Ekansh's POV

The day began like any other, my mind consumed with work and the endless demands of my position. Dia had been surprisingly quiet since our last interaction, which both relieved and unnerved me. I knew she was trying to adjust, but something about her silence didn’t sit right.

I was in the middle of a meeting with my men when I received the call. It was Arjun, one of my trusted lieutenants. His voice was tense, a rare thing for someone as composed as him.

"Boss, we have a problem," he said, his words clipped.

My grip on the phone tightened. "What kind of problem?"

"Dia... she's gone. Someone took her."

---

The world seemed to blur for a moment as his words sank in. I shot out of my chair, my men instantly falling silent. "Explain. Now," I barked, my voice colder than ice.

Arjun took a deep breath. "She went out to the garden, like she does every morning. She was with one of our guards, as per your orders. But there was an ambush. A group of men—we’re still identifying them—took her. It was coordinated, quick. They knew what they were doing."

My blood boiled. I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears as I tried to process what he was saying. I had stationed guards around her specifically to avoid something like this. How the hell did they manage to take her under my watch?

"Where were the guards? How did they let this happen?" I demanded.

"They were neutralized, Boss. We found them unconscious—drugged, not dead. The men who took her... they left no trace except a message."

---

I clenched my fists, fury bubbling beneath the surface. "What message?"

Arjun hesitated before responding. "They left a card. It was signed by Ajay Patel."

The name hit me like a bullet. Ajay Patel was a rival, a snake I had crossed paths with too many times before. We had an uneasy truce for months now, but clearly, that was over. This wasn’t just a message—it was a declaration of war.

I slammed my hand against the desk, the sound echoing through the room. "Find out where they’ve taken her. I don’t care what it takes—call in every favor, track every lead. I want her back now."

"Already on it, Boss," Arjun assured me.

---

As I ended the call, a storm of emotions raged within me. Fear. Anger. Guilt. Dia’s face flashed in my mind—her quiet defiance, her hesitant smiles, the way she seemed to bring light into the darkness of this house.

I hadn’t just failed to protect her. I had put her in danger simply by bringing her into my world. And now, someone else had her, someone who would use her as a pawn in their twisted games.

But they didn’t know who they were dealing with.

I grabbed my coat and my gun, my men already gathering to move out. Whoever had taken her had made the biggest mistake of their lives. I wasn’t just going to get Dia back—I was going to make sure no one ever dared to touch her again.

---

Author’s POV

The entire mansion was enveloped in a tense silence as Ekansh stormed through its halls, his eyes blazing with fury. The staff had never seen him like this before. Ekansh Raghuvanshi was known for his ruthless composure, his ability to handle any situation with an icy calm. But today, that veneer had cracked, and what lay beneath was a storm none of them dared to face.

The servants exchanged uneasy glances, whispering among themselves. It wasn’t just his anger that shocked them—it was who that anger was for. Dia. A girl who had only recently arrived and had no connection to the underworld. Yet, here he was, ready to burn the world down for her.

"Do you think he... cares for her?" one of the maids whispered to another, glancing toward the office door that had just slammed shut.

"It’s more than care," another replied. "He’s furious, yes, but it’s like he’s... terrified. I’ve never seen him like this before, not even for his own family."

Inside the office, Ekansh stood by the large window, his fists clenched. His phone vibrated incessantly with updates from his men, but nothing substantial had come through yet. He replayed Arjun’s words in his head: Ajay Patel. The name sent a fresh wave of rage coursing through him. How dare that man touch what was his?

---

The staff continued their work in hushed tones, afraid to draw attention to themselves. Ekansh’s movements were sharp and purposeful as he prepared to leave, his eyes cold and dangerous. The sight of him in this state was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.

One of the older servants, who had worked for the family for decades, murmured, “The girl must be special. He’s never lost his control like this before, not even when his rivals targeted him directly.”

The younger maids nodded in agreement. They had watched Dia during her brief time here, noting how she moved quietly, her presence unassuming yet oddly magnetic. She wasn’t like anyone who had ever stepped foot in this mansion, and it seemed Ekansh was more affected by her than even he realized.

As Ekansh finally emerged from his office, his expression was a mask of deadly determination. His men were already assembled outside, armed and ready to follow his orders. But it wasn’t just his men who noticed the change in him—it was everyone.

"He’s going to war," one of the butlers murmured under his breath. "And it’s not for power, not for revenge. This time, it’s for her."

---

The air in the mansion grew heavier as Ekansh’s car roared out of the driveway, his convoy following close behind. The staff stood in silence, watching the vehicles disappear into the distance. No one dared to speak, but the unspoken truth was clear: Dia had become more than just a captive to Ekansh.

For the first time in years, the Mafia King wasn’t fighting for his empire, his pride, or his power. He was fighting for something far more personal, something that had shaken him to his core.

And everyone knew that whoever had dared to take Dia from him wouldn’t live to regret it. Ekansh Raghuvanshi was a man of his word, and his word now was vengeance.