In His Shadow

Prologue

Prologue

The city of Mumbai, a restless maze of towering skyscrapers and narrow, winding alleys, hummed with the energy of ambition and sleepless dreams. Under the dim glow of the streetlights, the scent of rain lingered in the air, a prelude to the coming monsoon. Amidst the relentless buzz of traffic and the chorus of hurried voices, a tale was beginning—one that would weave together obsession, power, and the unyielding pull of fate.

Aaradhya Mehra tightened her grip on the worn-out straps of her backpack, feeling the weight of both exhaustion and exhilaration. At nineteen, she was sharp-tongued, fiercely independent, and known for her ability to command attention without uttering a single word. Her hazel eyes, glistening with a blend of ambition and defiance, set her apart from the thousands of students who flocked to the city’s engineering colleges each year. And today, after relentless nights of studying, coding, and outshining her peers, she was stepping into the halls of Ravindra Enterprises for the first day of her coveted internship.

But as she entered the glass and steel fortress of the company’s main headquarters, a shiver danced down her spine. The lobby buzzed with suited professionals, each moving with military precision, but one name was whispered with both awe and fear—Rudra Rajvansh.

He was a man surrounded by myths: the prodigal son who had inherited his father’s empire at the age of twenty-eight and doubled its worth within five ruthless years. Some said he was brilliance wrapped in cold calculation, others whispered of the depths of his possessive nature, stories too dark to voice openly. He was untouchable, with eyes so dark they seemed to trap whatever they looked at.

Aaradhya brushed off the unease clinging to her as she reached the elevator. This was a step toward her future, she reminded herself, a way to pave her own path in a world dominated by power plays and silent wars. Little did she know that this internship was more than a stepping stone—it was the door to a labyrinth that would upend everything she knew about control, desire, and surrender.

From the highest floor of Ravindra Enterprises, a pair of eyes watched her on the security monitors. The man behind the polished desk leaned back in his chair, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smile that never reached his eyes. Rudra Rajvansh had found his next obsession, and he would stop at nothing to claim her.

The game had begun.