4

My entire body felt like it was moments away from shutting down, but my mind…

My mind was very much awake.

The car ride was silent, suffocatingly so. Rivansh sat beside me, unreadable, looking out of the tinted window as if the world outside was far beneath him.

I kept my gaze fixed forward—my heart hammering, my pulse frantic—but my mind was calculating.

I wasn’t just going to sit and eat.

I was going to escape.

When the driver asked, “Sir, where to?” I forced myself to speak before Rivansh could.

“**Kaffé Noir.**” My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

I chose it for a reason.

It was small. Always busy. Had two exits.

And I knew the staff.

If I could slip away for even ten seconds, I could—

“Fine,” Rivansh said calmly, not even looking at me.

My heart almost stumbled.

He didn’t question it. Didn’t object.

Too easy.

Suspiciously easy.

But I didn’t care. My plan was forming. The moment I stepped out of the car, I’d run inside, straight to the back exit—

“Planning something?” His voice cut through my thoughts like a knife.

“No,” I muttered instantly, folding my arms.

He didn’t reply. He didn’t need to—the ghost of a smirk tugged at his lips, as if he could hear the chaos inside my head.

---

When we arrived, something felt… off.

Kaffé Noir was never empty. Never silent.

Yet the large glass windows were dark. The lights dimmed. Chairs pushed in perfectly.

It looked… deserted.

My stomach sank.

No.

No, no, no.

The moment I stepped inside, my worst fear crystallized:

The entire café was empty—except for us.

Not a single worker.

Not a single customer.

No ambient music.

No clinking cups.

And near every exit—front, side, even the staff-only kitchen door—stood tall, stone-faced guards dressed in black.

His guards.

Every. Single. Escape. Route.

Blocked.

My throat tightened.

“You didn’t think I’d let you run away, did you?” Rivansh asked behind me, amusement dripping from every syllable.

I turned around sharply. “You emptied the café?”

“I prefer privacy,” he said smoothly. “And I don’t like interruptions.”

My hands clenched. “This is kidnapping.”

He walked past me, unbothered, settling into a chair with the kind of confidence that could crush nations.

“Call it whatever you want, Anvika.”

The fury inside me sparked again. “I’m calling the police.”

His eyes flickered with something dark—and then, to my shock, he slid his own phone across the table toward me.

“Go ahead,” he said. “Use mine. Don’t hide anything. Make any call you want.”

For a second, I just stared at him.

Then at the phone.

He looked… calm.

Beyond confident.

Fine.

Fine.

I snatched the phone and unlocked it—he didn’t even flinch—scrolling through his contacts before dialing.

And then I went still.

I saw the names.

Commissioner Rao

DIG Singh

Home Minister

Two MPs

One Cabinet Minister

My breath froze.

These weren’t just powerful people.

These were people who controlled the city.

And the man sitting in front of me had them saved on speed dial.

But I swallowed my fear and hit the Commissioner’s number anyway.

The call connected instantly.

“**Sir! Commissioner Rao speaking! How may I help you?**”

His voice was overly polite, almost eager.

“Commissioner—” I started.

“Oh, Mr. Rivansh!” he interrupted warmly. “What a pleasure to receive your call personally. What can the department do for you?”

I froze.

He thought I was Rivansh.

My grip tightened around the phone.

“It’s… not him,” I said slowly. “It’s Anvika. I—”

The Commissioner’s tone shifted, but not to concern.

To fear.

“Oh. I—I apologize, ma’am. Is there something Mr. Rivansh needs? We can dispatch a team immediately.”

My heart dropped.

He wasn’t listening to me.

He wasn’t here for me.

He was terrified of the man sitting across from me.

“Commissioner, I need your help. I—”

“Of course,” he cut in sharply. “But please put Mr. Rivansh on the line if it’s official.”

My pulse stopped.

I finally understood.

I could call the police.

I could call the government.

I could call the whole damn world.

It wouldn’t matter.

They weren’t on my side.

They were on his.

My fingers trembled as I lowered the phone.

Rivansh leaned back in his chair, his voice maddeningly calm.

“Feel better now?”

I stared at him, shaking with anger and helplessness. “You… you planned all this.”

“Of course I did.”

“You knew I’d try to escape.”

“I knew you’d try everything.” His lips curved into the slightest, most dangerous smirk. “That’s who you are.”

My breath hitched.

He stood slowly and leaned toward me, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“Anvika…”

“You’re brilliant.”

“You’re bold.”

“And you’re mine.”

The last word sent a cold shiver down my spine.

I looked away, my throat burning. “You can’t keep me here forever.”

“No,” he agreed. Then added quietly, “But I can keep you with me.”

His certainty terrified me more than any lock or guard possibly could.

And as the café doors shut behind us with a chilling finality, I realized something:

He hadn’t stolen my freedom.

He had cornered my entire world.