Chapter 2 AAVYANSH RAGHUVANSHI

The basement smelled of rust, damp concrete, and fear.

A man was tied to a chair in the center of the room, his body slumped, his face bruised, blood staining the corner of his mouth. His breathing came out in uneven, painful bursts, and every small movement made the metal chains clink against the chair.

The room was silent.

Then a low whistle echoed through the basement.

Slow footsteps followed.

The guards immediately straightened.

A man in his early thirties walked in with both hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. He wore a navy-blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black formal pants, and polished shoes that clicked against the concrete floor with quiet menace.

His jaw was tight.

His black eyes held no emotion.

No pity.

No hesitation.

Only cold authority.

He was Avyansh Raghuvanshi.

The Crowned King of Jaipur.

The man tied to the chair shivered at the sight of him.

Avyansh dragged a chair across the floor and placed it directly in front of the captive before sitting down, one leg crossing over the other. He looked at him the way a king would look at someone who had already signed his own death sentence.

He gave a small signal to one of his guards.

The guard stepped forward and threw a bucket of ice-cold water over the tied man.

The man jerked violently, coughing and gasping as the freezing water hit him. His eyes fluttered open, and the moment he saw Avyansh sitting in front of him, terror spread across his face.

A broken groan escaped his lips.

“P-please…” he whispered.

Avyansh leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze locked on the man’s trembling face.

“It’s not good to betray me,” he said in a low, deadly voice. “You knew that. Still, you leaked the project details to others.”

The man shook his head frantically, tears mixing with water and blood on his face.

“Sir, please… leave me. I’m sorry. I have a family. Please let me go.”

Avyansh stared at him for a second, then gave a humorless smile.

“Did you think of your family before doing it?” he asked quietly.

The man froze.

The calmness in Avyansh’s tone was far more terrifying than a scream.

“I—I made a mistake, sir. Please… it won’t happen again.”

Avyansh slowly stood up.

The tied man’s breathing turned ragged.

Avyansh rolled his shoulders once, then picked up the hammer lying on the nearby table. He weighed it in his hand casually, as if it were nothing more than a paperweight.

The man’s eyes widened in horror.

“Sir… sir, please—”

Avyansh grabbed the man by the jaw and forced him to look up.

“When someone betrays me,” he said, his voice dropping lower, colder, “I make sure they become an example.”

Before the man could beg again, Avyansh struck him hard.

A scream ripped through the basement.

The chair rattled.

The guards didn’t move.

No one dared.

Avyansh hit him again, his expression never changing, his anger controlled but merciless. It wasn’t blind rage. It was punishment—cold, deliberate punishment delivered by a man who believed fear was the only language traitors understood.

“Please!” the man cried, sobbing now. “Please forgive me, sir! Please!”

Avyansh stepped back, chest rising and falling steadily, then crouched in front of him again. He gripped the man’s face, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“Forgiveness,” he said, almost softly, “is not something I offer traitors.”

The man shook violently.

Avyansh straightened, pulled out his gun, and aimed it at him.

For one brief second, silence swallowed the room.

Then—

The shot echoed through the basement.

The man’s body went still.

Avyansh lowered the gun without a flicker of emotion and handed it to one of his guards.

“Clean this up.”

He turned and walked out as if nothing had happened.

Outside the basement, Avyansh stood by the wash basin, calmly washing his hands under cold water. Red swirled down the drain, and yet his face remained as unreadable as ever.

That was the thing about Avyansh Raghuvanshi.

Violence never shook him.

It steadied him.

A few moments later, Kabir approached with a file in his hand.

Kabir had been with Avyansh for years. Loyal, efficient, and smart enough to know when to speak and when to stay silent.

He handed the file to him.

“Sir. The details of the person to whom the information was given.”

Avyansh dried his hands, took the file, and opened it.

His eyes moved over the page once.

Then a smirk slowly formed on his lips.

“Raghav Kukreja,” he murmured.

Kabir stood straight. “Yes, sir.”

Avyansh shut the file.

“You know what to do.”

Kabir nodded once. “It’ll be handled.”

Avyansh didn’t reply. He simply walked away.

Hours later, Avyansh sat alone in his room.

The entire space was dark except for the faint glow of the laptop screen in front of him.

On the screen was a girl.

Completely opposite from his world

But she is the Light where he was darkness.

She is the Warmth where he was ice.

His gaze remained fixed on her face.

His fingers tapped once against the armrest of his chair.

“Welcome back to India, Pearl,” he murmured, his voice low and possessive.

A slow smirk curved his lips.

“Now soon… you will be mine.”

He closed the laptop.

The room fell back into darkness.

But the image of her stayed in his mind.

