05. Claimed

AUTHOR⁠—

As soon as Tara went limp on Aayansh’s chest, he looked at her face once and the very next moment, he lifted her up on his shoulder in one smooth pull.

Turning on the bluetooth connected to his ear, he slowly ordered. “Blast Rivaan!”

With that, a deafening explosion tore through the elite wing of the Jindal Mansion.

Within seconds, chaos erupted across the mansion. Arsh, already on his way to Tara’s room, stilled for a fraction of a second as the blast echoed through the halls. His instincts kicked in instantly.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed Luca without slowing his pace, his mind already registering it as a possible trap.

Luca picked up on the first ring. Before he could say a word, Arsh cut in, his voice cold “I warned you, luca. That fucker is here. This is his trap. Handle everything, kisi ko ek kharonch bhi nahi aani chahiye.”

(No one should suffer a scratch)

Saying this, he cut the call, his impatient strides quickening as he headed toward Tara’s room.

Here unaffected by all the chaos, Aayansh, hoisting Tara over his shoulder, walked out of the room. No one was permitted on her floor, leaving the corridor deserted. But the safety cameras remained, silently recording everything.

Unbothered by the cameras, Aayansh headed for the outer exit of the mansion. A devilish smirk tugged at his lips as he found Arsh striding into the same corridor.

“See you soon, brother-in-law!” He murmured, and through the bluetooth, he indicated Rivaan. Another minor explosion tore through the area between outer exit and the corridor they were in.

As Arsh headed toward the same corridor, the blast left no doubt in his mind. It was all damn planned.

Reaching Tara’s room, Arsh scanned every corner, but there was no trace of her. His jaw tightened, his expression turning lethal. Without wasting a second, he called Luca again.

“Block every entrance and exit of Jindal Mansion. No one should get away without my permission. Tara’s not here.” He commanded sharply.

Luca gulped, already in motion.

“Just block the whole damn New York, I want my Tara safe otherwise I’ll burn you all Alive this time!” Arsh added, before hanging up the call.

Within minutes of his orders, New York went into lockdown, every route sealed, the police force fully mobilized.

The elite guests exchanged hushed assumptions, after all, the Jindals were among the most powerful families, and this sudden chaos had shaken everyone to the core. Within moments, the news spread like wildfire.

“Do anything or everything you can, Jose, I want my daughter safe at any cost!” Dhairya instructed on call, every muscle in his tensed.

Arsh was scanning the surveillance feeds of the Jindal Mansion when a notification flashed on his phone, breaking his focus. His fists clenched, nerves going taut.

“Manage everything here!” He ordered luca, Before leaving for somewhere impulsively.

TARA JINDAL

My head felt heavy as I tried to open my eyes. For a moment, everything was a blur, then I found a glass ceiling above me. That’s when I realised I was lying on a king size bed. I immediately pushed myself up, my gaze snagging around desperately as everything that happened a while ago re-surfaced.

That man—

No. No.

Did he bring me here?

I was in a master bedroom. It was dark, completely, and scary for me. As soon as I found the door open, I gathered myself and got off from the bed. Without a second thought, I rushed out of the room.

Moving across the corridor, I glanced around to seek help anyway. But this villa seemed so vast, I couldn’t find a single person around. I felt myself panicking, but no, I had to calm down. I couldn’t let this fear take over me.

Every single thing here was scary, giving negative vibes. It was all dark and lavish. The silence was itself frightening, the only sound I could hear was my own footsteps, desperate and clumsy.

I might be scared, but not weak. Never weak.

Anyhow, I wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. After a quiet moment of roaming to find a way out, I finally spotted the exit to this corridor. My body went still for a few seconds, focusing on my breathing, but before I could take a step further, a pair of muscular arms caged my waist with someone’s head resting on my shoulder.

My eyes widened.

My legs froze.

