Author's Pov

One pair of eyes didn’t just hold surprise—they held something sharper. An accusation.

It was none other than Shaurya.

He turned to face Saaisha, his jaw clenched.

“Lotus!” he said—his tone stern, voice slightly raised.

Saaisha met his gaze with calm defiance. Her brow arched, eyes narrowing in a silent challenge.

That one glare—just one—was enough to make the Chief Minister and the most feared mafia leader drop his eyes and soften his voice.

“…Lotus,” he repeated, gentler this time.

She tilted her head, asking silently, “What happened?”, then scribbled on her journal:

“What happened?”

“You never told us your name. Why?” he asked, his voice calm now but curious.

She scribbled again,

“Because no one asked. You all just gave me a nickname. And he”—she pointed at Ryan—“called me ma’am, which I didn’t like at all.”

Shaurya glanced at the journal, then back at her as she casually shrugged.

His mother stepped in, smiling fondly.

“Kitna pyaara naam hai… bilkul meri bachi ki tarah—Saaisha. Do you know? It has two beautiful meanings—‘a life full of purpose’ and ‘a blessing.’ And you truly are a blessing, my child.”

She gently kissed Saaisha’s forehead.

“Dove!” Siya chimed in with excitement. “Now I can’t just call you Dove anymore… Hmm, Saaisha is too long… Isha! Yes! I’ll call you Isha—or even better, my Ishu!”

Siya pulled her into a quick hug. Saaisha smiled softly and nodded.

“Sab baitho, main nashta lagati hoon,” Shaurya’s mom said warmly.
(Everyone sit down, I will serve breakfast)

They all nodded, but Saaisha quietly followed her to the kitchen.

Shaurya looked at Siya and gave her a slight nod.

As they were heading towards the dining area, Shaurya stopped siya.

"Wait a minute, Siya. I want to ask you something," he said, stopping her.

"Yes, bhai?" she replied, looking at him innocently.

"Why didn’t you ask her name?" He asked, folding his arms crossed his chest.

She blinked and said, "Actually, bhai... when I asked about her parents, she panicked. I got scared to ask anything more after that."

He opened his mouth to scold her a little — but before he could, she threw an uno reverse card at him.

"But you should have asked her name too, bhai!" she shot back, crossing her arms.

Before he could say anything else, Veer jumped into the conversation, smirking.

"Butterfly," he said teasingly, "Shaurya jisse naam puchta hai, woh batata nahi... aur jisse naam puchhna chahiye, ussi se puchhna bhool jaata hai woh."
(Shaurya asks the ones who never tell their name… and forgets to ask the one he actually should.)

Shaurya actually knows what he's referring too, so he glared at him sharply, and he just chuckled, completely unbothered.

“let's go," Veer muttered, wrapping an arm around Siya as they walked out.

After breakfast, everyone settled in the hall, chatting lightly. Saaisha brought in a strawberry cheesecake she had made herself, setting it carefully on the center table. Everyone grabbed a slice.

“It’s so tasty,” Veer said, genuinely impressed.

“Yes, Ishu, it’s delicious,” Siya smiled warmly.

Everyone was enjoying it—everyone except one person.

Ryan.

“Bhai, tu kha sakta hai. Ek din meetha kha lega toh kuch nahi ho jaayega. Waise bhi itni exercise karta hai,” Veer teased.
(Bro, you can eat it. One day of having sweets won’t do any harm. Besides, you work out so much anyway.)

“No,” Ryan replied curtly, arms folded.

“Bhai, tere andar joh chhota bacha chhupa hai. Kabhi toh uski bhi khwahish poori kar,” Veer said with a grin.
(Bro, little child hidden inside you… at least fulfill his wish once in a while.")

“Mere andar chhota bacha hai?” Ryan raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
(I have little kid inside me?)

“Haan bhai, sabke andar hota hai,” Veer replied nonchalantly.
(Yes bro, everyone has)

“Kuch bhi mat bol. Itna toh mujhe pata hai ke bache pregnant nahi ho sakte. Toh mere andar koi bacha kaise ho sakta hai?” Ryan said confidently.
(Don’t talk nonsense. I at least know that men can’t get pregnant. So how can there be a child inside me?)

There was a beat of silence.

Now everyone was staring at him, speechless.

“Kya dekh rahe ho aise? Maine kuch galat bola?” he asked, suddenly unsure. He gulped, panic creeping in.
(Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?)

“Ladke pregnant hote hain kya? Matlab... mere andar sach mein bacha hai?!”
(Can boys even get pregnant? I mean... is there really a baby inside me?!)

He immediately placed a protective hand over his stomach, turning to Shaurya. “Toh mere bacche ka baap banega kya?”
(Will you be the father of my child.)

