Part I – The Setup
The bar was alive with noise, but Arjun sat in silence. He blended into the shadows, his black jacket dripping from the rain outside. People glanced his way and quickly looked away—his presence was unsettling, the kind that carried unspoken danger.
At precisely midnight, she arrived.
Riya.
She moved through the haze of cigarette smoke like a secret waiting to be told. Her beauty wasn’t loud—it was sharp, deliberate, the kind that forced you to notice. When she slid into the booth across from him, her perfume lingered between them like a trap.
“You’re late,” Arjun muttered, voice low.
“You like the suspense,” Riya replied, her eyes glimmering with mischief. To anyone watching, Arjun was the predator, and Riya his nervous companion. But beneath the table, their knees touched, and a current shot through him.
She placed a small silver drive on the table. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
Arjun’s gaze flickered to it, then back to her. “You think I stole the files. But it was you who set this up.”
Riya leaned in closer, her lips dangerously near. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m testing your loyalty.”
Before he could answer, the lights flickered. A gunshot tore through the music—glass shattered, screams erupted. Arjun didn’t think; he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the chaos.
They burst into the alley, rain soaking them instantly. Sirens wailed in the distance, footsteps pounded closer.
“You planned this,” Riya spat, wrenching her hand from his grip. “You wanted me exposed!”
Arjun’s pulse thundered in his ears. “I’ve been protecting you all along, and this is what you think?”
Her eyes locked on his, sharp and unreadable. “Should I trust a man everyone calls a traitor?”
That’s when it hit him. The perfect timing. Her flawless accusations. The fact that every escape route was already cornered. She wasn’t the victim here. She was orchestrating it.
“You,” Arjun said slowly, the words tasting of betrayal, “you’re the one behind all of this.”
Riya smiled, but it wasn’t sweet—it was a blade wrapped in velvet. “You were so easy to frame, Arjun. Everyone believes you’re the villain. And now, so will you.”
The rain grew heavier, masking the sound of her retreating footsteps. Arjun stood frozen in the storm, his heart hammering—not from love, but from the sting of betrayal.
He clenched his fists. The adrenaline shifted from desire to vengeance. The predator had been unmasked.
But the hunt was only beginning.
The bar was alive with noise, but Arjun sat in silence. He blended into the shadows, his black jacket dripping from the rain outside. People glanced his way and quickly looked away—his presence was unsettling, the kind that carried unspoken danger.
At precisely midnight, she arrived.
Riya.
She moved through the haze of cigarette smoke like a secret waiting to be told. Her beauty wasn’t loud—it was sharp, deliberate, the kind that forced you to notice. When she slid into the booth across from him, her perfume lingered between them like a trap.
“You’re late,” Arjun muttered, voice low.
“You like the suspense,” Riya replied, her eyes glimmering with mischief. To anyone watching, Arjun was the predator, and Riya his nervous companion. But beneath the table, their knees touched, and a current shot through him.
She placed a small silver drive on the table. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
Arjun’s gaze flickered to it, then back to her. “You think I stole the files. But it was you who set this up.”
Riya leaned in closer, her lips dangerously near. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m testing your loyalty.”
Before he could answer, the lights flickered. A gunshot tore through the music—glass shattered, screams erupted. Arjun didn’t think; he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the chaos.
They burst into the alley, rain soaking them instantly. Sirens wailed in the distance, footsteps pounded closer.
“You planned this,” Riya spat, wrenching her hand from his grip. “You wanted me exposed!”
Arjun’s pulse thundered in his ears. “I’ve been protecting you all along, and this is what you think?”
Her eyes locked on his, sharp and unreadable. “Should I trust a man everyone calls a traitor?”
That’s when it hit him. The perfect timing. Her flawless accusations. The fact that every escape route was already cornered. She wasn’t the victim here. She was orchestrating it.
“You,” Arjun said slowly, the words tasting of betrayal, “you’re the one behind all of this.”
Riya smiled, but it wasn’t sweet—it was a blade wrapped in velvet. “You were so easy to frame, Arjun. Everyone believes you’re the villain. And now, so will you.”
The rain grew heavier, masking the sound of her retreating footsteps. Arjun stood frozen in the storm, his heart hammering—not from love, but from the sting of betrayal.
He clenched his fists. The adrenaline shifted from desire to vengeance. The predator had been unmasked.
But the hunt was only beginning.
Part 2 – The Chase
To be released...