“Princess is caught very badly.” With these words, someone’s lips touched my ears, sending chills through of me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my fingers fisted into the fabric of my gown as his mouth moved all over my neck, assaulting my skin. I felt something, a very strange sensation, fear... Longing.

No.

No. No.

His body dominated mine, not just my body, but my mind too. I could feel it. But nothing in me whispered to resist this, making me want to curse my own self.

“D... don’t please!” I stuttered slowly, my breathing became more erratic.

He turned me to face him, I lifted my head, my eyes met with this. His gaze, it was addictive, unsettling, reading through every part of me.

For a moment, I was lost in the intensity, the depth and serenity of his eyes. They were calm as ocean and haunting as a nightmare. My eyes roved throughout his face, before I retreated.

I moved backwards absentmindedly.

“Leave me! you... you kidnapped me? What do you want from me?!” I shouted.

“You. And every part of you.” he said, his steps closing the distance between us.

“Shut up! I already told you I wasn’t in my senses. I don’t know how I ended up in that room. I just don’t know anything. That was just a mistake! Please let me!” I intoned firmly, hoping he would listen.

“Mistake, interesting. You know what, if fucking you was a mistake, Then I’d love to repeat that. Again and again.” He was now so close to me.

“Don’t you dare to touch me!” I retorted, trying to get away just when he pinned me to the nearest wall and bent over my face. My heart skipped a beat. My breath sticked into my throat as this time, there was no distance between our faces.

My eyes shut in dread as I clutched his shirt with all the strength, for a moment, I felt he’d kiss me, and just the thought of it made my soul tremble.

But he paused just near my lips.

“I can touch you, kiss you and fuck you, whenever and wherever I want... And no one can stop me. Not even you. But I’m not a coward who’ll force you to show my masculinity.” Hearing his deep, cold voice, my skin prickled with an unsettling chill.

I didn’t move. Neither did he.

I could feel his gaze devouring me, hot and suffocating.

Somehow, I fluttered my eyes open and looked at him, Just staring. I don’t know what I was searching in his gaze, but I could find nothing.

“Let me g... go please!” moisture formed in my eyes as I demanded.

“Never.” He said, utterly unbothered from my tears and pain.

A muscle in my jaw tickled with rage.

“What do you want?! You want to kill me or did you bring me here just to fuck me?” I yelled, making sure he could feel the hatred and despise in my tone.

“You don’t know about my brother, he’d bury you alive if anything happens to me!” I warned.

A slow, devilish smirk formed on his lips as he answered smoothly. “And you don’t know who Aayansh Oberoi is.”

My heart skipped. This time, it genuinely stopped for a moment. This name, This man⁠—The only person I’d ever hated. Not because he was my brother’s enemy, but he was also a sadist criminal.

“Aa—Aayansh Oberoi?!” I repeated the name, anxious and shocked to my core.

“Exactly! The one who took your virginity that night, whose name you were screaming in pain and pleasure. And the one who owns you.” He responded with the same smirk, and here my mind went blank. What did he just say?

This man. I hated even his existence from the day I heard his name. And now, he stood before me, capturing me and I was helpless.

No, I wasn’t.

“Oh, now I got it! you kidnapped to use me against my brother?” I shot back, my eyes burning.

“Correction, I didn’t kidnap you. I claimed you as mine. Only mine.” This time, his voice was more like a warning.

And the next moment, he picked me up in his arms because I could even register. I shouted, punching his chest, demanding him to put me down. But his face stayed cold, unfazed. And I understood all my efforts worthless.

“Leave me! I fucking hate you! I’ll kill you.” Once again my eyes brimmed with tears as I cursed myself for that one night. And now, I could see everything shattering before my eyes.

With the same unbothered demeanor, entering in that same room, he threw me in the bed and I slid back until my head collided with the headrest.

He rested his one knee in bed and grabbed my neck, looking deeper into my eyes as he said, “Don’t do anything that will make me punish you.” His tone came cold enough to make me freeze. And then, he pecked my cheek before leaving the room.

No—how could I let that disgusting man come that close to me?

