AUTHOR'S POV

The moment Seher's heel broke beneath her feet, she lost her balance. In a flash, when she thought she'd be crashing down onto the stone pathway, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, holding her mid-air.

Seher's breath hitched. Her eyes fluttered, instinctively about to close from the shock, when her hands shot up and gripped onto his neck to steady herself.

She opened her eyes slowly.

Only to find deep, dark black eyes set on her. Scanning her face with an intensity that made her skin prickle with awareness.

From Seher's phone, lying a few feet away on the ground, her best friend Nivedita's voice continued dreamily through the speaker.

"Kaash vo aaj tujhe mil jaaye, tu uski baahon mein gir jaaye. Aur vo bas teri aankhon mein kho jaaye..." (I wish you meet him today, you fall into his arms. And he just gets lost in your eyes...)

Seher's gaze darted to her phone, the screen still glowing against the darkened pathway. And then back at the man holding her.

Raghav Venkat Rao.

His eyes softened as he looked at her, the harsh edges of his face mellowing into something almost tender. His lips curled into a small smile,almost like a smirk, but warmer, more knowing.

Seher looked into his eyes, and there was something about him. His eyes that seemed to hold secrets. His scent, intoxicating. His presence that commanded the very air around them. It was impossible for her to move her eyes from him, as if some invisible force held her gaze captive.

Until the voice came from her phone again, louder this time. "Seher? Seher, tu sun rahi hai?" (Seher? Seher, are you listening?)

Seher blinked, reality crashing back. She looked at her phone again, then at the man still holding her suspended in his arms. Standing properly on her feet, she spoke quickly.

"Sorry..."

And as she tried to walk away, almost forgetting that her heel had broken, she stumbled forward. She was about to fall once again when Raghav's hand shot out, catching her wrist and pulling her directly into his chest.

Seher looked up at him, startled, her palms flat against the hard planes of his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, steady, calm, completely unlike her own racing pulse.

"Enta tondaragā dūram vellipōvālani undi?"
(How eager you are to go far away?)

"Hm?" A questioning hum left Seher's lips, her brows furrowing in confusion. She didn't understand Telugu, but something in his tone, made her chest tighten.

Raghav only smiled, that same mysterious smile. He gently placed her hand on his shoulder for support.

Before Seher could understand what he was doing, he knelt in front of her.

Seher looked down at him with utter confusion, her mouth parting slightly. A strange flutter erupted in her stomach at the sight of this powerful, commanding man on his knees before her.

Until he held her foot gently and placed it on his knee.

"Wait. What are you doing..." She tried to move her foot from his hand, but he held it firmly, with a possessiveness that sent shivers up her spine.

He carefully removed her broken heel. Looking at one of his men who stood at a respectful distance, he spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Order one pair of heels for madam. Shoe size 8, right?" He looked up at her, his dark eyes meeting hers.

Before Seher could reply, he spoke with a smirk that made her heart skip.

"Of course... nēnu mī heels ni modalasāri tīsestunnānu kādhu." (Of course, I'm not taking off your heels for the first time.)

Seher couldn't even understand what he said, but the way he said it, intimate, familiar, as if they shared some secret history..unsettled her deeply. She didn't like how this stranger had knelt in front of her, how he touched her so casually, how he looked at her like he knew her. Like he owned her..

She pushed him away, standing back abruptly.

"No. That's not needed. I'm fine... and Mister, you are no one to fall on your knees in front of me. And it's not like I've given you permission to touch me. You saved me once, that was enough..."

And without sparing him a glance, she walked back toward the hall, barefoot. Her sharara swept the ground behind her, her dupatta trailing like a banner of her retreat.

Raghav remained kneeling for a moment, watching her walk away. Then he stood slowly, that smile still playing on his lips. He spoke softly, his voice carrying in the quiet garden though she was already too far to hear.

"Nuvvu nā heels ni tiraskariṅtē, nēnu nī pādalaku kinda bhūmini pushpāla paḍaka lāga mārchesthānu... Bangāram."
(If you refuse my heels, I'll make the earth itself a bed of flowers for your feet... Bangaram.)

