Chapter 3: A Game of Chess
They worked together.
Meetings turned into late nights. Negotiations into quiet conversations. Every interaction felt like a chess move—careful, deliberate, layered with meaning.
Rishab learned quickly that Samayra saw everything.
She noticed how he controlled rooms without effort. How people feared him without knowing why. How danger followed him like a shadow he wore comfortably.
“You’re not what you pretend to be,” she said once, sipping her coffee without looking at him.
“And you’re not as innocent as you appear,” he replied smoothly.
They smiled at each other then—not friendly, not hostile.
Understanding.
Slowly, teasing gave way to possession.
Mockery softened into protection.
When threats appeared in her business, they disappeared before reaching her. Samayra never asked how. She never needed to.
When rivals tested Rishab’s territory, they found themselves blocked by contracts and legal traps signed in Samayra’s elegant handwriting.
Trust grew—not spoken, but built.
And somewhere between shared glances and unguarded laughter, something dangerous formed..
