The room became completely silent.
"Can Eagle handle Devil?"
Nithya's soft whisper echoed in Aryan's mind like a gunshot.
For the first time in years…
Eagle was shocked.
Not because of fear.
Because of realization.
Aryan stared directly into Nithya's eyes, searching for hesitation, panic, or regret.
He found none.
Only calm confidence.
Dangerous confidence.
The atmosphere between them changed instantly.
He finally spoke quietly,
"What did you just say?"
Nithya stepped back slowly, her expression unreadable.
"You heard me."
Aryan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That wasn't a joke."
"No."
Silence filled the room again.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Deadly.
Then Aryan asked the question directly.
"Are you Devil?"
Straight attack.
No games anymore.
Nithya looked at him for several seconds before answering calmly,
"What if I am?"
That answer alone felt like confirmation.
Aryan slowly ran a hand through his hair while processing everything.
The fighting skills.
The hidden guards.
The fearlessness.
The intelligence.
It all connected now.
Every single piece.
And somehow…
Instead of anger, something unexpected appeared inside him.
Respect.
"You hid an empire from me," Aryan said quietly.
Nithya crossed her arms.
"You hid one too."
Fair again.
Dangerously fair.
Aryan looked at her carefully.
"How long were you planning to keep this secret?"
Nithya walked toward the window slowly.
"Until necessary."
"And now it's necessary?"
She turned toward him slightly.
"You were already close to the truth."
Aryan let out a quiet breath.
He had prepared himself for betrayal.
For manipulation.
For lies.
But this…
This was different.
His wife wasn't weak.
She wasn't trapped in his dangerous world.
She ruled her own.
Equal.
Exactly equal.
Far away, inside the eastern alliance headquarters, the leader received shocking information from a spy.
"Eagle is investigating Devil aggressively."
The old man smiled slowly.
"Good."
Another member looked confused.
"Why is that good?"
"Because if Eagle discovers the truth…"
The leader's smile widened dangerously.
"…either they destroy each other…"
He looked at Nithya's photo.
"…or they become unstoppable together."
That second possibility terrified everyone in the room.
Because one ruler alone was already dangerous.
But Eagle and Devil united?
That could destroy entire underground systems worldwide.
Back at the mansion, Aryan poured himself a drink while keeping his eyes on Nithya.
"So Devil is real."
Nithya leaned against the table calmly.
"Very real."
"And all this time…"
"You thought I was an innocent student?"
Aryan looked at her directly.
"I knew you were hiding something. I just didn't expect this."
Nithya almost smiled slightly.
"You sound disappointed."
"No."
Aryan's answer came immediately.
Too immediately.
That surprised even him slightly.
Because the truth was strange.
Instead of rejecting her darkness…
He understood it.
Maybe because he carried the same darkness himself.
"How powerful is your empire?" Aryan asked quietly.
Nithya tilted her head slightly.
"Curious?"
"Yes."
For a moment, Devil considered lying.
Then decided against it.
"You know the western shipping routes?"
Aryan's eyes sharpened immediately.
"You control those?"
"Yes."
"The Dubai network?"
"Mine."
Aryan slowly stared at her.
Impossible.
Those routes alone controlled billions.
And she was only nineteen.
Finally he spoke honestly.
"You're insane."
That actually made Nithya laugh softly.
A real laugh.
"Coming from Eagle, that sounds funny."
The tension between them slowly changed now.
Not suspicion anymore.
Recognition.
Like two predators finally realizing they belonged to the same world.
Aryan walked closer slowly.
"So what happens now?"
Nithya looked up at him.
"That depends."
"On?"
"Whether Eagle sees Devil as enemy or partner."
Silence.
Aryan stopped directly in front of her.
Close enough to feel her breathing.
"You protected yourself during the attack instead of escaping."
"Yes."
"You could've revealed yourself earlier."
"Yes."
"But you didn't."
Nithya held his gaze steadily.
"I wanted to know the real you first."
Something about that answer affected him unexpectedly.
Because for years, people only feared Eagle.
Nobody tried understanding Aryan.
Except her.
Suddenly, Rohan rushed into the room without knocking.
"Sir!"
He stopped immediately after noticing the atmosphere between them.
Aryan looked irritated.
"What?"
Rohan swallowed carefully.
"We intercepted eastern alliance communication."
Aryan's expression darkened instantly.
"What now?"
Rohan hesitated.
"They know about Devil."
Silence.
Then Rohan added carefully,
"And they know Devil is connected to you."
Danger filled the room instantly.
Nithya's eyes turned ice cold.
Aryan's aura became terrifying.
Because this changed everything.
Now the underworld knew the impossible truth.
Eagle and Devil were together.
And somewhere far away…
Every enemy they had was beginning to panic.