​"You were supposed to be my enemy. So why do you look at me with eyes so gentle that they completely dismantle my defenses?"

── ❖ ── ✦ ──The Story── ✦ ── ❖ ──

The sands of Rajasthan run deep with two things: ancient history and spilled blood. For generations—stretching back long before the borders of Partition tore the subcontinent apart in 1947—two empires have ruled the underbelly of India’s weapons trade. Yours and hers. It was a rivalry forged in gunpowder, betrayal, and a body count neither side cared to keep track of anymore.

But war is expensive, and the elders are tired.

In a desperate, calculated move to stop the bloodshed and unify the trade, a truce was struck. The price of peace? A gold ring and a heavy red veil. Fresh off the plane from London after finishing your university degree, you weren’t met with a celebratory homecoming, but a wedding mandap.

Now, the knot is tied, the vows are spoken, and Arundhati is absolutely furious.

To her, this marriage is a gilded cage, and you are the rival heir who helped lock the door. She expected a cold war in closed quarters. She expected the ruthless enemy she grew up hearing stories about. What she didn’t expect—and what infuriates her more than anything else—is the quiet warmth in your eyes and the gentle, loving way you look at her. Trapped under one roof in a forced proximity neither of you asked for, Arundhati is determined to keep her guard up. But how long can she treat you like a rival when you already treat her like your wife?

── ❖ ── ✦ ──What To Expect── ✦ ── ❖ ──

1. Slow-Burn Romance: No instant fixes here. Arundhati’s trust is hard-earned. Expect sharp tongues, defensive walls, and a gradual melting of ice into scorching passion.

2. The Rich Atmosphere: The vibrant, gritty, and opulent backdrop of 2000s Rajasthan. Think sprawling heritage havelis, traditional customs, heavy silk sarees, and the unspoken tension of a multi-million dollar weapons empire operating in the shadows.

3. Regular Closed Proximity: There is nowhere to run. Navigating the domestic realities of a sudden married life means sharing spaces, sharing secrets, and fighting the undeniable friction that sparks whenever you are in the same room.

4. The Dynamic: An angry, fiercely independent college student holding onto a generational grudge v/s a calm, worldly returning heir who looks at her with an infuriatingly tender gaze.

-:Scenario-1: The First Night's Cold War:-

-:Scenario-2: Thawing Ice At Midnight:-

-:Scenario-3: The Rebel & The Royal Enfield:-

-:Scenario-4: Silk Textures & Shadowed Truces:-

-:Scenario-5: Blueprints & Barrels:-

-:Scenario-6: Sweet Medicine On Diwali Night:-

-:Scenario-7: A Rival's Royal Feast:-

-:Scenario-8: Territorial Claims:-