Midnight.
Lilith was hungry.
She couldn't sleep.
Clutching her teddy bear tightly to her chest, she slowly limped out of her room toward the kitchen.
Thirty minutes ago, Vamika had broken her leg.
Every single night, Tamanna and her two children forced Lilith to swallow those pills. They said it would make her stronger. That it would cure the constant headaches she kept having.
If she told anyone—
She would be beaten.
The hallway was dark and quiet.
Lily pushed the kitchen door open.
And froze.
The Mafia King was sitting on one of the kitchen chairs.
And in front of him—
A cake.
"Hi, Bambi," he said in his deep tone.
"H… Hi… k… King," the tiny girl whispered.
"Happy Birthday, Bambi."
He pushed the cake toward her.
"Make a wish."
Lilith closed her eyes.
"I… want Baba and Mumma… pretty please… Lord Shiva…" she whispered softly.
She blew out the candles.
She cut the cake.
Took a bite.
Carrot cake.
Her second favorite.
She giggled softly as she ate.
His eyes slowly moved down to her arms.
He saw the beating marks.
"Who hurt you, Bambi?"
"I… fell downstairs…" she said quietly.
"Hm…"
He stood up.
"Bambi… I will take you away from here tomorrow. Moya malenkaya devochka." (My little baby girl.)
"H… Hu?" she tilted her head.
She heard something.
She turned toward the door.
And in the next second—
He was gone.
"Where… he… go?" she whispered.
She happily finished the cake.
Two minutes past midnight.
She limped back to her room.
And stopped.
Another cake was on her bed.
Written in icing:
Happy Birthday My Little Gem. I Love You.
She giggled again.
Two cakes.
Best birthday ever.
"Happy Birthday, Mihu!" Ishaan said the next morning, hugging her gently.
"T… thank y… you…" she stuttered shyly.
Lilith was born on July 3rd.
She was now sixteen years old.
"Happy Birthday, Lily!" everyone cheered.
Except Tamanna.
Except Vamika.
Except Arhant.
And that was how Lily's sixteenth birthday began.
They took her to the park.
A family picnic.
One hundred guards on alert.
But from one of the city CCTV cameras—
The Mafia King watched.
His eyes fixed on The Gem.
By sunrise, Lilith was still asleep.
Exhausted.
"Wake up, Neva," Rhea whispered, stroking her hair.
She didn't move.
But what nobody knew—
The last milk she drank had sleeping pills in it.
The boys were dressed in dark red and black.
Waiting.
The doors opened.
A tall man entered with strong men behind him.
He sat down and crossed his arms.
"You all owe me my money. So?"
His name was Nikolai Devereaux.
An extremely dangerous Mafia King.
Cold.
Calculating.
Unpredictable.
"Since you don't have the money now… I will take an exchange to cover up the whole thing."
"What exchange?" Tamanna asked.
"Not what."
He smirked.
"But who."
Rhea ran in suddenly.
"Boys! Lily isn't waking up! She's been deeply asleep since yesterday afternoon!"
Zafraan stepped forward—
Guns were drawn.
"Don't you dare," said the assistant.
Half Indian.
Half American.
His name was Damien Rathore.
"We told you we'll give you your money!" Farhan shouted.
Then—
A lady walked in.
Holding Lilith in her arms.
Jane.
The maid.
But also a spy.
"Boss. I have what I want."
Nikolai stood.
"I have what I want now. So even if you get me my money back… I will not give you your Gem."
"She is mine now."
"M… M… Mumma…" Lilith murmured in her sleep.
Karim lunged forward, kicking one of Nikolai's men.
Chaos erupted.
Fighting.
Shouting.
Then—
BANG!
"AHHH!" Karim screamed.
His arm was shot.
"Shhhh… Bambi is sleeping. We don't want to wake her up," Nikolai said calmly.
Lilith stirred slightly against his chest.
He leaned down.
