đź–¤ Title: The Devil's Gentle Touch
đź“– Chapter 7: A Forbidden Smile
---
There are things the Mafia world has never seen.
One of them:
Dev Raichand smiling.
Not the smirk that precedes a gunshot.
Not the twisted grin that means danger.
But a real smile. Gentle. Soft. Human.
Tonight, it happened.
And it happened because of her.
---
It was the annual Underworld Summit — an elite, secret gathering of mafia lords, smugglers, arms dealers and syndicate heads from all over the world.
And Dev Raichand, India's youngest and most feared Don, was the keynote speaker.
Suits. Security. Guns tucked into every coat.
Aanya stood beside him quietly, a vision in midnight blue.
No one recognized her. Not as his wife. Not as the rumored "queen."
To them, she was just... decoration.
---
Until she whispered something to him.
Just one line.
Soft. Teasing. Mischievous.
He turned his face slightly toward her.
And smiled.
---
A real smile.
It lasted only seconds.
But the entire hall fell silent.
Someone at the back whispered,
"Did he just... smile?"
Someone else muttered,
"I've never seen him do that in ten years."
---
And then, the shock shifted to fear.
Because no one dared ask why the Devil smiled.
No one… except her.
Later that night, when he poured a drink by the balcony, she looked up and said:
"You smiled today."
Dev turned, eyebrow raised.
"Hmm."
"Was it me?"
He walked closer. Glass in hand. Jaw tight.
But his eyes...
They softened again.
He cupped her cheek gently.
"You make the shadows stop screaming, Aanya."
"Of course it was you."
---
She had no idea what that meant.
Not yet.
But she knew that smile wasn't just rare.
It was forbidden.
And she was the only one who'd ever been allowed to see it.
---