Author's note: Can we please get 80-85 votes on this chapter? It would really mean a lot to me! :)

Adarsh Khanna 

The sight of familiar streets greeted me as my brother Abhay's car slowed to a stop in our house's parking lot.

I glanced over at Abhay behind the wheel. He had been uncharacteristically quiet since picking me up from the airport, a stark contrast to his usual chatty self. Something was off, and a niggling sense of unease started to creep up my spine.

Breaking the silence that had settled over us like a thick fog, I asked, "You're awfully quiet today."

He laughed, but it was not his usual carefree chuckle. It was nervous, almost forced. His hands tighten on the steering wheel. "Uh, just... don't freak out, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes, a suspicious smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. The jet lag fog started to clear as my mind raced with possibilities. "What's going on?"

Without a word, he got out of the vehicle. Frowning, I followed him to the trunk. "Abhay, what are you hiding?" I asked, wrestling the handle of my bag from his hand and pulling it out of the trunk. "Did you crash my car while I was gone and now you're trying to soften the blow."

He sighed, nervously biting his lip. "Okay look... I wasn't supposed to say anything to you, but I wanted to give you a heads up."

"You're freaking me out. Even Amira didn't come to pick me up at the airport," I said, annoyance and curiosity, battling for dominance in my tone. "What's going on?"

"I..." He trailed off as the gates opened behind us and Vedika Bhabhi rushed outside, grinning like she'd just won the lottery.

"Adarsh, you are home," she exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement. If she were any more enthusiastic, she might spontaneously combust. "Let's go inside."

"Just a second," I said to her before turning to my brother. "Abhay, you were giving me a heads up?" I prompted.

"Was he now?" Vedika asked, her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised.

"No, no," Abhay immediately said, shaking his head. "His ears are probably ringing because he was on a flight." With that, my brother grabbed my bag and dragged it inside the gate, moving faster than I'd ever seen him move.

"What's up with him?" I murmured, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Nothing," Bhabhi said, far too quickly and excitedly. She brushed my hair and the invisible creases on the shoulder of my t-shirt "Why do you have dark circles? Did you not get proper sleep last night?"

Memories of what I was doing last night when I was not sleeping flooded my mind, and I felt my face heat up. Thankfully, she didn't wait for my reply as she practically dragged me inside with surprising force. "You guys are acting very strange."

Laughter from inside the house surprised me. My heart rate kicked up a notch as Bhabhi pulled me through the front door. Something was definitely up, and I had a sinking feeling I was not going to like it. The entryway was spotless, I noticed absently. Clearly, mom had gone on a cleaning spree again

As we rounded the corner into the living room, my eyes immediately landed on my parents. But it was not just them. There was an older couple sitting in the room, and suddenly, it clicked. This wasn't just a welcome home gathering. My stomach did a slow roll as the realization hit me like a freight train.

Mom spotted me first, her face lighting up with way too much enthusiasm. "Adarsh, you are back. How was your flight?"

I forced a smile as I looked around the room, feeling and probably looking like a deer caught in very bright, very confusing headlights. "Good."

"Come sit," Dad called out, from the couch.

Bhabhi pushed me towards the living room. I settled in between my parents who were offering me big smiles.

"Adarsh, meet Mr. and Mrs. Mittal," Mom said, referring to the other couple. "I met Mrs. Mittal at Mrs. Ahluwalia's jagrata."

I nodded politely, hiding my annoyance. "Nice to meet you both."

Mrs. Mittal leaned forward, her eyes twinkling with interest. "So, Adarsh, your parents tell us you're a corporate lawyer. That must be such exciting work!"

I suppressed a sigh, sensing the familiar dance of small talk beginning. "It can be, yes. Though I wouldn't say it's always exciting. Sometimes it's just a lot of paperwork."

Mr. Mittal chuckled. "Ah, but it's important work. You know, our daughter always says she admires people who know their way around complex legal systems."

And there it was. I shot a quick glance at my parents, who were trying very hard to look innocent. My mother jumped in, "Their daughter is an architect."

Mrs. Mittal straightened up, pride evident in her voice. "She just started a new job at a big firm."

"How interesting," my father chimed in, a little too enthusiastically. "Adarsh too wanted to be an architect when he was younger."

"No," I said, shaking my head.

Mom lightly slapped my thigh. "He was a child so he doesn't remember. Silly boy!"

