
The gates of Rathore Haveli opened at dusk. Iron bars groaned against stone as they swung inward. A black Mercedes Maybach glided over the crushed marble driveway and stopped beneath the stone archway. The driver stepped out and opened the rear door. Ananya emerged alone.
She was nineteen now. Years had passed since she last stood on this ground. The small girl who left had been thin-limbed and quiet. The woman who returned carried herself differently. Her long wavy black hair fell past her waist in thick glossy ropes. Sunlight caught the strands and turned them liquid. Her skin was fair, almost luminous, the kind of fairness that comes from years spent in cooler hills rather than lowland sun. High cheekbones gave her face sharp elegance. Full lips were painted a soft rose shade. Dark eyes were framed by thick lashes and carried a look that was no longer childlike. It was knowing. Defiant. Dangerous.






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