ꜱʜᴀɴɢʜᴀɪ, ᴄʜɪɴᴀ
ʙᴀɪ ᴍᴀɴꜱɪᴏɴ
The sight of him flashing in her closed eyes - that dark eyes she always tend to get lost in.
The one that makes her forget about all the pain world.
The same ones she can stare for hours and not look away from.
Ones she would want to kiss nonstop but never had the chance do so.
Because they weren't just eyes but her entire universe.
Dreams of love from those eyes was possibility that could never happen to her.
Kashi
When the fall didn't come for a while, Kashi thought it was a miracle.
But was it?
OR was it someone?
Her eyes snapped open, adjusting to the light, only to be met with dark ones.
Eyes that held so much beneath them yet she could barely read what they really held. All that was visible was the coldness in them that made her flinch internally.
The kind of eyes women would go to war for.
The one that were enough to make a woman go weak.
Eyes that were making her body go dizzy.
A frown formed on her face as she stared at the person and slowly her eyes widen as she recognises the person.
A pair of cold arms wrapped around her waist catching her from falling. Shiver runs down her spine, they were rough yet held her with such gentleness. The one she had not felt in long time.
The arms encircled around her bare waist pulling her close. She shivered by the touch.
She froze, her body going stiff yet her heart beating fast at the same time.
Her eyes widened in a moment. She knew those eyes; they were the same ones that belonged to her so-called husband.
Husband.
Her Husband.
Minsheng.
BAI MINSHENG.
The Ultimate Mafia heir
The man who controlled the TRIADS by the back of his hand.
The man who had abandoned her a year ago. Left in a strange country and mansion all alone, and the only man she seemed to know walked away from her.
The Ruthless Mafia King.
This was too much to take.
Suddenly her head went lolling against his shoulder, her grip on his shirt tightening. His arms tightened around her waist pulling her flush against his chest.
And it did nothing better to her, instead
This was overwhelming for her.
His scent.
His eyes.
His touch.
His cologne.
Everything about him drove her crazy.
And once again question lingered in her mind. Was he back? Really back?
Without any information or calls from his men or himself..
Thousand thoughts lingered in her mind. Even if she was fainted Was he back But why? Did he feel sorry for?
Did he come back for her? Noooo that couldn't be true he never cared or loved her. He didn't feel and that is what he was.
Ruthless
The familiar scent hit her—faint smoke, leather, something darker that no time apart could erase.
''Stop dreaming Kashi'' She whispered to herself, she didn't want to feel the same pain she had felt before again. She was done with love but somehow this touch was making her body tipsy and his scent was making her head spin.
And then somehow warmth spread through her body. His touch and warmth surrounding her.
His strong, rough and calloused hands that were the way they are because of years of handling knives and guns.
Yet they held her with gentleness.
Kind of gentleness she had never experienced nor did she expect from him.
''Aap Theek hai''? (Are you okay) His deep yet dangerously calm voice was the last thing she heard from him.
And then.
Silence.
Everything goes black.
Her lashes flutter once.... twice......and then.
Still.
''Damn it......'' He mutters in his breath.
His one arm curled beneath her knees and other securing around her small back. Securing her in his arms.
Bridal style..............just as he had carried her on their wedding day in their home.
She was in her husband arms. Same ones that never touched but instead abandoned her.
In such vulnerable form, Kashi curls against Minsheng's chest- as if looking for comfort. Something that she never got in one year.
But even as if her go shut memories rush in them.
Like the Reels of life she had stepped into year ago flashed in her mind. The Lavish mandap.
Fragnant with marigold. The smoke curling in front of her eyes from the sacred fire binding them together.
Binding her to him.
She could see blur of her past self wrapped in deep red lehenga, Bridal chooda adorning her wrists. The Maangteeka attached to her hairline settling on her forehead making her look like the perfect indian bride. Kamarbandh around her waist tying her pallu with elegance. The subtle makeup on her face catching the attention of guests.
She sat beside him in the mandap curled, shy and blushing behind the veil.
Irony was lost on Kashi , year ago she had dreams of being loved and cherished by her husband and now she was limp in arms of same husband who had abandoned her a year ago.