Mr. Mittal laughed. "Well, it's a very good profession. Our Priyadarshini is very career oriented but she also cares a lot about family values. So independent and self-reliant."

"Priyadarshini?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at my mother, who was refusing to make any eye contact with me.

"Lovely name, no?" Mom asked.

"Not just the name, Mom," Vedika Bhabhi said, "She is a lovely girl. That reminds me." She stood and walked to me. "We should go rescue her. Amira took her to see her doll house and is probably eating her head."

"She is here?" I asked, my eyes darting around the room, putting on a show of surprise.

"Yes," she said. "Let's go." Six pairs of eyes looked at me expectantly till I actually stood up.

"A little heads up would have been nice," I hissed at my sister-in-law as we made our way upstairs, maintaining the charade.

"Even a little heads up and you would have run away. And it's nothing formal, just a casual meeting," she whispered back. "Now, come meet Priyadarshini."

I groaned for effect. "Do I have to? I just got off a plane and probably smell like sweat and recycled air."

"Stop being rude," she said, as we reached their room. My eyes zeroed on the woman dressed in a lime green dress. They were crouched on the floor by Amira's giant dollhouse I had purchased for her birthday. Everyone said the thing was too big and expensive, but Amira wanted it and I couldn't say no to her.

Priyadarshini, dressed in a lime green dress, looked up at us when she saw us approaching. Smiling, she rose from the floor, her eyes meeting mine with a hint of amusement.

"Chachu!" Amira squealed as she ran towards me. "You're back! I missed you so much."

I grinned and lifted her off her feet. "Is that why you didn't come to the airport to receive me?"

"I was busy," she said, grinning. "Dadi said that if you both like each other then she'll be my new Chachi," she said in my ear, thinking she was quiet, but in reality, everyone in the room heard.

We all looked at each other awkwardly for a moment before Vedika Bhabhi cleared her throat and smiled. "Priyadarshini, meet Adarsh and Adarsh, this is Priyadarshini."

"Hi," I said, as I shook hands with her.

"Well, we'll give you some space to chat," Vedika Bhabhi said, as she grabbed her daughter's hand. "If you guys want, you can chat here or go to Adarsh's room if you prefer."

"But I still have to show Pri the new dresses that Dadi stitched for my dolls," Amira argued. Her mother's stern glance, however, silenced her protests. With a dramatic sigh, she reluctantly allowed herself to be led downstairs.

"Do you do this whole arranged marriage meeting thing often?" Priyadarshini asked once we were alone.

"Fuck off," I said, rolling my eyes at her theatrics. I spinned on my heel and striding towards my room

"Wow! Do you talk to all your prospective brides like this?" she asked, falling in step with me. "No wonder you are still single."

"What are you doing here?" I asked instead, shaking my head at the woman in front of me.

"Okay, firstly, just to make it clear... I don't want to marry you. Like at all. And secondly, I had no idea that this was your house. My parents sort of emotionally blackmailed me into meeting a great boy from a great family and since it's my day off, I thought..."

"That you would utilize this time to practice your interrogation skills and intimidate some poor unsuspecting guy to watch him sweat and fumble," I finished for her, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. She sauntered into my room and perched on the edge of my bed, crossing one leg over the other with deliberate slowness. "My favorite pastime." Her eyes raked over me, assessing. "Anyway... you look good. Looks like Agnihotris treated you well."

"They sure did," I replied, leaning into her annoyance. She'd been furious about being left out of this mission, and I wasn't about to let her forget it. "Got a massage, relaxed on the beach, ate like a king. Couldn't have asked for more."

Her lips curled into a smirk. "Good, Enjoy it while it lasts. Because Shetty Sir may be pulling you out of this mission."

The smugness drained from my face. "What? Why? I'm this close. I just need more time."

Her expression softened with faux sympathy. "That's the thing—we don't have time. Shetty Sir blew up yesterday because of how little progress you have made. He thinks you're running out of rope."

I frowned, my mind racing. "So what's his plan if he pulls me off?"

She leaned back on her arms. "Plan D. Honeytrap."

I stared at her, "Honeytrap who? Kavita Agnihotri? Didn't we try that already?"

"Yes, but Shetty Sir wants to try again. And we are going to try laying out one for Aahana Angihotri as well," she said with a slight shrug. "I don't think it should be too difficult. She loves to party and one night stands seem like they are her thing."

