He came back from the washroom a few minutes later.

Without a word, he walked to the bed and pulled Mini into his arms again. This time he didn’t put her on his lap. He simply lay down with her on the bed, holding her close against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

Mini felt warm and strangely safe in his arms. The darkness made everything feel softer. She whispered against his shirt, her voice small and tired,

“Mujhe laga aap bure ho, Mr. Boyfriend… but aap toh ache ho.”

He smiled in the dark, a small, soft sound escaping him.

“Hmm…”

She stayed quiet for a moment, then asked hesitantly,

“But… mujhe apna face kyun nahi dikhate?”

He replied gently, his deep voice low in the darkness,

“I will show you when the time is right, little kitten.”

After a while, he felt her body relax completely. She had fallen asleep — tired from crying, from the party, from everything that had broken her tonight.

He held her even closer, one arm wrapped protectively around her waist, his fingers lightly stroking her bare arm. He let her sleep, keeping her safe in the dark.

Time: 4:45 AM

When Mini opened her eyes later, the room was still dark.

For a few seconds, she didn’t move at all.

Her lashes fluttered slowly. Her breath was uneven… like her body had woken up before her mind did.

Her body ached… sweetly… deeply.

Not sharp pain, but a lingering warmth under her skin that made her shift slightly under the thin sheet.

She froze.

She was still wearing the red dress, but something felt wrong.

She reached down slowly… and realized her pink silk panties were gone.

A sudden rush of awareness hit her. Her cheeks burned hot. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her dress as she pulled it down further.

Her new phone glowed softly on the bedside table.

The light felt too bright in the darkness.

One new message.

Her fingers hesitated for a second… then she picked it up.

Boyfriend ❤️:

Party is over, my girlfriend.

You were so perfect tonight.

Sleep well.

Love from your real boyfriend.

I took something of yours as a memory.

See you soon, little kitten. 🥀

Mini’s eyes stayed fixed on the screen.

Her throat went dry.

Slowly… almost unconsciously… her fingers moved to her neck.

The pendant was still there.

A small breath escaped her lips.

She wasn’t angry.

This didn’t feel like fear.

Her brows frowned slightly, her lips parting as a strange warmth passed through her chest.

She didn’t see his face.

She didn’t know who he was.

But she knew one thing clearly —

He wasn’t Aryansh.

Because when Aryansh had touched her, her body had rejected it instantly. There was discomfort… resistance… something that made her pull away.

But in his arms…

She had felt… safe.

Wanted.

Alive.

That realization made her heartbeat rise again — this time, not just from confusion.

Mini quickly got up from the bed.

She held the red dress tighter around herself. Her legs felt weak, a slight ache reminding her of everything her mind was still trying to process.

She found the switch and turned on the lights.

The sudden brightness made her blink.

Then immediately — she walked to the door and locked it.

Only then did she breathe properly.

She stood there for a moment, heart racing.

She wasn’t wearing any panties.

He had stolen them.

Mini’s cheeks burned even hotter. She pressed her thighs together, feeling strangely exposed and warm at the same time.

A soft, confused whisper escaped her lips,

“A… tumne mera panty kyun le liya?”

She didn’t know whether to feel scared… or something else entirely.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through the quiet villa.

“Mini… where are you?!”

It was Kian.

He had been searching for her for the last three hours.

Mini quickly tried to fix the high slit of her red dress, pulling the fabric down with trembling hands. Without her panties, every step felt exposed and uncomfortable. The silk kept brushing against her bare skin. She walked awkwardly, trying to hide how vulnerable she felt.

Kian spotted her.

He ran towards her like a man who had lost something irreplaceable.

In one swift motion, he pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest. His hold was suffocating — arms locked around her like steel bands, one hand gripping the back of her neck, fingers digging into her skin as if he was terrified she would vanish again.

“Mini…” his voice was low, rough, and filled with something dark. “Where the hell were you? I’ve been looking for you for three hours.”

He didn’t let go.

He held her tighter, his body pressed fully against hers, breathing her in like she was oxygen and he had been drowning. His hand slid down her back possessively, fingers pressing into her waist as if marking her as his. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply, like he needed to remind himself she was real.

The party was almost over. Only a few people remained. Niharika watched silently. Karisma’s eyes burned with hatred.

Kian didn’t care about any of them.

He pulled back just enough to look at her face, his eyes dark and stormy. His hand moved to her chin, tilting her head up forcefully so she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

“Tell me,” he demanded, voice low and dangerous. “Where were you? I’ve been going crazy searching for you. You can’t disappear like that. Not from me.”

