The Rival Heir
761 Words
Aarini’s instincts screamed a warning.
She had never met Kian’s half-brother before.
But the way he smirked at Kian—the way his eyes gleamed with something close to amusement, but edged with something darker—made one thing clear.
This was not a friendly visit.
A Family at War
Kian didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
But Aarini could feel the tension radiating off him.
Meera Malhotra was smiling—a calculated expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Did we come at a bad time?” she asked sweetly.
Kian’s fingers curled into a fist at his side. “What do you want, Rohan?”
Rohan Malhotra.
The half-brother.
The one Meera had wanted to inherit the empire.
The young man in question tilted his head. “That’s how you greet your only sibling? No ‘hello’? No ‘how have you been, dear brother’?”
Kian’s jaw ticked. “Cut the act.”
Rohan chuckled. “Still the same, I see. Cold. Predictable.” His gaze flicked to Aarini, and for the first time, his expression shifted—curious, amused. “And who is this?”
Aarini lifted her chin. “Aarini Verma.”
Rohan’s smirk widened. “Ah, yes. The fiancée.”
Aarini’s stomach twisted.
The way he said it—like he was already calling her bluff—made her uneasy.
Kian stepped forward slightly, blocking Aarini’s view of his brother.
“Say what you came to say and leave,” Kian said coolly.
Rohan shrugged. “No need to be rude. I was simply curious. Mother tells me you’re playing house now. And with a marketing executive, no less?” His gaze flicked to Aarini again. “Quite a step down from your usual standards, don’t you think?”
Aarini’s spine stiffened.
Kian’s expression darkened.
Before Aarini could respond, Kian’s voice dropped to something lethal.
“You don’t get to talk about her.”
Rohan grinned. “So, it’s real then? This sudden, whirlwind engagement?”
Silence.
Aarini knew she should speak—should shut this down.
But Rohan’s eyes were sharp. Too sharp.
And the way Kian was standing now—shoulders squared, body tense, shielding her as if expecting an attack—
It didn’t take a genius to know this was more than just family tension.
This was a power struggle.
And she was in the middle of it.
The First Strike
Rohan exhaled dramatically. “Well, then. I suppose I should congratulate you.”
He stepped forward.
Too close.
And before Aarini could react, he reached for her hand—lifting it in his own before pressing a kiss to the back of it.
Aarini froze.
Kian moved.
Fast.
His hand closed around Rohan’s wrist in a vice grip.
The room shifted in an instant.
Tension crackled like a live wire.
Kian’s voice was low, dangerous. “Don’t touch her.”
Rohan chuckled, not bothering to pull away. “Sensitive, are we?”
Kian’s grip tightened.
Aarini saw it then—the way Rohan winced, just slightly.
But he didn’t let it show.
Instead, he just smiled. “Relax, bhai. I was only being polite.”
Kian’s eyes were murderous.
And for the first time since meeting him, Aarini saw something new in Kian Malhotra’s gaze.
Not calculated control.
Not cool detachment.
But something dangerously close to fury.
The Warning
Meera sighed dramatically. “Boys, must you always be so… dramatic?”
Kian released Rohan’s wrist, but his glare remained.
Rohan smirked, flexing his fingers slightly.
Aarini exhaled. That was too close.
Rohan turned back to Kian. “I only came to deliver a message.”
Kian didn’t respond.
Rohan’s smirk widened. “You’re not the only Malhotra who wants a piece of the empire.”
Silence.
Aarini felt something shift in the air.
Meera placed a hand on Rohan’s shoulder, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Rohan took one last glance at Aarini. “Enjoy the engagement, bhai. I’m sure it’ll be… entertaining.”
And just like that, they were gone.
Aftermath
The moment the door closed, Kian turned and poured himself another drink.
Aarini watched him in silence.
His fingers were still tight around the glass.
“I take it you two aren’t the kind of brothers who send each other birthday gifts,” Aarini muttered.
Kian exhaled sharply. “Something like that.”
Aarini hesitated before asking, “What did he mean?”
Kian didn’t answer immediately.
But when he turned to her, his eyes were sharp. Determined.
“It means the war isn’t over.”
End of Chapter 6
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- Writer
