Important note

This book is recommended for readers aged 16+ due to its mafia-centered storyline and mature themes. It contains scenes of violence, criminal activity, strong language, and emotionally intense or potentially triggering situations. Reader discretion is advised, as some content may be disturbing or unsuitable for younger audiences.

This story explores the dark and dangerous world of the mafia and includes graphic situations, power dynamics, and high-stakes conflict. It is intended for a mature audience who can handle sensitive themes and intense scenes.

Please be aware that this book contains depictions of violence, illegal activities, and other mature elements that may not be appropriate for readers under the age of 16.

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Ishanvi Ved's POV

"Please... let my brother go too," I begged, my voice breaking. "I'm begging you."

Siddharth didn't look at me. Not even once.

His jaw was clenched so hard I could see the muscle twitching near his cheek, and his eyes—those eyes that had always protected me—were locked on the men holding him.

"I told you to run," he said quietly.

His voice wasn't loud.

It didn't need to be.

It carried the kind of authority that came from being born ten minutes before me... and spending the rest of his life acting like he was born years earlier.

"So why are you still here?" he asked. "Sanvi... you promised me."

My throat tightened.

I stepped closer, ignoring the cold hands that tried to hold me back.

"I promised you what?" I choked out. "That I'd leave you behind?"

Sidd's gaze finally met mine.

His eyes softened for a second—just a second.

Then he hardened again.

"You promised me," he said, voice low, "that for once in a year... you would listen to me. That was my birthday gift."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, mixed with tears.

"Your birthday gift?" I whispered. "Sidd, this isn't a gift. This is—this is—"

"This is survival," he cut me off.

My chest rose and fell too fast.

I remembered the promise we had made to our parents.

We will never go separate ways.

Never.

And yet here he was, pushing me away like he was trying to save my life by breaking my heart.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, I'm not leaving. I won't go without you."

I meant it.

Even when I fought with him... Siddharth was the only person left in this world who loved me without conditions. After our parents, he was all I had.

And they were taking him.

My thoughts shattered when I heard that voice again.

The masked man.

The monster behind all of this.

My legs trembled before I could stop them. Fear climbed my spine like ice.

The man stepped forward, slow and amused, like he was enjoying every second of this.

His face was hidden behind a black mask.

But his eyes—Sharp, cat-like eyes—burned with anger.

He looked at Siddharth like he was choosing meat.

Then he looked at me like I was a toy.

"Take the boy to the dark room," he ordered.

My blood turned cold.

Sidd's body stiffened.

"He'll be useful in the future," the masked man continued. "And let the girl run."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Let me see how far a little girl like her can go."

The men tightened their grip on Sidd.

I lunged forward instinctively, but one of them shoved me back so hard I stumbled.

"Sidd!" I screamed.

Siddharth turned his head toward me.

And even with fear clawing at his face, he smiled.

A real smile.

The kind that didn't belong in a place like this.

"I promise you, Sanvi," he shouted as they dragged him away. "I'll return. You know me. If I promise something... I fulfill it."

"No!" I cried. "Sidd, don't—"

The door slammed.

The sound echoed through the hallway like a gunshot.

And the world went silent.

My body shook.

My vision blurred.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to collapse. I wanted to claw my way through that door with my bare hands.

But Sidd's last words wrapped around my heart like chains.

Run.

I pressed my palms together, trembling.

Shiva... please. Save him.

Then I ran.

Not for myself.

For my brother.

For the children trapped inside that dark room.

I ran until my lungs burned and my legs screamed. I ran without knowing where I was going.

I ran because if I stopped...

I would die.

"Sanvi... Sanvi! Wake up!"

A voice yanked me out of the nightmare.

I jolted upright, gasping, my heart pounding so violently I could feel it in my throat. I sucked in air like I had been drowning.

For a second, I couldn't tell where I was. My bed sheets were twisted around my legs, my skin damp with sweat, and my hands were shaking so badly I couldn't even wipe my face.

The walls looked too clean.

The air smelled too expensive.

Then I saw her.

Maanvi. Maanvi Vasista.

She sat beside me, holding a glass of water with both hands like she was afraid I'd disappear.