Right on their Wedding Night.
She could hear chants of the priest in her ears pulling them both together in a union.
The murmurs of the guests - aunties who had smiled at her as Sindoor had fell over her nose as sign she would be loved by her husband.
The whispers flowed in the air- she is loved... she is his now.
She also remembers her small hand curled against his large ones while they took Phere.
She remembers how his touch had made her heart beating fast. How his hands lingered on her forehead while putting the Sindoor.
How could she forget.
How he had made her heart race so fast.
Because that is what Kashi felt around him.
How she had shut her eyes as his hands curled around her neck while he put the mangalsutra binding her to him.
To the fact that she was his now and only his.
But was she really?
She remembered being picked in his arms during the time of Vidaai while everyone cheered for them.
Her dupatta trailed like a stream of red against the staircase, her bangles chiming faintly as her hand dangled loosely by his side. His jaw clenched as he starts walking up to the staircase.
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ꜱʜᴀɴɢʜᴀɪ, ᴄʜɪɴᴀ
BAI MINSHENG
He was standing in front of the mansion.
BAI MANSION - As lavish as their name was, there was no doubt Bais were loved by entire Shanghai. Despite their Mafia enriched background they had helped people of the city more than police ever could.
And Goverment? They were the Government, they had high influential not just relations but they owned.
The Bai family was not merely a household — they were an empire. Their name carried the weight of history, whispered in political chambers, muttered in hushed tones on the streets, and feared in the underground networks that thrived in shadows.
In every corner of the city, the Bai name meant two things: protection and fear. To be in their circle was to be untouchable. To oppose them was to sign one's own disappearance.
And yet, within their halls, they were still a family—bound by tradition, rituals, and dinners where blessings were sought, and heirlooms passed down. It was this mixture of blood ties and iron rule that made them both revered and untouchable.
The car stopping with a halt. His men opening the door for him standing in a queue.
Their heads hung low, a sign of loyalty they held for him.
He slid out with precision and his steps calculated. His face stern and no emotion flickering on it.
His men holding the same face as him and all he could give was a nod.
The heavy doors of the mansion came in his view. One of his man moved forward and he knew well they were announcing of his arrival. Even though no kind of emotions flickered on his face but somehow from inside he felt a lot. The Emotions he had kept buried and didn't allow himself to express them.
But somehow he knew what was behind those doors. Woman. Not just any Woman. His Wife.
The woman he had married and walked out on her right on there wedding night.
The woman who now bore his name known as KASHI BAI MINSHENG.
And yet still her husband, he barely knew how she looked like. His own wife.
He knew nothing about her.
As the mansion door creaked open, the familiar scent of sandalwood and polished teakwood rushing out to greet him like an old memory. Inside, the chandeliers glowed warm, throwing golden light across marbled floors that had seen decades of power and history.
He could surely see the lavish living of the mansion and as he walked in each staff bowed their head smiling greeting him but once again him being Bai Minsheng could barely nod.
Inside his grandparents BAI YANSONG - his grandfather a stern yet loving man who had buil the family and empire the world known as most influential and powerful in mafia as well as business world.
VISHAKHA BAI YANSONG - his grandmother a woman who was sweet yet fierce when it came to her family. She was the woman who had always kept their family together no matter how many hardships they faced.
He walked in his expensive shoes clicking against the floor making everyone realise of his presence.
His grandparents stood up finally a big smile on their face perfectly showing their teeths.
''Oh Minsheng my boy you are back'' His grandmother - Vishakha spoke coming forward until she was right in front of her grandson. She had noticed how her grandson who was once a little boy playing in her arms but now a 30 year old man and successful in his life yet her expression softened remembering how much her boy had suffered.
His grandmother leaned in cupping his face kissing his both cheeks with a smile on her face.
And for a moment something in him cracked, even though he hated touch but somehow didn't stop his grandmother. It was one of the pure thing in his life. She was the woman who had always understood him yet he didn't share but she knew how he felt.
He hugged his grandmother as she pulled in a warm hug, warmth enveloping him.
