•|The Raghuvanshi Mansion|•

A ray of sunlight slipped through the curtains, disturbing the sleeping lady. She turned to the other side of the bed, her hand reaching out, searching for someone—only to find emptiness. With a sigh, she rubbed her eyes, sat up, and glanced at the clock. 7:00 AM.

Muttering something under her breath, she got up and began her morning routine. Once ready, she gave herself a final look in the mirror, setting her bindi before heading downstairs. She had to be presentable—after all, she was Akshita Raghuvanshi, the eldest daughter-in-law of "The Raghuvanshis."

"Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Aunty," Akshita greeted with a smile, touching their feet for blessings.

"Good morning, dear," Rashmi Raghuvanshi, her mother-in-law, replied warmly.

"Bless you," added Bhavna Raghuvanshi, her aunt-in-law.

"So, what should I cook today?" Akshita asked.

"How about my favourite parathas?" A deep voice answered from behind. The ladies turned to find Adhiraj Raghuvansh, the head of the family.

"Good morning, Dad," Rashmi and Bhavna greeted, taking his blessings. It was like their daily routine.

"Good morning, Grandpa," Akshita followed the same.

It was a strict family tradition—every morning, the younger ones had to take blessings from the elders. The Raghuvanshis were a deeply rooted family, rich yet grounded. Despite their wealth, they lived a simple, disciplined life—praying together, eating together, and following the house rules without question.

"God bless you," Adhiraj smiled. "Now tell me, when are you making it?"

Before Akshita could reply, a firm, authoritative voice cut through the air.

"Akshita, Bhavna, and Rashmi will not be cooking today."

Everyone turned to the source of the voice—Gayatri Adhiraj Raghuvanshi, wife of Adhiraj Raghuvanshi.

The women immediately touched her feet for blessings. But Gayatri’s face remained expressionless. Cold, unreadable. She ruled the house with strict discipline, and punctuality was her highest priority. To her, everything had to happen on time—waking up, eating, returning home—no exceptions.

She didn’t appreciate those who failed to follow the rules. And right now, someone had.

"Where is she?" Gayatri asked, her sharp eyes scanning the room. "Doesn’t she know she’s supposed to be here by now?"

Everyone knew who she was referring to. The newly married second daughter-in-law, who hadn’t shown up yet.

Unlike Akshita—who was chosen for her grandson by Adhiraj himself—Tara was a different case. She was the choice of Gayatri’s second grandson. And Gayatri never let an opportunity to remind her of that slip away.

"I'm here, Grandma," a soft voice finally spoke.

All heads turned to see Tara entering the kitchen. She quickly took blessings from the elders, receiving smiles from everyone—except Gayatri.

"Rashmi, Bhavna, go and prepare for the morning prayers," Gayatri commanded. "And Akshita, show her where the ingredients are, but do not help her. It’s a ritual. She must cook on her own for her first rasoi."

With that, she left, followed by Rashmi and Bhavna.

Adhiraj placed a reassuring hand on Tara’s head. "Give her some time, my child. She’s not as bad as she seems." He smiled before walking away.

Akshita turned to Tara with a warm smile. "Don’t mind Dadi. She’s like this with everyone. I had the same experience on my first day." She tried to lift her mood.

Tara managed a small smile. "It’s okay, Bhabhi… So, what should I cook?"

"What can you cook?" Akshita asked.

"Umm… I can make… umm…" Tara thought hard, but eventually sighed. "I don’t know how to cook." She lowered her head in embarrassment, biting her lower lip.

Akshita chuckled. "That’s fine. Just follow my instructions. Let’s make kheer."

At that moment, to Tara, Akshita looked like an angel.

They started cooking. Tara followed each and every word very carefully and made the kheer as instructed by Akshita. Suddenly, Akshita got some work, so she went out of the kitchen, leaving Tara alone.

After cooking, Tara was washing her hands when she suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist from behind.

"What do you want now? Wasn’t last night enough?" Her voice was ‘done’, she said that without turning around. She already knew who it was.

"Well, I can never get enough of my wife," a husky voice whispered near her ear.

It was none other than Avyansh Raghuvanshi, her husband.

"Go away, Avy! Someone will see us," Tara wiggled, trying to break free, because she knew Akshita would come back at any moment.

