Srishti POV

The penthouse was quiet, filled only with the low, dramatic music of the movie playing on the massive screen in front of us. The lights were dimmed to a soft, warm glow, casting long shadows across the silk sheets of the king-sized bed.

A contented sigh escape my lips as, I leaning back against the plush pillows.

I was wearing Manav’s oversized black dress shirt. It was unbuttoned at the top, slipping lazily off my one shoulder shoulders exposing my golden skin in the dim lit room. If anyone have looked closely, they would see the three faint, reddish-purple marks blooming against my collarbone—a silent, messy claim from the two most dangerous mafia men in the city.

I felt utterly relaxed. My empire, my clothing brand, my millions—all of the stress of being a "lady boss " was left at the front door of this secret apartment. Here, I didn't have to fight for control. Here, I was worshipped.

To my right, Ayaan was sitting on the very edge of the bed. He was shirtless, wearing only his dark, tailored trousers, the expensive fabric tight against his muscular thighs. His broad, heavily scarred back was facing the screen. He wasn't even watching the movie. One of his massive, rough hands was wrapped gently around my bare ankle. His thumb drew slow, lazy circles over my soft skin. In his other hand, a cigarette burned, the thin trail of smoke curling into the air. His cold, calculating eyes were soft, completely fixed on her face.

On my left side, Manav was completely tangled with me. The wild, reckless sports car racer had his heavy, tattooed arm thrown over her my waist, pulling me flush against his side. His face was buried in the crook of my neck, his nose brushing against my soft skin as he deeply inhaled my sweet, vanilla perfume. He was half-asleep, looking like a lethal predator that had finally been tamed.

It was perfect. It was a chaotic, beautiful, messy dynamic that belonged only to the three of us.

But deep down, a tiny prick of guilt always rested in my chest. "Aria"

"My lil chubby princess"

I adored my Aria. She genuinely liked the sweet, innocent, chubby girl with the bright eyes and the nervous blush. She knew Ayaan and Manav cared for her too. They wanted to protect Aria from their dark mafia world, from their own twisted obsessions. But I also knew that keeping this a secret was a ticking time bomb.

I just didn't expect the bomb to explode tonight.

Aria POV

My heart was beating so fast it felt like a bird trapped in my chest.

I held the small, white bakery box tightly in my hands. It had two chocolate pastries inside. Ayaan had canceled our dinner date tonight, saying he was caught up in an "urgent meeting" with Manav. But I wasn't stupid. I had heard the background noise on the phone. It sounded too quiet to be a mafia warehouse, too peaceful to be the racing tracks.

I had asked his driver, and after a lot of begging, the man had dropped me off at the basement of this ultra-luxury high-rise building.

I just want to surprise him, I told myself, chewing nervously on my bottom lip. Maybe Manav is there too. We can all just hang out. I thought giggling in my mind.

Whenever Manav was around, my stomach always did a million flips. He gave me intense butterflies, the kind that made me feel dizzy.

I loved Ayaan—he was my boyfriend, my protector, the man who made me feel safe.

But Manav... Manav looked at me with those dark, soulless eyes and made me feel alive. I hated myself for feeling torn between them.

I was just a clumsy, chubby girl who was lucky to even be looked at by one of them, yet let alone two.

I stepped out of the private elevator. The hallway was silent and smelled like expensive wood and polish. The heavy mahogany door at the end of the hall was slightly ajar. The guards must have left it unlocked after bringing in food.

I pushed the door open, my sneakers making no sound against the thick, plush rugs. "Ayaan?" I called out softly. No answer.

I walked through the massive, dark living room. I could hear the faint sound of a movie coming from the hallway. A smile touched my lips. They really were just chilling and watching a movie. Why did Ayaan have to lie about a meeting?

I pouted a lil sad that he lied , yet i just shooked it off

I walked toward the bedroom, pushing the door wide open, a bright smile on my face. "Surprise—!"

The word died in my throat.

The bakery box slipped from my trembling fingers. It hit the hardwood floor with a soft thud, the chocolate pastries smashing against the cardboard.

I stopped breathing.

The room was dim, but I could see everything perfectly. I saw Ayaan, my untouchable, dominant boyfriend, sitting shirtless on the bed, caressing another woman’s ankle like she was a goddess. I saw Manav, the boy who made my heart race, wrapped around that same woman, his face buried in her neck.

And then I saw her.

"Srishti"

She was wearing a men's shirt. Manav's shirt probably. It was falling off her shoulder, and my wide, tear-filled eyes immediately caught the dark, bruising hickeys on her flawless, golden skin.

A ringing sound started in my ears. The air was sucked out of the room. My chest tightened so painfully I thought I might pass out. All the years of my relatives calling me fat, ugly, and unwanted came rushing back into my head like a flood of dark water.

Of course, my mind screamed. Look at her. She is perfect. She is beautiful. You are nothing.

