Chapter 10: Caught in the Cage

Diya paced her dorm room, her mind racing.

Two hours.

That's all she had.

Could she disappear? Run before he got here?

No. Not an option.

If she ran, he would find her.

If she refused to go home, he would come here.

Abeer Rathore, standing in the middle of her university, pulling her out like she was his property.

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Fine. She would go. On her terms.

Grabbing her bag, she sent a quick message to Rudra.

Diya: If anyone asks, I went home for an emergency. Don't ask questions.

She had barely stepped out of her dormitory when she saw it.

A sleek black Rolls-Royce parked at the campus gates.

Two men in dark suits stood beside it, their expressions blank, unreadable.

A chill crawled up her spine.

They were waiting for her.

Of course, they were.

With steady steps, she approached.

One of the men opened the car door without a word.

Diya's heart pounded, but she kept her face calm, indifferent.

As soon as she slid into the car, the door locked behind her.

And she realized—

She wasn't alone.

Abeer was already there, waiting.

The tension in the car was suffocating.

Abeer sat beside her, silent, composed, unreadable.

The air smelled like leather and expensive cologne, but beneath it—something colder.

The kind of danger that wasn't spoken. Just understood.

Diya refused to look at him. Refused to let him see her nerves.

Instead, she stared out the window, her hands clenched into fists.

Minutes passed.

Then, his voice cut through the silence—low, amused.

"You're quiet."

Diya forced herself to stay still. "What do you expect me to say?"

Abeer exhaled a small laugh. "Usually, you're either running your mouth or running away."

Diya's fingers dug into her palm.

Not this time.

Abeer leaned back, his sharp gaze never leaving her. "So, tell me... where exactly were you planning to go, Sia?"

Diya met his eyes, unflinching. "Nowhere."

Abeer hummed, tilting his head slightly. "Liar."

Diya clenched her jaw.

Stay calm. Don't react.

Abeer smirked, watching her carefully. "You know what your problem is?"

Diya arched a brow. "Enlighten me."

His voice dropped. "You think I'll let you go."

Her stomach twisted, but she held his gaze.

"I don't belong to you, Abeer."

The smirk vanished.

In a flash, Abeer leaned in, his face inches from hers.

"You keep saying that," he murmured. "Yet here you are. In my car. In my world."

Diya refused to let him see her fear.

She swallowed. "Because you gave me no choice."

Abeer smiled. "Exactly."

Her pulse skipped.

He wasn't just a man.

He was a storm waiting to destroy anything in his path.

And right now?

She was caught in the center of it.

The car pulled up to the Malhotra Mansion, its towering iron gates swinging open like a beast welcoming its prey.

Diya breathed in deeply.

She had survived Abeer before.

She would survive him again.

As she stepped out of the car, Sunita Malhotra came rushing forward.

"Beta!" Her mother's eyes filled with relief. "Where have you been?! Do you know how worried I was?"

Diya hesitated. Forgetting, for just a second, that this woman wasn't really her mother.

Sunita cupped her face. "Abeer ne bataya ki tum bina bataaye chali gayi thi."

Diya stiffened.

Of course, he did.

Sunita sighed. "Thank God Abeer brought you back."

Diya's hands curled into fists.

Of course, they all believed him.

To them, Abeer was her savior.

When, in reality, he was her cage.

Diya barely had time to process before she was escorted to the study.

Abeer followed, closing the heavy mahogany doors behind them.

She turned to him, crossing her arms. "Alright. You dragged me back. Now what?"

Abeer smirked, taking off his watch and setting it on the desk. "We talk."

Diya scoffed. "Since when do you talk?"

Abeer chuckled. "Since you decided to rewrite the rules."

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Abeer walked toward her, slow and deliberate.

"You really think I haven't noticed?" His voice was quiet. Too quiet.

Diya's heart pounded. "Noticed what?"

Abeer stopped inches away.

"You," he murmured. "You've changed."

Diya's breath hitched.

Abeer's dark eyes searched hers, intense, calculating.

"The old Sia was pathetic," he mused. "Obsessed. Desperate."

He tilted his head. "But you? You don't beg. You don't run after me anymore."

Diya swallowed hard. "So?"

Abeer's smirk returned. "So, I find that... interesting."

Diya's blood turned cold.

Abeer wasn't losing interest.

He was curious.

And that?

That was far more dangerous.

Because Abeer Rathore only kept things that intrigued him.

And she had just become one of them.

Next Chapter Preview:Diya tries to outplay Abeer—but he's always one step ahead.Abeer makes an offer she can't refuse.And a shocking betrayal—someone has been working against her from the start.