Her eyes were wide.

Concerned.

Maanvi never looked concerned.

She was the kind of girl who could watch a man bleed and not blink, the girl who didn't show emotion even when the world burned.

And yet she was watching me like I was fragile.

And yet now she looked like she wanted to protect me. 

Sometimes I wondered what I did in my past life to deserve friends like them.

Friends who stood beside me when I had nothing.

Who held me up while I built my empire.

And now... stood as the backbone of it.

"Drink," she said softly.

I grabbed the glass and drank too fast, like the water could wash away my past. Water spilled down my chin, but I didn't care.

I nodded, forcing my breathing to slow.

"I'm fine," I lied. 

I wasn't okay.

Not then. 

Not now. 

I still remember those days like they happened yesterday.

 They never left me. They only waited for the night to return.

Maanvi's gaze didn't soften.

She knew me too well.

Maanvi sat on the edge of the bed, her voice softer than usual. "Should I cancel today's plan? We can go back tomorrow. You've been stressed for days."

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and stared at the ceiling.

Those days weren't memories.

They were ghosts.

They haunted me like they had happened yesterday.

I exhaled slowly. "No, Maan. Don't change the plan." 

Her brows furrowed. "Sanvi—"

"I waited for this chance for two years," I cut in, my voice colder than my shaking hands. "Or maybe... my whole life."

We had to win this project. And only then... 

The door into their world.

I can make them pay what they did for me, for my sidd, for my--

I knew he was alive. 

Not because I had proof. Because I had his promise. 

And Siddharth Ved never broke promises.

Or because I refused to accept anything else.

 "For the sake of his promise," I whispered. "He has to be alive." Maanvi's gaze sharpened.

"Sanvi... this isn't a small risk." I turned my head toward her.

"Maan," I said, forcing a smile, "did you hit your head somewhere? Since when do you worry about risk?"

I tried to make it playful.

It was the only softness I had left.

But she didn't smile.

Her voice dropped. "This is different. He's deep-rooted in the dark world. We can fight a lion... but not a cunning fox. And you..." her eyes flicked to my hands, still trembling. "You're still getting panic attacks." Her eyes held mine.

My jaw tightened.

Yes.

Panic attacks.

The second thing I feared most.

Because every time my chest tightened and my hands shook...

It reminded me of Sidd.

It reminded me I was alive.

It reminded me why I built an empire out of ashes.

And it reminded me of the promise I made to myself—

I will find him. 

Reminders that I was still alive only for one purpose. Revenge.

My phone buzzed on the bedside table.

I glanced at the screen.

A number I knew too well.

Lakshman. My right hand man.  

The man who managed both my worlds without missing a single detail.

I answered.

"Boss," he said immediately, voice crisp and professional. "We found him. Please come to the basement before you leave."

A slow smile curved my lips.

The kind of smile that didn't belong to a good person.

"Keep him alive," I said.

"Yes, boss." The call ended.

Maanvi noticed immediately. Her expression hardened. "Who?" she asked.

"The spy," I said softly.

"You're going down there?" she asked. Her voice ended my thoughts—my evil thoughts—and brought me back to reality.

"Yes," I said calmly.

I stood up.

They thought a mere spy could challenge me.

Their biggest mistake wasn't sending a spy.

Their biggest mistake was thinking I was still the girl who cried and begged.

I wasn't.

Not anymore.

I stood up, wiping my face clean, like tears had never existed. 

 A man like him deserved more than death. 

Their  mistake was hiring someone like him—someone with no character, no loyalty, and a mouth that didn't know when to shut.

He was the reason behind so many cries.

And today... he was going to pay.

And more than me... 

Someone else was waiting to kill him with bare hands.

It was time to settle the score. 

Maanvi watched me put on my coat, my posture straightening, my expression becoming unreadable. 

"Are you going like this?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied calmly. "Anyway, he's dying today. Let him see my real identity at least. Let him carry that terror into his grave."

Maanvi's smile turned darker. "Fair."

Let him see me exactly as I was.

The identity that gave me power to rule.

The identity that gave me the right to punish.

The identity that made grown men lower their eyes. 

The identity that turned fear into worship. 

