Abhimanyu's POV
The party looked exactly how I expected.
Black. White. Boring.
Men dressed in tailored suits, women poured into body-hugging gowns, balancing wine glasses between manicured fingers and faker-than-plastic smiles stretching beneath sequined masks. Laughter echoed in corners, but not a single note of it felt real. Everything reeked of pretense. Glitter-covered lies wrapped in expensive perfumes.
And who am I to judge?
I'm just the same.
Leaning against the edge of the bar, black mask on my face, blazer sharp, shot glasses lined before me like soldiers I've been commanding to numb me since the clock struck 9. But even after the fourth one, my senses remain insultingly intact. My heart-quiet. My mind-distant.
Even the alcohol can not intoxicate me.
Everything around feels lifeless. Predictable. Like happens in every buisness party I attended.
Gosh! My meetings are better than this!
Ironically, even the couples-dancing, with hands on waist and shoulder, pretending to be in love..as their eyes scan for better options.
Handsome. Fame. Rich.
But...At least they've got someone to wrap their hands around, someone to pose with, play pretend for a while.
Me? I've only got a glass in hand and a silence loud enough to echo in my bones.
Not that women don't interest me.
Or maybe they don't.
Not until now.
Cause the only goal I see is. My buisness empire. Extending it to the high no one ever imagined.
But about Woman..
I don't think I'll ever give anyone a place in my heart.
No one will ever do magic of their beauty and charm on me.
Never!
Untill in this lifeless party that seem more like a death anniversary. She entered.
In a bold Red!
Red like Sin...
Every spotlight fell on her. Even my eyes once settled and forgot to move.
Like the universe paused the moment and taught me very personal lesson, "Here, take a look. This is what you've been missing."
This woman in Red. Was like a rebellion in the middle of obedience.
Her bold red lips curled in a knowing smirk, no forced expressions, no shy smiles-just a unapologetic confidence.
And the ego no one dare to hold.
Her mask was on. But my eyes were already set as if I can scan beyond it.
Because She didn't just walk into the party,she entered like she owned it. Eyes scanning the room like it was her kingdom and we were all just… background noise.
And in that moment, I forgot how to blink.
Forgot the glass in my hand, the buzzing around me, even the dull ache of loneliness I had made peace with.
She started greeting people with effortless grace, as if she belonged everywhere and nowhere at once. Like she wasn't trying to impress anyone,because she didn't need to.
Evryone was already impressed. Just by her presence.
For a second, I was stunned. Who the hell was she?
Until Mister Kapoor walked toward her and she hugged him casually, leaning into him with a side smile. I scoffed internally.
A girlfriend? At this age? Bold choice, sir.
But a second later, clarity hit me like ice water,as her name was announced.
Samayra Kapoor.
She wasn't his woman.
She was his daughter.
Fucking stupid I'm!
My mind, my thoughts are more stupid than me.
It was obvious, Mister Kapoor the man in his 40s gonna have daughter in her 20s.
Because not everyone stays single till thirty-five like me. Mister Kapoor, my business partner since years, had a grown-up daughter while I,still a bachelor by choice or curse, stood there with my drink like a man out of time.
But damn…
The way I felt in the mere sight of this girl.
I've never felt this way before. Not for any woman. Not even close.
It wasn't just her beauty. It was her energy—raw, powerful, untouchable. The way she moved. The way she talked, even from across the room, like she was made of storms and silk.
And maybe…
Maybe for the first time in my carefully calculated life.
I wanted to be noticed.
By her.
But instead of approaching her out of my rule book, I remained glued to my corner at the bar, knocking back one shot after another, trying to look away. God knows I tried. But damn, my eyes betrayed me.
Because they kept drifting back to her.
Scarlet dress. Scarlet lips. And the kind of presence that demanded attention without uttering a word. It wasn't lust. It wasn't love. It was something dangerously in between,a pull. Magnetic and maddening.
And then-shit-she caught me.
Staring at her like a tharki buddha..
The moment she turned her eyes to my side,Our eyes locked. Just for a second. But enough for her to notice that I had been watching. Observing.
What the hell is she thinking? That I'm some sleazy creep eyeing her from across the room?
I quickly turned away, slamming my glass on the counter, voice low. "Another shot. Neat."
I stared down at the liquid in the glass like it could wash away the moment. Like it could cleanse the sudden guilt and weird twist in my gut.
But Samayra Kapoor didn't seem like someone who enjoyed being ignored.
Because a second later, I felt a subtle shift beside me,a presence. And then, her soft, confident voice floated in the air.
"Hey… a shot. More ice," she said, her fingers lightly tapping the counter as she spoke to the bartender.
And there she was.
Right next to me.
