Chapter 9: A House of Unspoken Answers

The heavy door clicked shut behind them.

Maholi dropped her duffle bag near the entrance like it burned. Arms folded, chin high, eyes blazing. The house around her was dim and sterile — polished floors, cold walls, an air-conditioned stillness that made her skin crawl.

No warmth.Just like him.

Abir turned, his face unreadable.

"From now on," he said, voice quiet but commanding, "you'll stay under my protection."

Maholi blinked. "Excuse me?"

"What happens next… I'll decide."

She scoffed. "Oh really? So I'm your pet now?"

His jaw tightened. Still, he didn't reply.

"What did you say to my father?" she demanded, stepping into his space. "Why did he act like that? Did you threaten him? Blackmail him? Or just flash your celebrity charm and a wad of money, Mr. Abir Sen?"

Still nothing.

But she wasn't done.

"You don't get to decide for me! You don't even know me! Don't pretend you're my savior in this melodrama."

Her words landed like slaps — sharp, fast, relentless. Her hands moved as she spoke, small fists, angry fingers.

And then, without warning—

He kissed her.

Hard. Hungry. Possessive.

Her gasp got trapped between their mouths — a sharp, startled sound swallowed by the sheer force of him. Her hands flew to his chest, shoving, hitting — but he didn't budge. His grip on her waist tightened, pulling her against him with a low growl of restraint snapping at the edges.

His mouth devoured hers — lips parting hers, breath hot and claiming.She fought.But not enough.Because her body... had already begun to betray her.

Her fists, once strong, slowed.The press of his body against hers ignited something she didn't want to name — heat curling in her belly, trembling along her thighs.

Her knees weakened.

But then—Her eyes flew open.No.This isn't right.

And she bit him.Hard.

He hissed — his lip splitting beneath her teeth, blood blooming like a secret spilled too fast.

Still…

He didn't stop.

Didn't even flinch.

He kissed her again.

Slower. Darker. Wicked.His tongue brushed the seam of her lips like he knew she hated wanting this — and he dared her to deny it.

This wasn't a kiss.It was a punishment.A promise.A possession.

Her body turned molten.Her rage faltered.Her hands gripped his shirt now — not to push him away, but to hold on.

She whimpered against him — a soft, strangled sound she didn't mean to let out.

His hand slid to the curve of her neck, thumb grazing her jaw, coaxing her lips open wider.His mouth moved with devastating patience — tasting, claiming, unraveling her.

By the time he pulled back, she was breathless — flushed, trembling, her lips kissed raw.

He didn't speak at first. Just stared at her.His eyes were darker now, almost dangerous. But something deeper shimmered beneath — something that looked a little too close to pain.

He reached up and slowly, so slowly, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.His fingers grazed the shell of it… then slid down the line of her jaw.Barely touching.

"Just trust me," he said, voice husky, uneven, wrecked.

And somehow… that made it worse.

Because she didn't know if she wanted to slap him again.Or pull him back.

She stood frozen.

"And trust your father's decision. If you believe I could hurt you..."His voice softened to something raw, vulnerable."Then remember — your father never would."

The silence that followed was not empty — it was heavy.Heavy with everything unsaid.

She was still breathing hard, lips parted, pulse erratic — but something in his tone had quieted the storm, just for a moment.

She didn't answer.

Abir stepped away, crossing the room like a man leaving a battlefield.The door to his study closed behind him with a soft but final click.

In the Study…

Abir stood at his desk, hands in his pockets, shoulders tense. He didn't move for a long time.

Then:

"Make sure she's taken care of," he told the butler. "She doesn't leave the house unless I say so."

Silence returned.

Minutes passed.

A knock.

Three firm taps.

He didn't answer. But the door opened anyway.

Maholi stepped in — arms crossed, lips set — that same fire in her eyes, but this time… contained. Controlled.

"I'll trust my father's decision," she said, voice low but clear.

Abir looked up.

"But," she added, stepping further in, "I want an agreement."

His brow rose.

"I'll be honest with you. I'll tell you what I'm doing. But I decide what I do. Not you. And…"Her voice sharpened."No touching."

There was a pause.

Then — a slow, amused smirk tugged at his lips.

"No touching?" he echoed, voice silk-laced steel.

She nodded firmly.

He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms, regarding her like a mystery he both admired and feared.

"Fine," he said. "Do what you want. Write. Rebel. Plot your escape."

She blinked, caught off guard by the sudden ease.

But then his tone dipped — lower, firmer, laced with authority.

"But if I say stop—you stop. If I say go—you go."

Her jaw clenched. Her spine straightened.

Then—

He stood.

Stepped close again.

Too close.

"And the no touching part…"His eyes flicked to her lips for half a second."That depends on your behavior."

She didn't flinch. But her breath betrayed her. Just slightly.

"From tomorrow," he added, brushing past her, "you join the company. Your desk is ready."

And just like that, he left her in the doorway of his world.Chest tight. Head spinning.And heart… louder than she'd admit.

Midnight: Quiet Chaos

Maholi lay curled in a bed too big, too clean, too unfamiliar.Sheets tangled around her like questions with no answers. Her thoughts raced like whispered voices in the dark.

Why did my father give me away so easily?Why does this man act like he owns my future?Why do his lips still burn against mine...?

She groaned into the pillow.

"Idiot… idiot…"

Across the house, in a room dimly lit by the city's heartbeat, Abir stood at his window.

A cigarette smoldered between his fingers.

He didn't smoke often.

Only when he didn't know what else to do with the ache in his chest.

He exhaled, slow and heavy.

"What am I doing…" he whispered.

She had been safe with her family.She was better off without him.But now that he knew — the locket, her eyes, the past... her mother's voice in his memory...

He couldn't let her go.

Even if she hated him.

Even if she tore through his life like a storm he couldn't stop loving.

She reminded him of something he had almost forgotten:The promise.The fire.The girl who screamed and lived.

"You'll destroy me, Maholi…" he murmured to the smoke.

And for once—He wasn't sure if he feared it.

Or wanted it.