The night was dark.
Too dark.
Rain poured heavily as a black car stopped outside an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
Aarav stepped out.
His expression calm.
But his eyes—
Dangerous.
He had received just one message:
"Come alone if you want answers."
And Aarav never ignored a challenge.
He walked inside the warehouse.
The sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty space.
Then—
A voice.
"You actually came."
Aarav stopped.
Arjun stepped out of the shadows.
Same calm confidence.
Same unreadable eyes.
"Disappointed?" Aarav asked coldly.
Arjun smirked.
"No."
"I was hoping you would."
Silence filled the space.
Two men.
Same intensity.
Same dominance.
Both refusing to back down.
Aarav took a step forward.
"Let's skip the drama."
His voice was sharp.
"What do you want?"
Arjun walked closer.
"What I lost."
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"And what is that?"
Arjun's gaze darkened.
"Everything."
A pause.
Then he added—
"Starting with Kiara."
Aarav's jaw tightened instantly.
"She's not yours."
Arjun chuckled softly.
"That's where you're wrong."
He stepped even closer.
"Before you… before all of this…"
His voice dropped.
"She chose me."
Aarav's anger rose.
"Past doesn't matter."
Arjun smiled.
"It does when the past isn't over."
Before Aarav could respond—
A third voice echoed in the warehouse.
"Stop."
Both men turned.
Kiara stood at the entrance.
Rain dripping from her hair.
Eyes filled with tension.
"Enough," she said firmly.
Aarav frowned.
"You shouldn't be here."
Kiara ignored him.
Her gaze was fixed on Arjun.
"You said you wouldn't come back."
Arjun's expression softened slightly.
"I had to."
"Why?" Kiara asked.
"Because you owe me the truth."
The air froze.
Aarav looked between them.
"What truth?"
Kiara's silence said everything.
Aarav's voice turned sharper.
"Kiara."
She didn't answer.
Arjun did.
"Five years ago…"
He looked directly at Aarav.
"…Aurora Holdings didn't just lose money."
Aarav's eyes narrowed.
"What are you saying?"
Arjun's voice dropped.
"It was an inside betrayal."
Silence.
Then—
Aarav slowly turned toward Kiara.
His voice cold.
"Tell me he's lying."
Kiara's eyes closed for a second.
Then she opened them.
And that was enough.
Aarav's expression hardened instantly.
"You were involved."
Kiara whispered,
"It wasn't what you think."
Arjun laughed darkly.
"That's what she told me too."
Aarav stepped back slightly.
Processing everything.
"You betrayed your own company?"
Kiara's voice broke slightly—
"No… I was trying to save it."
"By destroying someone else?" Aarav snapped.
Kiara's silence hit harder than any answer.
Arjun's voice cut in again.
"She didn't just destroy a company, Aarav…"
His eyes locked onto Kiara.
"She destroyed me."
The tension exploded.
Aarav looked at Kiara.
Not with anger.
Not fully.
But something worse.
Doubt.
For the first time—
He didn't know which side she was on.
And Kiara realized something terrifying.
The one person she needed on her side…
Was starting to lose trust in her.