The next morning, Avyansh stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the cuffs of his crisp white shirt. He slipped on a black blazer over it, paired it with black formal pants and polished black shoes, and checked his watch.

Perfect.

Power looked effortless on him.

When he walked downstairs to the dining area, the breakfast table was already filled with food, laughter, and the usual morning chatter of the Raghuvanshi family.

The moment he entered, however, the atmosphere changed.

Silence.

Avyansh noticed the exchanged glances immediately.

He pulled out his chair and sat down at the head of the table. The maids served him breakfast while the rest of the family looked everywhere except at him.

He took a sip of coffee.

Then set the cup down.

“What happened to all of you?” he asked, glancing around the table. “Why are you looking at each other like this?”

No one answered.

Finally, his mother MRS.Samaira Raghuvanshi cleared her throat.

“Umm… Avi…”

He looked at her.

“What do you think about marriage?”

Avyansh’s jaw tightened almost instantly.

His mother gave him a hesitant smile. “You’re already thirty-four. You should get married now.”

The table had gone so quiet that even the clink of cutlery sounded loud.

Avyansh put his fork down with deliberate calm.

“Maa,” he said, voice low and firm, “I already told you. I don’t want to get married.”

His mother sighed. “You can’t avoid it forever.”

“I can,” he said flatly.

“Avi—”

“I’m getting late for the office.”

He stood up before anyone could continue the conversation.

Without another word, he walked away, leaving the family to stare after him.

Outside, a black Mercedes-Benz was already waiting.

Kabir stood beside it and quickly opened the backside door the moment he saw Avyansh approaching.

“Good morning, sir.”

Avyansh got into the car without replying. Kabir took the front seat, and the Mercedes rolled smoothly out of the driveway.

Their destination.

ARV Tech

ARV Tech wasn’t just a company.

It was an empire.

Founded and built by Avyansh Raghuvanshi, ARV Tech had become one of the most powerful names in the business world in less than a decade. It dealt in advanced software systems, AI-driven technology, cybersecurity, defense contracts, robotics, and international tech collaborations.

The company had offices in multiple countries, contracts worth billions, and investors who would wait months for a single meeting with its owner.

To the outside world, ARV Tech was innovation, power, and success.

Inside the business world, it was something else entirely.

Untouchable.

Because behind its polished glass walls and billion-dollar deals stood a man no one dared cross.

The moment Avyansh stepped out of the car and entered the company building, the atmosphere changed instantly.

Employees who had been talking in low voices went silent.

A few people straightened from their desks.

Some lowered their eyes.

Everyone greeted him.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Good morning, sir.”

Avyansh gave a single nod, his expression unreadable as he walked through the lobby.

His aura was impossible to ignore.

It wasn’t just authority.

It was pressure.

The kind that made people lower their voices, straighten their backs, and double-check every file before placing it on his desk.

He entered the private elevator and went straight to the top floor.

His cabin was exactly what one would expect from Avyansh Raghuvanshi—minimal, luxurious, intimidating. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooked the city, while the sleek black-and-wood interior reflected sharp control and expensive taste.

He opened the buttons of his blazer and hung it over the chair before rolling up the sleeves of his shirt and taking his seat behind the massive desk.

A moment later, Kabir entered.

“Sir,” he began, opening his tablet, “today you have a meeting with Mr. Mehra at eleven, and an online conference with Mr. Ivanov later in the afternoon.”

“Hm.”

Avyansh leaned back in his leather chair, listening.

Kabir hesitated for half a second before continuing.

“Sir, there’s also a business gala happening in Lucknow next week.”

Avyansh’s gaze shifted to him.

Kabir continued carefully, “It’s being hosted at The Centrum, Lucknow. High-profile event. Industrialists, politicians, investors—everyone important will be there.”

Avyansh said nothing.

Kabir looked at the tablet once more.

“And sir…” He paused. “Raghav Kukreja is also hiding there.”

For a second, complete silence filled the cabin.

Then a low, dangerous chuckle escaped Avyansh’s lips.

A smirk spread across his face.

Cold.

Sharp.

Promising destruction.

“Arrange everything,” he said, his voice calm enough to make it even more terrifying. “We’re going to Lucknow tomorrow.”

Kabir nodded immediately. “Yes, sir.”

Avyansh’s gaze shifted toward the city outside his cabin window, but his mind was somewhere else entirely.

On a girl with soft eyes and a smile too warm for his world.

On a business gala in Lucknow.

On a traitor hiding where he shouldn’t be.

And on the fact that, very soon, two different obsessions of his life were about to collide in the same city.

One would beg for mercy.

The other wouldn’t even know she was already being watched.

And Avyansh Raghuvanshi?

He intended to claim both outcomes exactly the way he wanted.

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Stay tune for next chapter .