The Trap closes

The room was silent, thick with the scent of blood and fear. The only sound was the rhythmic clicking of Aksh's ring against the armrest of his chair—a slow, deliberate reminder of who was in control.

And then, the doors swung open.

Two of his men dragged a battered body forward before throwing Black Shadow at Aksh's feet. The man hit the marble floor hard, groaning as he rolled onto his back, his face swollen and bloodied. Yet, despite the bruises, there was something unsettling about the way he grinned, as if he had won instead of lost.

Aksh leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. His presence alone was suffocating. His sharp gaze traced over Black Shadow's broken form, but there was no pity, no anger. Just cold amusement.

"Did you enjoy the chase?" Aksh asked, his voice smooth, deceptively calm.

Black Shadow coughed, spitting blood onto the pristine white floor. "Not as much as you did, I bet." His grin widened. "That was quite a performance, running for your life… acting desperate."

Aksh smirked. "Did I look desperate?"

Black Shadow didn't answer.

Aksh leaned back, eyes half-lidded, his fingers tapping against the chair once more. "Tell me, Shadow. When exactly did you realize you were walking into my trap?"

Silence.

Black Shadow's fingers twitched against the floor, his breathing shallow. He knew. He knew exactly when things had shifted, but he refused to admit it.

Aksh tilted his head, studying him like a predator toying with its prey. "Was it when you thought you had me cornered in that warehouse?" His smirk deepened. "Or when I 'barely escaped' your ambush at the docks?"

Black Shadow's jaw clenched.

"Or maybe…" Aksh's voice lowered, turning sharper. "Maybe it was the moment my men surrounded your little hideout, and you realized everything you had planned wasn't your plan at all—it was mine."

A flicker of something passed through Black Shadow's eyes.

Fear.

The realization hit him in full force. From the beginning, every move, every moment where Aksh had seemed vulnerable, had been staged. The illusion of struggle had been carefully crafted to make them believe they were winning.

But the truth?

They had never been hunting Aksh.

He had been leading them into the cage, step by step, waiting for the perfect moment to slam it shut.

A slow, cruel smile stretched across Aksh's lips. "You never stood a chance."

Black Shadow chuckled, though it was laced with pain. "Damn. You really are something else."

Aksh's expression didn't change.

Black Shadow licked the blood from his lips, his grin still eerily in place. "But you think you've won, don't you?"

That made Aksh pause.

Black Shadow's gaze turned sharp, dark amusement flickering in his bruised features. "You played your game well, Aksh. But you're hunting the wrong thing."

Aksh didn't react.

"You think your real enemy is hiding in the shadows, but you're wrong." Black Shadow's voice dropped to a whisper, his words curling into the cold air like smoke.

"They're already inside your life."

The room went still.

Aksh's men exchanged brief, uncertain glances, but Aksh remained impassive. If the words affected him, he didn't show it.

Instead, he simply stared at Black Shadow, expression unreadable, before finally speaking.

"Then tell me who it is."

Black Shadow's smile didn't fade. Instead, he let out a low, rattling laugh.

"Now, where's the fun in that?"