HIS POV
I wake up slowly and look around.
I'm inside a hospital room.
Lying on the bed, I reach for my phone and check a few emails.
And then… last night comes back to me.
A girl.
She brought me to the hospital.
A slow, crooked smile appears on my lips.
"Nice girl," I murmur.
The door opens.
I hear a sweet voice.
"Oh… so you're smiling," she says softly.
"Hm, good. That means you're fine now."
I look at her.
Long black hair.
Small body.
Dark, expressive eyes.
She looks familiar.
"Dr. Riya," she says.
"Hello, Mr…?" She waves her hand slightly in front of my face.
"I'm talking to you."
I pull myself out of my thoughts.
"Hi, Dr…?" I respond.
"Riya. I'm Dr. Riya," she says calmly.
"I did your check-up."
I nod.
"You're fine now. You'll be discharged by evening," she continues.
"Please call your family and inform them."
I look at her again, carefully this time.
"Okay… take care," she say.
She gives a polite nod and leaves the room.
The door closes.
I lie back on the bed and smile again.
This time… it's darker.
Dangerous.
I close my eyes.
"Mmm… Dr. Riya," I whisper to myself.
"Future wife of Rishabh Malhotra."
I chuckle under my breath.
"See you soon, my dear future wife."
I pick up my phone and dial a number.
"Hello, Dev," I say.
"Hello, boss," Dev answers.
"I want complete information about a girl," I order coldly.
"Every detail. Where she lives. Who she lives with. Where she goes."
I pause for a second.
"And most importantly… is she single or not."
Before Dev can reply, I cut the call.
I slowly turn my head toward the door.
"Dr. Riya…" I murmur again.
"Mmm.I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
The familiar hospital smell hits my nose as the irrigation starts.
"Ugh, seriously… what is this? Why does it smell so damn bad?"I wake up and walk into the bathroom. The mirror reflects a man shaped by violence—black hair, brown eyes, sharp features hardened by blood and secrets. My gaze drifts to the cut on my waist. Just as my fingers brush the wound, the door opens.
I smile. Not a warm one.
"Mr. Rishabh Malhotra?" she asks.
"I'm here, Mrs. Malhotra…" I pause deliberately, watching her reaction.
"…I mean, Miss Riya," I add with a crooked smirk.
She frowns, confused.
"I'm joking," I say calmly.
"Your discharge is complete. Mr. Dev is here to take you," she says, trying to stay professional.
"Take care," she adds softly.
I nod, my eyes slowly scanning her—measured, assessing.
"Hello, boss."
The door opens wider as Dev steps in.
"Boss?" she asks, startled.
"Yes, ma'am. He's my boss," Dev replies.
Her eyes widen. "He's a CEO?"
"Yes. He's the CEO of multiple companies… and he's also a maf—" Dev begins.
I cut him off instantly.
"I'm also a master chef," I say flatly.
A lie. A harmless one.
She doesn't need to know yet that the man standing in front of her controls cities, buries enemies, and never leaves loose ends. Not yet. Especially not her.
I glance at her, then at Dev.
Dev hesitates, then nods.
"Yes. He's a CEO… and a master chef."
I give Dev a slow, dangerous smile.
"Oh wow," she says with a small laugh. "That's impressive. CEO of multiple companies."
I don't laugh.
I look at her.
I want her.
And once I want something, it's already mine.
"Boss, shall we go?" Dev asks carefully.
I nod once. "Yes."
I turn back to her.
"Dr. Riya… it was interesting meeting you," I say quietly.
"I'm sure we'll meet again."
I step closer—too close.
I take her hand firmly, not gently. My lips brush the back of it—controlled, deliberate, possessive.
Her breath catches.
"See you," I murmur.
I release her hand and walk away without looking back.
Behind me, I feel it—
her unease… her curiosity… her fear.
And I know one thing with absolute certainty:
She has no idea what she's just stepped into.Dev opens the car door. A black SUV waits outside—bulletproof windows, soundproof silence.
I get in without a word. Dev takes the driver's seat.
The car starts moving.
Silence.
Only the low growl of the engine fills the space—steady, controlled… dangerous.
My eyes don't follow the road.
They stay fixed on the hospital entrance in the rearview mirror.
On her.
The confusion in her eyes.
The hesitation.
The fear she tried to hide.
I liked it.
"Boss," Dev says carefully, "about her—"
"Don't say her name," I cut him off.
Dev goes quiet.
My fingers brush the bandage at my waist. The pain is real.
But what stirs inside me is far more dangerous.
Doctor.
Soft voice.
Steady eyes.
"She'll come back," I say quietly.
"Or… I'll make sure she does."
Dev tightens his grip on the steering wheel.
The SUV disappears into the darkness.The city swallows us whole—neon lights, empty streets, no witnesses.
I lean back, closing my eyes for a moment.
Her face flashes behind my eyelids.
Not fragile.
Not innocent.
Curious.
That kind of curiosity gets people killed.
"Run a background check," I say calmly.
"Quiet. Deep."
Dev nods without asking questions. He knows better.
"She stays untouched," I add.
"For now."
The car turns onto a private road. Gates slide open without a sound.
Power recognizes power.
My jaw tightens.
I don't chase people.
I don't wait.
But this—
This will be slow.
Intentional.
I open my eyes, staring into the darkness ahead.
"She thinks this was just a meeting," I murmur.
"A patient. A coincidence."
A pause.
"There are no coincidences in my world."
The SUV disappears behind iron gates.
And somewhere behind us, a life is still moving normally—
Unaware that it has already crossed into mine.
I don't warn twice. Interest is never accidental. If I look back, it's already decided. I don't enter lives—I take control of them. Mercy isn't my habit, and chance doesn't exist in my world. What I choose stops being a possibility and becomes a sentence.. ...