Chapter Five – Strings Pulling Tighter
1247 Words
Arjun’s POV
The city looked different tonight.
Lights glittered across the skyline like scattered diamonds, cars honking below like restless beats in a never-ending song. Normally, I would have drowned in that chaos with another drink, another faceless body beside me. But now, I found myself sitting with my phone instead, staring at a single name glowing on the screen.
Aarohi.
Her replies had been short, careful, sweet. The kind of words that came from someone untouched by the dirt of this world. Someone who still believed in sincerity. Someone I had planned to crush.
I reminded myself of the plan again, like reciting a prayer to a god I didn’t believe in. She is his daughter. She is the key. You win her heart, you take her innocence, you use it against her father.
Simple. Ruthless. Perfect.
So why did her shy little texts make me smile like a damn fool?
Kabir caught me in the act, of course. He always did.
“You’re grinning at your phone again, bro. If this girl’s innocence could be sold, you’d already be broke.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you have someone else to bother?”
“Not really,” he said, stealing one of my cigarettes. “Your life is my entertainment.”
I ignored him, scrolling through her messages again. She had asked if my wound was healing, if I was eating properly, if I was taking care of myself. No woman I ever paid had bothered with such questions. And for some reason, those soft concerns felt heavier than the moans I’d bought for years.
I typed before I could stop myself:
“Are you free tomorrow evening? Let’s meet.”
Her reply came slower than I expected, but when it did, my chest tightened.
“Yes… but only for a short while. I have assignments.”
Assignments. College. She was still a student. I was twenty-seven, hardened by boardrooms and bedroom deals, and here she was, worried about essays. The contrast made me smirk.
Kabir leaned over my shoulder. “You’re asking her out already? Man, slow down, she’s not like your other girls.”
“She doesn’t have to be,” I muttered.
And for the first time, I wasn’t sure whether I was lying or telling the truth.
---
Aarohi’s POV
The moment his message popped up, my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
Are you free tomorrow evening? Let’s meet.
Nicole nearly screamed when I showed her. “Girl, he wants to meet you? Tomorrow? This is insane!”
I shushed her, but my cheeks burned hot. “It’s just… for a short while. I told him I have assignments.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “Assignments can wait. This is your destiny calling, Aarohi.”
Destiny. The word made me shiver, though I wasn’t sure if it was with fear or excitement. Arjun Rathore was everything my father would hate—older, powerful, dangerous. Yet he had smiled at me through his pain, spoken to me with warmth, and now wanted to see me again.
That night, I lay in bed while Nicole hummed a love song under her breath. I couldn’t sleep. My thoughts kept circling his honey-brown eyes, the way his deep voice softened when he said my name. I felt like I was walking into a storm, but for some reason, I wasn’t afraid.
The next evening, I dressed carefully. Not too bold, not too simple. A soft blue kurti, matching bangles, and a touch of kajal. Nicole wolf-whistled. “He won’t know what hit him.”
When I met him outside the café, he stood leaning against his car, black shirt rolled at the sleeves, looking like every secret my heart had ever been too shy to dream.
He smiled when he saw me. My breath caught.
“Blue suits you,” he said simply.
It was one sentence. But it felt like poetry.
---
Arjun’s POV
She looked fragile, like a porcelain doll painted in blue. For a moment, my plan blurred, my revenge melted, and all I wanted was to trace her innocence with my hands.
I told myself again: She’s a pawn. Don’t forget why you’re here.
We sat across from each other in the café. She ordered tea. I ordered coffee. She stirred her cup nervously, while I leaned back, watching her fidget like a deer trapped in headlights.
“Relax,” I said. “I don’t bite.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I-I’m not nervous.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
She pouted then, and for some reason, that simple gesture nearly undid me.
We talked—about her college, her love for literature, her silly fears. I listened, really listened, which was new for me. With other women, words were background noise until the lights went out. With her, every sentence felt like a string binding me tighter.
When she laughed, soft and genuine, something inside me cracked.
For a second, I almost forgot this was revenge.
---
Author’s POV – Kabir & Nicole
Across the café, two other figures were at war.
Kabir had tagged along under the excuse of “keeping an eye on Arjun.” Nicole had joined to “protect Aarohi.” The result was chaos in human form.
“Seriously, do you always follow your friend like a watchdog?” Nicole snapped, flipping her hair.
Kabir smirked. “Do you always meddle in other people’s dates like a chaperone?”
“This is not a date,” she hissed.
He leaned closer. “Then why are you glaring at me like a jealous girlfriend?”
Nicole nearly choked on her iced coffee. “In your dreams, Mr. Lawyer.”
Kabir grinned, unbothered. “Sweetheart, I don’t dream. I argue. And I’m winning already.”
She rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn’t fall out. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re adorable when you’re angry,” he shot back.
Nicole opened her mouth to retort, then shut it quickly, cheeks betraying the tiniest blush. Kabir caught it, smirked, and leaned back, satisfied. Their banter was fire and ice, both secretly enjoying the sparks.
While Arjun and Aarohi sat awkwardly shy and soft at one table, Kabir and Nicole were practically throwing daggers and roses at each other in the corner.
Two different kinds of beginnings. Two different kinds of storms.
---
Aarohi’s POV
By the time I reached home, my heart was still racing. His words echoed in my head. His smile lingered in my dreams. Nicole teased me endlessly, but I didn’t mind.
Something was happening. Something big.
I didn’t know if it was safe.
But I wanted to fall anyway.
---
Arjun’s POV
Back in my penthouse, Kabir wouldn’t shut up.
“She’s different. You’re different. Don’t screw this up.”
I laughed too harshly. “This is still revenge, Kabir.”
But when I lay down that night, staring at the ceiling, I whispered her name.
And I hated how soft it sounded in my mouth.
---
Author’s Closing POV
Two paths had been set.
One paved with lies, sharpened by revenge.
One built on fragile dreams, painted with innocence.
But already, the lines blurred. Already, hearts were trembling.
And as Kabir and Nicole clashed like fire and thunder in the background, another question lingered in the night air:
Would Arjun truly break Aarohi?
Or would Aarohi be the one to break him first?
- Writer
