Sky Island
The screen's blue glow lit up Aarohn Warner's face sharp jawline, eyes like a frozen sea, unreadable... dangerous.
His fingers absentmindedly stroked the sleek head of his black panther lying beside him, calm... for now.
The silence in the Pure Room was suffocating. And then, footsteps.
Ruheil stepped forward, carefully extending the iPad like a soldier approaching a ticking bomb. "Aaron," he said, his voice trying not to tremble, "I've rechecked every trace. Every file, every call, every shipment... there's nothing. Not a single thread. I think maybe... this time, we misunderstood."
Aarohn didn't blink.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even look at him.
Then, slowly, his gaze lifted not like a man, but like a beast waking from slumber. And in that chilling silence, the corners of his lips curled into a smile.
But not the kind that brings comfort.
This smile... was hell's promise.
He stood up tall, poised, lethal. And instantly, every guard around him straightened, backs stiff with fear. Not because they were ordered to... but because Aarohn's presence demanded it.
Still, he didn't speak.
His eyes were fixed... not on the men... but on the beast lying beside him the panther. The only soul he trusted in the room.
"Warner," Raghav finally spoke from behind, his tone cautious, respectful. "We should go. The product's been delivered. Everything's moved as planned. But there's a ship coming from Paris tonight cocaine and weeds. Clean cover. Quiet waters."
And then... Aarohn moved.
Not rushed. Not dramatic.
Just loaded his gun with a cold rhythm, like someone tying a tie for a funeral he knew was about to begin.
He looked up.
Blue eyes, unblinking. A glacier's heart.
"Half an hour..."
"Five minutes..."
"Two seconds..."
"That's the time I gave you," he whispered, his voice deadly calm. "More than I've ever given myself. I thought... you'd use it to prove something. Maybe truth. Maybe loyalty."
A pause. A breath. A silence so sharp it could slit throats.
"But so sad," he exhaled. "You used it... to dig your grave."
And then
BANG!
The sound of the gunshot ripped through the room like a scream in a church.
Everyone flinched.
Aarohn's hand was still raised. Smoke curled from the barrel of the gun.
And in front of him...
The guard?
Still standing. Shaking. But alive.
But behind him...
A body collapsed.
Simon.
The man who always smiled too politely. Spoke just enough. Blended just right.
Now, bleeding on the floor.
And still even in death that crooked, knowing smile remained on his lips.
Raghav stumbled forward. "S–Simon? It was him? But how Aaron...
"No more questions."
Aarohn didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
The rage wasn't loud.
It was cold. Precise. Like a scalpel.
And suddenly... no one in the room could speak. Not out of fear. Out of respect. Because when Aarohn Warner ended a conversation it stayed dead.
He dropped the gun to the marble floor with a careless flick.
Then knelt beside his leopard, the only living creature that ever saw his softer side.
His fingers brushed over its head, a quiet gesture full of something unspoken.
"Go have your dinner, bad boy," he murmured, voice as gentle as the kill before a storm.
Then, without a backward glance, he turned and walked out of the room.
The hallway swallowed him in shadows.
And behind him the silence, the fear, the power... followed like a funeral procession.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the cold hallway.
Aarohn Warner walked like silence was his servant and fear his shadow. The steel door creaked open, revealing a dim, almost sacred darkness. A single light flickered above, casting eerie halos over the bodies that lay bound and broken in the center of the room.
They weren't dead.
Not yet.
But the moment they felt Aarohn's presence... something in them cracked.
Every pair of eyes dropped to the floor. Knees trembled. The temperature felt like it had dropped ten degrees.
The aura of a king.
No of a god... too dark to worship, too dangerous to defy.
From the side, a girl in a violet suit stepped forward and bowed her head respectfully.
"Evening, President," she said softly. "These two... were caught trespassing. Unauthorized entry into Sky Island."
Aarohn's gaze turned arctic.
He didn't speak just scanned the room with the coldness of a sniper's aim. His eyes fell on the two intruders: a guy who looked like trouble even when gagged and bleeding... and a girl drop-dead gorgeous, even in her ruined state. Wild hair. Torn clothes. Fire in her eyes that hadn't dimmed. Not yet.
But here, in his kingdom?
She looked like a lioness that wandered into the wrong jungle.
Aarohn looked around. Calmly. Lazily.
Then his voice sliced through the room like a blade.
"Get out."
The guards and other members every single one of them disappeared within seconds. Doors slammed shut. Silence took its throne again.
Now, it was just him, the Violet Devils... and the two prisoners.
He turned to his chair that dark, custom throne carved with names of the people who had tried to kill him... and failed.
He sat. Crossed one leg. Looked at his men.
"Let's start."
Ruheil and Raghav moved toward the boy like hounds released from a leash. No emotion. No mercy.
Raghav bent, picked up the knife from the floor dull but heavy. The boy began to shake, panic finally reaching his eyes. But it was too late.
By the time he realized what was happening, Raghav had already reached him.
He gripped the boy's hand.
