THE FIRST MOVE

Reyan Malhotra leaned against the balcony railing, his eyes flickering between Aira and the man she had just unsettled. The storm of power in the room had shifted, and he had witnessed the exact moment Ravindra Raizada had marked Aira as an unsolved equation.

A slow smirk tugged at Reyan's lips. Interesting.

"Aira just did what no one else has ever dared," Aryan murmured beside him, swirling the whiskey in his glass. "She made him react."

Reyan's fingers drummed lightly against the marble. "And knowing her, she did it on purpose."

"Of course she did," Aryan chuckled, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "The question is… what will Vasgarh's king do next?"

Reyan hummed in agreement, his sharp mind already playing out scenarios. "Ravindra Raizada isn't the type to forget, nor the type to let go. If he sees Aira as an anomaly in his controlled world…"

Aryan grinned. "Then he'll try to control her."

A beat of silence stretched between them before both brothers laughed under their breath.

"Good luck with that, Mr. Raizada," Reyan mused, amusement lacing his voice. "No one controls Aira Mehra."

Across the Gala…

Aira could feel the weight of a gaze lingering on her. She was used to being observed, analyzed, even feared—but this was different. This wasn't the usual scrutiny of politicians or military strategists. This was something more dangerous.

She didn't need to look to know who it was.

Ravindra Raizada.

He was watching her, assessing her, measuring the force that had dared to step into his domain without flinching.

She took another sip of her champagne, as if unaffected.

Beside her, Kabir leaned in slightly. "You're enjoying this too much."

Aira smirked. "Let's call it… professional curiosity."

"You mean you're toying with a man who holds half of Vasgarh's economy in his grip?"

She glanced at Kabir. "Wouldn't be the first time I've toyed with dangerous men."

Kabir sighed, shaking his head. "One day, your games are going to backfire, Aira."

She turned back to the room, her gaze locking onto Ravindra's from across the distance.

"Maybe," she murmured. "But not today."

And just like that, she lifted her glass in the slightest, most imperceptible of gestures—a silent challenge, a wordless declaration that she wasn't afraid.

Ravindra's lips curled.

He had just found his next game.

And he never lost.

The First Move Had Been Made.

What came next?

That depended on who played better.