The Price of Loving a King: ( ◜‿◝ )♡
The ride back was silent.
Naira sat beside Ayaan in the backseat of his car. The city lights passed in blurred streaks outside the window, but her mind was still inside that warehouse.
Still hearing the gunshot.
Still seeing the fury in his eyes.
Ayaan hadn't spoken a word.
His jaw was tight. His hands clenched into fists on his knees.
He looked calm.
But the air around him felt like a storm waiting to explode.
When the car stopped in front of his private penthouse, he stepped out first.
"Come," he said quietly.
No argument.
No softness.
Just command.
She followed.
Inside, the penthouse was dark except for the city lights spilling through the massive glass windows. Everything was modern, expensive… controlled.
Just like him.
Ayaan poured a glass of water and handed it to her.
She noticed something.
His knuckles were bruised.
Blood slightly dried on his collar.
"You could have gotten killed," he said finally.
His voice wasn't angry.
It was broken.
Naira put the glass down.
"You could have too."
Silence.
He looked at her then.
Really looked at her.
And for the first time since she met him… he didn't look invincible.
He looked afraid.
"Do you understand what you are to them now?" he asked quietly.
"You are leverage. A target. A weakness."
She stepped closer.
"And what am I to you?"
The question hung heavy between them.
Ayaan's breathing slowed.
His eyes darkened — not with anger.
With something deeper.
Dangerous.
"You are," he said slowly, "the only thing that makes me hesitate."
Her heart skipped.
He took a step closer.
"Before you, I didn't think twice. I didn't care who stood in my way. But tonight…" His jaw tightened. "Tonight I felt something I don't allow myself to feel."
"What?" she whispered.
"Fear."
The word left his lips like a confession.
Not weakness.
Truth.
Suddenly—
His phone rang.
He answered without breaking eye contact with her.
"Yes."
Pause.
Then his expression changed.
Colder.
Darker.
"They attacked our docks," the voice on the other end said.
Ayaan's jaw clenched.
"How bad?"
"Three injured. One critical. And… they left a message."
Silence.
"What message?" Ayaan asked.
"They said… this is just the beginning."
The line disconnected.
The war had officially started.
Ayaan turned toward the window, looking at the city below.
His city.
His empire.
And now… his battlefield.
"They want to destabilize me," he said calmly. "Hurt what I built."
"And me," Naira added softly.
He turned sharply.
"No."
"Yes."
She walked toward him.
"You think I don't understand? I'm already part of this whether you like it or not."
His eyes searched her face.
"You don't belong in this darkness."
"Then why does it feel like I belong with you?"
The words stunned him.
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Then slowly—
Ayaan reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.
His fingers lingered.
"You don't know what loving someone like me costs," he murmured.
"Then show me," she replied.
That was the moment something shifted.
Not just attraction.
Not curiosity.
A decision.
But downstairs—
One of Ayaan's most trusted men stepped out onto the balcony and made a quiet phone call.
"Yes," he whispered.
"He's distracted."
A pause.
"No… he suspects nothing."
A faint smirk crossed his face.
The real betrayal wasn't outside.
It was inside.
Back upstairs—
Ayaan wrapped his arm around Naira's waist, pulling her close.
Not gently.
Not roughly.
Possessively.
"If you stay," he whispered near her ear, "there's no turning back."
She looked up at him.
"I'm not leaving."
And somewhere in the shadows of his empire…
A traitor smiled.