And then crack... pull... rip.
The fingernails tore from flesh like pages from a book.
The scream that followed was inhuman — raw, wet, soul-breaking.
It echoed off every wall.
The girl screamed too not in pain, but in horror. She had been scared, yes. But somewhere in her wicked little heart, she had been excited too. Because she had seen him. Aarohn Warner. The legend. The man whose name made both bullets and bodies freeze.
And not just him his entire gang?
Hot. Powerful. Insanely intimidating.
They were every mafia fantasy she'd ever had brought to life in blood and perfection.
But now?
Now she felt like she was dying.
The boy beside her screamed again this time begging for death.
Aarohn leaned back in his chair, resting his head lightly, his jaw sharp as the blade his men used.
"His screams should reach here," he said coldly, tapping his own ear. "I still don't hear anything."
Ruheil looked once at Aarohn, then at the half-dead man on the floor. No hesitation. No remorse. He moved like a machine.
And piece by piece... he tore him apart.
Limbs. Flesh. Bone.
By the time he was done, the floor wasn't just red it was drenched.
Aarohn opened his eyes again, slowly. Calm. Deadly. Disappointed.
"I said I wanted to hear him scream," he muttered. "You didn't even give him the chance."
Ruheil, covered in blood, wiped his face like it was dust and bowed his head. "He tried to kill our animals, President. On Sky Island. And anyone who touches what's ours man or beast deserves nothing but death."
Aarohn's eyes didn't flicker.
But they did shift to her.
The girl.
She was staring at him. Mouth slightly open. Breathing fast.
Still drunk on his face. His power.
Still terrified... but obsessively attracted.
His bare chest, his sharp jaw, that dangerous smirk that hadn't moved since he entered it all pulled her in like a drug.
She had thought all those stories about him were exaggerated.
She had imagined him cruel, yes but also... a man. A man who, like others, might melt a little when faced with her beauty.
But here?
She realized something deadly.
Aarohn Warner didn't get tempted.
He tempted others to scream, to beg, to kneel.
And right now?
She had no idea whether she wanted to run from him...
Or crawl to him.
She always thought she was the one who made men crazy.
The way they stared. The way they stumbled over words. She had turned stronger men into begging dogs with a single glance.
But today?
She was the one losing her mind.
And the worst part?
He hadn't even looked at her.
Aarohn Warner the name she had whispered in dreams and fantasies hadn't spared her a single glance. And yet, her heart was doing things it had never done before.
Thumping. Panicking. Wanting.
She was staring at him, unsure if it was obsession or fear crawling through her veins.
And then he laughed.
Not the kind of laugh that warms the room. No.
It was low... devilish... the kind that promised danger and left you begging for it anyway.
He tilted his head slightly and called out to her.
"Come here, little spy."
The way he said it like she was nothing, and yet... the only thing he wanted in that second made her body jolt.
Her feet moved on instinct, heart slamming against her ribs.
He called me.
And not just that sweetly?
Maybe he wasn't as terrifying as they all said.
Maybe... just maybe, under all that ice and cruelty, there was a man. A human.
But just as she took her third step forward
"Faster," he barked.
She jumped literally.
Her walk turned into a rush, and within seconds, she stood right before the devil himself.
Aarohn's cold blue eyes raked over her from head to toe. No hunger. No curiosity. Just calculation.
And then flat, expressionless he asked:
"How many people have you killed?"
Her throat dried. Just like that her fantasies shattered. Her stomach twisted.
"I...President, please," she stammered. "I swear... I didn't mean any harm. I just..I wanted to see you. That's all. I didn't mean to trespass, or... or disrespect you. Please forgive me, please."
But then... a shift. A glint in her eyes.
Maybe there was another way out.
Her voice dropped softer, seductive. "If you allow me... I can satisfy you. In other ways..."
She thought she'd flipped the game. Turned the table. Played her final card.
But what she didn't realize...
Was that she wasn't even in the same game.
Because she was standing in front of Aarohn Warner.
And his mind didn't work like the rest of the world.
He gave a tiny flick of his finger. A silent command.
One by one, the gang members filed out no questions asked.
Now, the room was hers. And his.
And the silence between them?
It was laced with tension that could snap bones.
He tilted his head. Smirked. Rolled his throne a little closer.
"So," he said, voice like poison dipped in silk. "You're going to please me?"
His eyes bored into hers.
"Do you really think you have the guts?"
She straightened. Met his gaze. "Any doubt, President?"
Aarohn laughed. Loud, echoing, cruel.
"There isn't a girl born in this world," he said, leaning closer, "who has what it takes to please Aarohn Warner."
Her lips curled into a smile. "Well... guess you're about to find out."
That was her final mistake.
His expression died. Ice replaced fire.
And before she could take another step closer
BANG.
The sound tore through the air like a scream.
The girl stumbled back, gasping.
Blood. Pain.
A hole through her shoulder.
His bullet had passed through her body like she was nothing.
The room fell silent. Not even breathing dared to follow.