"Not before my morning kiss. I didn’t even realise when you woke up and left," Avyansh pouted, tightening his grip.

Tara turned to him, but before Tara could argue, her body stiffened. Her face turned pale when she looked behind him.

Avyansh frowned, looking at her weird expression. "What happened? Why are you—" He followed her gaze and froze.

Standing before them were three people—watching them.

Akshita and His younger siblings, Veer and Trisha Raghuvanshi.

The Siblings burst into laughter looking at his horrified face.

“Bh-Bhabhi, we-we were just playing around, I swear we did nothing” Avyansh shook his head in horror, trying to convince them that he was innocent.

"Bhai, seriously? Playing?" Veer wheezed.

"Bhai, at least come up with a better excuse! What do you mean by playing?" Trisha cackled, giving Veer a high-five.

Even Akshita struggled to keep a straight face.

"Did you get a new toy, Bhai?" Veer teased.

Tara’s cheeks burned in embarrassment.

"Stop it, you two," Akshita finally spoke, faking a glare.

"But Bhabhi, you saw what happened, right?" Trisha giggled.

"So what? He just got married yesterday. Itna toh banta hai." Akshita defended.

"See? Only my Bhabhi understands me!" Avyansh declared, dramatically side-hugging Akshita.

He had never seen her as just his brother’s wife—she was his elder sister in every way that mattered.

Akshita ruffled his hair. Tara, watching, felt warmth spread in her chest. She had heard from Avyansh how much Akshita meant to him. Now, she could see it.

"What about us, Bhabhi? Hugs only for Bhai?" Trisha pouted.

"Come here, sweetheart," Akshita said, spreading her arms, only for Trisha and Veer to join the hug instantly.

"Don’t you want to join?" Akshita turned to Tara.

Tara’s smile widened, and she eagerly joined in.

"Our gang is complete!" Veer declared.

"Nope. You and Trisha still need to bring your partners," Akshita teased.

“Oh Bhabhi, if I could, I would have brought my wife into this house before any of my brothers” Veer jokes, making everyone laugh.

Later, as everyone gathered for breakfast, Gayatri eyed the kheer suspiciously.

"She made this alone?" she asked, pointing at the Kheer.

"Yes, Dadi," Tara nodded, though nervousness was written all over her face. What if they didn’t like it?

Everyone took a bite. Tara held her breath.

"Hmm… It’s really good, Tara," Shlok Raghuvanshi—Akshita’s father-in-law—said first.

"Yes, Tara, it’s delicious," Rashmi agreed.

Relief flooded Tara as everyone started praising her. Even Avyansh was eating a second bowl!

She stared at him, waiting for a compliment. But he said nothing.

"Bhukkad," she muttered while glaring at him.

Moments later, her in-laws gifted her jewellery, money, and Akshita gifted Tara diamond earrings, while her in-laws gifted her cash.

“Your surprise is still due, Tara, and you will get it once you get back from your home after Pag Phera”, Adhiraj said.

“OMG, gifts!!” Veer exclaimed in excitement after hearing a surprise word.

“Well, the surprises for married couples, Veer. not for you.” Trisha calmed his over ass down, making him roll his eyes.

Everyone started laughing and talking about random stuff when Shlok suddenly turned to Akshita.

"By the way, where is your husband, Akshita?"

And the laughter died.

Everyone turned to Akshita, waiting for an answer.

She didn’t say anything.

Her smile faded.

Her face went pale.

But why?

And more importantly—where was her husband?

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Check out my other books. When I say support me, it means you have to support my other books too-- This time it's my last chance, so please don't demotivate me.

His Innocence- Bestfriend's Brother, childhood sweethearts, crush, shy male lead, dramatic female lead, Comedy, Romance.

Love in Vengeance- Criminal Lawyer × Ceo, strong fl, brother's best friend, family rivalry, accidental pregnancy, Second chance.

She drew stars around my scars (Veer Raghuvanshi's Story)- Professor×student, fake marriage, Romcom, Royal family, Quite Male lead, dramatic female lead, Desi.

INTEZAAR- Old school romance, one-sided, crush, neighbour, Writer main lead, Story of 1970s.

Also, follow me on Instagram for BTS- lostlakshi