His grip on her arm was iron-tight. He held her like she was his most precious possession — something that had been lost and finally found. Something he would never let out of his sight again.

“You’re staying right here,” he whispered, voice thick with obsession. “Right where I can see you. Right where I can touch you. No one else gets to take you away. Not even for a second.”

He pulled her even closer, his chest pressing against hers, his breath hot against her ear.

“You’re mine to worry about. Mine to protect. Mine to keep.”

Mini stayed silent. She didn’t know what to say.

Kian’s obsession was suffocating. He held her like the world would end if she slipped away again. Like she was the only thing that mattered — and he would burn everything else to keep her close.

Niharika watched with a tight smile. Karisma’s anger was visible.

But Kian didn’t care.

He was too busy holding Mini like she belonged to him completely.

Karisma was fuming.

She looked like a volcano ready to erupt — eyes burning with rage, lips pressed into a thin line, her entire body stiff with anger as she watched her son holding Mini so tightly in front of everyone.

Mini felt suffocated. She tried to pull away from Kian’s arms, gently pushing at his chest.

But Kian didn’t let go. His grip only tightened, one arm locked around her waist like iron.

“Kian…” Mini whispered in a low, embarrassed voice, “your mother is watching. Please leave me…”

Hearing this, Kian finally rolled his eyes toward his mother with clear irritation. Only then did he loosen his hold, but not completely. His hand still stayed on her waist for a few seconds longer, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go.

Mini took a deep, shaky breath the moment he stepped back.

Niharika stood nearby, completely shocked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Kian’s behavior — the way he had called Mini’s name with such desperation, the way he had held her so possessively. She looked visibly unsettled.

Kian didn’t seem to care about anyone’s reaction. He took Mini’s hand firmly and pulled her toward the cake table.

“Come,” he said, voice still dark with worry and obsession.

There was a big piece of cake left. Kian cut a small portion with his fingers and brought it to Mini’s lips.

“Eat,” he ordered softly, but there was no room for refusal in his tone.

Mini hesitated for a second, then opened her mouth. Kian fed her the cake, his eyes never leaving her face, watching every movement like she might disappear again.

Karisma couldn’t hold back anymore. She marched closer, voice sharp and filled with barely controlled anger.

“Ab batao… kaha thi tum?” she demanded, glaring at Mini. “Three hours! Kian was going mad searching for you. What were you doing?”

Mini lowered her eyes, unable to speak. Her throat felt tight. She could still feel the ache between her legs, the absence of her panties, and the memory of A’s touch in the dark room. She stayed silent, fingers twisting the fabric of her red dress.

Kian’s hand stayed possessively on her lower back, as if warning everyone — including his own mother — that Mini was his to protect now.

The air around them felt heavy with tension.

Mini kept her head down, voice small and tired.

“I was very tired… I did my shift at the pizzeria today, then came straight to the party. I just wanted to rest for a few minutes, so I went to one of the rooms. I don’t even know when I fell asleep…”

Karisma’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Which room?” she asked coldly.

Mini quietly pointed towards the room where she had been with A.

The moment she pointed, Karisma’s anger exploded.

“Servants!” she shouted loudly, her voice echoing in the hall. “Go to that room right now! Remove the bedsheet, pillows, even the mattress! Wash everything properly and take it to your quarters. Because of this girl, everything has become dirty!”

She looked at Mini with pure disgust.

“Ye itne expensive bed ke layak nahi hai. Isliye sab wash kijiye aur apne ghar le jaiye.”

Mini’s face burned with shame. She felt so small, so humiliated. Her eyes stung with fresh tears, but she didn’t let them fall.

Kian’s jaw clenched.

“Mom… please don’t behave like a child,” he said, his voice sharp with irritation.

Then he turned to the servants standing nearby and ordered firmly,

“Take the bedsheet, pillows, and blanket to my room. No questions. Do it now.”

The servants nodded quickly and left.

Mini stood there with her head lowered, feeling completely out of place. Her voice came out soft, almost broken,

“I think… I should leave now.”

She didn’t look at anyone.

The weight of Karisma’s words, Kian’s strange possessiveness, Niharika’s presence, and everything that had happened with A in the dark room — it was all too much.

She just wanted to disappear.

Kian looked at Mini with dark, intense eyes and said firmly,

“I will drop you home, Mini. And you too, Niru. Come with me.”

