"Punishment of disobedience towards Vikram Singhal is just death!"

That was the norm throughout the terror-stricken Uttar Pradesh after Vikram Singhal had taken over the reins after defeating the much feared underworld kingpin Suryaprakash Rao. For a state that switched hands from one kingpin to the other, the regime was no news.

With every police officer and civil servant in his pocket, Vikram Singhal had little to worry. No one bothered with resisting. Most had surrendered to their fates and the choice few rebellious ones found themselves silenced forever. After all, the choice was never between money and morals; the choice in the state was between a life of luxury and no life at all, and it was not a tough choice to make.

The eldest son of one of the erstwhile royal families, Vikram Singhal, had acquainted himself with the latest currency in the underworld - information. As he built his cybersecurity firm, with one of the most robust anti-surveillance programs in the country, he had access to state secrets like no one else, and he was no fool to not put them to use.

From monopolizing markets to buying the silence of those offering resistance with compromising information, Vikram Singhal had milked every bit of cybersecurity giant's reach to build himself an empire a few could boast of. For Vikram, love was the word preserved for only his dear sister, Nikita, and just one word - power - defined his relationship with everyone else.

Among the many rules he had implemented to help his reign of terror, he had instated one rule to fulfill his personal vendetta - persons of opposite gender were prohibited to be seen together after eight in the night, unless related by blood or by marriage. The reason for implementing such an archaic rule remained embedded deep in the history, which no one dared to even whisper of.

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Late Night,

"Rajeevji, Hurry! I am sure we would find a store which is open and would have Jiji's medication. Oh God, how can I be so irresponsible?"

Shikha Agarwal scolded herself as she slapped her palm against her forehead in despair. Her elder sister, who took care of her ever since their parents' death in an unfortunate accident, Sunaina Agarwal, was an asthmatic, whose asthma worsened because of the chilly climate and her stock of medications had exhausted after recurrent use.

Shikha, who had immersed herself in the preparation for the placement interviews and tests conducted in her college, had forgotten to replenish the supply.

Sunaina's asthma worsened in the wee hours and, with no medications at hand, Shikha did not dare to think about the consequences. She had set out with her to-be brother-in-law and Sunaina's fiance to find a pharmacy open, which had Sunaina's medication, but thanks to the rules imposed by one Vikram Singhal, their task was getting tougher and tougher.

"Happens to the best of us, Shikha. We will find the pharmacy, but my actual concern is about the patrolling personnel who might find us and question. What will we answer them?" said a very concerned Rajeev Malhotra, because he knew that lying to them would only worsen the consequences.

"Nothing of that sort will happen, Rajeevji. Trust Bholenath! He will save us from this predicament," assured Shikha, confident about her favorite Lord Shiva, as tried to ignore the same question buzzing in her mind for long.

The nightmare at the back of her mind turned into the stark reality. The patrolling goons had arrived there with golf sticks to beat up anyone who violated the rules laid down by their overlord.

They found two figures walking towards them. The girl holding the apparatus in her hand which was not clear to them because of the distance and the darkness which surrounded them. A smirk pulled the leader's lips to a side as he imagined the reward from their Singhal Sahab for catching the violators, which was a rare occurrence.

"Aye, both of you! Stop!" he yelled, stepping towards them, and realizing that she held an asthma pump. Although he realized they might be out to buy the essentials, he did not dare to let them go or let go of his reward for presenting them to his boss.

An intense shiver ran through their spines as the bitter voice pierced through the thick silence and resonated in their ears. Almost as an instantaneous and involuntary response, their feet turned into rock and they stood fixed to their place, but not before exchanging petrified looks to each other.

"Introduce yourselves! Are you not aware of the rules?" came a question from one of the gang members.

Rajeev felt a gulp form in his throat as he knew it was his responsibility to answer, being elder than Shikha and being the one to insist she accompanied him to cover more distance.

"Ji, I am Rajeev Malhotra and she is Shikha Agarwal," replied Rajeev in a shivering tone, eying the burly men playing with the golf sticks in their hands as if their hands were itching to beat them into pulp.

"Why are you here?"

