Mumbai never slept.

The city breathed in luxury, power, and danger.

At the center of it all stood St. Orion International University, a college where politicians' children, business heirs, celebrities, and mafia families studied together.

And everyone knew one name.

Disha Roy.

A girl whose mere footsteps could silence an entire hallway.

She belonged to one of India's richest business families from Kolkata. Money wasn't her identity.

Power was.

She wore an oversized black blazer over a white shirt, the top buttons carelessly open, black trousers, expensive boots, and silver rings decorating her fingers.

Cold eyes.

Expressionless face.

An intimidating aura that screamed—

"Stay away."

No one dared to look at her for more than a few seconds.

Because everyone knew...

If Disha hated someone...

That person's college life was over.

But there were only three people she could never ignore.

Her family wasn't her home.

They were.

KTJ

Loud.

Overprotective.

Possessive.

Got angry faster than lightning.

A complete drama queen.

Always creating chaos.

If someone even looked at Disha the wrong way—

KTJ would be ready to start World War III.

Somi

The oldest among the four.

Calm.

Kind.

Patient.

Always buried in books.

The only one capable of calming KTJ and Disha during arguments.

The brain of the group.

Star

Quiet.

Cold.

Savage.

Her words could destroy someone's confidence in two sentences.

She rarely smiled.

But when it came to spoiling her three best friends...

Money didn't matter.

If Disha wanted something—

Star would already have bought it.

And among them...

Disha was the youngest.

The baby everyone secretly spoiled.

Though she'd rather die than admit it.

Morning.

A black Rolls-Royce stopped in front of the university.

Students immediately started whispering.

"She's here..."

"Disha..."

"Oh no..."

The bodyguards opened the car door.

Disha stepped out.

Behind her—

Another luxury SUV stopped.

KTJ jumped out dramatically.

"DISHAAAAAA!"

She literally ran across the parking lot before wrapping Disha in a crushing hug.

"I MISSED YOU!"

Disha looked annoyed.

"...We met yesterday."

"So?"

"I missed you."

Star walked over while drinking iced coffee.

"You saw her twelve hours ago."

KTJ gasped dramatically.

"Twelve hours is a lifetime."

Star deadpanned.

"Go see a doctor."

Somi arrived carrying three books and sighed.

"You two started already?"

"She bullied me!" KTJ complained instantly.

"I said one sentence."

"Exactly! Emotional damage!"

Even Disha's lips twitched for a second.

Only these three could bring that tiny reaction from her.

Meanwhile...

At Mumbai Airport...

A girl stepped outside with two suitcases.

Long black hair.

Warm brown eyes.

A gentle smile.

Simple white kurti with blue jeans.

No luxury brands.

No arrogance.

No guards.

Just simplicity.

Maya Nair.

Originally from South India.

After her father's business shifted to Mumbai...

She had transferred into St. Orion International University.

She looked around nervously.

"So... this is Mumbai."

A voice shouted from behind.

"MAYAAAAAA!"

She turned.

A whirlwind crashed into her.

KTJ.

"Cousin!"

"You've grown taller!"

"You still hug too tightly..."

KTJ laughed loudly.

"I missed you!"

Maya smiled softly.

"I missed you too."

Inside the car...

KTJ kept talking nonstop.

"You'll love my friends."

"They're weird."

"Especially Disha."

Maya tilted her head.

"Weird?"

KTJ grinned.

"She's scary."

"...Very scary."

"But she's my baby."

"If anyone hurts her..."

KTJ cracked her knuckles dramatically.

"I'll bury them."

Maya laughed.

"You've never changed."

Back at college...

Disha suddenly stopped walking.

Star noticed.

"What?"

"..."

Disha looked toward the entrance.

For a brief second...

Her eyes landed on a girl standing beside KTJ.

A stranger.

Simple.

Smiling.

Soft.

Completely opposite to everything Disha was.

Their eyes met for barely a second.

Then Disha looked away as if nothing had happened.

"...Who's that?"

KTJ smiled proudly.

"My cousin."

"Maya."

"She'll study here from today."

Disha gave one indifferent glance.

"Okay."

And walked away.

Maya watched Disha's disappearing figure.

"She... looks lonely."

KTJ blinked.