My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught in my throat at the mere mention of Aahana's name. Vivid, almost tangible images flooded my mind - Aahana's body writhing in pleasure, moaning and crying out my name as I explored every inch of her perfect form.The glint of her waist chain catching the light as I moved inside her. The feeling of her soft, golden expanse of her skin, still lingered on my fingertips.

I shook my head to clear the mental images. Clearing my throat, I sat beside her on my bed. "Did he say who was going to be assigned to Aahana?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged. "If I had to guess, maybe Eklavya. He seems like her type."

The thought of Aahana with that asshole Eklavya flooded my mind, igniting a fire of rage within me. This was why I should have maintained my distance with her.

"You okay?" Pri asked, her eyes boring into me with an intensity that made me squirm.

I gave her a jerky nod, my throat suddenly dry. "Don't you think it's a bit unethical?" The words came out strained.

She snorted, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"Nothing," I argued instantly, my voice defensive. "I was just voicing a legitimate concern."

Her eyes narrowed, clearly not buying it. She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Okay... spill..."

I ran a hand over my face, my fingers lingering on my chin as I wrestled with the truth. Finally, I confessed, trusting her enough to not stab me in the back with this information. "I slept with her last night."

"Kavita?" her voice was sharp, surprised.

I narrowed my eyes, feeling a twinge of irritation. "Aahana."

Pri blinked, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "On line of duty...?" she asked, curiosity and suspicion mingling in her tone.

"No," I replied, incredulity coloring my voice.

Her eyes widened. "Have you fallen for her or something?"

"Of course not," I said instantly, perhaps too quickly. "Who in their right mind would fall for her? It was a moment of weakness... Purely physical. Nothing else."

"I see," she said with a nod, her face unreadable. "Can you use it?" When I looked at her in confusion, she clarified, "I mean, you're already in. Push further."

"What?" The word came out as a strangled gasp.

She turned to me, her eyes glinting with a cold logic. "Instead of building someone else's cover and planting them into her life, you could just do it. You've opened the door and now you just need to walk through it some more."

"I can't just-" I started, but Pri cut me off.

"You can always just apologize to her. And if she's half as smart as you say, she'll understand the necessity. It'll be like a break up for her. People break up all the time and they get over their cheating, lying ex all the time, right?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "And if she doesn't?"

Pri shrugged, her face impassive. "Then that's the collateral damage."

"Collateral damage?" I repeated, in disbelief. "We're talking about a person, Pri."

"Since when did you become such an idealist? It's not like this is the first time we are doing something that borderlines immorality," she said, crossing her arms. "Don't lose sight of the bigger picture."

"I know that," I snapped. "But-"

Just then, a knock at the door made us both jump. I quickly moved away from Pri. Both of us plastered a fake smile. "Hi guys," Vedika Bhabhi singsonged as she entered the room. "How's it going?"

"Good," Pri replied smoothly for both of us. "We were just talking about our work."

"I see," she grinned. I hated that I was going to break my family's hearts. "Priyadarshini, your–"

"Please call me Pri," Pri murmured. "I really don't know what my parents were thinking."

Vedika Bhabhi chuckled. "Okay, Pri. Your parents are ready to go home. Would you like to stay? Maybe Adarsh can drop you later."

"Oh no!" Pri shook her head and she got up from the bed. "I'll get going as well. I have an important meeting tomorrow so I need to prepare for it."

Bhabhi gave us a sad smile. "I'll see you downstairs."

Once the door closed, Pri turned back to me. "Make your decision, Adarsh. I'll back you up if you want to volunteer for this job or else what you told me will stay between us."

I nodded, appreciatively. "Thanks."

That night instead of going to bed, I found myself drawn to the side table where my precious chess board lay, its polished surface gleaming in the soft lamplight.My fingers brushed the pieces, and my mind replayed Pri's words. She was right—this was about something far bigger than Aahana. She was just a pawn in this game. If I didn't do it, someone else would, with far more time, effort, and casualties.

I sank into the chair, my eyes roaming over the board. Chess was a game of strategy, of sacrifice. It didn't care about the cost, it was all about who won.

My hand gravitated towards the queen. I picked her up, feeling the familiar weight and curves of the piece. So versatile, so powerful - in many ways, she was the true ruler of the board.

A small, bitter smile played at the corners of my mouth as I considered her potential. My decision was made, settling in my gut like a cold stone. In the coming days, the queen would be at the heart of our grand design. She would help topple this empire.