Avira slipped her phone into her pocket, took a deep breath, and started walking toward the party.
As soon as she entered, Jasmine turned to her and asked,
"So? What did aunty say?"
Avira smiled softly and replied,
"Nothing much… she was just worried about me, so I told her where I am."
Jasmine nodded with a small "Hmm" and took a sip of her drink.
And then…
It felt as if time stopped at the entrance of the hall.
The chandelier lights dimmed, or maybe everyone's attention was suddenly drawn somewhere else ,But one thing was certain Adhvir Roy's entry had frozen the entire atmosphere.
Tall, wearing a black three-piece suit, his hair perfectly styled, and his steps calm and confident
his very presence made the air feel heavier.
People couldn't help but stare at him.
Avira turned around too…and her eyes stopped at the same man she had bumped into a few minutes earlier.She still couldn't believe it.
Jasmine placed a hand on her heart and whispered,"Oh wow… Adhvir Roy…"
Avira looked at her in surprise,
"Adhvir Roy?" she repeated, as if the name itself had set off an alarm inside her head.
Jasmine's eyes sparkled like stars.She said in a dreamy voice,
"Yes! My dream man! You don't know him? He studied medicine in America, helps his dad in the business too.And those looks… oh my God! Every time I see him, I feel butterflies in my stomach!
His eyes, his hair, the way he walks… it's like God made him with extra time and care!"
She continued in one breath,
"And listen the college we're about to join? His father owns it! Adhvir Roy is the trustee's son!"
Hearing that, Avira froze.
Her eyes widened, and she could only whisper,
"What?"
Her heartbeat started racing.
It felt as if the ground had slipped from under her feet.She couldn't take her eyes off Adhvir.
The party was in full swing ,soft music played, laughter echoed around, and the lights shimmered off crystal glasses filled with wine.
As Adhvir walked through the crowd, Rohan Gupta —Jasmine's father — spotted him and immediately smiled, walking toward him.
There was genuine happiness in his eyes, but also a strange hesitation in his steps.He shook Adhvir's hand and said warmly,
"How are you, son? Adhvir?"
Adhvir gave a faint smile, his expression calm but unreadable.
"I'm good, Uncle. How are you?" he replied politely.
Rohan's smile faltered a little.In a low, soft voice, he said,"I'm fine… I'm really sorry for what happened with your dad…"
For a second, something flickered in Adhvir's eyes his brows tightened slightly,but his lips still held that faint, polite smile.
Then he replied in a calm, slightly sarcastic tone,
"It's okay, Uncle. Enjoy the party. We'll talk about that… some other time, okay?"
His voice was dipped in honey, but the words carried poison.He spoke so gracefully that the tone, not the words, stung.
Rohan froze for a moment.
His face turned a little red, and the veins in his neck tightened.He couldn't tell if Adhvir was joking… or warning him.He forced a weak smile and said softly,
"You enjoy the party too, son…" and slowly stepped back.
But they weren't the only ones watching.
From a corner of the room, two sharp eyes were observing everything closely.
It was Daksh Gupta Rohan's only son and Jasmine's elder brother.
His fists were clenched tight, as if some old buried hatred had suddenly come alive.His eyes stayed locked on Adhvir, cold and intense.He knew Adhvir must have said something that had shaken his father.
Then Daksh's gaze shifted and stopped at Avira.
There was no innocence in his eyes now only a strange curiosity… and maybe, something more.
He took a strong sip of wine, leaned against the wall, and quietly kept watching her.
Somehow, looking at Avira calmed him down.
Avira's eyes, on the other hand, were still fixed on Adhvir as if something about his face refused to let her look away.
She kept staring… completely lost in him.
Suddenly, her gaze shifted and met Daksh's.
He was already watching her.
For a few seconds, their eyes locked.Then Avira smiled faintly and looked away.
Daksh's clenched fists slowly loosened.
It was as if that one small smile had melted all his anger.
Meanwhile, Jasmine was still staring at Adhvir like a love-struck movie heroine.
She walked over to the DJ, whispered something in his ear, and walked back with a secret smile.
Adhvir, though surrounded by a few businessmen and pretending to listen,
kept glancing around as if searching for someone.
Some face… some feeling… that wouldn't let him rest.
And then suddenly the entire atmosphere changed.
The soft speakers began to hum with a sweet romantic tune.
Couples slowly started moving toward the dance floor.
The lights dimmed, and the whole place suddenly felt like a dreamy scene straight out of a movie.
Jasmine's face instantly lit up this was her moment, the one she had been waiting for all evening.Without saying a word, without even telling Avira, she walked straight toward Adhvir and, with excitement gleaming in her eyes, said,
"Shall we dance?"
But the answer wasn't what she had imagined.
Adhvir looked at her with a cold, detached gaze, and in a calm, emotionless tone said,
"I'm sorry… I'm here with my girlfriend… and she's right here."
The words hit Jasmine like a slap.
Her heart shattered in a single beat.
