🖤 Contract of Blood and Love 🖤
The underground room fell silent.
Dead silent.
Only the sound of footsteps echoed slowly from the staircase above.
Measured.
Calm.
Confident.
And then—
Viktor Dragovich appeared.
Dressed in black.
Hands behind his back.
Like he had all the time in the world.
Behind him stood armed men, their guns already aimed.
Instantly, Aryan Malhotra stepped in front of Anaya Sen.
Shielding her completely.
Viktor noticed.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"How predictable."
Aryan's voice dropped dangerously low.
"You should've stayed dead."
Viktor chuckled softly.
"And miss this moment?"
His eyes shifted to Anaya.
"No."
Anaya's chest tightened instantly.
Something about the way he looked at her—
It wasn't normal.
It wasn't just obsession.
It was… personal.
"You lied to me," she whispered.
Viktor tilted his head slightly.
"About which part?"
Anger flashed across her face.
"My father."
At that—
The smile on Viktor's face faded.
For the first time, his expression turned serious.
"Your father betrayed me."
Aryan's jaw tightened.
Viktor slowly walked into the room.
His men stayed near the stairs.
Watching.
Waiting.
"He was my closest friend once," Viktor continued quietly.
"We built everything together."
Anaya shook her head.
"No…"
"He promised loyalty," Viktor said.
"Then one night…"
His eyes darkened.
"He disappeared."
Silence filled the room.
Anaya's breathing became uneven.
"And he took something important," Viktor finished.
"The chip?" Aryan asked coldly.
Viktor looked at him.
"Not just the chip."
Then—
His gaze returned to Anaya.
"He took her."
The room froze.
Anaya stared at him.
"What…?"
Viktor stepped closer.
Aryan instantly raised his gun.
"Another step and you die."
Viktor stopped.
But he smiled again.
"You still don't understand."
His voice lowered.
"She was never supposed to live a normal life."
Anaya's heartbeat pounded painfully.
"What are you talking about?"
Viktor looked directly into her eyes.
"When you were a child…"
"…you remembered everything."
Fragments flashed through Anaya's mind instantly.
Dark rooms.
Voices.
Codes.
Fear.
She grabbed her head.
"No…"
Viktor continued calmly.
"Your father realized what they wanted to do to you."
Aryan frowned slightly.
"They?"
Viktor's expression hardened.
"There are people far above this empire, Malhotra."
Even Aryan went still at that tone.
"Organizations that would kill nations for what's inside those chips."
Anaya's breathing shook.
"My father… hid me?"
Viktor nodded once.
"Yes."
For a moment—
Hope flickered inside her.
But then Viktor destroyed it.
"He also erased your memory."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Anaya felt like the floor disappeared beneath her.
"What…?"
"He used experimental drugs," Viktor said coldly.
"To make you forget everything."
Aryan's eyes narrowed instantly.
"That's why the injections affected her."
Viktor nodded slowly.
"Her memories were never gone."
His gaze darkened.
"They were buried."
Anaya stepped back weakly.
Tears filled her eyes again.
"So my whole life…"
"…was a lie?"
No one answered.
Because it was.
Suddenly—
Another memory hit her.
Sharp.
Violent.
A younger version of herself crying.
Her father kneeling in front of her.
Saying—
"If they find you… run."
Anaya gasped softly.
Aryan immediately caught her arm.
"Anaya."
Her fingers gripped his sleeve tightly.
"He knew…" she whispered brokenly.
"He knew they would come for me…"
Aryan looked at her face—
At the fear breaking through her eyes—
And something inside him snapped again.
He turned toward Viktor.
Pure rage burning in his expression.
"You used a child."
Viktor's voice remained calm.
"I tried to protect an asset."
Aryan moved before anyone could react.
He grabbed Viktor by the collar violently and slammed him against the wall.
The guards aimed instantly.
Guns raised.
But Aryan didn't care.
His voice turned deadly.
"She's not an asset."
Viktor looked at him calmly despite the grip crushing his collar.
"No?"
Then he smiled slightly.
"Look at you."
His gaze flicked toward Anaya.
"You already belong to her."
That single sentence hit deeper than expected.
Because it was true.
Aryan's grip tightened harder.
But before anything else could happen—
Anaya suddenly whispered—
"Aryan…"
Her voice sounded wrong.
Weak.
Both men turned instantly.
Anaya swayed slightly.
Her vision blurring again.
Then she whispered something that changed everything.
"I remember the final code…"
Silence crashed through the room.
Even Viktor froze.
Anaya slowly lifted tear-filled eyes.
And spoke the numbers softly.
The room went deadly still.
Because the war…
Had finally reached its endgame.