''My baby'' she whispered her eyes getting little misty
His grandfather cleared which meant that '' Excuse me i'm here too''.
''If you both are done with your reunion let me see my grandson and Minsheng you better say something funny because I can see your grandmother shedding her tears'' His grandfather spoke with humor his voice filled with warmth and little amusement.
Minsheng finally pulls away enough to look at Vishakha as he sees emotions spilling out from his grandmother eyes in form of tears even tho he keeps stern face but a pang of guilt hits him. He had been away escaping from his own family that he forgot how much they might have missed him.
He wipes his grandmother tears urging her to not cry. He hated that he didn't want people to cry over him. He was a monster. A Ruthless mafia. A man who didn't deserve people to cry over him.
Vishakha slowly calmed down and moved back, next his grandfather hugged im warmly. His hands pressing against his grandfather. Despite the moment his eyes keep lingering around as if looking for someone.
But all he sees is staff working around his men standing alert ready for command from him.
His grandmother notices and knows very well who he is looking for.
Its none other than. His wife. Kashi.
The woman he abandoned a year ago leaving her alone by going on a trip. Going after business deals that didn't exist but he made them exist, after all he was a Bai the one that could make things that didn't exist come to life.
And he had done it to escape the reality of his marriage. His wife. The woman who bears his name.
His grandmother notices and sees something she can't name in her grandson eyes.
Her voice comes out softer ''She will be down here soon, don't worry''
Somehow those words make him freeze, he has no idea how to respond to them.
All he can do is barely nod.
His grandfather notices but doesn't comment on it.
Instead his grandfather urges him to take tour of the mansion to which he nods.
His footsteps echoed as he climbed the grand staircase, his hand brushing the smooth rail polished by generations before him. Each step carried the weight of memory, every hallway familiar and foreign at once.
And then—
It happened.
As he was making his way through the stairs, his shoes clicking against the floor.
He saw a figure on the curve of stairs. He couldn't tell who it was. But then he saw. A Woman. Laid in saree.
He could hear the tinkling of bangles and anklets that woman must be wearing.
Before he could even make a movement, the woman heel slipped her saree flowing around her like a halo.
Her body pitched forward, arms flailing, eyes squeezing shut to brace for the fall.
Instinctively his eyes snapped.
A Pause
In two strides he was there.
His arms snaking around the woman waist, he feels soft bare skin against his rough calloused hands. He also feels the soft fabric of the woman saree against his palms. Long silky hair on his broad shoulders.
And before he can react her eyes snapped up as woman tilted her head to look at him.
He freezes.
His body stiffens at the sudden touch.
It was her.
His wife.
Kashi.
His eyes portray a mix of emotions - surprise? deep seated guilt maybe?
But it couldn't be true right? He was a fucking mafia boss. A Bai, he didn't feel and the fact that such emotions swirled in him made him frustrated.
He tightens his hold on Kashi's waist and he has no idea. Why he did that?
''Aap Theek hai''? (Are you okay) His deep yet dangerously calm voice was the last thing she heard from him.
He is a fucking mafia boss. He doesn't hold woman that too a one he abandoned a year ago.
He feels the rise of chest against each others like some rhythm.
But what shocked him more was the soft gaze, the way she looked at him with no anger or pain.
He couldn't understand. Why was she being like this?
After what he had done - abandoned her on their wedding night. With his extended family she knew nothing about and for most of that in a new country that was strange to her.
Any other woman would have burst out by now or maybe asked for a divorce and that is what e had expected from her.
But this was shocking - he had seen many woman in his life but none like her.
It was like nothing had ever happened it was as if she wasnt even affected or was it something else.
And now he believed his man, Li words. He had told Li to find out how was she here before he came back, and it was shocking that she was nice to his family there was no sign of pain she might have felt or maybe she was good at hiding it?
And Li had also found out, that not once she had talked of divorce or seperation.
And now when he was seeing it, he could surely believe it.
A Beat.
Then A.
Pause.
Next moment she collapses against his arms.
One moment she was in his arms stable and now limp in the same arms.
Her head lolled against his chest.
He freezes.
