đź–¤ Title: The Devil's Gentle Touch
đź“– Chapter 2: The Cage with Velvet Bars
---
The mansion was quiet the next morning, but Aanya's heart was anything but.
She woke up still wrapped in her red bridal lehenga, lying stiff on one side of the bed—while Dev Raichand, her new husband, the man the world feared, had claimed the sofa across the room like he owned the shadows.
He hadn't touched her.
But he didn't have to. His presence alone stole her breath.
She quietly tiptoed out of bed, unsure if she was allowed to move freely in this house—or this life.
As she opened the massive oak door to leave the room, a deep, controlled voice froze her in her tracks.
"Where do you think you're going?"
She turned, startled. Dev was now standing, still buttoning his crisp black shirt, his dark eyes locked on her like twin daggers.
"I-I... I was just going to freshen up," she whispered, barely able to meet his gaze.
He walked toward her slowly, every step calculated, commanding.
"Next time," he said, stopping inches from her, "you ask before walking out. This house isn't yours yet."
The words cut her like glass.
This house isn't yours yet.
She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the dupatta over her chest.
"But you are mine," he added darkly, his voice dropping an octave.
"And everyone in this city will know it soon."
That wasn't a promise. It was a warning.
---
Later that day, she was introduced to the staff—housemaids who bowed, guards who stood stiff like soldiers, and his right-hand man, Aryan, who barely looked at her but gave Dev a slight nod of approval.
Aanya smiled shyly at everyone, but all she got in return were blank faces or fake kindness.
They didn't see a bride.
They saw a prisoner in gold.
---
That night, Dev returned late.
His shirt was blood-stained. His hands were bruised. He didn't say a word and went straight to the washroom.
Aanya waited near the door, worried.
"Do you want me to call a doctor?" she asked softly.
From inside came his reply, almost amused:
"Wives ask questions now?"
Aanya stepped back, hurt.
But when he finally stepped out, hair wet, shirtless, and vulnerable for a second—
She saw it.
Not a devil.
Not a don.
Just a man carrying the weight of the underworld on his shoulders.
"I'll prepare your dinner," she said quietly, not knowing what else to offer.
Dev looked at her for a long moment. Something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
"Don't try to fix me, Aanya," he said slowly.
"Just learn to survive."
---
But what he didn't realize was—
He'd just caged a bird with a lion's heart.
And soon, the cage would tremble.
---