And it is not just me. Between his push-ups, Raghav’s gaze lifts too and finds me every single time, lingering a second longer than it should. And this time, when our eyes meet, neither of us looks away immediately.
Is he trying to figure me out? Is he still stuck on why I snapped at him moments ago? Is he trying to read what I’m not saying? Or is it something else entirely? Something that has nothing to do with anger? Why is it so difficult to predict what’s going on inside his head? This man could be thinking the most sinful things while looking at me like that… and I still wouldn’t know.
My grip tightens around the treadmill bar. The way his gaze drops just briefly before returning to mine again… it doesn’t feel like curiosity anymore. It feels like he is aware. Aware of the way I’m looking at him right now. Aware of the fact that I’m standinghere, trying to outrun my frustration, my thoughts, my control… and failing right in front of him.
And that awareness? It definitely doesn’t feel one-sided. Because his eyes shift again. Lower this time. To the dip of my neck where the black tank top clings a little too closely to my skin, outlining my breasts clearly.
My breath stutters as I notice the flicker of recognition on his face, as if he is recalling how his hands had been there at that very spot last night… how his forearms brushed against me while he tried to free that chain. When his gaze lifts back to mine, slower this time… it no longer feels accidental. It is as if he wants me to remember too.
My steps falter slightly, breaking my rhythm. Because my mind is not here anymore. It is caught somewhere between everything that happened yesterday and everything that is happening right now.
I hate that he has this effect on me. I hate that I came here to clear my head and somehow ended up making it worse. So, I hit stop abruptly. The treadmill slows beneath my feet, and I step off without giving myself another second to think.
Grabbing my things, I turn and walk out of the gym without looking at him, carrying twice the frustration I walked in here with.
RAGHAV
Same Night
I’m at the reception lobby with Esha, going over the VIP bookings scheduled for the next few days and reviewing the high-profile events lined up at the estate. That’s when my phone vibrates in my hand. It’s Haider.
I step away from the desk, my instinct kicking in before I even answer. “Hello.”
“Raghav, we’ve got movement outside the outer barricades,” he says. “The thermal detectors picked it up about ten minutes ago near the dense forest stretch beyond the east wall.”
My posture stiffens instantly. Haider is not someone who gets alarmed easily, and the fact that he called me says enough. “What kind of movement?”
“Not an animal,” he replies. “At least it doesn’t look like one. The movement pattern is off, and the sensors are too still at intervals. The security team is already sweeping the perimeter. But it could be a man.”
A man? Out there at this hour? In a zone no one reaches without knowing exactly what they are doing?
“Stay where you are,” Haider adds. “I’ll update you once we confirm.”
The line goes dead. I don’t move for a second. That forest is not only dense, it also serves as the estate’s natural shield. No guest crosses that barricade, and no outsider reaches that stretch without intent. So if someone is out there moving like that, it is not random.
My phone buzzes again. This time it’s a message from Haider.
‘Red alert. The man is armed.’
My jaw tightens as I read it.
Armed?
Just then, the thought of Siya crosses my head. This is the exact time she usually steps outside, wandering around the estate, without any caution or awareness.
“Damn it.”
Without wasting another second, I dial her number. It rings three times before she answers. I don’t bother with hello.
“Where are you?” I ask.
There is silence on the other end.
“Who is this?” she asks. Then her voice changes immediately. “RK? Is that you? How did you get my number?”
My grip tightens around the phone.
“Siya,” I say, slower this time, emphasising each word, “where the hell are you right now?”
