Author's pov

The boutique was unlike anything Ira had ever seen.

Crystal chandeliers bathed the showroom in golden light. Rows upon rows of designer lehengas shimmered in delicate pastels and bold reds. Diamond jewelry sparkled behind glass counters. Every inch of the place screamed wealth—old money, effortless luxury.

Ira stood stiffly beside Pari, who was practically glowing with excitement.

“This is insane,” Pari whispered, eyes wide as she admired a blush pink lehenga. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

“Careful,” Ira murmured. “Don’t sound too impressed.”

Pari nudged her with a grin. “Why not? This is our new life, isn’t it?”

Ira didn’t reply. She just glanced at the Rathores.

Ragini Rathore was busy directing the staff, commanding attention with the sharp ease of someone who expected to be obeyed. Dev stood beside her, already on a call, distracted. Ranveer and Rohan remained quiet, but each of them was watching—for different reasons.

Ranveer’s gaze drifted to Ira more than once, but he said nothing.

Yugveer, on the other hand, hovered close to Pari but rarely looked at her. His eyes—unintentionally, helplessly—kept finding Ira.

And Ira? She felt it. All of it.

The pressure. The weight. The quiet staring that neither man acknowledged but couldn’t seem to stop.

"Which one did you like Ira" - nandini

"Uh..... I don't know"- Ira

"I know because you have not seen this much beautiful dresses in your life before , but it's ok  you can take your time afterall afterwards you will not be able to even breathe properly"- nandini said her eyes filled with mischief

Ira didn't understand what nandini was trying to say

Rathore's mansion

The Rathores had insisted on a family dinner at their mansion before the engagement—a final, casual evening to "bond" before things were made official.

For Ira and Pari, walking into that grand house again felt like stepping into another world.

Crystal chandeliers. Marble floors. Staff everywhere. Even the air smelled rich—like jasmine and old money.

Pari was all smiles, linking her arm with yugveer, trying to make conversation.

But yugveer… barely noticed.

His eyes flickered, subtly, repeatedly—to Ira, who followed quietly behind her sister, eyes down, her presence muted—but magnetic.

She wasn't trying to be seen.

That’s why she was.

Ira stepped away from the group, looking for water. The grandeur of it all was suffocating. She turned the corner toward the kitchen when she nearly collided with someone.

Yugveer

“Oh—sorry,” she said quickly, stepping back.

He didn’t move.

“you are always escaping ,” he said, voice casual but eyes unreadable.

“I’m not used to being stared at like a… guest,” she replied.

“You’re not a guest,” he murmured. “You’re going to be part of the family.”

Ira offered a tight smile. “That’s what they say.”

There was a pause—one of those heavy, unspoken ones.

“You don’t seem excited,” yugveer added.

“And you don’t seem happy,” she returned, looking at him carefully.

He chuckled, low and bitter. “Touché.”

Their eyes locked—just for a moment too long.

“Ira,” came Pari’s voice suddenly, echoing down the corridor.

The moment shattered. Ira stepped back.

“I should go.”

But yugveer voice stopped her—soft, dangerous.

“You make it very hard to pretend.”

She didn’t ask what he meant.

Because she already knew.

Later that evening, Ragini Rathore asked Ira to retrieve a file from the study. She obeyed, walking softly through the dimly lit halls.

She entered quietly—only to find Ranveer already inside.

He looked up from a document, surprised.

“I was just—sorry, I didn’t know—” she began.

“It’s fine,” he said, straightening. “Looking for this?” He handed her the envelope.

Their fingers brushed briefly. Ira pulled hers back like she’d been burned.

He noticed.

“You’re always careful,” Ranveer said after a moment. “Like you're afraid of waking something up.”

Ira tilted her head. “Maybe I am.”

He studied her, not with the lust of a man sizing up his bride—but the intensity of someone trying to solve a riddle written in silence and glances.

“You don’t look at me the way most people do.”

“I don’t see what they see,” she said honestly.

“And what do you see?” he asked.

She hesitated. “Someone who doesn’t want to be touched. Just like me.”

A strange stillness passed between them.

Ranveer stepped forward—not close, just enough to make her heartbeat hitch.

“I won’t touch you,” he said softly. “Not unless you ask me to.”

Ira stared at him. He meant it. Every word.

She left the study with the envelope in hand and a war in her chest.

At the long dining table, everyone chatted. Laughed. Toasted.

Except for three people.

Yugveer , who watched her from across the table like she was a poem he couldn’t stop reading.

Ranveer, who sat beside her—silent but so present it made the air heavy.