This was the first real touch Minsheng had ever had with his own wife. His body stiff but still somehow it held Kashi with gentleness he never knew he could provide.
He looks down at her face and for a moment world freezes.
His gaze locking against the sindoor in her forehead and mangalsutra in her neck. His jaw tightens.
He hated this. She was his to be called - these were religious signs that bound them together.
Yet he could give her nothing more than pain.
''Damn it......'' He mutters in his breath.
His hands tighten around Kashi's waist pulling her gently against him.
Without thinking, he slid an arm beneath her knees and lifted her, her fragile weight against him far too light for comfort. The swish of her dupatta brushed his wrist, her bangles jingling faintly was the only voice heard.
Carrying her in this bridal style - memories of a year ago rushed in his mind like haze of Baiju.
Minsheng had carried Kashi same way on their wedding night as she was welcomed in the mansion for the first time.
He feels her getting snugly against him. He freezes.
Once again, he doesn't know how to react.
Because this is not how he had expected to meet his wife. Especially not the one he had abandoned.
He had expected anger, hatred even divorce papers.
But not that soft look she gave to him.
He had never expected this vulnerability - falling in his arms.
While he holds her like she is the most precious thing.
Because this was Bai Minsheng. He doesn't do this. He doesn't do emotions.
And he hated the way he held Kashi so gently he wanted her to know.
That who he was.
He is a fucking Mafia Boss.
A Monster.
He is a fucking monster.
So why was he doing this holding her in his arms?
And for first time the White Tiger was blank? - the man who was known for his brutuality and final decisions.
Now held this woman - his wife with such gentleness and worse of all he didn't knew why.
So gently as if a normal husband would
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ꜱʜᴀɴɢʜᴀɪ, ᴄʜɪɴᴀ
NANGSHEN LI
Li sat in the stillness of his living room and after a long time he was away from blood and violence. His hands not holding knives or guns but tucked under his own chin a rare sight for a man like him.
Life wasn't peaceful when you are best man to the one and only Bai Minsheng but here he was NANGSHEN LI.
Last year was hard on him
He had devoted his entire life to his boss just like his father did for his boss father. Somehow his father had not died by protecting but his father his entire life had vowed to do so and he did too.
But in between all that he made a vow.
Every men did.
Who chose this life of violence - they knew very well things such as family , wife and kids.
Didn't fit them, those hands which held guns how could they hold a woman or a baby.
And Li had thought so to but deep down he wished and craved for a family to come home to.
He was the kind of man who, beneath all the cold calculations and the years of loyal service, craved connection. To love. To be loved. But somewhere between loyalty to his boss and the brutal world he inhabited, he had lost the ability to even begin to understand how to make that happen.
He remembers two days ago he had visited the Bai Mansion to give the news of his boss arrival to his boss grandparents. He was tired as hell his eyes pale and dark circles making their home beneath them.
And just when Li thought no one would notice, after all his tiredness was nothing compared to benefits his boss made.
But Vishakha, his boss grandmother so him the real him. She saw the tiredness in his eyes, the loneliness. Eyes that urged to be held and body that craved touch.
"You've been alone too long, Li," she had said, her sharp eyes studying him as though she could see past the stone armor he had built. "This empire is not your family. Your wife will be. You will not find peace in power alone."
She had said it calmly, with the certainty of someone who had lived through more battles than he would ever face. That day, the matriarch of the Bai family had looked at him, not as a loyal soldier, but as a man whose soul needed tending.
There was no way he could deny Vishakha's words after all , she was right he wanted a family he always did even though he chose a path to violence.
But it didn't mean he couldn't dream of being normal or having a normal life.
He wanted it more than anything but would any woman want to marry a man like him?
And suddenly Li's heart was full of uncertainity and insecurity.
Even if he got married but would his bride love him. Knowing who he is? What he does?
And so just like that arrange ment had been made by none other than his Boss grandmother Vishakha.
He had no idea - how? when? and where?
And that is when it happened.
Vishakha had arranged his marriage - and he?
He didn't knew about his own marriage. Seeing resistance to not give in Vishakha fixed his marriage while he was away for one year in Paris working with his Boss.