For a split second, nobody moved. The movie continued playing in the background.

"What..." My voice broke the silence. It didn't even sound like my own voice. It sounded like a wounded animal. "What is this?"

Ayaan POV

The moment I heard the soft thud of the box dropping, my blood ran cold.

I slowly turned my head, my dark, calculating eyes landing on the doorway. Aria stood there. Her face was completely drained of color. Her large, innocent eyes were wide with pure terror and heartbreak. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to pull air into her lungs.

My heart dropped. Panic, sharp and unfamiliar, spiked in my chest. No. Not like this. I had spent months carefully building a wall around Aria, shielding her from my true nature, from the obsessive, dark devotion Manav and I shared for Srishti. I knew how fragile Aria was. I knew about her past, her trauma, her deep-rooted fear of being abandoned.

I opened my mouth to speak, to try and do damage control, to calm her down. "Aria—"

"Don't!" Aria shrieked.

The sheer volume of her voice made Manav snap awake. My younger brother’s head shot up from Srishti’s neck. Manav’s gray eyes, usually lazy and chaotic, instantly sharpened into lethal daggers as he zeroed in on the threat in the doorway. But when he realized it was Aria, a flicker of shock crossed his scarred face.

Aria was shaking violently. Her chubby hands curled into tight fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. Hot, angry tears spilled over her cheeks, making her face flush a deep, blotchy red.

"You lied to me!" Aria screamed, her voice cracking as she pointed a trembling finger at me. "You said you had a meeting! You said you were working!" She turned her furious, devastated gaze to Manav. "And you! You both... you both are in bed with her?!"

Srishti shifted, her expression calm but filled with deep pity. She gently touched Manav’s arm, a silent command for him to stay seated. "Aria, sweetheart, please listen—"

"Shut up!" Aria yelled, the pain inside her turning into toxic, blinding anger. She was so hurt, so terrified of feeling inadequate, that she wanted to tear Srishti down. She wanted to hurt us the way we were hurting her.

"Don't you dare call me sweetheart!" Aria spat, stepping further into the room, her whole body vibrating with fury. She glared at Srishti with pure venom. "I know exactly what you are doing! You play the sweet best friend, pretending to care about me, while you sleep with my boyfriend behind my back!"

My jaw ticked. A dangerous, heavy pressure began to build in the room. The panic I felt for Aria was slowly being overshadowed by a dark, simmering rage.

But Aria couldn't stop. The insecurity was eating her alive, making her say things I didn't even know she was capable of saying.

"You are just a cheap gold-digger!" Aria cried out, her voice echoing off the walls. "You saw how rich they are! You saw their money, their luxury, and you couldn't stand that they chose a normal girl like me! So you spread your legs for both of them to steal their wealth! You're just a shameless, money-hungry bitch who can do everything to take my man away you fucking slut—!"

Snap.

I crushed the burning cigarette between my bare fingers. The glowing ash burned into my skin, but I didn't even flinch.

The atmosphere in the room didn't just turn cold; it turned absolute, suffocatingly deadly.

Manav POV

My blood didn't just boil; it erupted into liquid fire.

The moment that filthy word almost left Aria's lips, every single muscle in my massive body locked like steel. My soulless gray eyes went completely dark, resembling an endless, violent storm.

I didn't shout. I didn't scream. Men like me didn't need to raise their voices to be terrifying.

I slowly untangled myself from Srishti, my movements calculated and predatory. I sat up fully, my broad chest rising and falling with heavy, barely contained wrath. My knuckles cracked as I gripped the bedsheets, twisting the expensive silk until it threatened to rip.

Aria didn't know the truth. She didn't know that this apartment didn't belong to us. It belonged to Srishti. She didn't know Srishti was a self-made millionaire who didn't need a single penny from the mafia. But more importantly, Aria didn't know that Srishti was our god. She was our religion. And Aria had just walked into our temple and spat on our idol.

My voice was a low, lethal vibration that seemed to shake the floorboards. "Watch your mouth, Aria."

Aria gasped, taking a step back as if she had been physically struck. I had never spoken to her like that. I had always been the charming, teasing bad boy who bought her ice cream and made her blush. The man looking at her right now was a monster.

"Manav..." Aria whimpered, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. "How can you defend her? I... I thought you liked me. I thought you cared about me."

"I did," Ayaan’s deep, booming voice cut through the air, completely devoid of the warmth he usually reserved for her.

Ayaan stood up from the edge of the bed. At 6'5", my older brother towered in the room, his mafia aura fully unleashed. He looked at the crying girl he had sworn to protect, but all he saw was a threat to the woman we worshipped.

Ayaan took one step forward, placing his body partially in front of Srishti, shielding her. His cold eyes locked onto Aria, stripping her of every bit of confidence she had left.

"But you don't know anything, Aria," Ayaan said, his words dropping like heavy stones. He didn't raise his voice, but the absolute devotion in his tone was sharper than a knife. "You speak of money? You speak of luxury? We don't own her. She own us."