I shouldn't have looked. I really shouldn't have.
But I did.
The way she pushed her wavy hair back, the way her bare shoulder shimmered under the golden bar light, the way her lips curved in a slight smirk as she finally took off her mask and revealed her face.
Goddamn, she was beautiful. Not the delicate, porcelain kind. But the kind of beauty that could ruin you. Wild. Real. Dangerous.
My lips parted looking at her etheral beauty.
Moments passed in silence. But the tension? Thick.
Then she turned, catching me once more in the act of stealing glances.
She smirk holding her glass.
"I noticed you staring," she said, voice like velvet but eyes sharp. "Say it. What's going on in that head?" she leaned closer.
I met her gaze, this time sharply and forced a cold tone. "Nothing."
She chuckled, the sound low, playful, sultry. "Don't joke with me. I know what I look like. I've fluttered enough hearts to know when I'm being watched."
Then came the line,bold and unapologetic, like her.
"I can get any man hard with just one look."
That level of confidence..or ego?
But then the next moment she extended a perfectly manicured hand. With a bright smile. I could just die over...
"Samayra. Samayra Kapoor."
I stared at her hand. Then her face. And then turned away again, silently.
She laughed softly. "Hey, man. Don't roll your eyes. That's boring. Disgusting too..Ishh" Her tone teased, amused.
And then… she started humming a tune.. Carefree and unaffected by my cold wall. The way she swayed slightly with the rhythm,like music lived in her blood.
Suddenly, she turned back to me. "Wanna dance?"
My eyes narrowed. "I don't dance."
She tilted her head and burst into a soft, mocking laugh. "Of course you don't. You look like the kind who sulks near bars and avoids anything fun."
Punching on my arm slightly she spoke, "Get a life Man!!"
Then she turned, lifted her hand, and called out,
"Hey, Jack! Come here!"
A tall, slick-looking guy in a velvet tux walked up immediately, already smitten by her voice.
"Dance with me," she said, pouting like a child, playful and bold all at once. "I'm in the mood."
Jack didn't even hesitate. Of course he didn't. Who would?
The music shifted,low, sensual, electric,and they moved to the floor.
I stood there, frozen. The burn of the alcohol in my throat was nothing compared to the heat that flared in my chest.
Her arm looped around his shoulder.
His hand settled on her waist.
Too low.
Too close.
They moved in sync, her body against his, laughing, spinning, owning the floor like it belonged to them. Her hair flew as she twirled. Her eyes sparkled under the light. And the entire room cheered.
Everyone celebrated her.
And I?
I burned.
Jealousy,hot and raw,clawed its way up my spine.
And all I could do… was watch.
I couldn't take it anymore.
The dim lights, the glittering masks, the empty laughter. Her dancing with someone else while I stood like a damn statue near the bar. Everything about this party felt fake, forced, suffocating.
And for the first time in years, I didn't want to stay and pretend. I was done.
I straightened my suit, brushed my fingers through my hair, and turned on my heel, ready to walk out of this facade,
Until I was stopped.
"Mr. Ranawat."
I turned to find Mr. Kapoor himself standing there, all smiles, drink in hand, eyes gleaming like a man who knew exactly what he was about to do.
"How did it go tonight?" he asked.
"Fine," I replied curtly. "It was good working with you. I hope we get more projects in the future."
He gave a slow, almost knowing nod. "Hmm. That's exactly what I wanted to talk about."
I raised a brow. "Oh?"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice like we were about to strike a secret deal. "How about a long-term partnership?"
Something in his tone felt… off. More personal than professional.
My jaw tightened slightly. "You mean… a merger?"
"No, no," he chuckled. "Not business-wise. I mean something deeper."
I stared at him, unblinking. "You're creating suspense..."
He smiled wider. "This is my daughter… Samayra."
He pointed at her.
And before I could fully process the shift, his words hit like a bullet,clean and precise.
"Will you marry her?"
The world around me froze. The music blurred. The people disappeared.
All I could hear was that one sentence ringing in my ears.
I looked past him, toward the dance floor.
There she was.
Red dress swirling. Laughing. Spinning in someone else's arms. And yet, somehow,every part of her still felt like mine. Like I had known her for years instead of just a few stolen glances and a sharp-tongued conversation.
But Marriage?
I shifted my gaze back to Kapoor, unreadable.
He wasn't joking. Not even remotely.
The question wasn't absurd to him,it was strategic. Calculated.
He knew exactly what kind of man I was. And exactly what I'd be drawn to.
And suddenly, the whole night made sense.
This wasn't a party.
It was a proposal...
A proposal to bind me with the very distraction I want to avoid in my life...
And I know.. Samayra Kapoor isn't just a distraction..she is a destruction!