Meanwhile, Seher disappeared from the garden area and stood behind a decorative pillar just inside the hall's entrance. She pressed her hand over her chest, feeling her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.

"Why is my heart suddenly beating like it never did? There... there is something about that man... No. No, Seher." She squeezed her eyes shut, taking deep breaths. "Get a grip."

After calming herself, she smoothed down her sharara and walked back into the hall. She spotted her parents standing aside in conversation with some relatives and made her way toward them.

The way she was walking careful but slightly awkward, her parents immediately noticed she wasn't wearing her heels.

Jaswinder saw her first and spoke with immediate concern. "Beta, what happened to your shoes?"

"Actually, the heel broke..." Seher said sheepishly.

"So you're walking barefoot? Take my jutti..." Her mother immediately began removing her own embroidered shoes.

"No Mumma, I'm okay. Really." Seher stopped her gently.

"I'll order a pair of comfortable shoes right now." Gurmeet spoke, already pulling out his phone.

Just as he began scrolling, a well-dressed man approached Seher with a sleek box in his hands.

"Ma'am... your footwear..."

Seher and her parents looked at the box, then at each other in confusion.

Gurmeet smiled, assuming Seher had already handled it. "Oh, you already ordered the shoes..." He took the box from the man with a warm smile. "Thank you."

The man bowed slightly and walked away.

Before Seher could say anything,could explain that she hadn't ordered anything, her father had already opened the box. Inside were beautiful, elegant heels in deep emerald green that matched her outfit perfectly.

Her father knelt in front of her right there in the hall, and taking her foot gently on his knee, he wiped her feet clean with his handkerchief before slipping on the new heels with tender care.

Seher and her mother just smiled at each other, warmth flooding Seher's chest. This was her Daddy,no matter how powerful a leader he was outside, at home he was just a father who'd kneel to put shoes on his daughter's feet.

The exact moment, Entering the hall with his bodyguards flanking him like shadows, Raghav walked into the engagement venue. His eyes immediately found her, Seher. Standing with her parents, her father just finishing securing the heel on her foot. The heel he had sent.

He smiled. A private, satisfied smile.

But the moment he entered the hall with so many bodyguards, every eye turned toward him. The music seemed to lower. Conversations stuttered to a halt. Everybody began to whisper frantically.

And the whispers were obvious, spreading like wildfire through the crowd.

This was a ceremony from Gurmeet Singh Gill's close family. And here was Raghav Venkat Rao, the leader of the opposition party. Political rivals. Opposing forces in Punjab's complex political landscape.

But what was he doing here?

Gurmeet too straightened from where he'd been kneeling, his eyes finding Raghav across the hall. Their gazes met, two lions acknowledging each other across a savanna.

But Raghav didn't pause, didn't acknowledge the tension his presence had created. He walked directly to the stage with confident, measured steps that spoke of absolute authority.

Walking toward the newly engaged couple, he took an elaborate bouquet from one of his men. Tapping the groom's shoulder with familiar warmth, he congratulated him.

The groom, Rohan immediately bent and touched Raghav's feet with deep respect.

He was one of Raghav's men. And today, Raghav was here just to attend his engagement, politics be damned.

Raghav smiled genuinely and blessed him, placing his hand on the young man's head. He looked at Mehak with a polite, warm smile, and taking an ornate jewelry box from another aide, he handed it to her.

Mehak opened it with wide eyes. Inside was an exquisite piece of jewelry, a necklace that looked like it cost more than some people's houses. Diamonds and emeralds set in intricate gold work.

Rohan smiled broadly, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much."

He even introduced Mehak to Raghav formally, calling him "practically like a god to me" in a voice thick with emotion.

The people on stage smiled graciously, but the guests in the hall had entirely different reactions. Confusion. Suspicion. Curiosity. Fear, even..

What game was being played here?

Seher couldn't really understand any of it. She was sitting at a table, her eyes fixed on Raghav's commanding figure on stage, trying to piece together who this man was and why his presence had created such a stir.

Suddenly, the thought about her phone hit her like a lightning bolt. She'd left it in the garden!