She somehow managed to keep herself steady, forced a smile, and said softly,
"No problem… sorry, my bad luck."
Her voice trembled.
The smile stayed on her lips, but her eyes had already started to blur with unshed tears.
She turned away and slowly walked back toward Avira.
Avira saw the pain in her friend's eyes — the kind that words can't hide but Jasmine didn't say a thing.
She stood still, fighting back her tears, and when Avira asked gently,
"What happened to your mood?"
Jasmine smiled faintly and replied,
"Nothing at all!"
Then she stretched her lips into another forced smile,
trying to hide the storm within.
The party glittered under the soft golden lights, music still flowing like a whisper in the air.
And just then — a simple, good-looking guy walked up to Adhvir, holding a glass of wine.
Smiling, he said,
"Since when did you start showing up at these high-profile parties, Roy?"
Adhvir didn't smile back.His tone stayed calm and cold.
"Where work demands, I go," he said flatly.
"This party is a path… not my destination."
Then, leaning forward slightly, he asked,
"What about you? What brings you here?"
The guy was Kabir Sharma his childhood friend, a shadow from the past that Adhvir had never truly forgotten.
Kabir took a deep breath, eyes fixed on the dance floor, and said quietly,
"I came here chasing the same person you've loved since childhood…"
A flicker passed through Adhvir's eyes his face stayed calm, but something stirred deep within.
"So… she's here tonight?" he asked softly.
Kabir gave a mysterious smile.
"Yes. She is. But she's not the same anymore. She's changed.And maybe she already belongs to someone else, Adhvir.So if you still love her madly, try finding her."
Adhvir took a slow sip of wine,
then that familiar dangerous smile curved his lips
the kind that comes right before victory.
"The one I've loved madly since childhood… belong to someone else?"
He chuckled softly.
"That's not even an option."
"Don't forget, Kabir… Adhvir Roy never fails to recognize what's his.
And you know what?
I already knew she was here long before you showed up."
His voice dropped lower, his eyes darkening.
"I don't remember people's names…
I remember their eyes, their breath, their walk
every tiny detail burned into my mind.
And she was mine. She is mine.
And she'll always be mine."
Kabir's smile began to fade.Because now, in Adhvir's eyes, he could see something dangerous
not love… but obsession.The kind that claimed, not cared.
Adhvir took another sip, then looked toward the dance floor.Kabir's face shifted from surprise to a faint, mocking grin.
Seeing that grin, Adhvir said coldly,
"Why are you laughing like a cheap clown waiting for his role?"
His tone carried both sarcasm and warning.
Without turning his gaze, Kabir replied,
"Forget my smile… go find your childhood love.
Before she ends up in someone else's arms."
He still had that teasing smile on his lips.
In that instant, the color in Adhvir's face changed.
His eyes began scanning the room ,fast, focused, like a hunter locking on to his prey.
And then… his gaze stopped.Right there Avira.
In a simple black dress, her hair flowing like silk in the air,that innocent laugh on her lips,
and those same soft eyes that once made his heart skip a beat.
But the next second, his gaze shifted to Daksh Gupta.
His jaw tightened.His breath grew heavier.
Something wild and uncontrollable began to rise inside him.
Daksh had just extended his hand toward Avira for a dance.
And Avira, smiling sweetly, placed her hand in his.
Adhvir's eyes refused to blink.He stood rooted to the spot his fingers gripping the wine glass so tightly that it looked like it might shatter any second.
When Daksh's hands slid to Avira's waist,
Adhvir's breathing changed.His jaw clenched, his throat went dry,
but his face still calm, composed, unreadable.
Only his eyes betrayed him they screamed everything his lips didn't.
You're mine. Only mine.No one else gets to see you smile like that… in someone else's arms.
With every beat of the music, his heartbeat grew louder.But he didn't move.He just stood there, his gaze burning holes into the scene before him.
For him, the entire party faded into a blur ,the lights, the crowd, the laughter
all gone.
Only she remained in focus.
Avira, laughing, twirling, carefree in Daksh's arms.
To the world, she looked radiant but to Adhvir, every laugh was poison seeping through his veins.
Kabir was still standing there,
a wicked smile playing on his lips as he watched Adhvir's eyes darken.
"Well, well…" he chuckled,
"Looks like she's enjoying herself… with Daksh."
His tone was deliberately playful, mocking — twisting the knife just a little deeper.
Adhvir didn't answer.
His eyes stayed locked on Avira
each of her movements stabbing deeper into his chest.
And then… without a word, he turned away.He grabbed the wine bottle from the table and in one long, sharp motion,
drank it straight from the neck until it was empty.
He slammed the bottle back down.But his eyes they were no longer calm.
They glowed with a dangerous light.
A devilish smile spread across his lips.His gaze still pinned on Avira's back,he whispered under his breath, in a voice cold enough to freeze blood
"She let him touch her… and she didn't stop him."
"Don't worry… I won't do anything now."
"But very soon… you'll pay for this, my clumsy girl."