Bella drove Sahana home after a grocery run, humming along to the radio, but kept stealing glances at her.

“You know…”-- Bella said carefully, turning towards Sahna , who is sitting beside her in the passenger seat…

“Hmm?”- Sahana hummed , her eyes still closed…

“Your room is horrible… I mean , I don't know - how you're able to bear that loud drunkard roommate”-- Bella said…

Sahana groaned.

“Gosh… I don't even want to remember those bella… it's like hell... They party till 3 AM, smoke in the living room, and last night someone brought drugs and what not”- Sahana said in a defeated tone …

“ But , it's affordable… or else I have to take two part-time jobs to pay rent”- Sahana groaned in a defeated tone , cursing her fate….

Bella’s eyes widened , after listening to her words..

“Pack your bags.. girl “ - Bella said all of sudden…

Sahana blinked.

“Huh?what”- sahna asked, not understanding what she said…

“I said pack your bags. You’re not staying there anymore.”-- Bella said , focusing on the road…

Sahana laughed.

“Yeah, sure, let me just move into some luxurious mansion in New York —” - sahana tried to say with giggles ..

“No joke.” Bella parked the car and turned to her. “Sahana, I meant it. Come stay with me.”

Sahana stayed still , processing her words……

Bella continued, softer..

“I have a two-bedroom apartment. Safe area. Good neighborhood. I hate living alone anyway. You’ll get your own room. And I’ll finally have someone who actually cooks Indian food and takes care of the kitchen …”-- Bella said giving a sheepish smile and still amused…

Sahana’s eyes softened.

“Bella… you’re serious?”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t,” – Bella said, shrugging in her casual, cool-girl way..

“Plus, I kinda like you, you know. You’re my girl… Vibe matched “ - Bella said with a grin..

A warmth spread across Sahana’s chest — the first real feeling of home in a foreign country.

“…Okay,” Sahana whispered.

“Okay. I’ll move.”- Sahana said, clapping her hands and side hugging Bella with a wide cute smile…

Bella squealed, grabbed her and almost crushed her in a hug.

“YES! My Desi girl is moving in with me!”

.

.

.

Two Days Later

Sahana stood outside Bella's apartment with two suitcases and a backpack.

Before she could ring the bell, it flew open and Bella appeared dramatically.

“WELCOME TO YOUR NEW VILLA—oh wait, it’s only two bedrooms. But still. Welcome!”- Bella said in the most professional pretending tone…

They laughed, dragging the luggage inside.

The apartment was warm, feminine, lived-in , fairy lights, books, a comfy couch, and mismatched cushions. It felt safe.

And then—

A voice called from inside..

“Bellaaa, where do I keep the coffee machine?”

Sahana turned to see Lilly…

Miss sunshine-bright friend from their department in college…

“Oh hey!..”--- Lilly said excitedly seeing sahana..

“You’re Sahana right…! The one who lied you know karate ?”-- Lilly said and laughed out loud..

Sahana blinked. “What are you doing here?”

Lilly rubbed her neck sheepishly.

“Wellll… Bella invited me too. My dorm got flooded and I needed a place for a few nights.”

Bella jumped in…

“And then I thought… Why don't all three of us stay together? I mean—girl gang vibes. Safety. Midnight Meals … Sharing clothes. Roasting men who deserve it?”- Bella said like it's a dream for her…

Lilly raised a fist. “Roommates of chaos, assemble?”- Lilly said in a dramatic way…

Sahana laughed for the first time that day — a genuine, relieved laugh.

“Yes,” Sahana said, smiling.

“Assemble Avengers”- Bella said ..

And 3 shared a hug…

---

Later That Evening

The three girls sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by pizza boxes, fairy lights, and half-opened suitcases.

Bella raised her soda can.

“To new friendships.”

Sahana lifted her can, smiling warmly.

“To new beginnings… far from home, but still feeling at home.”

Their cans clinked.

And just like that, the three-girl apartment was born —

a safe haven,

a family in a foreign land,

and the place where their intertwined fates with Damien Knight would silently begin.

—

New york city 🌆

Knight Global Headquarters.

47th Floor.

Damien Knight’s Head Office.

It wasn’t an office.

It was a throne room carved out of power.

A wall of floor-to-ceiling glass showed the entire city beneath him.

Mahogany panels, matte-black interiors, Italian leather, and silence thick enough to choke fear into anyone who entered.

Damien sat behind his dark mahogany desk, fingers lightly tapping the surface — a habit he had when calculating or waiting for information.

His green eyes glowed like polished emeralds, sharp, watchful, unreadable.

Two men in black entered quietly.

His underground operatives.

The ones who handled things off the books.

The taller one placed a tablet on Damien’s desk.

“Sir… you asked us to monitor Miss Bella’s social circle.”- one of the men said..

Damien didn’t look up.

His voice was cold and low.

“Go on.”

“We’ve identified a new friend she’s been very close with these past weeks.”- one of Damien's men said..

Damien’s tapping stopped.

Finally, he looked at the screen…

A profile photo loaded.