Aria’s mouth opened slightly, her mind struggling to process his words.

"You think she is stealing from us?" Ayaan continued, his voice dripping with dark obsession and protective fury. "I would burn my entire empire to the ground and hand her the ashes if she asked for them. She doesn't need our money. We belong to her."

Aria let out a broken, wet sob. She covered her mouth with both hands, stepping backward until her back hit the doorframe. The pain in her chest was so agonizing she couldn't breathe.

"Ayaan, please..." Aria choked out, begging for a lie, begging for him to say it was a joke.

"Do not ever disrespect her again," Ayaan stated firmly, his face an unreadable mask of stone. "You are my girlfriend. I care for you. But compared to the ground Srishti walks on, you are nothing. If you ever speak to my Queen like that again, I will forget that I ever loved you."

The words shattered Aria completely. Her legs gave out. She didn't fall to the floor, but she slumped against the wall, sliding down slightly, her entire body wrecked with uncontrollable, ugly sobs. She wrapped her arms around her chubby stomach, feeling more worthless and unlovable than she had ever felt in her entire life.

Shrishti POV

My heart gave a painful, sharp twist.

I watched Aria slide down the wall, crying so hard she was choking on her own breath. The girl looked so incredibly small, so broken, drowning in her own trauma and insecurities. I didn't feel angry about the names Aria had called me. I was a millionaire; I knew my own worth. Words from a hurting, insecure girl couldn't touch me.

What touched me was the immense guilt. I hated seeing women cry, especially my women. And I truly cared about Aria. I saw the innocence in her, the sweetness that the brothers so desperately tried to protect. Looking at Aria breaking apart, I just wanted to scoop her up, hold her tight, and promise her that I would never let her shatter.

But the brothers had gone too far.

Ayaan and Manav were still radiating lethal energy, their protective instincts blinding them to the damage they were causing to a fragile mind.

My eyes narrowed. The warm, relaxed aura around me vanished, replaced instantly by the commanding, absolute authority of a true Lady Boss.

I pushed the silk sheets aside and stood up from the bed. The oversized shirt slipped down my thighs.

"Enough."

It was a single word. Spoken quietly. But it held more power than a gunshot.

Ayaan and Manav froze instantly. Their broad shoulders tensed. They turned their heads to look at me, their dangerous, lethal auras evaporating the second they met my stern gaze.

I didn't even speak to Aria yet. I gave the two massive men a dead, silent look. It was a clear, non-negotiable warning: Not a single word more. Back down. Now.

Ayaan swallowed hard, his jaw unclenching. He immediately took a step back, lowering his head slightly in submission. Manav, too, dropped his gaze, his fists uncurling as he backed away, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. They were wild beasts, but I held their leashes firmly in my manicured hands.

The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence, broken only by Aria’s quiet hiccups.

I walked across the thick rug, my bare feet making no sound. I stopped right in front of Aria.

Aria flinched, shrinking back against the wall, terrified. She squeezed her tear-filled eyes shut, expecting me to slap her, or yell at her, or kick her out into the cold night. She was so afraid of my aura.

Instead, I knelt down gracefully.

I didn't look at Aria with anger or pity. I looked at her with a soft, stern warmth. Slowly, I reached out and took her trembling, chubby hand. My grip was firm, showing my dominance, but incredibly gentle, showing my care.

Aria opened her eyes, shocked. Her breath hitched as she looked at me.

I didn't explain. I didn't argue. I just gave her hand a small squeeze and spoke in a voice that left absolutely no room for argument.

"Come."

I stood up, pulling Aria to her feet. She was too stunned, too emotionally exhausted, and frankly, too intimidated by my commanding presence to fight back.

Without looking back at the two tense, silent brothers sitting on the bed, I led Aria out of the master bedroom. I walked us down the short, dimly lit hallway to the luxurious guest bedroom.

I pushed the door open, pulled Aria inside, and then firmly shut the door behind us. Click. I turned the lock, sealing us in.

Back in the master bedroom, I knew Ayaan and Manav were sitting in silence, exchanging a tense, nervous look. They completely trusted me, but they had no idea how I was going to handle the shattered girl they loved.

Inside the guest room, I let go of Aria’s hand.

"Sit on the bed," I commanded, my tone bossy but smooth.

Aria didn't sit. Despite her fear and her heartbreak, the stubbornness inside her flared up. She wiped her wet cheeks roughly with the back of her hand. She stood in the middle of the room, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. She sniffled loudly, her face flushed red, and stuck her bottom lip out in a deep, angry pout.

She looked like a furious, adorable, feisty kitten trying to stand its ground against a lioness.

I crossed my own arms, leaning against the locked door. A tiny, amused smirk fought its way onto my lips as I stared the stubborn girl down.

The night was far from over.