BANGALORE, At the Cottage –
AUTHOR P.O.V: -
Mira sat on a chair in a well-kept garden. A file lay open in front of her. It contained nothing but details about Aaryan. Beside it, a laptop sat open, its bright screen glowing in front of her.
Her eyes moved carefully across every page and every line on the screen, searching for anything unusual. She checked every detail again and again, but no matter how closely she looked, she couldn't find a single piece of information that raised suspicion against him. Everything about Aaryan appeared clean and flawless.
A trail of smoke drifted toward her face. She didn't bother turning her head; she only frowned in annoyance.
"Why the fuck are you here?"
A wooden chair scraped against the ground as someone pulled it up and sat opposite her.
"I have a question for you," he said instead of answering hers.
Finally, she looked up and met his gaze. Sitting across from her was Akash– The IPS officer who was part of the investigation team.
"Go on," she said. The annoyance had faded from her face, replaced by a blank expression.
"How did you get so much information about Aaryan? How do you know so much about him?"
He looked genuinely curious, but she didn't answer immediately. After a long pause, she closed her laptop and picked up the file lying open on the table.
"Do you see this? To most people, it's nothing but trash. But hidden in that trash is something that can either lead you to the treasure... or be the treasure itself."
A faint, sarcastic smile crossed her lips, making it seem as though she had already discovered something valuable.
"So, my highness, what treasure did you find from that trash?"
"There is a name I know very well," she said. "I don’t care whether it leads to him or not, but..."
At The Tech-Corporation:
Leaning against the back of his chair, Zayne sifted through a pile of files, his attention fixed on the documents before him. The buzz of his phone broke the silence. He dismissed the first notification without a second thought, but moments later another appeared, this one displaying a photo of Mira. His hand paused mid-page.
Without a second thought, he picked up his phone and opened the sender's profile. The number was unfamiliar, but the profile picture made his grip tighten around the device. He stared at it, his eyes slowly reddening with barely restrained fury.
Then his gaze dropped to the bold sentence beneath the picture: “The one you left behind is standing before you once again today.”
His patience wore thin. A heartbeat later, he hurled the phone across the suite. It slammed into the wall with a violent crack, shattering into pieces as the room fell into stunned silence.
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A lone figure sat silently in a dark, isolated room, hidden away in a place where no one could easily find him. Shadows swallowed the space, revealing little more than his outline. He wore a black hoodie pulled low over his head, paired with dark jeans that blended into the gloom. Black gloves concealed his hands, leaving no skin exposed. Motionless and unreadable, he seemed to melt into the darkness itself, as though he had become a part of it.
The laptop screen flickered to life before him. A low, deep chuckle escaped his lips as the glow reflected in his eyes.
“Pinjare Me To Chidiya Aati Hai. Magar Ye To Baaz Hai, Chaal Chalne Wali Baaz.” (Cages are meant for little birds. But she’s a hawk, a hawk that plays its moves before it strikes.)
His gloved fingers slowly glided over the illuminated screen, caressing the photograph as if committing every detail to memory. The face staring back belonged to only one person — Mira Arora.
She stopped mid-sentence, leaving her words unfinished as the two massive entrance gates slowly swung open. A black car drove through them.
Noticing her sudden silence, Akash looked over his shoulder. When he turned back, he was met with a face that had gone completely still; her eyes revealed something unmistakable.
The car door swung open, and one foot touched the ground, followed by the rest of his body. A man stepped out – Zayne Shah.
The door closed behind him. His eyes immediately locked onto hers. There was no reaction on his face as he began walking toward her, never breaking eye contact.
He didn’t even glance at Akash and strode toward her. As he closed the distance between them, she raised her neck higher, watching his every step carefully.
Stepping in front of her, he snapped his fingers in front of Akash’s face, snapping his attention towards him. “Get out!”
Akash knew who Zayne was. He stood up, ready to act, but Mira’s slight nod stopped him in his tracks.
He glanced at Zayne one last time, noticing that Zayne’s eyes were still locked on hers, Zayne’s hair was messy, his eyes were bloodshot, and the first two buttons of his shirt were left undone.
Without wasting another moment, Akash turned and walked away.
As he walked away, Zayne leaned in close to Mira, his face inches from hers. His eyes reflected the anger rising beneath his calm exterior.
"What the fuck were you doing behind my back?"
She didn’t react immediately. Instead, she smiled.
“You’re early.”
He leaned in even closer, yet she didn't flinch. Neither of them broke eye contact, their unwavering gazes locked in a silent battle of wills.
“Everything’s mine.”
He smirked, sensing the first crack in her calm expression.
“Not yet.”
“Since day one, I’ve been winning, especially when it comes to you. I don’t chase; I attract, babe. And you know exactly what I mean.”
That was the final thread that snapped.
She stood abruptly, the chair scraping harshly against the floor.
“You should start caring more about yourself than me now.”
He didn’t waste a second. His hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer. Her body collided with his solid frame, but she didn’t care to step back. Instead, she let him believe he was one step closer to touching her.
“Or will you ruin me?”
“I will!” She snapped back sharply.
“Then do it. That’s what I am waiting for.” He smirked in return.
Silence lingered between them, long and unbroken, as neither dared to break eye contact.
After a long pause, Mira smiled. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, “Soon, baby.”
Zayne’s eyes fluttered shut at her nearness. His grip on her waist tightened as he drew in a sharp breath, her fragrance filling his senses. Then, in a low, dangerous voice, he whispered into her ear,
“Phir se kareeb aa rahi ho.” (You’re getting close again.)
She drew her head back, looked at him, and muttered softly. “Iss baar toot bhi gayi, to farak nahi padta.” (Even if I break again this time, it won't matter.)
To Be Continued…!
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