“You… you can walk,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “The wheelchair… the rumors… it was all a lie.“
Arnav turned around, leaning casually against the window sill, crossing his arms over his chest. The contrast between his regal, intimidating posture and the wheelchair sitting empty a few feet away was staggering.
“A lie that has kept me alive for five years, Aarohi,” he said, using my name for the first time. It sounded strange on his lips—heavy, dangerous, yet strangely intimate. “Five years ago, it wasn’t an accident. My car was rigged with explosives. The world thinks I survived by a miracle but lost the use of my legs. In reality, the people who want my family’s empire out of the picture stopped looking for a dangerous heir and started ignoring a crippled invalid.“
He took two steps toward me, his footsteps completely silent. “My family’s business in Mexico isn’t just shipping and textiles, Aarohi. We control the primary supply chains across the northern border. Logistical arteries that certain dangerous organizations want to control. By playing the invalid, I became invisible. I built an international intelligence network from a wheelchair while my enemies grew complacent.“
