A U T H O R

Next Day,

Tri S Fox,

Vivian stood by the glass wall, one hand in his pocket, taking a drag from his cigarette. He was deep in thought when a knock sounded at the cabin door.

Exhaling smoke, Vivian said, "Come in."

"We have the girl's information, boss," Kaden said as he entered.

"She should be in front of me by tomorrow," Vivian responded in the same composed manner.

"Okay, Boss," Kaden said before leaving.

A while later,

Vivian was on a call, his face betraying his obvious anger. After listening to the other person for a moment, he snapped, "Can't find him? What do you mean? Find him, I need him at any cost, no matter what it takes. Do whatever it takes." With that, he ended the call.

At that moment,

Kaden entered the cabin.

"Boss, there's a girl outside who wants to meet you," he said after greeted Vivian.

"Send her in," Vivian said, still focused on his laptop screen.

As the door opened, a 22-year-old girl stepped inside. With her curly hair, white crop top, red mini skirt, red heels, red lipstick, and kohl-lined eyes, she was quite the sight.

"Hello, Vivian, I'm Mahira, Mahira Khanna," the girl said, extending her hand towards Vivian.

"So what should I do?" Vivian's fingers tapped away at the keyboard with speed as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Mahira quickly withdrew her hand. She felt as if someone had slapped her cheek hard.

"Why have you come here?" Vivian asked, ignoring Mahira's attempt at conversation.

Seated on a chair, Mahira said, "Vivian, my dad sent me to meet you because we are getting married."

"So you're the girl I'm supposed to marry? Well, it's supposed to happen, but it hasn't happened yet, has it?"

Hearing this, Mahira bewildered. "What do you mean by that? That it's supposed to happen but it hasn't happened yet? Don't you want to marry me?" she asked.

"When the time comes, we'll see. For now, I'm not interested in you, so get out of here," Vivian replied, his gaze shifting to Mahira.

"Vivian, we're getting married. We should talk," Mahira tried once more to convince him.

"You don't understand things in one go. Do you understand?" Vivian said through gritted teeth.

Before Mahira could respond, Vivian interrupted her, saying, "Now, will you leave on your own or should I kick you out? The choice is yours." With that, Mahira's humiliation was complete. She got up from her chair, swiftly exited the cabin, and Vivian's gaze followed her out the door.

Watching her leave, Vivian muttered to himself, "They all think they know what they want, let's see where this game ends."

He pulled out a cigarette from his table drawer, lit it with a lighter, and began to smoke. "They think I'm just a pawn in this game, but they don't know that I'm the king of this chessboard laid on the property," Vivian said, exhaling smoke.

At that moment,

Everyone was seated at the dining table. Roshni, Sharada, and Indra were waiting for Vivian to arrive. Vivian descended in the lift and entered the dining room, taking his seat on the head chair. Two servants began serving dinner.

"Vivian, won't you ask about your wedding preparations?" Indra remarked.

"I'm not interested in your drama. Do whatever you want to do," Vivian replied, glancing at his phone.

"What kind of attitude is this, Vivian?" Indra's tone was stern.

"I'll attend the wedding when the time comes. But until then, I don't want to hear a word about it," Vivian stated firmly, ignoring Indra's comments. With that, he rose from the dining table and headed straight to the study room.

In the study room,

Vivian picked up his phone from the table and dialed Rahul's number.

"Yes, boss," Rahul answered promptly from the other end.

"Has the work been done, Rahul?" Vivian asked, rocking back in his chair.

"Yes, boss. Kaden has sent us all the details. We'll get it done tomorrow," Rahul replied before ending the call.

Today, my classes ended early, so I left college around 5 o'clock.

As I stepped out of the college gates, my mind was preoccupied with the usual thoughts of assignments, deadlines, and plans for the evening.

I had been waiting outside the college gate for an auto-rickshaw for the past 10 minutes. However, I couldn't find one. Since it was difficult to find an auto on the road where my college was located, I often walked back to the hostel in the evening. So, today, I considered walking again. I took out my phone from my bag and started scrolling through it as I began walking.

As I walked, I noticed a black car parked on the road. Something felt strange to me, but I ignored it and kept walking.

A sense of unease crept over me, amplified by the encroaching darkness. The footsteps behind me only heightened my apprehension, but fear kept me from turning back. With each passing moment, their pace matched mine, sending shivers down my spine.

Just then, it felt like someone was approaching me from behind. Before I could understand anything, someone covered my mouth with a handkerchief, causing me to struggle to breathe, my heart pounding in my chest, until suddenly, everything went black.

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in a dark room. A faint light touched my face, coming through a broken window. Behind the window was another room.

Someone had just turned on the light in that room, and it filtered through the broken window, casting a dim glow on my face. I tried to speak but realized my mouth was tied with cloth. I struggled to move but couldn't, as I was tightly bound to a wooden chair.

Then, a young man, with a blazer in one hand and the other in his pocket, He must have been around six feet tall.