She excused herself quickly and walked out.

Soon after, Raghav too left the hall, his work done.

Outside, Seher was searching for her phone everywhere, retracing her steps through the garden. She checked near the pillar where she'd been standing, around the decorative plants, along the stone pathway.

Nothing.

Searching more desperately, she found herself wandering toward the pool area at the far end of the venue.

The pool water shimmered under the moonlight, reflecting silver and dark blue ripples across its surface. It was far from the main hotel, isolated and quiet. Peaceful. The sounds of the engagement party were distant here, muffled.

Seher was holding her sharara with one hand and her dupatta with the other, struggling. She hadn't been much habitual to such dresses, especially after years in London wearing suits and trousers. Her biggest enemy was the dupatta, constantly slipping, getting caught, requiring constant adjustment.

Struggling with it while searching for her phone, she was peering around a lounge chair when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Baby girl..."

She immediately turned, her heart leaping into her throat.

But at the exact moment she spun around, the edge of her dupatta came beneath her feet. She stepped on it and felt herself falling backward, toward the pool.

She was about to crash into the water when, once again, Raghav's arm shot out and caught her.

Under the bright moonlight, there was barely a breath's distance between them. Seher's hand wrapped around his neck instinctively, her fingers grazing the warm skin at his nape. Their faces were inches apart.

Their eyes locked.

The world disappeared.

Raghav smirked and said softly, his voice a low rumble, "I didn't know... the Seher Kaur Gill would find reasons to fall in my arms again and again..."

"What? Don't be delusional. It was you who came from behind... Now leave me..." Seher tried to sound firm, but her breathlessness betrayed her.

"Into the water?" He raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening as he gestured with his chin toward the pool just inches behind her.

Watching her expression shift from indignation to realization, he chuckled softly and helped her stand properly on her feet, his hands steadying her waist until she found her balance.

"I saved you twice, the same day, same evening... Don't I deserve a thank you?" His tone was teasing but his eyes were serious.

"Thanks..." Seher said curtly, turning to walk away.

"Were you searching for something? For this?" Raghav pulled out her phone from his jacket pocket, holding it up in the moonlight.

Seher stopped, turning back. "My phone? What is it doing with you?"

"You forgot it in the garden... I thought I should return it to you..." His voice was casual, but his eyes tracked every micro-expression on her face.

Seher looked at him carefully, studying this confusing man who kept appearing at the exact moments she needed help. She turned to walk away, but then stopped. She looked back at him, something in her chest softening despite her resistance.

She sighed. "Thank you... You were right. You saved me twice and even returned my phone..."

Raghav just smiled.

Seher took a long pause, curiosity finally getting the better of her lawyer's instinct to gather information.
"Why was everyone in the engagement hall looking at you that way? Are you someone from the family?"

"Tvaralone avutundi." (Will be soon.)

"Sorry?" Seher frowned, not understanding.

"Nothing..." Raghav's smile turned mysterious. "I prefer you ask your father who I am..."

And with that, he walked away, his footsteps quiet against the stone path, disappearing into the shadows near the garden.

Only Seher stood there by the moonlit pool, staring after him. Thinking of him.

There was something about him she couldn't get rid of. His smile that seemed to hold secrets meant only for her. His voice that wrapped around her like silk. His smell that felt like coming home to a place she'd never been.

And Him...

He walked away, but that entire evening he stayed inside Seher's mind, taking up residence in corners she didn't even know existed.

She didn't even know his name yet.
But he had already made himself a home in her heart..

And this first meeting is soon going to shape something darker, something more interesting than anyone would imagine..
Will Seher ever fall for this, confusing man..who saved her, knelt infront of her..And what will be her reaction when she comes to know, that the man 8 years ago, still living in her mind, is Him..
Raghav Venkat Rao...

Her father's political rival. And her past..
What exactly happened that night.
Did Raghav really touched a girl, who wasn't even in her complete senses? And what really made him leave everything in London and return India. Only for politics?

Unfold every secret with,
SEHER: the CM's Muse.
By, Gauri...✨

Thanks for reading..❤️