The ballroom of the Oberoi was alive with laughter and luxury. A charity gala—another mask Riaz wore to keep his empire wrapped in legitimacy.

Aashika walked beside him in a black velvet gown with a thigh slit high enough to make hearts stop. But her hand was firmly in his.

Riaz whispered in her ear, "You don’t leave my sight tonight."

She smirked. "Jealous already, Mr. Malhotra?"

His voice dropped. "Territorial. And for good reason."

Because somewhere in that ballroom, Ahan Raichand was watching.

Aryan’s voice came through Riaz’s earpiece.

"He’s here. Second floor. With an envelope. Probably dirt."

Riaz clenched his jaw. "Eyes on him. If he approaches her, we end this party with blood."

Upstairs, Ahan stood behind a one-way glass pane, sipping whiskey. His lips curled as he watched Aashika laugh at something.

"Still so pretty, Aashi. Still so easy to want."

He opened the envelope.

Inside: photographs.

From college.

One of Aashika…

And another of her mother.

In a room full of powerful men.

He smiled. "Let’s see if Malhotra bleeds when he sees this."

Later that night, the couple returned home. A package was waiting at their penthouse door.

Unmarked.

Inside: the envelope.

Riaz opened it. Aashika froze.

Her mother.

Wearing a design that had never hit the market… standing beside a known arms dealer from the old underworld.

Aashika whispered, "That can’t be real."

Riaz said nothing. Just watched her.

She looked up. "You believe me, right?"

He took her face in his hands. "Aashi. I believe in you more than I believe in myself."

She exhaled in relief.

But his mind spun.

Because if her mother had ties to the underground, then Aashika’s life had been connected to the mafia far longer than either of them knew.

And Ahan knew it all.

That night, Riaz didn’t sleep. He stood at the window, a single diamond ring between his fingers—the one he gave her.

What if her past isn’t just hers? he wondered. What if it’s tangled with enemies I thought were buried?

Aashika came behind him, slipped her arms around him.

"Don’t lose yourself, Riaz. Not tonight."

He turned and kissed her hard.

"I won’t lose anything, Aashi. Not you. Not this war."

But the lies were creeping in now—draped in diamonds, soaked in blood.

And someone… was pulling the strings.