Chapter 5
837 Words
"Revenge isn’t about justice, Kiara. It’s about making you feel every goddamn thing I felt when my world burned." Rivan Shah
The rain hadn’t stopped for hours. The penthouse was silent, but the silence was unnatural sharp enough to cut skin.
Kiara stood by the glass wall, arms crossed, her reflection staring back at her. Behind her, she heard the soft clink of crystal as Rivan poured himself another drink.
Kiara (without turning):
“Why me?” (her voice cracked, but her tone was sharp)
“Why the f**k are you taking revenge from me, Rivan?”
(she whirls around, tears burning in her eyes)
“You already have everything the money, the power, the empire.
So why the hell won’t you just leave me alone?”
Rivan stilled, glass halfway to his lips. Then he laughed. A slow, bitter sound that made her blood freeze.
Rivan (cold, venom dripping):
“Everything?” (he scoffs, his voice deepening dangerously)
“You think a billion-dollar empire makes up for what I lost?”
(steps closer, his words cutting like blades)
“I buried my mother because of your father.
I spent years clawing my way out of the f*****g gutter.
And you—” (he points at her, eyes blazing)
“—you are the only leverage I have left to make him bleed.”
Kiara (shouting, shaking):
“I’M NOT YOUR DAMN LEVERAGE!”
Her scream cracked the air, but Rivan didn’t flinch. He just set the glass down, slow and deliberate, before stalking toward her like a storm.
Rivan (low, lethal):
“No, Kiara. You’re my war.”
He cornered her against the glass, his shadow swallowing her whole.
Rivan (voice soft, dangerous):
“Do you know what the funniest part is?” (leans in, lips near her ear)
“I could destroy you. Ruin you. Break you until you’d beg for my mercy.”
She shoved him back, fire blazing in her eyes.
Kiara (snapping):
“Go to hell, Rivan!”
Rivan (smirking darkly):
“Sweetheart, hell is where I came from. I built my empire there. And now I’m dragging you down with me.”
Her hands trembled, but her voice didn’t.
Kiara (icy):
“You’re pathetic. A coward hiding behind his trauma, pretending obsession is justice.”
That hit him. His jaw clenched, his nostrils flared, and his knuckles went white around the glass he was holding.
Rivan (snapping, voice raised):
“Careful, princess. That sharp little tongue of yours can get you hurt.”
Kiara (laughing bitterly):
“Hurt? You think you can hurt me more than you already have?”
(steps closer, shoving him in the chest)
“Try me.”
Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist, spinning her and pinning her against the glass wall, his face inches from hers. The city lights reflected in his obsidian eyes, glowing like embers.
Kiara (struggling, yelling):
“Get off me, you bastard!”
Rivan (snarling):
“Call me a bastard all you want, Kiara, but you’re still in my house.
You breathe my f*****g air. You eat my food.
And you” (he grips her jaw tighter)
“—will stay exactly where I want you.”
She tried to knee him, but he caught her thigh mid-motion, forcing her closer. Her breath hitched at the proximity, and that infuriated her even more.
Kiara (spitting venom):
“You’re a f*****g psycho!”
> Rivan (smirking, voice dark and low):
“Good. That makes two of us.”
He let her go abruptly, stepping back, letting her believe she’d won.
> Rivan (calm, almost gentle):
“Run, Kiara.” (gestures toward the door)
“Pack your pretty little bags, leave the city. Go wherever the f**k you want.”
She blinked, confused, suspicious.
Kiara (narrowing her eyes):
“What’s the catch?”
He leaned back against the bar, sipping his drink, smirking lazily.
Rivan (slowly, deliberately):
“No catch. I want to see how far you get before the world eats you alive without my protection.”
Her chest tightened. She hated him for making her doubt herself, for making her need him without realizing it.
Kiara (whispering, furious):
“You’re sick.”
Rivan (soft chuckle):
“No, sweetheart. I’m just the monster your father created.”
Kiara exploded. She shoved the nearest glass off the table, screaming until her voice broke.
Kiara (sobbing, yelling):
“I f*****g HATE YOU!”
Rivan’s jaw worked, his chest heaving, but instead of shouting back, he walked to her slowly… and whispered:
Rivan (low, husky):
“Then hate me properly.”
And before she could react, he grabbed her face and kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t tender. It was war.
Kiara shoved him back instantly, slapping him so hard his head turned.
Kiara (breathing hard, shaking):
“Don’t you ever f*****g touch me again!”
He turned back to her, a slow, wicked grin spreading across his face.
Rivan (softly, almost lovingly):
“Too late, sweetheart. You already taste like revenge.”
- Writer
