A Dangerous Interest

The Calm Before the Storm

The Oberoi mansion had never been this tense.

Avni sat on the couch, still fuming about being grounded, while Anirudh paced back and forth, arms crossed. Ayush and Aryan, meanwhile, were whispering to each other.

"This is getting serious," Aryan muttered.

Ayush smirked. "Yeah, and Anirudh looks like he’s about to explode."

Anirudh stopped pacing and glared at them. "Do you two ever take anything seriously?"

Ayush grinned. "Nope."

Anirudh sighed in frustration. "You three have no idea how reckless you’ve been. Avni, sneaking out like that—do you even know who was at that party?"

Avni scoffed. "Just some rich kids showing off their cars. Why do you care?"

Anirudh’s jaw tightened. "Because Devraj Malhotra was there."

Silence.

Aryan frowned. "Wait. What?"

Anirudh turned to Avni, his eyes dark and serious. "And now, thanks to your little stunt, he knows exactly who you are."

Avni’s smirk vanished.

A New Target

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit office, Devraj Malhotra swirled his drink, watching a video on his phone.

A recording of Avni at the party.

He smirked. "So, the Oberois have a little princess, huh?"

His right-hand man stood nearby. "She’s young, reckless. Easy to manipulate."

Devraj leaned back, a cruel glint in his eyes. "And the perfect way to strike where it hurts the most."