Aarohn looked at her calm, cold, disgusted.
"You think someone who isn't even worthy of being my mistress could satisfy me?"
He stood.
"Not bad," he muttered, tossing the bullet from his hand to the floor like trash.
Then, with a final glance at her collapsing body, he turned toward Raghav and said, voice like death itself:
"Send this little gift to Atlantis. And make sure... for every one of our men they took her body is returned in the same number of pieces."
He looked down at his white shirt blood-stained now.
A quiet click of his tongue.
He hated mess.
Then... he walked out.
And as the doors closed behind him...
Everyone else finally remembered how to breathe.
NEW DELHI
RATHORE PALACE
The dinner had gone cold, but Kiara had quietly finished every last bite just like Uma told her to. Now she lay curled up, her small head resting in Uma's lap, the gentle rise and fall of her breath matching the quiet rhythm of the older woman's heartbeat.
But that peace shattered
click. clack. click. clack.
A cane.
Firm. Sharp. Coming closer.
The moment the sound hit her ears, Kiara's entire body froze. Her heart skipped a beat, and without a second thought, she clutched Uma's sari and hid within its folds, trembling.
Uma's arms tightened around her protectively. She knew what was coming. Knew that sound.
It meant she was here.
Uma let out a breath and whispered, almost brokenly, "Let go, meri bacchi... I'll be back in the evening. The big lady... she's here to speak with you. Just listen. Please."
But Kiara didn't let go.
Her fingers clenched tighter around Uma's waist.
Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Maapi, don't go... don't leave Kiara... Kiara is scared..."
But Uma had no choice.
With one final, apologetic look, she gently peeled Kiara's hands away and stood up even as her heart broke into pieces.
Darkness poured into the room a few moments later. And with it, she arrived.
Her heavy body wrapped in expensive silk. Her jeweled cane thudding with every step. Her presence sucked all the air out of the room.
Kiara whispered with hesitation, "Chachi...?"
She already knew who it was. Uma had told her.
This woman Reema Rathore her so-called aunt.
Reema's eyes narrowed. Her voice was filled with pure venom.
"Don't call me that. Don't you dare link me to you."
She walked closer, each step crueler than the last.
"Tomorrow's the party," Reema snapped. "And you'll be signing the documents. You remember which ones, don't you?"
Kiara sat up slowly, her voice barely audible.
"The papers... the ones Mom and Dad left... for you?"
Reema smiled. Finally, the girl understood her place.
But then Kiara spoke again
And her next words sliced through Reema like fire through silk.
"They're mine too," Kiara said, her voice quiet but steady. "Mom and Dad left them for me too. I won't sign them."
Reema went still.
And then she snapped.
Her hand shot forward, grabbing Kiara's jaw in a brutal grip. Her nails dug into the girl's skin.
"Who taught you that? Huh? WHO TAUGHT YOU TO SPEAK LIKE THAT TO ME?!"
Kiara whimpered, trying to pull away. "You're hurting me... please let go... Maapi... where are you... Maapi..."
And just like that, Uma burst into the room.
Her eyes landed on the sight of Reema hurting Kiara, and she rushed forward, panic in every breath.
"Please, malikain... she's just a child. Let go, please. She's hurting..."
Reema turned to Uma eyes blazing with fury.
"Oh? Hurting?" Reema mocked. "So now pain matters to you? YOU taught her this mouth? Is that it?!"
SLAP.
The sound cracked through the room. Uma's face snapped to the side. Reema had slapped her so hard, the entire room shook.
"You dare teach her to talk back to ME? You a servant had the audacity to educate this little rat? So she could question ME?"
Uma's hands trembled. Her cheek burned red.
But what Reema forgot was that she herself had asked Uma to educate Kiara. To teach her enough to sign legal documents when needed, to hide what Rajeev and Reema were doing behind the walls of this palace.
Kiara stared at Uma stunned.
"No!" she cried out. "It wasn't Maapi! It was the tutor you hired... she told me... not Maapi! Please don't hurt her. I'll sign the papers. I will."
Reema paused.
A slow, sinister smile spread across her face.
"That's what I thought."
She leaned down to Kiara, her face inches away.
"Because if you don't... I swear, I'll rip the life out of your throat, piece by piece. Do you understand me?"
Kiara didn't blink.
She just nodded.
Reema turned away, satisfied, and walked out her cane clicking again in rhythm with her wickedness.
The moment the door shut, Kiara broke down. She threw her arms around Uma, sobbing into her chest.
"Maapi... I'm sorry... so sorry..."
And Uma?
She held her.
Tightly.
As if trying to shield her from a world Kiara should've never had to face.
What exactly is written in Kiara's fate?
Will she really sign those papers?
Will she give up everything her parents left her... or fight back?
And how... how will Kiara and Aarohn Warner meet?
A girl who hides her tears behind a smile.
A man who commands silence with a stare.
Their worlds are nothing alike
But destiny has already started the countdown.
To find out what happens next, read:
Darling, You're Mine
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