AUTHOR'S POV
The heavy doors of the mansion opened with a slow groan, spilling them into the early evening air. The cold Russian breeze kissed her skin, sharp and sudden — but it wasn't as startling as what followed.
Zane walked ahead, only to pause and open the car door on the passenger side — holding it open, just... waiting.
Mishika hesitated for a second.
Not out of fear — just surprise.
No one had ever opened a door for her before.
"In," he said. But his voice lacked its usual edge.
She slid into the sleek black car — leather interior, warm, silent, and strangely calm.
The door shut softly behind her, and a moment later, Zane slid into the driver's seat.
He didn't start the engine right away.
Instead, he glanced over at her — and there was something lighter in his eyes this time.
"My mother will probably interrogate you."
Mishika turned to him, blinking.
He continued — a dry hint of amusement in his voice.
"My sister will take you shopping."
"My brother..." he shook his head slightly, "...will flirt with you. Not because he's interested. Just to piss me off."
Mishika blinked again.
That...
sounded like a family.
"And Mikhail," Zane added with a faint exhale, "might try to feed you vodka and get your entire life story."
She stared at him.
"That's... a lot."
He smirked, finally starting the car.
"No promises. Alyona loves chaos."
The car rolled forward through the iron gates, headlights slicing through the dimming light.
Mishika leaned slightly against the window, processing what she'd just heard.
She was heading toward a mansion filled with people who might actually smile, talk, laugh — who might be loud and overwhelming and kind.
A family.
Not hers.
But still...
A flicker of warmth passed through her chest. Fleeting. Fragile.
And for the first time in forever —
she wasn't being driven away from something.
She was being driven toward something.
The mansion doors creaked open.
Warm golden light spilled into the front foyer, catching on Mishika's white dress as she stepped inside.
She looked like a misplaced poem — flowing sleeves, soft fabric, quiet footsteps. She walked slowly, unsure, but with a strange kind of grace — like someone raised in silence but born to be seen.
Zane stepped in behind her.
And for a moment, it was still.
Then—
"ZANE VITALE!"
The voice boomed down from the staircase like thunder.
Zane barely blinked.
But Mishika?
She jumped a little, wide-eyed, as a woman in a maroon saree stormed down the stairs like a dramatic monsoon.
"Ye kon ??" looking at mishika
"Meri fiance"
"ENGAGEMENT karli aur bataya bhi nahi?!"
("You got engaged and didn't even tell me?!")
"Main toh samjhi koi foreigner leke ayega — lekin yeh toh gudiya nikli!"
("I thought you'd bring home some foreigner — and instead, she's a literal doll!")
Zane's mother marched up, took one look at Mishika...
And melted.
"Hai Ram! Apsara hi toh hai!"
("Oh god — she's an actual angel!")
Before Mishika could process anything, she was engulfed in a warm, bangle-filled embrace.
"Maa," Zane said under his breath, warningly.
"Chup!" she barked back. "Mujhe apni bahu se milne de!"
("Quiet! Let me meet my daughter-in-law!")
Mishika's eyes fluttered, overwhelmed.
Daughter-in-law?
What is happening?
Then came Alyona, practically sprinting in, gasping like a TV serial heroine.
"IS THIS HER!?" she shouted.
"I SAW HER DRESS THROUGH THE WINDOW — I ALMOST CRIED!"
She flung herself at Mishika dramatically, hugging her like a long-lost soulmate.
"You're so pretty I feel attacked."
Zane sighed.
"You all are scaring her."
"Good!" Alyona said. "She needs to know what she's marrying into."
Then Luka slid in like a smooth breeze.
"Hi," he said, gently kissing Mishika's hand like a prince.
"I'm Luka. The hot brother. Call me anytime Zane is insufferable."
Mishika turned red.
Zane's jaw flexed.
"Luka."
"Relax, bro," Luka winked. "She's legal now."
"You won't be if you say another word."
Alyona fanned herself with her hand.
"Ugh, he's being all possessive mafia husband already. I love this era."
Their mother swatted Luka's arm and dragged Mishika away.
"Aao beta," she said lovingly.
"Aaj se tum meri beti ho. ."
("Come, dear. From today, you're my daughter. — and I didn't even know it yet.")
Mishika, still dizzy from attention, let herself be pulled in.
And through it all — Zane just stood there.
Watching.
Arms crossed.
Expression unreadable.
But if someone had looked close enough, they might've seen it —
That slight shift in his gaze when Luka touched her hand.
The twitch of his lips when Alyona hugged her too long.
The warmth that flickered behind the steel in his eyes when Mishika smiled for the first time.
And deep down, Zane knew —
He hadn't just brought Mishika to meet his family.
He'd brought her home.
The dining table was chaos — glorious, loud, emotional chaos.
Plates clinked, laughter echoed, and the scent of fresh roti, pasta, sabzi, and grilled meats filled the air like a festival that couldn't decide which country it belonged to.