"Lonely?"

"You'll change your opinion after knowing her."

Star quietly looked at Disha's back.

For some reason...

She had a strange feeling.

Something was about to change.

Something dangerous.

The first day of the semester had barely begun.

Students filled the hallways, laughing, gossiping, and rushing to classes.

As always, the center of attention wasn't a celebrity.

It was Disha.

She walked through the corridor with Star on one side and Somi on the other. KTJ walked backwards in front of them, talking dramatically.

"I'm telling you, if the cafeteria serves that horrible pasta again, I'll file a human rights complaint."

Star looked at her without emotion.

"You'll still eat two plates."

"I will. But I'll complain while eating."

Somi shook her head, trying not to laugh.

Disha ignored their conversation, her hands tucked into her pockets.

Suddenly...

"KTJ!"

A soft voice echoed through the corridor.

KTJ turned around instantly.

"Maya!"

Maya came running over, smiling brightly. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder and looked completely out of place among the luxurious crowd.

"I found my classroom," she said happily.

"See? I told you you'd manage!" KTJ replied proudly.

She pulled Maya closer.

"Come, I'll introduce you properly."

"This is Somi."

Maya smiled politely.

"Hello."

Somi smiled back warmly.

"Welcome. If you ever need help with classes, just ask."

Maya nodded gratefully.

"Thank you."

"And this..."

KTJ pointed dramatically toward Star.

"...is Star."

Maya looked at the quiet girl.

"Nice to meet you."

Star gave a small nod.

"Mm."

KTJ whispered loudly,

"Don't mind her. That's her normal face."

"I heard that."

"I wanted you to."

Maya giggled.

Finally...

KTJ pointed toward Disha.

"And this is Disha."

Maya looked at her.

Disha's face remained expressionless.

No smile.

No greeting.

Nothing.

The silence stretched for several seconds.

Trying to be polite, Maya smiled.

"Hi. I'm Maya."

Disha simply looked at her for a moment.

Then...

"Move."

Her voice was cold.

Flat.

Without even a hint of emotion.

She walked past Maya without waiting for a response.

Maya stood frozen.

"..."

KTJ rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Don't take it personally."

"She's... like that."

Maya forced a smile.

"It's okay."

But somewhere deep inside...

She felt slightly hurt.

During lunch...

The four best friends occupied their usual table.

Nobody dared sit nearby.

Everyone knew it belonged to them.

Maya arrived carrying her tray.

She looked around.

The cafeteria was packed.

Only one chair was empty...

At their table.

She hesitated.

KTJ noticed immediately.

"Maya!"

"Come here!"

She happily pulled Maya to the empty seat.

"Sit."

Maya smiled.

"Thanks."

The moment she sat down...

Several students gasped.

"She actually sat there..."

"Doesn't she know whose table this is?"

"Poor girl..."

Maya looked confused.

"Why is everyone staring?"

KTJ shrugged.

"They're dramatic."

Disha continued eating silently.

Without even looking up.

A few minutes later...

A senior deliberately bumped into Maya.

Her juice spilled across her clothes.

"Oh!"

Maya stood up immediately.

"I'm so sorry—"

The senior smirked.

"You should watch where you're sitting."

"It isn't your place."

Maya lowered her eyes.

"I didn't mean—"

Before she could finish...

A loud bang echoed through the cafeteria.

Everyone turned.

KTJ had slammed both hands on the table.

"What did you just say?"

The senior scoffed.

"What? I only—"

"You spilled the drink."

"You apologize."

The senior laughed.

"And if I don't?"

Silence.

Star slowly stood.

Somi quietly removed her glasses.

Disha finally lifted her eyes from her food.

The cafeteria temperature seemed to drop.

She looked directly at the senior.

"Leave."

Just one word.

Cold.

Sharp.

The senior's confidence disappeared instantly.

Without another word...

He muttered an apology and hurried away.

The entire cafeteria remained silent until he disappeared.

Maya blinked in surprise.

She looked at Disha.

For the first time...

She noticed something.

Disha hadn't helped because she liked Maya.

She had helped because...

No one was allowed to create trouble in front of her friends.

KTJ sighed dramatically.

"There goes my chance to throw a chair."

