Chapter 61: CHAPTER 57:THE PREY

Neti

I barely made it to my room, my mind racing with plans, my body exhausted from the entire day. Every step I took felt heavier, but before I could even reach the door—

I was lifted off the ground.

A startled gasp escaped me as I found myself cradled effortlessly in strong, familiar arms. Adolph.

His vest coat was unbuttoned now, his crisp white shirt clinging to his broad chest. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his veiny, muscular forearms. The sight alone sent a shiver down my spine, but it was his grip—possessive, firm, unwavering—that made my breath hitch.

“Adolph—put me down!” I squirmed, but he held me tighter, his grip unyielding.

“Not a chance, mi amor.” His voice was rich, dark, teasing, but there was something else underneath. Something dangerous.

I swallowed hard. “I can walk—”

“And yet, I prefer you like this.” His smirk was slow, lazy, wicked.

Heat crept up my face as I realized where he was taking me. Not to my room. To his.

“Adolph, stop this nonsense! People will see—”

“Let them.” He didn’t even break his stride, carrying me through the halls as if I weighed nothing. My hands instinctively clutched onto his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath the fabric.

I didn’t dare look at the maids and guards we passed. God knows what they were thinking.

And Adolph? He was enjoying every second of it.

I pressed my hands against his chest, trying to push away, but it was like shoving against a wall—he didn’t even budge.

“Adolph! Put me down!” I whisper-yelled, my face burning with embarrassment.

He barely glanced at me, carrying me effortlessly through the halls. His arms were strong and steady, his grip firm like he had no intention of letting me go.

“Adolph, I swear—” I twisted in his hold, but his fingers just tightened around me, securing me even more against his chest.

“Tsk. Careful, mi amor,” he murmured, voice filled with amusement. “You’ll end up hurting yourself.”

I shot him a glare. “I will bite you.”

He chuckled, chuckled, like I was some misbehaving kitten. “And I will still carry you to our room.”

My stomach flipped at the word our. I tried again, desperation creeping in. “Adolph, please, people are looking! This is humiliating.”

“And?” His voice was infuriatingly casual, like parading his new wife through the mansion was the most normal thing in the world.

I practically begged now. “Adolph, put me down! I can walk! I have legs!”

He smirked. “And I have arms. Arms that can carry you, so why waste your energy? Plus,I don't think you'll be able to walk also”

I let out a strangled noise, part frustration, part mortification.

But the worst part? The staff, the guards—they were watching. And not a single one of them looked surprised.

God, kill me now.

I barely had time to process my burning embarrassment before—

“Oh-ho!”

That voice.

That damn voice.

I snapped my head to the side and, lo and behold, there stood Pranav.

He was leaning against the doorway like he’d been standing there forever, watching, arms crossed over his Pikachu hoodie. His eyes gleamed with pure mischief, a slow grin spreading across his face as he tilted his head.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled, dramatically rubbing his chin. “Should I come back later? Maybe knock first next time?”

I groaned. Loudly.

Adolph, on the other hand, didn’t even acknowledge him. He just kept walking with me in his arms like Pranav wasn’t standing there, like I wasn’t being thoroughly humiliated.

Pranav, of course, took that as an invitation to continue.

“I mean, wow, Adolph,” he whistled. “Carrying your wife straight to bed? In front of everyone? Bold. Very bold.”

I glared at him. “Shut. Up.”

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Pranav said, waving a hand. “Continue with your... activities.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll just be here. Observing. Learning. Taking notes.”

Adolph sighed, finally sparing him a glance.

“Pranav,” his voice was dangerously calm. “If you don’t shut up, I will personally throw you out of this mansion.”

Pranav gasped, placing a hand over his chest. “How cruel! You get a wife, and suddenly there’s no love for your best friend?”

Adolph ignored him again.

I, on the other hand, was fuming.

Pranav smirked at me. “So, Bhabhi, how’s the ride?”

I swore I was going to throw something at him.

But unfortunately, my hands were occupied. Because, you know, I was still in Adolph’s arms.

I gritted my teeth, squirming in Adolph’s arms.

“Put me down!” I whisper-yelled, hoping no one else was around to see this humiliation.

No response.

He walked like he owned the world, his grip unshakable as he carried me into his room. And then—

He dropped me.

I landed on his bed with a soft bounce, gasping as the luxurious sheets swallowed me up.

“What the hell?!” I shot up, fuming, but Adolph had already turned his attention to the door.

And there stood Pranav.

Of course.

Leaning lazily against the doorframe, arms crossed over his Pikachu night suit, watching us like it was his personal entertainment.

“Well, well, well,” Pranav smirked, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Carrying her all the way here, huh? Very romantic, very gentlemanly—” he wiggled his brows, “—though that last part? Dropping her? Not so much.”

