The Veiled Hearts

🌹Tipping Point 🔪

Why are they calling me? Did I mess up? If I did, the senior bodyguard would've been the first to rip my soul out. Ugh, whatever.

"Come on, Vanya, just get it over with," I muttered to myself. "Go there, let them say whatever they need to, give them what they want, and then... a few hours later, this party will be over. Simple."

I took a deep breath and stood tall. There was some random guy with them-his face looked oddly familiar, kinda like Ishaan-the guy who almost had me thrown out of the Singhania mansion. Honestly, every time I meet Yash's friends, there's always some new guy popping up. How many friends does he even have?

I bowed my head slightly out of respect, waiting for them to tell me why I'd been called. Everyone returned the gesture-except for one person. Yash Singhania. Of course, Mr. Too-Prideful-to-Bow couldn't bother to acknowledge it. Typical.

Anita aunty said, "Well, I heard from Vivaan that you were with Yash during the temple attack and you protected him."

I blinked, utterly shocked. My gaze shot to Yash, but when I looked, I saw his friends-Reyansh, Ishaan, and the new guy, Mr. Bodybuilder Vivaan-trying not to laugh. They kept their heads down, but I could tell they were enjoying this. Meanwhile, Yash kept his poker face, raising an eyebrow at me as he calmly sipped his wine. I swear, if I catch Yash alone, he's going to pay for all this leg-pulling.

A man about my father's age spoke up, "Hello, puttarji (Son in Punjabi Language), I'm Subhash, Yash's uncle. You may be a bit small, but you're strong enough to protect a guy as tall as Yash. Good job!"

Before I could react, he gave me a strong pat on the back. The impact was so hard I nearly fell-straight onto Yash. But someone grabbed my hand, steadying me. I turned to see Avni, smiling at me as she helped me regain my balance.

"Papa," she said, looking at Subhash uncle, "sometimes you need to be careful with your energy. What if he had fallen?"

Subhash uncle laughed. "Then he would've just gotten back up. That's how it works, right?"

Everyone chuckled, but I forced a smile, still feeling the sting on my back. Why is it always me? I glanced at Yash from the corner of my eye. He wasn't laughing, not even smiling. His moods were so unpredictable. I should be the one angry here. He's the one telling everyone about me, pulling my leg, kissing me whenever he feels like it, and now he's just sitting there, sipping wine, acting like I don't exist.

My thoughts were interrupted by Subhash uncle's booming voice, "You're new here and a trainee, right? Let me introduce you to my family. You might end up protecting us too."