Ofcourse.
Thought of a wife did something did tingling in his stomach. He would finally have someone of his own.
For a moment his face softened but hardened again remembering who he was.
Li leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees wondering wou;d he be able to become a family man? And for the most of all would his wife accept him?
Did she even knew about him or his profession?
Just then his phone ticked with notification, there was a photo attached with a message from Vishakha.
He stared at it for a while his eyes conflicting and mind fighting whether to open it or not.
He knew it must be bride photo. His Wife soon to be.
His Wife. The word seemed foreign yet comforting.
His fingers hovered above the screen finally he tapped on the message.
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ᴍᴜᴍʙᴀɪ, ɪɴᴅɪᴀ
ᴅᴇᴇᴡᴀɴ ᴍᴀɴꜱɪᴏɴ
Deewan Mansion lit up with diyas not one- two- or three, thousands of diyas surrounding the mansion. Mansion was like a jewel against the night
From the wrought-iron gates to the sweeping verandas, every edge of the estate shimmered with light.
Lines of flickering flames traced the outline of balconies, railings, and arches, transforming the ancestral home into something ethereal—half palace, half temple.
But despite all this mansion could not hide the dark secrets deewans carried. Indeed they were the most respected in the country and had a name.
Yet there were secrets buried underground no one would want to know or discover.
For one night, the mansion was not just a fortress of wealth and power—it was alive with warmth, tradition, and the golden promise of light triumphing over darkness.
Naresh Deewan the patriarch of the family stood in his arm chair sitting in living room while he watched maids and the staff decorate the mansion. He was the man who had made the name for what world knew Deewans today for.
He was in his 50's yet in his armani suit he seemed he could steal many hearts which he did. He was a beauty with brain.
He had not completely not given up on his empire. He still worked and continued to do so. That was his plan. The two things he loved most was his work and his family.
Since his wife Megha was gone all that filled void was his work surrounding him.
His gaze fell on his daughter in law, Kalyani. Naresh saw how she kept glancing at the main door of mansion, his brows furrowed in confusion.
Kalyani beta, are you waiting for someone?'' Naresh spoke his voice filled with warmth that he rarely showed with a hint of fatherly love.
Kalyani looks back her eyes flickering to her father in law, she nodded. ''Uh... yes papaji Ekaksh and Aksh aren't home yet and i'm worried. It has been hours since they left''.
Naresh nodded understanding Kalyani is worried about her sons.
''Well why don't you ask that idiot husband of yours he might know, after all he is the one who sent the boys to sign the deal''
Kalyani tensed hearing Naresh words after all her husband- Ansh Deewan was the last man she wanted to talk to on this planet but her worry kept increasing and she knew she had no option but to go to talk to her husband.
At last, the waiting became too heavy for her heart to carry. Kalyani's eyes lingered on the silent doors once more, but the silence was unchanged, cruel in its calm.
She made her way to the second wing of the mansion- darker area where her husband stood in his study.
That part of mansion was always dim even if the other part of the mansion lit up with diyas and chandeliers.
It carried darkness that her husband held and no lights in this part of the mansion were sign of it.
The air grew heavier her as she moved closer to the study. Her body tensing up itself, she gripped her saree tight.
She hated every moment of this but she knew her pride mattered more than her sons.
Finally she reached at the heavy door, her hand lingering against the door.
She softly knocked on the door, she held her breath and suddenly Kalyani felt her heart racing so fast that it might burst out.
''Come in'' A deep voice came through the other side of the door sending shivers through her spine
She kept a hand on her heart calming it down and whispering to herself '' It is okay Kalyani all you have to do is ask him about kids and then leave''
But deep down she knew too the conservation wouldn't end that soon.
She took a deep breath and slowly entered the darkness. The same darkness she had not wanted to but had been bought by the fate itself.
There he was.
Ansh.
Ansh sat there as if carved of stone, looking handsome as ever. Everything in him screamed perfection and power.
He sat in one of his expensive chair, the one that fitted him too well.
He wore his usual dark suit, pressed to perfection, and on him it looked less like clothing and more like armor.
