Riyansh returned to his silence, unchanged, untouched—as if nothing extraordinary had happened at all.
But vebhav didn't look away.
Not anymore.
Because this was no longer about rankings.
It was about minds.
And vebhav had just found the one opponent
he couldn't afford to ignore.
A month had passed. During this time, Vaibhav and Riyansh did not speak to each other even once, even though they sat together.
Meanwhile, on the other side in India, Kusum's sister had already gotten married, and little Kusum couldn't do anything for her sister.
Because she was still just a child, even though she had seen so much in her childhood that she had become mature at a very young age.
........
In New York, the night had begun to breathe its own kind of madness.
Neon lights flickered outside the bar, music thumped softly in the background, and the air was heavy with alcohol and unspoken intentions. Vaibhav sat lazily on a high stool, a glass in his hand, surrounded by his friends—calm on the surface, dangerous underneath.
That's when their attention shifted.
Across the bar stood a girl—effortlessly beautiful, her presence impossible to ignore. She wasn't trying to attract anyone, and that alone made her stand out even more.
Jack noticed her first. A slow, knowing smirk curved his lips as he leaned back and said,
"Alright… let's play a game."
Gabriel glanced at him, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"A game? What kind of game?"
Jack's gaze never left the girl. With a wicked glint in his eyes, he replied,
"That girl. Whoever manages to take her back to his bed tonight—wins."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Vaibhav didn't react immediately. He simply lifted his glass, took a slow sip, and let the alcohol burn its way down his throat. Then, in a low and composed voice, he said,
"A game only becomes interesting when there's something at stake."
Jack let out a soft chuckle, clearly amused. His tone turned sarcastic as he replied,
"Fair enough. If either of you wins, I'll hand over my brand-new car. But if I win—both of you will give me your luxury cars."
Silence followed.
Then Vaibhav smiled.
But it wasn't a warm smile. It was cold… sharp… almost devilish. His eyes darkened as he set his glass down and looked at his friends.
With that same chilling smile, he said,
"Then you both better be ready to lose."
Hearing Vaibhav's words, smiles spread across both of his friends' faces.
Jack chuckled, stood up from his seat, and said,
"Then I'll try first."
Saying that, he started walking in her direction.
Meanwhile, Vaibhav remained seated, completely relaxed. He was confident—absolutely certain—that he would be the one to win. That confidence showed in the way he calmly enjoyed his drink, as if the game didn't concern him at all.
On the other side, Jack approached the girl.
She was standing with her friend. In fact, both the girl and her friend had already glanced at the three of them several times. Still, the girl hadn't reacted much—no curiosity, no interest.
Jack began talking in his most charming manner.
A confident tone, an easy smile—his usual tried-and-tested moves.
But the girl…
her attention was elsewhere.
Her eyes kept drifting, almost unconsciously, toward the direction where Vaibhav was sitting.
He was quietly sipping his drink, completely unbothered. He wasn't staring, wasn't trying to show off—yet there was something about him that pulled her gaze back every time.
A strange depth… a calm danger.
Jack's words reached her ears, but not her heart.
She replied politely—short, cold responses, clearly uninterested.
Jack even tried to impress her friend, but it was obvious now—
the girl was simply ignoring him.
After a moment, without making any excuse, she turned to her friend and said softly,
"I'll be right back."
And then…
she walked away.
Straight toward the place where Vaibhav was sitting.
When Vaibhav sensed her approaching, he slowly lifted his eyes.
Their gazes met—
just for a moment.
Only a moment.
Yet in that moment, a faint smile appeared on the girl's lips.
She stopped in front of Vaibhav and said in a calm, confident voice,
"Can I join you?"
That cold, devilish smile returned to Vaibhav's lips.
Without showing any surprise, he gestured toward the empty chair in front of him.
The game…
had truly begun now.
As the girl settled into the chair across from him, Vaibhav leaned back slightly. The soft lights of the bar fell over his face, and despite his calm—almost indifferent—expression, there was a deep, quiet intensity in his eyes.
He didn't speak right away.
Amid the noise of the bar, the music, and the voices around them…
that silence felt even more powerful.
And that silence drew her in.
Finally, Vaibhav spoke, his voice low but clear.
"You don't seem like someone who wastes her time on the wrong people."
The girl studied him for a moment, then a faint smile touched her lips.
"And you don't seem like someone who talks without a reason."
Vaibhav's lips curved just slightly—not quite a smile, not quite cold.
"Only when it's necessary."
There was no flirting in his tone. No artificial charm.
And somehow, that made him far more dangerous than anyone else in the bar.
Still holding her drink, the girl realized she had unconsciously leaned a little closer to him.
From the far end of the bar, Jack noticed it first.
Her gaze no longer drifted anywhere else.
And Vaibhav—who wasn't even trying—was winning effortlessly.
Jack clenched his jaw and muttered under his breath,
"We've already lost."
Gabriel followed his line of sight and said with a knowing smirk,
"He didn't even play… and still won."
Back at the table, the girl slowly swirled her glass and asked,
"So… what do you do?"
Vaibhav took a slow sip of his drink before replying,
"I do whatever I believe is right."
It wasn't arrogance.
It was certainty.
The girl let out a soft laugh, her interest unmistakable.
"You're dangerous."
Vaibhav met her gaze steadily.
"People say that when they're afraid of losing control."
The music grew louder. The bar more crowded.
Yet the air between them felt heavier, more charged.
After a while, she placed her glass down and said,
"It's getting hard to breathe in here."
Without asking a question, Vaibhav stood up, picking up his jacket.
"Then let's go outside."
There was no question in his words—
only a decision.
Minutes later, they walked out of the bar together. The cold night air brushed against their faces as the noise behind them slowly faded away. Neon lights reflected off the wet streets when Vaibhav unlocked his car.
He opened the passenger door for her—
not as a romantic gesture,
but as a clear statement.
She paused for a moment, her eyes meeting his—
then stepped inside.
Vaibhav took the driver's seat, started the engine, and glanced at her once.
The game that began in the bar…
was now completely under his control.
Vaibhav was driving, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. His hands were firm on the steering wheel, his expression calm—almost indifferent.
Beside him, the girl turned toward him. There was no hesitation in her gaze now, only a seductive confidence. She leaned a little closer and asked in a slow, deliberate voice,
"So… what's your name?"
Even after hearing the question, Vaibhav's expression didn't change. He didn't look at her right away, nor did he react. His voice remained cold and controlled.
"What will you do by knowing my name?"
Then, after a brief pause, he added in the same firm tone,
"Or don't you think that the reason we're together is the only thing that matters?"
There was no urgency in his words—only a clear message.
He was the one in control.
A faint smile appeared on the girl's lips. She moved a little closer to his arm and said,
"So… do you want us to do all that in the car?"
This time, Vaibhav slowly turned his gaze toward her. Just one look—deep, measuring.
A slight devilish smile formed on his lips, more like a warning than a promise.
"Looking at you," he said calmly but dangerously,
"it doesn't seem like you can even wait till we reach the hotel."
His eyes returned to the road, his voice turning even colder.
"Besides…"
A brief pause, then the same dominant tone—
"doing something in the car is far more exciting than doing it in a hotel."
The girl let out a soft breath.
And Vaibhav—
remained completely in control.