Niharika sat in the front seat.

Mini quietly sat in the back.

The car started moving.

Mini stared out the window, completely lost in her own world. A small, shy smile played on her lips as she remembered everything that had happened in the dark room.

The way A had held her.

The way his touch had made her melt.

The weight of his body on hers.

His deep voice whispering that he loved her.

The heat. The pleasure. The safety she had felt in his arms.

Everything was so new.

For the first time in her life, she felt truly wanted.

Truly beautiful.

Truly precious.

A soft blush crept up her cheeks.

He called me "meri jaan"...

He held me like I was something precious...

Even when I was broken and crying like a baby, he didn’t push me away.

But then the memory of his “pet snake” came back.

She murmured to herself very quietly,

“Next time… I will tell him not to bring his pet… When it touched my vagina… I felt a little pain in my lower belly. Like something happened to me… but… I want to feel it again…”

Her face turned even redder. She pressed her thighs together, feeling shy and warm at the same time.

Kian was watching her through the front mirror the whole time.

His eyes darkened.

He suddenly stopped the car on the side of the road.

He got out, opened the back door, and sat beside Mini.

Niharika turned around, watching everything with wide eyes.

Kian grabbed both of Mini’s hands tightly and made her look at him.

“Look at me,” he said, his voice low and dangerously possessive.

“I am your protector, Mini. You got that? This cruel world is too dangerous for someone as weak and innocent as you. So stay with me always. You got that?”

Mini looked into his eyes and nodded slowly, “Yes…”

Kian’s grip on her hands tightened.

“What was in your mind just now?” he asked, his tone demanding.

Mini’s heart skipped. She couldn’t tell him about A. She couldn’t break the rule.

She quickly said, “My home is just ahead… your car can’t enter this narrow lane. I’ll walk from here.”

Before Kian could react, she pulled her hands away and ran out of the car.

Kian tried to grab her, but then he saw Niharika watching him. He stopped himself.

He muttered under his breath, voice dark and obsessive,

“Main pata lag hi lunga… tum kya chhupa rahi ho… vo bhi mujhse. Apne Kian se. Jis se tum pyar karti ho. Jis ke bina tum kuch nahi ho.”

He turned back to the car and looked at Niharika.

“Ghar pe koi hai ya hum kisi hotel chale?”

Niharika looked at him and said softly, “Ghar…”

Before starting the car, Kian looked at her with cold eyes and said,

“Let me make one thing clear. This is just friends with benefits. Nothing more. No relationship. No commitment.”

Niharika’s face changed. “But Kian, I want a relationship…”

Kian stopped the car immediately and booked a cab on his phone.

When the cab arrived, he said coldly,

“Cab is here. Get out.”

Niharika looked shocked. “Waste? What do you mean?”

Kian replied without emotion,

“I was in the mood tonight. But because of you, I let Mini go. Now get out.”

Niharika stared at him for a second, then stepped out of the car with tears in her eyes.

Kian didn’t even look at her again.

He drove away, his mind only filled with Mini.

Kian reached home late at night. The villa was quiet now, most lights turned off. He walked straight to his room, still restless and uneasy.

He removed his shirt and lay down on his bed, pulling the blanket over himself.

The moment the blanket covered him, he froze.

A faint but clear scent hit him — a strong, masculine perfume.

It wasn’t his.

It wasn’t anything Mini had ever used. Mini never wore men’s perfume.

Kian’s body tensed. He brought the blanket closer to his nose and inhaled again. The scent was there — deep, expensive, and completely unfamiliar.

His jaw clenched. His fingers tightened around the fabric.

She was sleeping here a few hours ago… under this same blanket.

A dark thought entered his mind.

Is she hiding something from me?

Did someone else touch her?

Was she with someone in this room?

He sat up on the bed, eyes cold and dangerous. His possessiveness flared up like fire.

“No…” he muttered under his breath, voice low and obsessive.

“She can’t hide anything from me. Not her. Not my Mini.”

He lay back down, but sleep didn’t come.

He kept smelling that foreign masculine scent on the blanket, his mind spinning with suspicion and dark jealousy.

He whispered to himself in the silent room,

“If someone touched what’s mine…

I will destroy him.”

To be continue...

Author’s Note ♡

Kian is starting to suspect something… and his obsession is growing darker.

Tell me in the comments:

Do you think Kian will find out about A soon?

How do you feel about Kian’s growing possessiveness?

What do you think Mini is feeling right now at home?

Team Kian or Team A?