“Sahana Ramaswamy

Age 23

Born : Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

Master’s program – Telecommunications

A soft-featured girl with warm eyes, long dark hair, and a gentle smile appeared on the screen.

Far too gentle for Damien’s world.

Damien narrowed his eyes.

“Background.?”- Damien asked his men.

“Clean Sir.. Excellent academic record. Working a part-time job… Comes from a respected joint family. No suspicious connections. No harmful behaviour.”-- One of his men said..

Damien leaned back in his leather chair, jaw tightening.

“Why didn’t I hear about this earlier?”

The men exchanged nervous glances.

“She seemed harmless, sir. And Miss.Bella looked… happy.”-- One of his men said…

Damien’s eyes turned colder…

“People look happiest right before something goes wrong.”

The air in the room shifted..

“ It's been 2 weeks since they've been living together in the same apartment… And you never informed me about this”- Damien said with a controlled rage in his eyes…

“ Sorry sir… “- one of his men said ..

The second operative cleared his throat.

“We’ve also monitored Bella’s location patterns. Sahana has been walking home late from the library , late night ice cream parlours , They’re inseparable Sir..”

Damien’s fingers drummed again, slower.

“Friendship is fine.Influence is not.”--

His voice was calm… which was always more dangerous.

Then, the final report came.

“Two weeks before , Miss.Bella reached home late… looking shaken.”-- One of his men said .

Damien’s jaw clenched.

Slightly.

Barely visible to the world —

but to his men, it was a red alert.

“Did something happen?”--he asked, tone still flat.

“We couldn’t catch the audio, sir. Bella deleted some camera history from her phone.And we are unable to track Bella’s phone too…”- One of his men said..

Damien’s eyes sharpened like blades.

“ Hire a professional hacker… I need full access to my sister's iphone and ipad” - Damien said in a cold tone..

“My sister doesn’t know how to delete high-security logs. Someone must be helping her…Findout who it”- Damien said , his eyes shining bright like a cursed emerald ..

He turned the tablet back toward himself.

The soft smiling picture of Sahana stared back at him.

A quiet girl.

A hardworking student.

Nobody in his world.

Yet she was already tangled in his sister’s life.

Already altering Bella’s behaviour.

Already involved in something Bella was hiding.

Damien spoke in a voice that could freeze fire.

“Continue watching Bella. Quietly.

And keep an eye on Miss.Ramaswamy.

If anything—anything—touches my sister… I want to know first.”- Damien ordered them .

His operative nodded swiftly.

“Yes, sir.”- they said..

“And,”-- Damien added, eyes returning to the girl's profile..

“Set a silent flag on her records.

I want every movement tracked.

Every class.

Every shift.

Every person she meets.”-- Damien said to his men , his cursed green emerald eyes gazing at Sahana's pic in his laptop…

The men nodded and left as silently as they came.

Damien tapped the screen once more.

Sahana Ramaswamy.

The name shouldn’t matter.

But something in his gut tugged.

Something instinctive.

Something unknown..

Something… dangerous.

He whispered to no one,

“Let’s see what you’re hiding, little one” - he whispered ..

Outside, the city roared.

Inside, Damien Knight was already preparing to enter Sahana’s world —

even before she knew his name.

---

Sahana balanced the silver tray on her palm, the weight familiar but her shift endless tonight. The fine-dining restaurant glowed in warm amber lights, polished marble floors and soft violin music floating through the air. She exhaled, brushing a stray hair back into her bun.

She didn’t notice when the air shifted.

She didn’t see the tall figure step into the dimly lit corner near the partition wall.

But he saw her.

Damien Knight—sharp jaw carved like stone, suit hugging every inch of his monstrously built, chiseled frame—paused mid-stride.

Those green eyes… predatory, observant… narrowed the second the tray in her hand wobbled.

Sahana slipped on a wet patch she hadn’t noticed.

Before she even gasped, a large hand gripped her waist, firm, steady, saving her from hitting the floor—

But she felt only the touch…

Not the intention…

Her body sensed it already … His tight grip on her waist curve , his fingers pressing her waist curve…

And she hated it…She hated being touched by another man.

Her body reacted first. She spun, shoving him back with force only fear and fury could give.

Her eyes met emerald fire.

His green-eyes… For a moment she gazed at his green eyes… his chiseled face…

But later ?

Her pulse exploded with heat—anger and something she didn’t have the language for.

“How dare you?” – she hissed, stepping forward, chin raised like a warrior refusing defeat…

Damien blinked once.

A slow, dangerous once.

He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His size alone swallowed the space between them… broad shoulders stretching the black shirt, veins flexing along his forearms… every inch beast, every inch unbothered by her fury.

Sahana’s breath shook…

She is just 5’4 .. He's 6’3 … She looked at him - like he was on the first floor…

She tiptoed …

Her palm lifted in air—ready to slap him clean across that perfectly arrogant face.

He caught her wrist mid-air.

Not harshly.

Just… effortlessly…

“Careful honey “-- Damien murmured, voice deep velvet.

“You almost fell.. I just held you to save you from falling”- He said …

“I did NOT!” – she snapped, yanking her hand free.

“You were trying to—”-- she tried to say , adjusting her baby hair strands behind her earlobe..