“What the fuck, are you out of your mind, Ryan?!” Shaurya exploded, completely thrown off.

“Bhai, tu dost hai mera, single bhi hai... mere bacche ko baap mil jaayega,” Ryan said sincerely, eyes pleading.
(Bro, you’re my friend, and you’re single too… my child will get a father.)

Just as Shaurya opened his mouth to fire back— Clink. A spoon hit the floor.

Everyone turned.

Saaisha.

She was laughing. Laughing so hard her hand clutched her stomach, her eyes sparkled, and a genuine, wide smile lit up her entire face—something none of them had seen before.

Shaurya’s mother quickly moved to her, gently circling a finger around her face. “Thu thu thu,” she said lovingly.

Shaurya’s father, smiling, pulled out a bundle of notes and circled it around Saaisha as if warding off bad energy.

The room filled with laughter and warmth.

“Bhai, tu pregnant nahi hai, dar mat,” Veer chuckled.
(Bro, you're not pregnant, don't be sacred)

“Pata hai mujhe,” Ryan muttered coolly and took a seat.
(I know)

Siya smiled. “Okay, now that everyone’s calm, let me introduce us properly. As you know, I own a tech company. Bhai is the Chief Minister. Veer is his Chief Secretariat. And Ryan bhai owns RS Defence Academy—you may have heard of it.”

Saaisha listened intently, nodding slowly.

After a moment, she hesitated, then wrote something on her notepad and handed it to Ryan.

Everyone leaned forward curiously.

“How can I join your academy? I want to learn self-defense.”

Ryan blinked at the note, stunned. Before he could answer, the rest of the room erupted.

“No!” they all shouted in unison.

“If you really want to, Ishu, I’ll arrange another academy,” Siya said quickly. “But not this one. You don’t know him—he’s a shaitaan when it comes to training. I’m telling you this from experience.”

Veer chimed in, “She’s right. No doubt his academy’s the best, but his training methods? Brutal.”

Saaisha remained still, no reaction on her face.

Then she looked at Shaurya’s parents. They simply nodded with affection: Whatever you want.

Finally, she turned to Shaurya.

He sighed. “It’s your choice, Lotus. But yes, what they’re saying is true. So decide wisely.”

She looked down and wrote something again.

“I’m ready. Tell me how to get admission, fees, and other details.”

Ryan finally broke the silence, his voice sharp and unyielding “Sab toh theek hai. Magar itni himmat hai tum mein? Mujhse training lena chahti ho lardhna seekhna chahti ho. Magar ab tak khud ko sahi se aaine mai dekha hai nazar se nazar mila kar dekha hai tumne khud ko, kisi or se lardhne se pahele apne aap se nazre milana sikho phr aajana academy”.
(Everything is fine. But do you have that much courage in you? you want to train by me, want to learn how to fight. But until now, have you really looked at yourself properly in the mirror? Have you truly met your own eyes? Before fighting with someone else, first learn to meet your own gaze. Then come to the academy.)

No one dared interrupt Ryan—because they knew exactly what he was doing. This wasn’t just about physical training. Ryan’s methods had always been brutal, but necessary. He broke you mentally before building you up stronger than ever.

Saaisha’s hand clenched tightly into the fabric of her kurta. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t look away. After a tense moment, she exhaled sharply and scribbled something on her notepad, then held it up for him to read:

"I’m ready. Let’s start tomorrow."

A flicker of pride passed through everyone’s eyes. Seeing this fire in her—the quiet kind, the kind that meant she’d made a choice—was enough.

Ryan let out a low chuckle, eyes gleaming.

“Ok, AS.YOU.WISH.”

"Alright. You can join from tomorrow. About the fees—”

Before he could finish, Shaurya interrupted. “I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.”

Saaisha immediately narrowed her eyes and scribbled fast:

“No. I can do it myself. I have my own money. I just need to go to the bank and collect my new credit card. I can pay. Don’t argue. End of discussion.”

Shaurya looked at her and said . “Okay.”

Everyone was smiling now, watching Saaisha—so determined, so full of quiet strength. It was a side of her that felt new yet deeply rooted.

“So, about the fees,” Ryan began, “it’s not monthly—it’s day-wise.”

Saaisha looked at him, confused.

“I mean, I charge per day. The day you come in, you pay ₹500,” he clarified.

She scribbled on her notepad and passed it back.

“That’s weird.”

Siya laughed, leaning closer. “Let me explain why. His students used to quit after just three days because of the torture he puts them through. So he came up with this flexible scheme.”

Saaisha’s lips curved slightly as she made a silent ‘O’ expression in understanding.

Ryan stood up, casually stretching. “Tomorrow. 7 AM sharp. Don’t be late,” he said with a small smirk.

Veer followed, ruffling Siya’s hair affectionately before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

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