NOOR

This is Awkward.

This is very awkward

and why is it so awkward?

I mean I am in my home with my people — Mumma, papa, Arin bhai, Kiaan bhai, luv, dadu and buaa. Then why am I feeling awkward?

Is it because he is here?

Or because of the looks my brother's are giving him.

By the way, why are they looking at him like that?

Like they’re ready to kill him or something.

After the bath I came out of the bathroom only to see an empty room. It was unexpected, however I thought he would stay like last night. At Least to have breakfast with the family as it was his first time here, but again he had a company to look after.

I got dressed and came downstairs only to get shocked seeing the most introverted Ashrit sitting with my most extroverted family.

It was the most shocking thing. At Least for me.

That man—who doesn’t even sit and eat with his own family—is sitting with my family.

And the cherry on top? He was waiting for me.

Hai Bhagwan, yeh koi chamatkar toh nahi!

And Ever since I chose to sit beside Ashrit—and not between my brothers, like I usually do—they’ve been glaring at him.

And this man beside me — he is not giving two fucks about them cause ofcourse he is King.

I shook my head and pulled out my phone from the pocket and opened our siblings whatsapp chat group where the four of us are in.

And about Jiya di—she never showed any interest in anything where I was involved.

And my brothers never minded knowing about her either.

Group name -Lovely Monkeys

Noor

Stop glared at my husband for no fucking reason!!!!.

I looked up at them, and right at that moment, all their phones pinged with a notification.

They glanced at the phone screens and then at me with raised brows.

I motioned for them to read the message.

Arin Bhai was quick to reply.

Arin

Stop swearing first. And there is a fucking reason.

Kiaan

And he is not your husband.

Noor

He is my husband and Arin bhai, there is no reason.

Luv

We didn't agree to your marriage yet, di.and why is he here, making us all uncomfortable??.

Noor

Shut up you clown. and I don't know myself either. It was a shock for me too. But now he is here, so for God sake stop giving him that looks and let me eat in peace.

Thought….. peace is nowhere to be found 😭.

I glanced at them from my phone and gave them a death glare.

Noor

Be nice, since he is my husband, forced or not . He is my husband and the king of this kingdom. Respect him for God's sake.

I heard someone scoffing and I was hundred percent sure it was Arin bhai.

Arin

Sissy, don't take his side and fuck respect, He lost it the moment he married you.

Kiaan

And stop calling him your husband. See the hair on my hands stood up because of it. It sounds so cliche and ugly.ewww🤮

Seriously, these two, I am so done with them.

Noor

Seriously, Stop it already. And respect your JIJA JI. 😁

Arin

Jija ji???? My foot.

Kiaan

I would rather eat a snake than call him jijaji.

Luv

And I would gladly die before calling him that thing or whatever.

Noor

You brat..

Luv ke bache tu toh Gaya ab.

And you two, screw you…😡😡😡.

I closed the chat and turned off my phone. Determined to ignore them.

I slightly leaned to Ashrit's side and whispered.

“ Don't mind the looks you are getting. My brother's are just jealous because, now you have their favourite sister”

He nodded, his usual poker face intact, and continued to eat the spaghetti—spaghetti which, of course, my Italian mother had made specially for her dear son-in-law.

I watched as he twirled the pasta neatly onto his fork, completely unfazed by the daggers my brothers were shooting his way.

Arin Bhai leaned closer to Kiaan and muttered (not very quietly),

“Look at him, eating our family breakfast like he’s always been here. Just who does he think he is?”

Kiaan smirked.

“The king of the kingdom, apparently,” he whispered back dramatically.

I shot them both a glare that could have melted steel.

Ashrit, still calm as ever, finally glanced sideways at me and murmured under his breath, “This is… entertaining.”

I choked on my water. “Entertaining? You’re enjoying this circus?”

His lips quirked up—just slightly.

“I like seeing how protective they are of you. It’s… amusing.”