Star took another bite of her lunch.

"You say that every week."

Somi handed Maya some tissues.

"Here."

"Thank you..."

Maya cleaned her clothes and glanced at Disha.

"...Thank you."

Disha didn't even look up.

"Don't misunderstand."

"I don't like unnecessary noise."

Maya's small smile faded.

"...I understand."

She quietly finished her lunch.

None of them noticed...

From the second floor of the cafeteria...

A group of unfamiliar men were watching Disha with unusual interest.

One of them spoke into his phone.

"So... the Kolkata heiress is here."

A cold voice answered from the other end.

"Keep watching."

"Don't make a move yet."

The man smiled darkly.

"Understood."

Far away...

The next morning...

St. Orion International University was unusually lively.

Freshers were busy finding classrooms, seniors were gossiping, and professors hurried across the campus.

Meanwhile...

KTJ was running through the corridor.

"DISHAAAA!"

She stopped in front of Disha, completely out of breath.

"We're late!"

Disha looked at her watch.

"We still have five minutes."

"I know, but if we're not ten minutes early, we're late."

Star raised an eyebrow.

"Weren't you the one who woke up at 9:30?"

"...Details don't matter."

Somi sighed, already used to KTJ's endless drama.

The four walked together, effortlessly becoming the center of attention.

At the administration office...

Maya was collecting her timetable.

"Your classroom has changed," the staff member said.

"Oh... thank you."

As Maya stepped outside, she looked around in confusion.

"This campus is huge..."

She accidentally took the wrong hallway.

A group of four senior girls noticed her.

"Hey, new girl."

Maya stopped politely.

"Yes?"

One of them smirked.

"You're KTJ's cousin, right?"

Maya nodded.

"I am."

Another girl folded her arms.

"You should stay away from Disha."

Maya blinked.

"...Why?"

"Because she's dangerous."

"People who get close to her always end up crying."

"She's cold-hearted."

Maya stayed silent.

She had only met Disha once.

She couldn't judge someone so quickly.

"I don't think it's right to judge someone without knowing them."

The girls laughed.

"So innocent."

At that exact moment...

Disha, Star, Somi, and KTJ turned into the same corridor.

KTJ immediately noticed Maya.

"Maya!"

The senior girls stiffened.

"...She's here."

The hallway fell silent.

Disha's cold gaze landed on the girls.

"What happened?"

Nobody answered.

One of the seniors forced a smile.

"Nothing."

Disha looked at Maya.

"Were they bothering you?"

Before Maya could reply—

"No!" one of the girls interrupted quickly.

"We were just talking."

Disha stared at them for a few seconds.

Then spoke in her usual calm voice.

"If I hear that you're troubling first-years..."

She took one slow step forward.

"...you'll regret it."

No shouting.

No threats.

Just a simple sentence.

Yet every girl immediately lowered her eyes.

"We understand."

The four seniors walked away without another word.

Maya looked at Disha in surprise.

"You..."

Disha interrupted.

"They're cowards."

She turned around.

"Let's go."

For a moment...

Maya noticed something strange.

Disha hadn't even asked whether Maya was okay.

She had simply solved the problem and walked away.

Cold...

Yet strangely reliable.

That evening...

Far from the college...

An abandoned warehouse stood near the docks.

Inside...

Several men surrounded a table.

Photos were scattered across it.

One photo showed Disha.

Another showed KTJ.

Somi.

Star.

And finally...

A newly added picture...

Maya.

A scar-faced man picked up Maya's photo.

"Who's this?"

One of his men replied,

"KTJ's cousin."

"Recently shifted to Mumbai."

The man smiled darkly.

"Interesting."

He threw Disha's photo onto the table.

"If we can't reach the queen..."

He tapped Maya's picture with a finger.

"...we'll use the light."

The room filled with cruel laughter.

Outside...

Rain began to pour over the city.

Somewhere else...

Completely unaware of the danger...

Maya stood on the balcony of her new home, watching the rain with a peaceful smile.

At that same moment...

Disha stood on the balcony of her mansion, looking at the same dark sky.

She didn't know why...

But for the first time in years...

The image of a girl with warm brown eyes crossed her mind.

She frowned.

"...Annoying."

She turned away.