And Ira, who felt the heat of both their gazes and the weight of a future she hadn’t chosen… yet was being claimed by both.

And Pari, sitting between them all—oblivious.

For now.

Pari had always been observant—not in the studious way Ira was, but in the sharp, street-smart way that came from needing to survive on charm and instinct. And lately, her instincts were screaming.

And now, as she watched him during the pre-engagement lunch at the Rathore estate, it was impossible to ignore the signs.

He wasn't looking at her.

He was looking at Ira.

Yugveer's  kept flicking back to Ira.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

Pari noticed.

So did Ranveer.

The air tensed.

Ranveer’s hand curled around his teacup with more force than necessary, while Pari’s smile froze for a heartbeat.

Pari Leaned closer to yugveer and whispered, “You're quiet today.”

He blinked, as if yanked back into the moment. “Hmm? Yeah, just… tired.”

“Of me?” she teased playfully, but there was a tremble in her tone.

Yugveer didn’t laugh.

He just offered a vague smile—and looked away.

At Ira.

Again.

Later that day, back in their home , Ira was removing her earrings suddenly she feel a pang of pain in her cheek

"I should have known earlier you are really a whore , now you fucking want your sisters fiance to fuck you"- Ragini

Ira felt her eyes leaving tears

"Mom I did nothing i don't know what are you talking about" - Ira feeling confusion at what her mother is saying

"Shut up you slut I am warning you first and last time if you fucking don't stay away from yugveer the consequences will be more hurtful"- dev

"Dad but"- Ira

"Shut your dirty mouth and get lost" - Ira

Ira ran and locked herself in the bathroom she did nothing and for what they are giving her punishment ,

It was obviously told by pari to their parents.

Rathore mansion

That night, as ranveer passed by yugveer  in the hallway, he didn’t stop—but he said one thing, low and clear:

“Look somewhere else, yugveer.”

Yugveer looked up, startled.

Ranveer didn’t repeat himself.

He didn’t have to.

Next day

Yugveer sat beside Pari, nodding absently as she described her outfit choices for the engagement. But his gaze kept shifting—across the room, toward the woman who sat still, delicate fingers tracing the embroidery of a pale blue dupatta.

Ira.

She wasn’t doing anything extraordinary. But somehow, she was all he could see.

Pari leaned closer, placing her hand on his knee. “I was thinking blush pink for the evening function. Or maybe lavender?”

Yugveer blinked. “Hmm? Yeah, whatever you like.”

“You didn’t even hear me,” she said, her voice tinged with irritation.

“I did,” he said quickly, forcing a smile. “Pink. Sounds… perfect.”

But his eyes betrayed him.

They flickered to Ira—again.

Ranveer, seated a few feet away, noticed it all.

And so did Ira.

Ranveer stood near the bar counter, pretending to go through a list of vendors on his phone. But his mind wasn’t on logistics.

He was watching Yugveer.

Watching the way his brother’s eyes lingered where they shouldn’t.

And worse… he was watching the way Ira sometimes looked back.

It was subtle—guilt-tinged, restrained—but there.

He didn’t blame her. She hadn’t asked for any of this.

Still, something in his chest burned.

---

Later that evening, just before the families finalized the guest list, Ranveer found Yugveer alone near the study.

He stepped inside, shutting the door behind them.

“I don’t care what’s going on in your head,” Ranveer said coldly, “but whatever it is, end it. Now.”

Yugveer met his brother’s gaze, defensive. “I haven’t done anything.”

“You don’t need to. Your eyes say enough.”

Silence stretched between them.

“She’s my fiancée,” Ranveer said, his voice dangerously calm. “And Pari is yours.”

Yugveer’s jaw clenched. “You don’t even want this marriage.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m not the one eyeing someone else’s bride.”

Yugveer said nothing. Because he had no defense

Back in their room, Pari twirled before the mirror. “Don’t you think Yugveer was a little distracted today?”

Ira paused. “You think so?”

“I mean,” Pari laughed awkwardly, “he’s usually so flirty. Today he was just… I don’t know. Off.”

Ira said nothing.

Pari turned, a teasing glint in her eyes. “You weren’t staring at Ranveer, were you?”

Ira looked up sharply. “No!”

Pari laughed and waved it off. “Relax, I was joking.”

But Ira wasn’t laughing.

Because nothing about this… felt like a joke anymore.

