.

"Arvi..." Aleesha's voice was soft, careful, like she was afraid one more word might shatter me completely.

I turned toward her with red-rimmed eyes. "Find Nia," I whispered. "Please, Aleesha look her up on Instagram. Call her. Tell her where I am."

Aleesha didn't ask a single question. She immediately pulled out her phone and began typing.

"I'll tell her everything," I choked out. "That I'm okay. That I'm safe. I never wanted to scare her like this..."

Before I could finish, warm arms wrapped around my shoulders. Sulekha aunty, She sat beside me, holding me close like I was her own.

"Shh, beta... it's okay," she whispered into my hair. "We're here, alright? I'm here. Don't cry."

And then Jaya aunty joined on my other side, gently taking my hand. "You didn't do anything wrong, sweetheart. You were just surviving. Anyone would've made the same choice."

"But now everyone thinks they kidnapped me," I sobbed. "I put you all in this mess. I made him-so angry."

Sulekha aunty's hand moved over my head soothingly. "He's angry because he's scared, Arvi. Not because he hates you. That boy he doesn't know how to handle it when his world spins without his control."

"Found her," Aleesha said gently.

Aleesha nodded, showing me the screen.

Her profile picture was the same as I remembered her in that red dress from our last college fest. But it was her bio that made my breath hitch.

Her bio

"If you see Arvi... please tell her to come home. I'm still looking."

My heart clenched. A sob escaped me before I could stop it.

"She never gave up on me," I whispered, covering my mouth as fresh tears spilled down.

Sulekha aunty sat beside me and wrapped her arms around me tightly. "Shh, beta... we're here. You're safe, okay? Don't cry."

Jaya aunty joined us too, gently rubbing my back. "You've been through enough, Arvi. You don't have to carry it all alone."

I leaned into them, overwhelmed by their warmth, by how quickly they offered comfort I hadn't even asked for.

Aleesha tapped the screen. "I'm calling her."

"No!" I said quickly, panicked. "I-I can't. Not like this. I can't talk to her right now."

Aleesha gave me a soft nod. "Okay. I'll talk to her. I'll tell her everything."

She stepped away and put the call on speaker. My heart pounded as the phone rang.

"Hello?" Nia's voice cracked on the third ring. "Who is this?"

"This is Aleesha," she said calmly. "I'm Arvi's friend. She's safe. She's staying with us at the Oberoi Mansion."

There was a pause... and then a sharp gasp.

"She's alive?" Nia whispered. "You're telling me she's okay?"

"She's safe," Aleesha confirmed. "But she's scared. She didn't know you'd gone to the media. She didn't have a phone, and-"

"I thought she was dead! Her landlord said she just vanished!" Nia cried on the line. "I was losing my mind-"

"I know," Aleesha said softly. "Come here. Talk to her in person. She needs you."

I curled into Sulekha aunty's side, still trembling.

But I wasn't alone anymore.

And soon, neither would Nia be.