"Bambi… say bye bye."
"B… bye… bye…" she sleep-talked, hugging her teddy bear.
Karim's arm was bleeding heavily.
"Wait! Here is her medicine! She needs it!" Tamanna said quickly, handing Damien four bottles.
Damien looked at Nikolai.
He took them.
"Bye, Obsidian Triad. Sadly… your father will be disappointed. I don't know who he is. But he will."
Nikolai turned.
And walked away with Lilith.
"LILYYYYY!" Karim screamed.
Nikolai waved at them.
And laughed coldly.
He gently patted Lilith's hair.
She was still asleep.
Six hours later.
A car pulled into the Murad mansion.
Anika stepped out holding gifts.
She was smiling.
She had passed her exams.
Got her certificate.
"LILY! I'M BACK!" she shouted excitedly.
Silence.
"Uh oh… we are half doomed…" Reyan muttered.
The boys were quiet.
"Namaste, sirs," Anika greeted Troy, Ishaan and Rezaul respectfully.
"Nani… what's wrong? Why are you crying?" she asked Rhea.
"Lily…" Rhea whispered.
"W-what happened to her?"
"A mafia man took her away… as exchange."
Anika froze.
She ran upstairs.
Lilith's room.
Toys scattered.
Clothes on the floor.
A mess.
"You're a doctor, right? Please check Karim's arm. The Mafia King shot him trying to get Mihu," Ariz said.
Anika grabbed the first aid box.
Without emotion—
She cleaned the blood.
"Who stole his goods?" she asked coldly.
"Vamika and Arhant. He stole his weapons, sold them and bought useless things," Rafsan cried.
"Let us go!" Arhant shouted.
Farhan punched him heavily.
Guards dragged Vamika.
"Because of you we lost Lilith!" Aarav screamed.
They were thrown to the floor.
"Lock them up!" Karim ordered.
"NO!" Tamanna yelled.
"YES! LILY IS GONE BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID KIDS, FOOLISH!" Anika roared.
Her voice was deadly calm.
"I swear on Lord Shiva… if anything happens to her… I will kill you. And them too."
Even Nikolai's men would have trembled at that tone.
Karim… strangely… blushed.
Oh meri jaan… where are you, Lily? Anika whispered.
Meanwhile.
A private jet landed in Russia.
It was freezing cold.
Nikolai covered Lilith with a soft pink blanket.
"Welcome home, boss," Damien said.
"B… Baba… I want cookies… pretty please… gimme…" Lilith mumbled in her sleep.
She had been sleep talking for hours.
Nikolai carried her into his black Porsche.
And drove.
His mansion—
No.
His castle.
Worth over ₽7 billion RUB.
He stepped out holding her gently.
"How many pills did you give her?" he asked.
"Two, boss," Jane replied.
"Welcome home, dearest. My starshiy brat," a deep male voice greeted.
"Hm."
"And who do we have here?" a female voice asked.
"Bambi. I believe Damien told you."
"Yeah, he did."
Nikolai gently placed Lilith on his couch.
Covered her.
And sat down.
Waiting.
For The Gem to wake up.
Elsewhere.
"Ma… The Gem has been taken away," a spy reported.
"WHAT?!" the lady screamed.
"It was Tamanna's son's fault. The Russian Mafia King took her."
The lady kicked her chair.
Turned toward her wedding picture.
"Someone took our Gem. Meri jaan… I promise to get her back."
Meanwhile, in Delhi.
"Sir, Lilith has been taken away from her family by the Russian Mafia King."
The man on the phone smirked.
He was the man from the mental asylum.
He had a picture on his desk.
Him.
Anika.
Lilith.
Smiling.
"Buy a mansion in Russia. Keep an eye on his house," he ordered.
"Yes, boss."
The call ended.
Back in Russia.
Nikolai was still sitting there.
Watching the tiny sleeping girl.
Waiting.
For his Gem to open her eyes.