Or maybe... Maybe to torture someone far worse than hell.

"No blood on my hands," I whispered to myself.

 It should be avoided. 

Most of the time.

Maanvi stepped beside me.

"You're going to break that rule," she said.

I looked at her.

Then smiled.

"Most of the time," I corrected. 

Author's POV

The man tied to the chair screamed until his voice cracked.

"I said let me go!" he roared. "Do you know who I am? " his voice cracking with rage. "Do you think you can hold me like this? You fools!"

His wrists were bound.

His ankles were tied.

The chair was bolted to the floor.

The room smelled like disinfectant... and fear.

Men dressed in black stood around him like shadows.

None of them spoke.

None of them reacted.

As if his screams were nothing but background noise. 

"Do you know who I am?" he yelled. "I'm Finn Adams! Eldest son of the Adams family! You don't dare go against us! Call your boss—I want to see him!"

 Midway through his words, Finn coughed.

Blood spilled from his mouth and splattered onto the floor.

One of the men sighed. 

And glanced at it and muttered, "Boss will scold me for making the floor dirty. And if her mood is bad, she'll cut our bonus in half. All because of this stinking man."

The others nodded seriously. Like this was the real tragedy.

The door opened.

A woman's voice entered the room like a blade.

"Why do men always assume only men run the underworld?" Maanvi said lazily, her voice echoing.

The room turned.

Maanvi walked in first, calm as ever. "Even here... discrimination, Laksh"

Behind her... Ishanvi stepped into the light. 

Lakshman stood near the corner, arms crossed, looking like a man who had already calculated how many minutes this would take.

Finn's head snapped up.

His eyes widened.

"You..." he breathed. "You—what are you doing here?"

He looked at Maanvi first, and for one second his face lit up with relief, like he thought she was here to save him.

Then he saw Lakshman's smile.

Finn's laughter died in his throat.

And he realized.

This wasn't a rescue.

This was an execution.

"You..." Finn whispered, staring at the Ishanvi.

She walked closer.

Her heels clicked against the floor—slow, deliberate.

Her expression was calm.

Too calm.

A calm that belonged to predators.

"A woman?" Finn barked out a laugh. "I was sent to spy on a woman? A woman who can't do anything without men—"

The laugh died in his throat.

A gunshot cracked through the room.

Finn screamed.

He howled like an animal. And before he could even process it, a knife slid into the same wound—slowly, deliberately.

Finn's entire body jerked. He choked on his own cry.

She stepped closer, her voice soft.

"Mr. Finn Adams."

Silence.

Even the men in black straightened.

"Nice to meet you again," she said, almost politely as if she is in a  meeting at a business dinner. 

"I wanted to be civil. You weren't even my prey." She tilted her head slightly.

Finn spat blood. "Go to hell—"

"But your mouth ruined it," she continued, with a voice almost gentle. "So congratulations. All the credit goes to you... Finn Adams, the eldest son of the Adams family."

He shook, eyes full of rage and fear.

Finn's eyes widened.

"You—who are you?"

She smiled.

Not warm.

Not kind.

Just sharp.

The room froze. Silence. As he lost is consciousness.

The only sound was blood dripping from the chair onto the floor.

She turned her head slightly. "Pour hot water on him. I don't have time for useless conversations."

Lakshman moved immediately.

The moment the water hit Finn, his scream ripped through the basement.

He thrashed against the ropes.

She watched him like he was a boring movie.

Finn's screams filled the basement.

"Shut up," she snapped. "Shut the fu*k up."

Her voice didn't rise.

That was what made it worse. 

She leaned in slightly, to meet her eyes to his.

"I don't have time. I don't have patience. I came here only to punish you... and then hand you over to them. That's it." she continued, stepping closer.

Finn trembled violently.

"I think you deserve a small punishment from me," I continued. "Very small. You should be grateful to God."

She reached for his hand. She picked up a blade.

Then—

She cut off his first finger.

Finn screamed.

Then the second.

Then the third.

Slowly. Cleanly.

As if she was taking her time with art.

The men in the room didn't move.

No one dared.

When she finished one hand, she moved to the next.

Finn was crying now.

Begging.

