The Raichand–Malhotra estate had long been a fortress. Walls reinforced with modern tech, grounds patrolled by trained guards, an intelligence grid stretching across continents—on paper, impenetrable. But on that night, shadows slipped through the cracks.
The Infiltration
It began subtly.
The estate's perimeter sensors flickered—just for a second, dismissed as a technical glitch.
One of the drones Reyansh had programmed stalled mid-flight.
The dogs in the south garden barked, then went silent.
By the time anyone realized, a team of black-clad intruders was already inside the compound, moving like ghosts, leaving no trace but the faint hum of suppressed weapons.
The Alarm
The first to sense it was Mukul. While meditating in the training hall, he felt the air shift—an instinct honed from years under his masters. His eyes snapped open, and he whispered:
"They're here."
Within minutes, the estate erupted. Cousins, fiancés, guards—all mobilized. For the first time, rivalries and personal egos were set aside. This was no drill.
The Battle
Rishika Raichand and Diya Knight fought side by side, their clashing styles unexpectedly complementing each other—Rishika's precision anchoring Diya's wild unpredictability.
Varun and Reyansh redirected estate systems, turning what had been weaknesses into traps, sealing corridors and disorienting the infiltrators with false data.
Sakura Nakamura and Siriporn Thaksin led counter-strikes with surgical efficiency, coordinating with Natasha and Madison to lock down escape routes.
Anaya Raichand, though still new to the system, used her sharp instincts to cut off communications, ensuring no intruder could signal reinforcements.
And in the middle of it all, Mukul moved like a shadow within shadows—anticipating attacks before they landed, shielding his cousins and fiancés with a calm yet devastating force.
Unity Forged in Fire
When the last intruder was subdued, the courtyard was silent except for heavy breaths. For the first time, every cousin and fiancé looked at one another not as competitors, but as allies bound by fire.
"Who sent them?" Rhea whispered, staring at the unconscious infiltrators.
No one had an answer.
But as Mukul looked at the broken night, a thought settled heavily in his chest:The outside world has found us. And they won't stop here.