"We are buying medicines for my sister, Bhai Saheb!" said Shikha. Shikha had confirmed the leader's doubts, and he hoped they could answer his next question convincingly to avoid any tragic repercussions. He had taken up the job to round up on pimps, overenthusiastic lovers and drug-dealers. Not someone who had genuine reasons, like the duo trembling in front of him.

"And how are you both related to each other?" asked the leader, raising his eyebrow.

"She-She is my fiancee's..."

Before Rajeev could complete what he intended to say, the goons pushed him to the ground, and a yelp escaped his lips. "Do we look like idiots to you? Fiancee?!"

Shikha stood transfixed with her eyes splayed open and lips parted. Although the restrictions placed upon them gave her immunity, for being a female, from the being at the receiving end of some atrocities, the dread pooled in the pit of her abdomen with no chance of respite.

"Please don't hit him!" pleaded Shikha, holding the stick which dealt blows to Rajeev, and hoping that they would listen to her words.

Angered by her actions, the goon pushed her away, making her lose her balance and she prepared herself for a painful fall, but she remained dangled in midair, much to her surprise.

She felt a pair of muscular arms enveloping her at her waist, which prevented her from embracing the ground. She looked up to find the face of her savior to express her gratitude, only to remain astounded by the face she beheld.

Vikram Singhal, the man himself, who made everyone dance according to his tunes or to the tunes of death. He had caught someone midair on instinct when he advanced towards the area of conflict. The innocent blush on the apple of her cheeks, her heaving breaths, and her deep oceanic orbs filled with tears weaved a wondrous web around his heart.

He felt a wave of protectiveness take over him as he realized the woman in his arms was in tears. He wanted to eliminate the cause of her tears and wondered how ethereal her eyes would be when they glimmered with joy instead.

Shikha shivered in his arms, petrified by the possibility that his arrival marked more trouble for Rajeev and herself. It did not take him long to notice her reactions to him, and realize they were out of fear rather than attraction as he would like it to be. Vikram mentally cursed himself and straightened her up.

"How many times have I told you to not show your strength on a girl?" he shouted at the gang-leader, who hung his head in fear.

All the goons stood with their heads hanging in reverence and cowering in fear. Rajeev had stood up with a great difficulty as those goons seemed to know the exact reverse of the medical science - the art of breaking human bones.

Vikram moved closer to Shikha and held her shoulder before speaking to her in a low tone.

"Don't worry! Now that I am here, no one will hurt you and your.." asked Vikram, almost flinching at the thought that Rajeev might be her boyfriend.

"To be-Jijaji," said Shikha, in a meek tone, clutching the end of her dupatta, which hung down on her sides.

"And your name?"

His saccharine sweet tone confusing and rattling everyone, but Shikha, who was changing her opinion of the man beside her. Rajeev, who considered Shikha as his honorary sister, had his second thoughts about why Vikram behaved out of the ordinary with Shikha, but there was no way he could voice them without getting them killed.

"Shikha. Shikha Agarwal."

The slight smile on her lips only enamored and enticed him further. Her naïve smile and her transparency beguiled him - a complete contrast of his own malicious smirk and shrewdness.

And Vikram was just realizing why they said what they said: opposites attract.

Disclaimer: This is a slow-burn romance. The protagonists would not confess their undying love for each other within just a few updates.

The protagonists are flawed, and come with their own set of insecurities, priorities, strengths, and weakness. I based them on real people, and hence their actions are far from ideal.

The story which does not feature a very forgiving or a selfless heroine, which might be a deal-breaker for a few of you. It also doesn't brush ill deeds under the carpet for a rushed happy ending. It is the journey of two flawed individuals, how they help each other evolve and become better versions of themselves.

The story was written with an intent to show how gullible boys and girls are trapped in the web of love and deceit, both online and offline, and how such manipulation crumbles their self-esteem. Story is Shikha's journey from ignorance to knowledge and Vikram's journey from being conqueror to a bestower.

Constructive criticism and suggestions is always welcome. But I request you to refrain from comments with veiled mockery, taunts, name-calling, and personal remarks. Those comments stay with me and haunt me for days, like most authors, and sometimes even nights. If you want to criticize a scene/action/sentence, please base your opinion in logic, because experiences and morality are subjective, and no one really likes to get called out on their experiences or morals.