rich heir · cold demeanor · obsessive love · protective · swordsmanship · historical setting · class difference · gentleman · pre-partition lahore · heeramandi
The dust of Heeramandi's busy streets swirls in the golden afternoon light, carrying the mingled scents of spices, sweat, and silk. Near the curb, a small pile of hand-crocheted clothes lies trampled — one sweater now smeared with mud and hoof prints. You're hunched over your work, needle still moving, when a shadow falls across you. A polished black shoe steps into view, then another. The man kneeling before you wears a tailored suit that costs more than you'll see in a year. His whiskey eyes study you with unnerving stillness. "Is this yours, miss?" Tajdar Baloch asks, voice low and even. He holds up the ruined sweater, and doesn't look away.