I gaped at him. “what?.”

He shrugged lightly and kept eating, as though this whole tense, drama-filled breakfast was just another day at the office.

My brothers were still exchanging glances and making dramatic gestures behind my back.

God. I just wish that the time would pass fast so that he could leave.

And soon the breakfast was over and Ashrit stood up to leave.

“ Mr & Mrs.Mehrotra thankyou for the lovely breakfast and now I would like to take my leave. Since i disturbed you all so much yesterday, I would like to apologise for that too.” he bowed his head slightly.

Making us gasp at him.

“ Aree, hukum saa, what are you doing?!!” Dadu instantly stood up followed by papa,mumma and bua.

“ Haa hukum sa, don't do things like that, we don't deserve it,” Indu bua said, her voice cold and filled with pain.

Ever since the wedding, Bua is still Angry and is disappointed with herself and Jiya di. Papa tried to tell her that there is no fault of her in all that. yet she blames herself for everything that happened that night. And I heard that every day she loathe herself for letting me marry Ashrit sir.

Sach bolu, i heard It was bua, who first recommended me in the place of Jiya di to marry Ashrit.

Ashrit sir glanced at Bua for a second and then, with a graceful move, stepped back and bent down, touching her feet lightly.

“Aapki koi galti nahi thi, apne aap ko mat dosh dijiye,” he said softly.

Bua, clearly caught off guard, stepped back, her hand half-raised in surprise.

I gasped and my eyes widened like saucers.

What just happened?

He touched someone —who is not Royal — feet?

Before anyone could react further, Papa and Dadu’s voices rang out in unison.

“Hukum saa!!?”

Dadu added, his tone firm but touched with surprise,

“Aap Rajgharane se hai. Aap hamare pair nahi chhoo sakte!”

Ashrit straightened up, his tall frame commanding attention as he lifted his chin slightly, his voice calm but strong.

“Aapko yaad hai, hamari shaadi ke din?” he asked quietly.

Papa and Dadu both nodded, expressions tightening. My brothers, however, couldn’t keep their comments to themselves.

“The worst day of our life,” Arin Bhai muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, and I hate that day,” added Kiaan, crossing his arms dramatically.

“I wish I could turn back time and stop the wedding,” Luv chimed in, rolling his eyes.

These three—why do they always forget I’m right here? Or do they think I’m still too small to notice?

I cleared my throat loudly, and they immediately fell silent, staring anywhere but at me.

Ashrit’s eyes didn’t waver. He met Dadu and Papa’s gaze steadily.

“Aapne bola tha Noor aapke Amanat hai,” he said, his voice resonating in the quiet room. “Aur agar woh Amanat hai, toh uski puri family bhi Amanat hi hoyena. Aakhir, aap hi log ho jinhone Noor ko itne ache se bada kiya hai.”

I was caught off guard by his words. What is he saying?

And why do I'm getting butterflies hearing it?

For a beat, no one spoke.

Dadu’s stern expression softened ever so slightly. Mumma’s lips trembled, and even Bua’s shocked face turned contemplative.

Ashrit glanced at me, his eyes gentle, before turning back to them

“ I know I don't deserve your trust yet, because of the circumstances we got married but I'm willing to try,” he added.

“and I promise to earn it. Noor ki khushi aur izzat ke liye, main hamesha khada rahunga. Aaj se, aap sabhi mere bhi parivaar ho.”

The room fell into a hush, the weight of his words sinking in.

I bit my lip, Not getting any of the things he was saying.

What is this man?

Who is this man?

Iam 10000000000 percent sure, he is not the Ashrit I had known for the past two years.

This man here, standing before my family and saying things I never expected. He cannot be the Ashrit Raghuvanshi I know.

In the span of 24 hours, he earned a little -tiny piece of my heart and is now trying to earn my family's too.

No one spoke after that,of course it's a shock for us.

I watched my brothers, expecting another sarcastic remark, but even they seemed momentarily speechless.

