The first sign that something was wrong came quietly.
Too quietly.
Aara noticed it while leaving the office late one evening—the parking area felt emptier than usual. The security guard who always nodded at her wasn't at his post. The lights flickered once, then steadied.
Her instincts tightened.
You're overthinking, she told herself, unlocking her car.
But the unease didn't fade.
As she drove out onto the main road, she felt it again—that sensation she had tried so hard to ignore. Not fear exactly. Awareness. As if the air itself had shifted.
At the next signal, she glanced into the rearview mirror.
A black SUV stopped behind her.
The light turned green.
She moved forward.
So did the SUV.
---
She tried not to panic.
Traffic was thin. Too thin. The city, usually alive even at night, felt muted—like it was holding its breath. She changed lanes casually.
The SUV followed.
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
Don't assume, she thought. Don't jump to conclusions.
She took a longer route than usual.
The SUV stayed with her.
Her heart began to pound.
That was when her phone buzzed.
Kabir calling.
The timing sent a chill through her.
She hesitated—then answered.
"Aara," Kabir's voice was sharp, stripped of its usual restraint. "Where are you?"
"How do you—" she stopped herself. "I'm driving home."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes," she replied, then swallowed. "Kabir… I think someone's following me."
Silence. Just for a second.
Then his voice changed.
"Listen to me carefully," he said, every word precise. "Don't go home. Take the next right and keep driving. I'm sending you a location."
Her breath shook. "Kabir, what's happening?"
"Trust me," he said. "Just this once."
She did.
---
The moment the call ended, Kabir was already moving.
Phones rang. Orders were given in clipped tones. Names were spoken that didn't exist on any official record. His calm exterior was gone—replaced by something colder, more dangerous.
"They crossed a line," he said quietly.
Men moved instantly.
This wasn't business.
This was personal.
He got into his car, eyes hard, mind razor-focused.
I warned them to stay away from her.
---
She followed the location Kabir sent—a well-lit public stretch near an old warehouse district. Her pulse roared in her ears as she pulled in and stopped.
The SUV slowed.
For one terrifying second, she thought she was trapped.
Then headlights appeared from the opposite side.
Kabir's car.
He stepped out before she even opened her door.
"Aara," he said sharply, already scanning her face, her hands, her posture. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, breath unsteady. "What is this, Kabir? Who are they?"
His jaw clenched.
The SUV stopped a few meters away.
Two men stepped out.
Kabir didn't hesitate.
He moved.
The next moments blurred—raised voices, one man shoved back, the other frozen by Kabir's presence alone. His voice was low, lethal.
"You were told," Kabir said, eyes dark. "She is not part of this."
One of the men tried to speak.
Kabir grabbed his collar, pulling him close. "Disappear. Or you won't get another warning."
The men retreated quickly, the SUV speeding away into the night.
Aara stood frozen.
She had never seen Kabir like this.
Not controlled.
Commanding.
Terrifying.
---
She turned to him slowly. "You knew this could happen."
Kabir didn't deny it.
"This is what I was protecting you from," he said.
"From what?" she demanded. "Who are you really, Kabir?"
He looked at her for a long moment.
Too long.
Then he said quietly, "Someone you shouldn't be this close to."
The honesty scared her more than a lie would have.
Her voice trembled. "Then why do you keep pulling me in?"
Kabir stepped closer, stopping just short of touching her. "Because if I let you go completely… I don't know what I'd become."
Aara felt tears sting her eyes—not from fear, but realization.
This wasn't just attraction.
This was something darker.
And now she was standing right at its edge.
---
Rahul received the call minutes later.
"What happened?" he asked sharply.
Kabir's reply was cold. "They made a move."
Rahul closed his eyes. "Kabir… you promised."
"I promised she wouldn't be harmed," Kabir said. "And she won't be."
"Even if you have to burn everything else?"
Kabir didn't answer.
Because the truth was—
He already would.
---
That night, Aara sat alone, replaying Kabir's face in the warehouse lights. The authority. The fear he commanded. The way danger had bowed to him.
She finally understood.
Kabir Rathod wasn't just a powerful businessman.
He was something far more dangerous.
And somehow… he had become the one person she trusted when the darkness moved.
That realization shook her to her core.
Because now, walking away wasn't just hard—
It might be impossible.