The buzz of chatter and laughter echoed through the courtyard as Harshita tried to melt into the crowd. But it was impossible not to feel like every step she took was being watched. Judged. Measured.
She had faced killers and sat at tables with kings of crime…
But high school drama in a mafia-laced elite academy? That was a whole different kind of battlefield.
She settled under a tree, hoping to avoid attention. No such luck.
“New girl alert,” a honey-coated voice said behind her.
Harshita turned to see two girls walking toward her, clearly not used to hearing ‘no’. One was tall, fashion-forward, with icy brown eyes and a calculated smile — Riya Malhotra, daughter of a politician with rumored cartel ties.
The other was more reserved, petite, with a shy smile and bright glasses — Zoya, who carried the kind of kindness Harshita hadn’t seen in years.
“You’re Harshita, right?” Riya asked, eyeing her up and down. “Veer talked to you yesterday.”
Just the mention of his name made Harshita tense. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh please,” Riya chuckled, flipping her sleek ponytail. “Veer doesn’t talk to anyone. He commands. You should feel honored.”
Harshita gave a tight smile. “I’ll survive without his attention.”
Riya raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by the lack of fear.
Zoya chimed in gently, “Ignore her. Veer has a reputation. Cold. Brilliant. Territorial.” She paused. “And dangerous.”
"What kind of dangerous?"
Before Zoya could respond, the energy around them shifted — like a change in air pressure before a storm.
Whispers rippled across the courtyard. The students began stepping aside, parting like the Red Sea.
He was here.
Veer Rathore.
Wearing a tailored black blazer over a white shirt, untucked, with just the right amount of rebellion. Two boys flanked him like silent shadows — Dev and Aryan, his closest men. Dev, with his buzz cut and military discipline. Aryan, quiet but with eyes always scanning, calculating.
And then those eyes — Veer’s — locked on Harshita.
He didn’t smile. He didn’t blink. He simply changed direction… and walked toward her.
Riya stepped aside immediately, biting her lip nervously.
Harshita stood, her heart slamming against her chest.
“Walk with me,” Veer said. Not asked. Ordered.
“I’m busy,” she replied, meeting his stare.
“You’re not.”
Dev and Aryan flinched, waiting for the explosion. But Veer only smirked.
“Feisty,” he said, stepping closer. “Tell me, Harshita, what’s a girl like you doing in a school like this?”
“I could ask you the same,” she shot back.
“I was born to rule it,” he replied coolly. “But you? You look like you’re running from something.”
His voice was low now, almost tender. Like a threat wrapped in velvet.
“I’m not your business.”
Veer tilted his head. “Everything in this school is my business.”
Harshita turned to walk away, but Veer grabbed her wrist — gently, but with enough pressure to make a point.
He leaned in close. “This place doesn’t forgive weakness. And neither do I.”
She didn’t pull away.
“I’m not weak, Veer. But you? You’re starting to look obsessed.”
He laughed softly — a dangerous sound.
“That’s the problem, Harshita,” he whispered. “I already am.”
---
From a balcony above, someone watched the interaction with narrowed eyes — a phone in hand, recording.
Aarav Rajput.
The ex. The enemy.
The boy Harshita once trusted.
Now reborn as the leader of the rival Kaal Syndicate.
He smiled darkly to himself.
“Found you.”
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