I was just messed. My eyes filled. I was not able to hold back my sobs.

But somehow, I wiped the moisture away from my cheeks and pulled myself up once again.

I’m not weak. I can’t just sit and cry.

“He didn’t lock the room!” I murmured to myself. A fragile hope clawing its way back to me as I moved toward the door.

But then, my steps halted with a realisation.

AUTHOR—

Arsh, who was driving, slammed on the brakes as a black car abruptly blocked his path.

Aayansh stepped out of the black car, one hand tucked into his pocket. Perfectly relaxed, he leaned against the bonnet, his head slightly tilted as he looked at Arsh.

The moment Arsh saw Aayansh, he stepped out of the car, impulsive and on edge. His nerves were strung tight, anger flashing across his face.

“Welcome.” Aayansh said, pulling out a cigar from his pocket and pressing it between his lips.

“Where is my sister?! I’ll fucking kill you if I find a minor scratch on her!” Arsh warned, not bothering to hold back his rage.

“Manners AJ Manners! keep your voice down. I hate anyone raising their voice in front of me.” Aayansh lit his cigar, his voice carefree but cold.

Arsh raised his gun right at Aayansh and warned once again. “I’m asking you last time. Where. Is. My. Tara? Just spit or else I’ll shove all the bullets of this gun right through your head.”

“Don’t just speak, better act.” Aayansh’s smirk deepened as he took another drag from his cigar.

“Don’t test my patience. You shouldn’t have involved my sister in all this!” Arsh snarled, his patience thinning.

“Let me remind you something, it was you who started all this. And now, it’s Aayansh Oberoi’s turn.” He took a step toward Arsh.

“I’m not going to hurt her. But—If you can’t find her in the coming 24 hours, then you’ll see her shattering right before your eyes.”

“And you very well know—Aayansh Oberoi is the man of his words.” Aayansh finished off in a warning.

“You have invited your own death.” Arsh’s fists clenched.

”Time is running, AJ, better value it!” Aayansh reminded casually before seating back into his car and leaving the place.

”Stop behaving impulsively, Arsh. Tara is with him! I want my daughter safe, we can’t take any risk!” Dhairya tried calm Arsh while panicking himself.

“He can’t do anything to Tara. Otherwise I won’t leave him alive this time.” Arsh stated firmly, his eyes fixed on the laptop’s screen before him.

“He’s not a normal man, Arsh. He rules over the whole underworld!” Dhairya remarked.

Before Arsh could say a word, Luca entered saying. “Boss, I found the location!”

Arsh immediately reached him and took the tracker.

“It’s an underground cell in outskirts of New York!” Arsh scanned the tracker.

“Boss, this is a restricted area, I got information of some illegal experiments taking place here!” Luca outlined.

“Don’t be so foolish, it might be a trap! You know nothing goes straight in the underworld, it’s quite unsafe!” Dhairya interrupted tensely.

“I don't care,” with that, Arsh made his way out and Luca trailed behind him.

After an hour of driving, Arsh reached the location. It was midnight, and the entire place lay cloaked in darkness. He made his way toward the underground stairs leading to a space used for illegal experiments, Luca following close behind.

Dim yellow lights guided their way as they entered the inner space where such activities took place. The moment they stepped inside, one of the men opened fire on Arsh, but the bullet only grazed his shoulder before passing through.

In an instant, Arsh fired, hitting the man right between the eyes. Meanwhile, Luca handled the others as Arsh pushed forward.

He scanned the area, his gaze settling on an automatic door locked with a password.

Impatient and frustrated, he threw his fist in the wall sideways. Just then, something clicked in his mind. He reached ahead and entered some twisted digits, and fortunately, the door slid open.

He stepped into the room and looked around. It was clearly an experimental space, there was nothing inside except a stretcher. The entire room was stark white, blinding.

Finding nothing in the room, he turned back, then froze as the sound of a girl’s muffled, soft sobs reached him.

To be continued~