Ishana's POV
The site stretched before me like a half-finished dream. Steel beams clawed at the sky. Concrete skeletons stood like ghosts of ambition. Dust danced in the sun, coating everything in gray.
And then Bhaisaheb appeared, larger than life, waving a blueprint as if it were a sword.
"Beti! Today, we walk the path of destiny! And Mr. Gold will walk with us!"
I blinked. "Uncle… please."
"Silence! Unity waits for no one!"
He grabbed my elbow and steered me toward the construction site. Aarav was already there, leaning casually against his SUV, expression calm and unreadable. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. The weight of him pressed down like the heat of the September sun.
I clenched my fists inside my silk gloves. Not now. Not here. Control. Always control.
---
Aarav's POV
Bhaisaheb was a chaos machine. A human hurricane of speeches and unnecessary flair.
But Ishana… she was what caught my attention.
She moved through the dust and steel with a careful precision. Every step, every gesture, measured. Her hands flexed too often. Her jaw tightened just slightly when she thought no one was looking.
Control. Hiding something. Dangerous, precise, and fascinating.
I made a mental note. She thinks she can hide it. Let's see.
---
Ishana's POV
Hours of "team-building" later, Bhaisaheb's brilliant idea culminated in a dramatic declaration.
"You shall work together—locked in the office! Only then will unity be true!"
I froze. "You… can't be serious."
"You must feel the walls close before the sky opens," he said, turning the key in the lock with theatrical flair.
Aarav didn't flinch. Didn't even look at me. But I felt it. His eyes on me. Calculating. Silent.
And then it happened.
A steel beam above shifted, just slightly. A worker gasped. My heart skipped.
Without thinking, my hand hovered over the beam. The pulse beneath my skin surged, running through the concrete, through the steel, steadying it.
Bhaisaheb gasped, eyes wide. "See! The Shadow commands the very earth!"
I pressed my palms to my thighs. Not now. Not here.
Aarav's gaze was sharp. No surprise. Only calculation.
---
Aarav's POV
She didn't just stabilize the beam. That was no trick of physics.
Her fingers flexed. A faint tremor. Controlled. Purposeful.
I leaned closer. "You're hiding something, Ms. Verma."
Her eyes flickered. Not fear exactly—more a warning.
Interesting. Dangerous. And, yes… fascinating.
I didn't flinch. I never flinch. I observed. Calculated. And decided that finding out what she was hiding would be worth the effort.
---
Ishana's POV
Evenings at the site brought dust and long shadows. Bhaisaheb decided "true unity" required more exercises, all of which involved me standing beside Aarav while he shouted slogans about destiny, courage, and legacy.
I sank into a chair, trembling slightly. The pulse beneath my feet… my magic.
It had stirred in public. Here, enclosed with him. He had seen it.
He's noticed.
I pressed my fists to my thighs. The Shadow must never falter.
---
Aarav's POV
The office was small, shadows long. She sat rigid, hands clenched. But the tremor in her fingers betrayed her.
She was powerful. And she thought I didn't see.
I did.
I always saw.
And she would soon realize… I never let secrets stay buried.
---
The afternoon bled into evening. Bhaisaheb, finally satisfied with his "unity exercises," proclaimed, "History remembers courage, and the Shadow is awake!"
Ishana's lips pressed into a thin line. Her magic had stirred again, just slightly. Enough to unnerve her.
And I… I had noticed everything.
Gold meets Shadow. And the game had truly begun.