“ Then, i will take my leave” he turned to me,

“ Noor you are on a holiday for two weeks, so take a rest and stay here for sometime and then come back only if you want to,” saying that he turned back and left the mansion in three long strides.

The room remained still even after the grand front door echoed shut behind him.

I stood there, rooted to the floor, watching the empty space where he had been just seconds ago. My heart raced like a wild drum in my chest, pounding louder than the hush that had taken over the room.

What was that?

What just happened?

It was like a storm had passed through—silent yet leaving everything shifted.

ASHRIT

My heart felt light.

Lighter than I ever imagined it could be.

I had wanted to say those words to them—her family—ever since I fell in love with Noor, ever since I married her. But there had never been a chance, no perfect moment to voice what I felt. Today, finally, I said it.

Three years.

For three long years, I kept those words locked in my heart, waiting for the right moment to speak. To tell them how wonderfully they had raised her. How beautiful their family was, how the love they shared resonated in her being.

It’s rare—so rare—to find a woman who stands tall for herself. A woman who knows how to put men in their place, who commands the respect of the world. Women like her aren’t just meant to be loved—they are meant to be worshipped.

Last night was a storm of emotions. She cried—tears I can still feel deep in my bones. Not because she lost him, but because she lost the love she had for him.

She loved him with every breath, every beat of her heart. And no one knows that better than me.

It was painful. But for her, I endured it.

I never dreamed I’d marry her. Because the things that bloom in dreams rarely become reality.

I was an emotionless fool, drained of feeling after I lost her. It was like losing myself. I was alive, but not really living. My days were drained of color, my world empty of family, of life, of will.

Until one day, everything changed.

A girl in a purple kurta and white pants appeared in my cabin, a stack of files clutched in her hands. She placed them on my desk, and I, already frustrated, looked up—ready to lash out.

But the moment I saw her, my world stood still.

I remember it clearly—the fear in her eyes, the uncertainty in her posture.

And yet… there was something there. In her eyes. In her presence. Something I couldn’t name but couldn’t ignore. It was as if I knew her. As if we had met before.

I couldn’t shake the feeling.

Love.

It was a beautiful feeling and it was because of her. Only her.

And I still feel it for her and will always be.

I stepped out of the Mehrotra mansion, and found Samar waiting by the car. I closed the distance between us in two long strides, he opened the car door for me and bow down, “ Good morning sir,”

To say we are friends but he never forgets to respect me.

I gave him a curt nod and slid inside.

“ Did you do what I asked for?” I questioned him, while checking my today's schedule on my iPad which Samar just handed me.

Receiving no answer from him, I looked at him. He sat silent and a moment later, I heard him.

“ We couldn't,”

I fisted my hands hearing it, the muscles in my jaw tensed. “ What do you mean by ‘we couldn't’? I asked you to capture Piyush Dixit. And you failed in it.” I asked, my voice firm laced with Anger.

“ I told you I needed him in my dungeon, in the morning, didn't I?”

Samar turned to me from the passenger seat, he exhaled before saying, “ we have tried, our team, me and Harsh. We tried but he was being guarded by THE SHADOWS. In Fact the whole Dixit mansion is under control of the Shadows.”

The SHADOWS.

It was the only team which was very secretive and even the best hackers, detectives couldn't get information about them.

We didn't know what they does or what they are upto but since two years Some of the Business man's went missing abruptly. And it was said that the Shadows are behind it.

They have been getting in my way for two years. I have been staying back just because I don't have information about them and we don't know how powerful they are or what weapons they used aside the guns.

So I stayed back but not anymore not now.

“ Set an appointment to meet their leader,”

Samar nodded, “ Okay.”

Let's meet these SHADOWS and will end them for good.

And Piyush Dixit, count your days cause now I won't let you breathe the same air My woman does.

You will die and in the hands of me.

Ashrit Raghuvanshi, Noor's one and only husband.