Chapter 13 — Mine to Protect
1334 Words
Chapter 13 — Mine to Protect
For the first time in years, the safehouse felt warm.
Not because of the lighting.
Not because the storm outside had finally weakened.
Because Maya Verma was sitting beside Mihir Raichand on the massive living room couch with her legs curled beneath her while his arm rested around her naturally.
Naturally.
That alone felt insane.
Two weeks ago, Mihir barely tolerated people standing too close to him.
Now he absentmindedly traced circles against Maya’s wrist while reviewing encrypted security reports.
Character development.
Terrifying character development.
Maya looked down at his hand dramatically.
“You realize this is emotionally suspicious.”
Mihir didn’t look up from the tablet. “You kissed me twice.”
“You’re focusing on irrelevant details.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
Maya immediately pointed accusingly.
“There. That.”
“What?”
“That smile.”
“You complain about it frequently.”
“Because it keeps happening.”
Mihir finally looked at her.
Dark eyes softer than she’d ever seen them before.
“Maybe you’re the reason.”
Maya froze.
Her brain completely stopped functioning for half a second.
Then she muttered weakly, “You can’t just say things like that casually.”
“I wasn’t casual.”
Oh.
Oh no.
Naina walked past the living room at that exact moment carrying snacks.
She stopped immediately.
Then slowly looked between them.
“Oh my God,” she whispered dramatically. “He has heart eyes.”
Mihir blinked once.
Maya burst out laughing instantly.
Naina pointed at him like she discovered scientific proof of aliens.
“The ice king is gone. Finished. Destroyed by love.”
“I’m not discussing this,” Mihir replied calmly.
“That’s exactly what guilty people say.”
Maya grinned shamelessly while leaning against Mihir’s shoulder.
He automatically adjusted his arm around her waist more comfortably.
Naina gasped again.
“You adjusted for cuddling.”
Maya nearly fell off the couch laughing.
Mihir looked mildly betrayed by his own behavior.
And honestly?
That made it even better.
Before Naina could continue emotionally harassing them, every monitor in the room flashed red simultaneously.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Warmth vanished.
Danger returned.
Maya sat upright immediately. “What happened?”
AstraVex emergency alerts flooded the screens.
Unauthorized breach attempt detected.
Location: AstraVex Headquarters.
Mihir’s expression hardened instantly.
“They moved early.”
Maya opened the security feed rapidly.
Her stomach dropped.
Multiple armed units had already infiltrated the underground levels beneath AstraVex Tower in Mumbai.
Explosives.
Encrypted extraction devices.
Raghav’s men.
“They’re going for Helix now,” Maya whispered.
Mihir stood immediately despite his injured shoulder.
“We leave in five minutes.”
Naina looked alarmed. “Wait— you’re both going?”
“Yes,” Maya answered instantly.
“No,” Mihir answered at the same time.
Both turned toward each other.
Maya crossed her arms. “Excuse me?”
“You stay here.”
She laughed once in disbelief. “That’s adorable.”
“Maya.”
“I built half the counter-security protecting Helix.”
“And they’re targeting you specifically.”
“They’re targeting us.”
The word hit harder than expected.
Us.
Mihir noticed it too.
His expression softened for half a second before hardening again.
“That’s exactly why I’m not risking you.”
Maya stepped closer immediately.
“You don’t get to decide that alone.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, billionaire Batman, you absolutely do not.”
“Maya—”
“You got shot protecting me yesterday.”
“And I’d do it again.”
The certainty in his voice stunned the room silent.
Maya’s heartbeat stumbled painfully.
Mihir continued quietly, intensely—
“I will always protect you.”
God.
Why did he say things like that?
Maya looked at him carefully.
Really looked.
At the exhaustion beneath his control.
At the fear he tried hiding whenever she was in danger.
At the way his entire body instinctively shifted closer to hers now.
And suddenly she understood something important.
Mihir wasn’t trying to control her.
He was terrified of losing her.
Maya’s anger softened instantly.
She stepped closer until barely inches separated them.
Then quietly—
“You don’t have to carry everything alone anymore.”
Mihir’s expression cracked slightly.
Just slightly.
Enough for her to see the vulnerability underneath.
“You make that sound easy,” he murmured.
“It’s not easy.”
Maya gently touched his injured shoulder.
“But I’m still here.”
Silence filled the room softly.
Naina slowly backed away while whispering dramatically—
“I suddenly feel like a third wheel in a romance war.”
Neither even noticed her leaving.
Mihir stared down at Maya’s hand against his shoulder.
Then at her face.
And something inside him completely gave up fighting.
“You’re coming with me,” he said quietly.
Maya smiled immediately. “Good choice.”
“It wasn’t a request.”
“That’s still controlling.”
“You like it.”
“…a little.”
A dangerous smile appeared on Mihir’s face.
Maya instantly regretted being honest.
That expression should honestly require legal warning labels.
—
Forty minutes later, black AstraVex vehicles cut through rain-soaked streets toward headquarters.
Inside the lead SUV, tension filled the air.
Security teams communicated through encrypted channels.
Weapons loaded.
Building schematics glowed across digital screens.
Meanwhile Maya sat beside Mihir pretending to focus entirely on hacking entry routes.
Pretending.
Because Mihir’s hand rested against her thigh casually.
Casually.
Like this was normal now.
Her pulse disagreed strongly.
Mihir noticed her distraction immediately.
“You missed a camera rotation.”
Maya narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You distracted me on purpose.”
“I did nothing.”
“Your hand is literally committing crimes.”
A faint smile appeared.
“There’s that smile again.”
“You seem obsessed with it.”
“I am fighting for my life.”
Mihir leaned slightly closer.
“You’re dramatic.”
“You kissed me twice and now suddenly act calm. That’s manipulative behavior.”
Before Mihir could answer, Maya’s tablet suddenly flashed with an incoming encrypted transmission.
Raghav.
The vehicle atmosphere turned cold instantly.
Maya accepted the transmission carefully.
Raghav appeared onscreen smiling lazily.
“Well,” he drawled, “the billionaire finally looks human.”
Mihir’s voice became ice. “You’re running out of time.”
Raghav ignored him completely and focused on Maya.
“Tell me, Nyx… was he worth it?”
Maya’s expression hardened.
“You kidn*pped my best friend and tried shooting us through windows. I’m going to need clarification.”
Raghav laughed softly.
“You changed.”
“No. I got better at choosing sides.”
Something dark flickered across Raghav’s expression.
Then he looked toward Mihir again.
“You know the problem with loving someone like her?”
Mihir’s jaw tightened instantly.
Raghav smiled wider.
“She’ll always choose danger first.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Because that fear already existed inside Mihir.
Maya noticed immediately.
So she reached for his hand.
Interlocked their fingers tightly.
And looked directly at Raghav while saying—
“I already made my choice.”
Mihir stared at her.
The entire world seemed to stop for one impossible second.
Raghav noticed too.
Then his smile disappeared completely.
“Interesting,” he murmured coldly.
The transmission ended.
Silence remained afterward.
Maya slowly looked toward Mihir.
And froze slightly.
Because he was looking at her like she’d just handed him the universe.
“Mihir?”
His voice came out lower than usual.
“Say that again.”
Maya blinked innocently. “Which part?”
“That you chose me.”
Her heart melted instantly.
God.
This man.
So Maya leaned closer slowly and whispered near his ear—
“I choose you.”
Mihir closed his eyes briefly like the words physically affected him.
Then when he looked at her again—
there was absolutely no doubt left.
Mihir Raichand was completely, hopelessly in love with Maya Verma.
- Writer