Mishika sat quietly between Alyona and Zane's mother, both of whom kept piling her plate with food she didn't even know the names of.
"Beta, try this — yeh baingan ki sabzi hai, bilkul tumhare jaisi soft."
("Dear, try this — eggplant curry, soft just like you.")
"And this ravioli is my weakness," Alyona added. "You'll get addicted — like I did to espresso and heartbreak."
Luka leaned forward from across the table, sipping wine and smirking.
"Mishika, if you ever want to escape Zane and live your best chaotic life, I have a spare key and a passport printer."
Zane slammed his fork down — lightly, but enough.
"Luka."
Luka grinned.
Zane's mother rolled her eyes.
"Stop teasing. She's already shy."
"I'm preparing her," Luka said dramatically. "For him."
Zane didn't speak — but his eyes flicked to Mishika, lingering on the way she nervously twisted the hem of her dress under the table.
No one noticed.
Except Mishika.
And Zane
And somehow... it eased her.
No mocking. No sarcasm. Just... attention. Quiet and constant.
Then came the real chaos.
Alyona stood and banged her spoon on a glass.
"OKAY EVERYONE SHUT UP — I have questions for the fiancée."
Mishika blinked. Zane groaned.
"No."
"YES," Alyona insisted. "This is an interrogation — I mean bonding session."
"Favorite color?"
"Books or movies?"
"How long did it take before you fell for him?"
"What did he say when he proposed? Was it hot? Weird? Mafia-level intense?"
Mishika was blushing furiously.
Zane looked ready to murder someone.
Zane's mom just chuckled and handed Mishika another piece of naan.
"Don't worry, beta," she whispered. "They'll settle down after dessert."
But they didn't.
And for the first time in years — Mishika laughed.
Softly. Awkwardly. But it was real.
And Zane?
He looked at her the entire time.
Didn't smile. Didn't join.
Just watched — a little stunned.
Like she'd suddenly become the light in a room that had only known shadows.
Alyona leaned across the table like an excited teenager.
"Okay! Mishika — rapid fire. Favorite color?"
Mishika blinked.
"Umm... White, I think. It feels... quiet."
Alyona grinned.
"Ooh, poetic. Alright, next — books or movies?"
"Books," Mishika said quickly.
"They don't rush you to feel things. You... get time to breathe."
Zane's fingers stilled on his glass.
Alyona nodded slowly, then smirked.
"Okay okay, now the real one — how long did it take before you fell for him?"
The spoon in Mishika's hand froze.
Everyone stared.
"I-I don't know if I've... fallen yet," she said honestly.
"But the first time he looked at me... like I was human... something cracked inside."
Zane's eyes flicked toward her, expression unreadable.
Luka softly whistled.
Alyona whispered under her breath, "Oh damn, that hit deep."
"Last one — what did he say when he proposed?" Alyona asked. "Be honest. Was it hot? Weird? Mafia-level intense?"
Mishika swallowed. Her cheeks turned pink.
"He said... 'Marry me.' Just like that."
Pause.
"No softness. No smile. Just... like it was a command."
Everyone blinked.
"That is mafia-level intense," Luka declared.
"Did you faint?"
"No," Mishika said, a bit defensively.
"I flinched. Then asked 'Why.'"
Alyona laughed so hard she nearly dropped her glass.
"Girl, you're stronger than half of Russia."
Zane, still silent, reached under the table — gently brushed his fingers across Mishika's hand for a moment.
She looked at him.
No words.
Just... something unspoken that made her heart skip.
Later, the house fell into quiet.
Mishika slipped outside onto the balcony — needing air, needing stillness after the storm of warmth she wasn't used to.
She wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at the sky.
Stars. Endless.
Footsteps approached.
She didn't have to turn to know it was him.
Zane came to stand beside her, silent. Hands in his pockets. Gaze ahead.
"Are they..." she began softly, "always like this?"
Zane didn't look at her.
"Worse," he replied.
A pause.
Then she smiled — just a little.
"I didn't hate it," she whispered.
"It felt... loud. But soft. Strange. But safe."
He glanced at her.
"You looked like you belonged."
She looked down.
"I didn't know what that felt like until tonight."
Silence.
Zane stepped closer. Not touching — just near enough that she felt his presence anchor her.
"They like you," he said.
"And you?" she asked without looking up.
Another pause.
Then he whispered, quietly...
Zane didn't answer right away.
Just the hush of wind between them.
Then, his voice — low, raw, almost reluctant:
"I don't like people easily."
She said nothing. Let him speak.
"But you?"
"You walked into my world like a whisper... and somehow, everything went quiet."
Mishika turned to look at him then — slowly, unsure.
He wasn't watching the stars anymore. He was watching her.
"So yeah," he said.
"I like you, Mishika. More than I was ever supposed to."
Her breath stilled.
No poetry. No grand gestures.
Just truth — simple, rough, and utterly undoing.
THANK YOU FOR READING
LOVE YOU GUYS
WORD COUNT 1523
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