Why Jesus why you gave me such short height?

He walked confidently towards me. Two other men followed him. He handed his blazer to one of the men and sat down on a nearby sofa, crossing his legs.

He removed his shades and handed them to the man behind him, then pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a lighter.

In the lighter's glow, I saw his eyes clearly for the first time-they were blue and as calm as the ocean. His broad forehead, tousled hair, sharp nose, and slightly pink lips caught my attention. He wore a white shirt and black pants.

I never thought my captor would be so handsome. The spicy scent from his body was intoxicating.

"Remove the cloth from her mouth," he ordered the men behind him. One of them stepped forward and removed the cloth off my mouth.

I took a deep breath and a big smile appeared my face.

"Untie her hands and feet," he commanded. The other man stepped forward and untied me.

So he wasn't here to kidnap me, but to free me.

Oh God, how kind he is.

I stood up, feeling free and ready to leave, but the young man exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Don't dare to move. Sit back down." His tone was quite stern.

All my misconceptions about him vanished. Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.

He was an angel-faced devil.

"Who are you? Why have you kept me here? What do you want from me? You must be a terrible person to have kidnapped me. Look, I have nothing, no money to give you. Please, let me go," I said in one breath, desperate and scared.

"Who needs money? I need you for six months, only six months," he replied.

I was shocked and confused.

"What? Six months? What nonsense are you talking about? Why do you need six months?"

His words made my mind race, trying to figure out what he meant.

Surely he wants to exploit me for work and then rob me. Until now, I had thought he was wealthy, but his actions now made him seem like a common thief. If he was rich, why would he kidnap me?

Oh God, these days, even thieves are so handsome.

After thinking for a moment, I said, "Oh, so you want me to work for you for six months and then take the money? Look, I won't do anything like that. Let me go." I stood up, attempting to leave.

"As polite as you think I am, I'm not. Just because I'm being upfront doesn't mean I won't force you. So sit," he commanded, his voice stern and unwavering. His harsh tone compelled me to sit back down.

Taking a drag from his cigarette, He continued, "I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll be clear-you need to marry me, just for six months." His words shook me to my core.

How could he threaten me like this? I didn't even know him, and he expected me to marry him? I'd rather die.

"Marry you ? huh!! Are you out of your mind, mister? I'm not marrying anyone, and now, please let me go," I said, clearly refusing him.

Hearing this, He stood up abruptly, pulling a gun from his back.

I had never seen a gun in my life before-at least not a real one, and here it was in the hands of the man I had thought was decent. But he shattered all my illusions.

He came close to me, and I held my breath.

"You're struggling too much. I'm thinking one shot will stop all your struggling. Don't force me to become a monster. Just agree to what I'm saying peacefully," he said, leaning in and brushing my cheek with the gun, fear filling my eyes.

Seeing the gun in his hand, my voice froze. I started feeling genuinely afraid of him, and all my bravado disappeared.

"What if I refuse?" My voice trembled, but I still tried to resist.

He moved the gun away from my face and threw it onto the floor.

"Imagine if someone forced you to do something? Just think-what if you got expelled from your college, or had an accident and were left fighting for your life? What if something happened to your best friend while she was out? What would you do?" he said, turning his back to me.

Anger and hatred started to brew inside me-he was the first person I truly hated.

It's good that he shattered all my illusions. What would have happened if I had seen this face of his after falling for him? It would have been my ruin.

How could someone stoop so low to use others' lives for their own gain? Did he care nothing for other people's lives? Were they just toys to him?

Why didn't he hesitate to talk about taking the lives of my friends? My heart yearned to throttle him, to crush him I did if he didn't have a gun.

"So, you're using my weakness as your weapon. What if someone does the same to you? What will you do then? Will you listen to them?" I snapped in anger.

Yes, I wished someone would make him feel as helpless as he was making me feel. He saw me as his plaything.Ugh, Why don't these so-called powerful people have any empathy?

"I have no weaknesses. There is nothing and no one in this world that can make me weak," he said arrogantly.

And I wanted to shatter his arrogance. I wished I could become his weakness and break his pride.

But no, I couldn't become the kind of person who intimidates others. But yes, I had to show him a mirror,

And I did by saying, "Everyone has some weakness. You will have yours too, and if not, someone will make you weak one day. You'll understand then what you've done to me."

"So you won't listen like this? Fine, then your friends will have to face death," he spat in anger.

"You won't do anything like that. I'm ready to marry you," I retorted, my anger matching his, but I had to concede to his rage.

"Good, do as I say," he said, turning away with his final words.

And with that, he left. And the other two men behind him followed him .

Now, I was alone in that room. I got up from my chair, went to a corner, and as I sat down, tears filled my eyes.

Why is all this happening to me? Who are these people, and what is all this? A 6-month marriage contract? I just can't understand.

Jesus, please help me, please save me from this monster.

Sobbing, I curled up, hugging my knees, and burying my head in them. Now, my sobs reverberated in the dark room.

To Be Continued . . .

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