I didn't plan to go.
I sat on the edge of the silk-draped bed, arms wrapped around my knees, staring at the door like it might unlock itself if I stared long enough. My chest felt tight, like the room itself was shrinking.
Two hours had passed. Maybe more. I didn't move.
I wouldn't eat with him.
That would be surrender.
But I should've known better.
The door didn't creak open.
It exploded open.
I flinched as Rehaan stepped in, calm but deadly. Black shirt, sleeves rolled, shadows dancing across his sharp features.
"You didn't come," he said, voice low.
"No," I said, matching his stare. "I didn't."
He looked at me for a long second. Then, quietly: "Do you think this is a test?"
My heart pounded. "Isn't it?"
He smiled. Cold. Dangerous. "No, Aarya. This is your new reality. The sooner you understand that, the easier this gets."
He walked toward me slowly, like a predator stalking its prey.
"I'm not hungry," I whispered.
His fingers grazed my jaw, soft but firm enough to remind me he could break me if he wanted. "You will eat. You will sit at my table. Because starving yourself is just another way to pretend you're still in control."
"I am in control," I said through gritted teeth.
That made him pause. His eyes gleamed. "Then prove it."
Before I could speak, he leaned in closer, so close I could feel his breath on my skin.
"Come to dinner," he whispered. "On your feet. On your terms. Or I carry you out in mine."
I stared at him, throat tight.
This was war. Not of fists. Of wills.
Fine.
I stood.
He blinked — like he didn't expect me to give in.
But I kept my chin up. "Let's get this over with."
He didn't smile. Not fully. But something flickered in his expression.
Approval?
No. Control.
He turned and walked out, expecting me to follow.
And I did.
But not because I was afraid.
Because I wanted to know everything. His rules. His patterns. His weaknesses.
Because if I was going to survive this...
I'd need to learn how to destroy him from the inside out.