Ansh looks up his gaze shifting from his documents to the presence he felt in the room.
He sees her.
His wife.
Kalyani standing at the entrance of the study. His mouth flung open in shock his wife who hated him was standing in his study looking like a apsara.
He didn't hide his shock. He never did.
Not with her.
Not the one who every inch of him but somehow still didn't know him.
He wasn't a mafia boss right now but a common man. A husband.
He was not ANSH DEEWAN.
He was just Ansh. Her Ansh.
Even tho she didn't want him anymore.
It was her only her whom with he had his guard and laid himself bare.
''Suniye.......'' Kalyani called him out speaking in a her usual soft tone trying to hide the storm. going inside her. Even though she tried to keep her tone rough but she couldn't help but be sfot to him.
Why wouldn't she be. This was him.
Her Husband. Ansh Deewan.
The same man who had stolen her heart years ago. Even tho he had hurt her deeply she couldn't seem to hate him even if she pretended to do so.
''Boliye.......'' Ansh voice came out softest as ever which was only reserved for her and only her.
The softness in his voice something his men had never heard.Even tho they yearned for their boss to be soft once.
They had always seen him as a stern and cold boss.
But with Kalyani. He was different.
Unguarded.
''Bache abhi tak ghar nahi aaye hai....... (Children are not home yet)'' Kalyani voice carries a hint of motherly love and worry that she feels for her sons.
Ansh gaze softens without even trying as he hears her worried tone. He loves the way she cares for their sons, even if they are grown up adults and can look after themselves.
He wishes Kalyani would worry for him like this too like she used to years ago.
But he also knows he has lost that right and forgiveness from her is something ansh has given up on but doesnt mean he will stop trying.
''Papaji ne bola tha ki aapne unhe ek deal sign karne bheja hai but they are not home yet''(Dad had said you send them to sign the deal but they are not home yet) Kalyani's voice turns more of worry concern as each minute passes by.
Ansh pulls up a small smile showing his dimples that makes Kalyani heart beat.
'' Yes I did send them Kalyani. I got a call from them they did inform they would be late. Aapko chinta karne ki zarurat nahi hai Apsara.......''(You should not worry about it apsara)
Kalyani froze at the nickname. She hated it. The fact that it still had a affect on her after all these years.
Because no matter how much pain ansh gave her she still loved him.
''Chinta kaise na karu?''(How should i not worry)
''Mere bache hi hai jo mere hai. Jinhe mai apne bula sakti hu vohi hai eklaute jinhone mujhe dhokha nahi diya or wahi tu hai jo mujhse pyaar karte hai'' (My children are the only one that are mine. The one i can call mine and ones who won't betray me and always love me)
Ansh froze he knew what Kalyani meant by her words.
Her words meant only one things she thought only their sons cared for her. Not him.
It hurt him to the core.
If it would have been someone else throwing such words at him. He wouldn't give a shit but it was her. His Kalyani.
She had that power.
Kalyani's words pierce straight through Ansh's heart like a knife. He didn't speak.Did't defend. Not anymore.
This was all his plan he had called his sons to not come home and spend the night. He knew this was only way to bring Kalyani closer to him.
He knew worried for kids she would come demanding him questions.
Because he knew she would never come to him by herself. She didn't do it anymore.
Why would she after all he had done but now even if she came. Ansh was met with coldness and words that pierce straight through his heart.
He felt the pain no gun or knife had ever made him feel.
But deep down he also knew he deserved it. Thats what he thought so.
Did he?
Then
Silence
Next moment Kalyani turned away walked out of the study not looking back her saree rustling and heels clicking against the floor.
She ran away to room upstairs.
She couldn't stop it.
It was too much - the turmoil inside her .
And then she burst in tears burying her face in pillow. She shut her eyes murmuring to herself.
''Why me Shankar why me? Why do I have to go through all this pain. Don't I deserve happiness. What have I done to deserve this. Please Shankar i surrender myself to you, please heal me from this pain.''
Kalyani's voice came out broken and it echoed in the room the sign that she had no one arms to cry in. She was alone.
All alone.
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By InkandIvoryWritess
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