The first few days after the Council’s fall felt like a dream woven from silk and sunlight. The Haveli, once a place of echoes and cold stone, now breathed with a new life. Every corridor seemed brighter, and every shadow had been chased away by the laughter that now came so easily to Nandini.

They were in the sun-drenched breakfast nook, a small circular balcony that overlooked the valley. Arjun was supposed to be reviewing final legal documents sent over by Vivek regarding the industry conglomerate's retreat, but the tablet lay forgotten. Instead, his focus was entirely on the woman sitting across from him.