His forbidden queen

Chapter 4

The grand ballroom of the Taj Palace Hotel was a sea of glittering diamonds, tailored tuxedos, and silk saris. It was the official media launch party for The Rajwansh Horizon, a high-profile corporate gala designed to announce the collaboration between the Rajwansh Empire and Singhaniya Designs to the country’s elite.

Raya stood near a massive ice sculpture, a glass of champagne untouched in her hand. She wore a floor-length, backless black silk gown that clung to her curves like liquid night, paired with minimal gold jewelry. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek, high ponytail. To the photographers flashing cameras at the entrance, she was the epitome of cold, untouchable perfection.

But beneath her flawless exterior, Raya’s chest felt tight.

“You look beautiful, Raya, but you’re gripping that glass like you want to shatter it,” Priya, her assistant, murmured, stepping up beside her in a cocktail dress.

Raya loosened her fingers, forcing a practiced, elegant smile as a prominent socialite waved from across the room. “I hate these networking circuses, Priya. I’d rather be back at the studio covered in marble dust.”

“Well, your partner in corporate crime has arrived,” Priya whispered, nodding toward the grand entrance.

The air in the room seemed to shift as Trinay Rajwansh walked in. He wore a custom midnight-blue tuxedo that fit his broad shoulders perfectly. He possessed a rare kind of gravity—the kind that drew every eye in the room toward him without him ever saying a word. He didn’t smile for the cameras; he merely nodded, his sharp gaze sweeping across the crowded ballroom until it landed squarely on Raya.

He didn’t break eye contact as he navigated through the politicians and billionaires, making a straight path toward her.

“Ms. Singhaniya,” Trinay said, his deep baritone cutting through the ambient classical music.

He raised a glass of scotch in her direction. “You managed to outdress the entire room. I suppose that is part of your brand?”

“Good evening, Mr. Rajwansh,” Raya replied, her voice smooth as silk. “A designer must always reflect their standards. I see you brought your usual cloud of intimidating energy with you.”

Trinay’s lips twitched into a faint smirk. “It keeps the sycophants at bay. Walk with me. The board members are eager to see the woman who managed to extract double our initial budget for Italian marble.”

Before Raya could reply, a voice from behind her made her entire world grind to a horrific, freezing halt.

“Raya? Good God, it is you.”

The glass of champagne in Raya’s hand trembled. The blood drained from her face so fast she felt lightheaded. It was a voice she hadn’t heard in six years, yet it was carved into her worst nightmares.

She turned around slowly, her body going entirely rigid.

Standing there, dressed in an expensive tuxedo with a smug, handsome smile, was Kabir Mehra. Her ex-fiancé. The man who had looked into her eyes six years ago, told her she lacked real talent, and then legally corporate-stole her breakthrough architectural blueprints to launch his own failing firm.

“Kabir,” Raya choked out, the name tasting like ash on her tongue. The secure armor she

had built around herself over the last six years cracked, threatening to shatter right there on the marble floor.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw your name on the press release,” Kabir said, stepping closer, entirely blind to her distress—or worse, enjoying it. He reached out to touch her arm. “You’ve done well for yourself, Raya. Though, we both know who taught you

everything you know about luxury layouts.”

Raya shrank back instinctively, a cold panic seizing her throat. She couldn’t breathe. The

ghost of her past wasn’t a ghost anymore; it was standing right in front of her, trying to

diminish her in a room full of her peers.

Before Kabir’s hand could make contact with her skin, a massive, solid figure stepped

directly into Raya’s space, completely blocking Kabir from her sight.

Trinay shifted his weight, his 6’2” frame creating an unbreakable wall between Raya and

her past. The air around Trinay suddenly turned predatory, lethal. He looked down at Kabir

with dark, freezing eyes that could have halted a heartbeat.

“And who exactly are you?” Trinay asked. His voice wasn’t loud, but it possessed a dangerous, quiet malice that made Kabir instantly take a step back.

Kabir cleared his throat, his smug smile faltering under Trinay’s terrifying aura. “Uh, Kabir

Mehra, Mr. Rajwansh. I’m the CEO of Mehra Infrastructure. We actually pitched a

subcontracting bid for the foundation work on The Horizon to your board last week.”

Trinay didn’t offer his hand. He didn’t even blink. He stood like a glacier, shielding Raya entirely.

“Your bid is rejected,” Trinay said flatly.

Kabir blinked, stunned. “What? Sir, the board hasn’t even reviewed the final financial parameters—” “I am the board,” Trinay interrupted, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying rumble that caused a few nearby guests to look over. “And the Rajwansh Empire does not do business with men who don’t understand the concept of boundaries. Leave this hall. Now.”

Kabir’s face turned an ugly shade of red. He looked at Trinay, then tried to peer past his shoulder at Raya, but Trinay stepped a millimeter to the left, completely shutting down his line of sight. Realizing he was utterly outmatched and on the verge of a public humiliation, Kabir turned on his heel and hurried toward the exit.

The silence between Trinay and Raya stretched for a long moment.

Raya’s heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She was furious at Kabir, but she was even more furious at herself for showing weakness—and she was terrified that Trinay had seen it.

“I didn’t need your protection, Mr. Rajwansh,” Raya whispered fiercely, her hazel eyes flashing with a mix of fear and defensive anger as she looked up at him. “I am perfectly capable of handling my own battles.”

Trinay turned around slowly. He didn’t call her out on her trembling hands. Instead, he reached out, his large, warm hand gently but firmly wrapping around hers, steadying the glass she was still holding. The warmth of his skin sent a sudden, grounding shockwave through her panic.

“I know you can fight, Ms. Singhaniya,” Trinay said softly, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath hitch. “But even a queen doesn’t fight the court jesters.

That’s what executioners are for.”

He gently took the champagne glass from her hand and set it on a passing waiter’s tray.

“Come,” Trinay said, his voice returning to its commanding corporate tone, though his eyes remained soft. “The media is waiting for our joint statement. Let’s go show them who really owns this city.”

As Raya walked beside him toward the stage, her hand still tingling from his touch, she realized something terrifying. The wall she had built to keep the world out wasn’t just cracking because of her past. It was cracking because Trinay Rajwansh was slowly finding a way inside.

To be continued.....