His voice was broken.

She wiped the blade clean and turned toward the door.

"The toes will be handled by my people," she said calmly. "Bye, boys."

Finn gathered the last of his strength.

Finn's broken voice rose behind her, filled with pure hatred. "You... you're a monster. You're a devil wearing human skin!" 

Like he said it with the last strength of his body.

She stopped. 

And smiled. she didn't turn back immediately.

She turned her head slightly, as if she had remembered something.

She simply held out her hand.

Maanvi understood instantly and placed a small box in my palm.

I turned around.

Finn's eyes widened.

He started mumbling, panicked. "No... no... don't come near me. Please. Just kill me. Kill me—"

"Oh, Mr. Finn Adams," I said softly. "How can I forget what you said? A mere woman... who handles nothing, right?"

I opened the box. Chili powder.

Finn's face went pale. "So here is your gift," She whispered.

and sprinkled it over his open wounds.

Finn's scream turned into an animal sound  with shook the walls.

"Boss," Lakshman said quickly, "we have to leave."

She straightened, her expression returning to calm.

"Laksh," she ordered, walking away, "clean this room. Take him to our doctor after three hours. Until then, let him suffer."

She turned to leave, then paused.

"And make sure he cannot speak from now on."

Finn sobbed behind her. As her smile returned.

"After that, hand him over to Mr. Louis Adam."

She walked toward the door.

Then stopped she added like an afterthought—.

"Oh," she added casually, "Also... send a return gift to his boss," she added. "His beautifully chopped fingers. Wrapped wonderfully."

Her eyes gleamed.

 And without looking back...

she left.

Ishanvi Ved's POV 

By the time I reached the car, the world had already shifted back into its normal mask—roads, people, sunlight... as if monsters didn't exist beneath the city.

Maanvi slid into the seat beside me. "Feel better?"

I didn't answer immediately.

Because I didn't feel better.

Pain doesn't disappear.

You just learn to wear it like jewellery.

"No," I said finally. "But I feel... in control."

Lakshman drove to the airport.

My phone buzzed again.

A message.

Meeting confirmed. 4:00 PM. Location: The Crown Tower.

The project.

The door.

The trap.

The chance.

Maanvi's voice was quieter now. "Sanvi... are you sure?"

I stared out the window.

"I'm not doing this because I'm brave," I said. "I'm doing this because I'm tired."

"Tired of what?"

"Tired of waiting," I replied. "Tired of nightmares. Tired of silence. Tired of wondering if my brother is alive while those monsters breathe freely."

Maanvi didn't speak after that.

She didn't need to.

Because she knew.

Once... I was kind. Too innocent. Too afraid to hurt even an living thing.

If the old me saw me now...

She wouldn't recognize me. She wouldn't believe it. 

She would call me a monster.

It was too late to regret.

Too late to turn back.

Because I always remembered what forced me onto this road.

I always remembered.

I think the airport has pretty rush today. As usually I settled in my seat. To have a quick sleep.

"Excuse me, ma'am," the air hostess said politely breaking my sleep. "May I ask a favour? This gentleman will be seated next to you. Apologies for the last-minute update. Due to an issue, we upgraded his seat."

I nodded without opening my eyes.

I didn't even realize we had landed.

I had slept peacefully.

Without disturbance.

Without dreams.

"Excuse me," a man behind me said. "I think this is yours."

He handed my book back.

Something about him felt...strangely familiar.

Even though his face was hidden behind a mask and hoodie, only his eyes were visible.

I whispered a quiet thank you.

Then we went our separate ways.

As soon as I stepped outside, I spotted a familiar woman leaning against her new Rolls-Royce Sweptail, talking on her phone.

I walked toward her, already bracing myself.

I didn't even look at her.

I slid into the car beside the driver's seat.

Her expression hardened the moment she saw me.

She ended her call, started the engine, and fired her first sharp word at me.

The entire journey was silent.

Deadly silent.

The car moved into an abandoned area... and stopped in front of an abandoned house.

It halted abruptly.

The moment we stepped inside—

A gun was pressed against my forehead.

Cold metal.

And in that moment...

I regretted not coming with Maanvi.

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