His brow rose. A single sculpted brow.

It silenced the lies she told herself to stay angry…

“Touch you?” – he finished calmly.

Sahana stepped back instinctively, fury mixing with something molten that made her stomach twist…

“Stay away from me,” – she warned, voice trembling—not in fear, but in the shock of how close he stood.

“If you try anything again, I’ll—”-- she tried to say , rubbing her waist curve , where his touch is still lingering…

“Again?”-- His voice dipped lower, almost amused.

“Is this how you thank someone who stops you from face-planting into the floor?”-- He said in a deep husky voice…

She stiffened.

He took one slow step forward.

She took two steps back until her spine hit the wall.

Damien’s eyes flicked to her name tag.

“Sahana.”

“Of course.

Bella’s new friend.”- His mind snapped…

His jaw ticked once.

He had seen her photos on the underground security file days ago.

He had kept her name in his mind—only because Bella had gotten attached.

But he had never expected her to look like this up close…

Fire in her eyes.

Spine unbreakable.

A storm disguised as a girl.

He said nothing more.

Did nothing more.

Just one long, smoldering stare that left Sahana’s pulse wrecked before he walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.

Leaving her breathless.

Leaving her furious.

Leaving her confused by the beast with green eyes who touched her only to save her—but made her feel something she didn’t want to name…

And the worst is , she is still feeling his touch on her waist curve … Which makes her feel angry…

—

After the duty – Sahana went to the apartment…

Bella opened the door to her two-bedroom apartment, hair in a messy bun, hoodie hanging off one shoulder.

“Sahanaaa! Finally! Come in—wait, why do you look like you fought an army”- bella teased her…

Sahana stormed in, dropped her bag on the couch, and threw herself dramatically onto the cushions.

“Because I DID! Not an army .. but was HUMAN. A giant one. With green eyes.”- Sahana said…

Bella froze. “…Green eyes?”- Bella mumbled.

“YES! Green like some cursed emerald from a horror movie!”-- Sahana said remembering his emerald green eyes…

Bella blinked again.

Sahana sat up, flinging her hands wildly. “Bella, today… Today I met the most arrogant, disgusting, boundary-less—UGH!”

Bella grabbed popcorn listening to sahana’s words…

“Okay, start from the beginning. And be slow. I want to enjoy this.”- Bella said, trying to be serious…

Sahana pointed at her.

“Don’t joke! I’m TRAUMATIZED.”- sahana said with a pout …

“Okay okay, sorry. Tell me. Babee”- Bella said..

Sahana inhaled like she was about to deliver a speech in the UN Conference .

“I slipped at the restaurant—slightly, okay? Slightly. I mean – just slightly… “ - she repeated the words …

“And this… this BEAST appears out of nowhere and grabs my waist!”- Sahana said, palming her face with her palms , doing a fake cry …

Bella’s eyes widened.

“WHAT?!”- Bella Said in a loud tone , still pushing the popcorn in her mouth …

“Yes! He holds me like he owns me. So I pushed him away—obviously! And I was like ‘HOW DARE YOU?’ and he just stood there like…”

She imitated a bored, condescending face.

“Like that! That stupid, emotionless stone-faced creep!”

Bella gasped.

“He really touched you? I mean he grabbed your waist ? Sahana baby”- Bella asked her with widened eyes , still eating the popcorn continuously like she's watching a movie..…

“Yes!” – Sahana stood up dramatically.

“He had the audacity to catch my hand when I tried to slap him! Who does that?!”-- She said..

Bella’s face now looked murderous.

“Did you shout?”- Bella asked her..

“Yes!”- Sahana replied..

“Did he shout back?”- Bella asked again..

“No… He's — Mygod.. Bella ..He's had some dark vibes bella… He didn't shout back … Didn't argue…stayed silent and gawked at me bella.. “ - Sahana said dramatically.…

“…That’s worse,Silent creeps are the most dangerous.”-- Bella said..

Sahana flopped back onto the couch.

“I swear, Bella. The way he looked at me… like he was examining me. Judging me. Measuring my height and patience so he could break both.”-- She said..

Bella shuddered. “Ew. Men like that… ugh.”

“He even called me Honey.”-- Sahana made a disgusted noise.

“Honey ! Can you imagine?”- Sahana said with a pout…

Bella shrieked.

“WHAT?! Oh he’s dead. He is SO dead. I hate him already. Who is this jerk?!”

Sahana threw her hands up in the air not knowing about him .

“I don’t know! Some rich guy probably. He was dressed like he owns half of New York.”-

She said…

Bella crossed her arms.

“Then I’ll hate all rich guys with green eyes from now on. Ugh. The disrespect.”- Bella said …

Sahana nodded firmly.

“Exactly. Creepy green-eyed men are banned from our lives.”

“Banned,” –Bella echoed with dramatic seriousness.

They sealed the vow with a high-five like soldiers swearing an oath.

Little did Bella know is …

She had just passionately joined her best friend sahana in hating her own brother.

---

Hey readers ,.

How's the story .? Pls comment down..may be some moral push to continue this story 😁