“Pranav.”

Adolph’s voice was low, edged with warning.

Pranav held up his hands, grinning. “Fine, fine, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” His eyes flickered to me, and I knew he was about to say something even worse.

I shot him a murderous glare, and it worked.

For once in his life, Pranav shut his mouth.

With a wink, he turned and strolled off, whistling some ridiculous tune.

And then it was just us.

I swallowed.

Adolph pulled off his vest, tossing it onto a nearby chair. His sleeves were already rolled up, his veiny arms flexing with each slight movement.

I needed to get out of here.

Now.

He turned his back to pour himself a drink, and I moved.

Silently. Carefully.

I slid off the bed, heart hammering, my bare feet sinking into the plush carpet.

One step.

Two.

He didn’t turn.

Didn’t even seem to notice.

Go.

I slipped through the door without a sound.

The moment I was out—I ran.

Fast.

Barefoot, my black lace dress clinging to my body, shifting with each urgent movement. My breath was unsteady, adrenaline screaming through my veins.

The stairs.

I took them two at a time, ignoring the burning in my legs.

The lower level.

The grand halls, still decorated from the reception, the chandeliers above glowing like moons.

The back door.

There.

I pushed through it, the cold night air hitting me like a slap.

I didn't stop.

Didn’t dare.

The gravel burned my feet, sharp edges digging in, but the pain didn’t matter.

All that mattered was the darkness ahead—

The towering, abandoned mansion beyond the trees.

My escape.

My freedom.

I ran toward it, breathless, desperate—

Not knowing that behind me…

What part he was playing in this game

The wind cut against my skin as I sprinted into the dark.

The world blurred, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my bare feet hitting the cold, damp ground. The lace of my dress snagged against the thorny underbrush as I tore through the night, but I didn’t stop.

Couldn’t stop.

Adrenaline surged.

My heartbeat pounded against my ribs like a caged bird, but despite the sheer terror clawing up my spine, there was something else—a rush. A sick thrill. The kind that only came from doing something forbidden.

From running.

From running away from him.

I didn’t dare look back, but I could feel him. I always did.

Like a shadow trailing just out of sight.

Silent. Deadly. Inevitable.

The towering abandoned mansion loomed ahead, its massive, intricate architecture glowing under the pale silver of the moonlight. It was once a place of grandeur—a palace in its own right. Now, it stood as a hollow relic of what once was.

Just like me.

The doors were unlocked. Welcoming. As if waiting for me.

I shoved them open, slipped inside, and shut them behind me.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

The silence was deafening, save for my own erratic breathing.

I pressed my back against the cold wood, fingers digging into it.

I was inside. I made it.

For a second, my mind screamed at me to keep moving, but my body—my traitorous, shaking body—refused. My lungs burned, my thighs ached, my feet throbbed from the rough ground, but I couldn’t stop trembling.

And then—

A feeling.

Something… lingering.

Not something.

Someone.

The air in the room shifted.

Every nerve in my body screamed at me to move, but I couldn’t.

I couldn’t because I was suddenly aware.

Of the way the walls stretched too high.

Of the way the corridors twisted into an endless labyrinth.

Of the fact that every room looked the same.

Of the fact that I had nowhere to go.

Of the fact that—

Adolph once owned this place. I saw it on the front board

My breath hitched.

He knew this mansion. He knew its halls, its doors, its rooms.

He knew every single way out.

And more importantly…

He knew how to keep someone in.

A shiver raced down my spine as I stepped forward, my hands brushing against the dusty, abandoned furniture.

The place was empty.

Yet it wasn’t.

Because even though I was alone in this house—I wasn’t alone.

I could feel it.

I could feel him.

Not near. Not far. But somewhere.

Lurking. Waiting.

Like a predator letting its prey run, letting it think it had escaped—only to remind it who was truly in control.

My breaths became shallow, quick. My legs screamed for rest, but I forced myself forward, slipping through a corridor that led to another identical hallway.

I kept moving, but the more I did, the more I realized I was lost.

Every turn led to another dead end.

Every room looked like the last.

A maze.

I stopped.

My hands pressed against my thighs as I hunched over, panting.

This was a game.

One I had never played before.

One I didn’t know how to win.

A cruel, twisted game of cat and mouse.

And I knew exactly who the mouse was.

I straightened, inhaling deeply, steadying myself. I wouldn’t break.

But as I took another step, the floorboard creaked beneath me.

And then—

A deep, slow chuckle rippled through the air.

From nowhere.

From everywhere.

The sound wrapped around me, pressing against my skin, my ribs, my chest.

Dark. Amused. Sinister.

And familiar.

Adolph.

I whipped around, my pulse sky-high, but the hallway was empty.

The breath hitched in my throat as I took a step back.

Another creak.

Another low chuckle.

The game had begun.

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