She was trying her engagement dress for final fitting in a room in rathore mansion

The bridal preparation room was a swirl of soft fabrics, clicking bangles, and hushed voices. Ira sat quietly on a cushioned bench near the large mirror, dressed in a soft blush lehenga embroidered with delicate threadwork. The jewelry felt heavy, but not as heavy as her chest.

She closed her eyes. Just to breathe.

The door creaked softly.

She opened her eyes—expecting Pari or her mother again—but it wasn’t them.

It was Ranveer.

Her heart stumbled.

He paused at the doorway, clearly not expecting to find her alone. He looked like he was about to step back out—but her voice stopped him.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” she said, quietly.

“I know,” he replied, equally quiet. “But I… needed a moment.”

He stepped in slowly, closing the door behind him.

“You’re glowing,” he said, avoiding eye contact.

“I’m nervous,” she whispered, eyes falling to her lap. “I’ve never worn something this grand. I don’t feel like myself.”

Ranveer stood a few feet away, hands behind his back, his expression unreadable. “You look like yourself. Just… more radiant.”

That made her glance up. “Is that your awkward way of complimenting me?”

A flicker of a smile crossed his lips. “Maybe.”

The silence between them deepened—not uncomfortable, but so full of tension it almost echoed.

“Ranveer…” she started, hesitating. “Do you think this… marriage… is really what either of us wants?”

He took a slow breath. “It’s what our families want.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

He met her eyes then. Direct. Intense.

“No. I don’t think this is what you wanted. Or what I expected.”

A pause. “But I think… you’re the only part of it that doesn’t feel wrong.”

Her lips parted, unsure what to say.

He stepped closer, not touching her, but close enough for her to feel the warmth of him.

“I won’t hurt you, Ira,” he said gently. “Even if this marriage started on someone else’s terms… I will protect your heart like it’s mine.”

Her eyes stung with unshed tears. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

Ranveer's pov

He was trying to do  his work but his mind kept drifting to her

I didn’t want this marriage.

Not the way it was handed to me—like a business deal disguised in gold and traditions.

I didn’t argue. Because I never do.

I don't care about anything , anyone and people know me as ruthless , emotionless

But then I met her.

Ira Malhotra.

She wasn’t loud, she didn’t try to impress. There was a quiet sadness in her eyes the first time we met, something fragile and unspoken. And somehow, that silence said more to me than all the words Pari had ever thrown in my direction.

I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. This was meant to be formal. Bound by family and formality.

But every time I looked at Ira… I forgot that.

I forgot the arrangement. I forgot the duty.

All I saw was her.

The way she looked at me when she thought no one noticed. The way her hands trembled slightly when ours accidentally touched. The way her voice softened when she said my name, almost like it didn’t quite belong to her yet.

And now, as the hours slip toward our engagement, something in my chest won’t stop stirring.

I don’t know what this feeling is. Not yet. But it’s not obligation. It’s not resentment.

It’s something else.

Something that scares me because… for the first time in my life, I want something for me.

And that something… might be her.

Yugveer's pov

Stay away from her.

That’s what I tell myself every damn time I see her.

She’s not mine. She never was.

She’s my brother’s fiancée. The girl he’s going to put a ring on in a matter of hours. And I’m engaged to her sister—Pari, the one who actually flirts, who talks nonstop, who should be the center of my attention.

But she’s not.

Because all I can see… is Ira.

I try to ignore it. I try to play it cool, act like I don’t notice the way she lowers her gaze when I enter the room. Like I don’t feel the sharp twist in my chest when I catch her smiling at Ranveer, even if it’s just a flicker.

I tell myself she’s off limits. That nothing good will come of this obsession I can’t name.

But I can’t stop.

There’s something about her that pulls me in—something soft and broken, yet strong. She doesn’t even know it, but she carries a quiet kind of fire. Not the loud kind. The kind that smolders in silence, pulling everything toward its heat.

When she speaks, it’s like the rest of the room fades out. When she walks past me, I hold my breath like a fool.

I see Ranveer looking at her differently now too. And it kills me.

Because I had noticed her first.

Because I wanted her first.

But now she’s wearing a lehenga meant for someone else. For him.

And I’m supposed to smile, stand by, and pretend this doesn’t eat me alive.

Pari jokes about wedding decorations and selfies, and all I can think about is how Ira hasn’t smiled at me the way she does at Ranveer.

I should stay away.

I have to stay away.

But I know I won’t.

Because something about Ira malhotra belongs to me - even if the world says otherwise

Pls tell me if you like this story or not and pls tell me that what you don't like and what should be changed

Pls tell me me if you want both brothers to come close to Ira a little fast or a little slow

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