Part 21: The Price of Obedience
Rafael's voice echoed through the hall, calm but carrying a venom that made the walls shiver.
"Where is she?" he asked, a cruel smile tucked at the corner of his lips.
Aarush's throat tightened. He said nothing.
Rafael's voice snapped like a whip. "WHERE. IS. SHE?"
Aarush flinched, the weight of fear pressing down on him. "I… in her room," he whispered, barely audible.
Rafael's smile widened — cold, deliberate, victorious. "Of course she is."
He stood from his chair, straightening his blazer over his shoulder as he turned toward the stairs. But before he could take a single step, Aarush dropped to his knees and grabbed Rafael's leg.
"Please, brother," he pleaded, voice shaking. "Leave her… she's innocent. Please don't ruin her. Please." His words broke as he clung tighter, pride forgotten, desperation raw in his tone.
From behind the locked door, Bhuvanya's voice echoed faintly. "What's happening? Open the door!"
Rafael's expression hardened. He looked down at Aarush — and with a sudden, violent kick, sent him sprawling across the marble floor.
"Why so protective, Aarush?" Rafael asked, his voice mocking, low, and venomous. "Is she your partner? Did you touch what belongs to me?"
Aarush's head lifted weakly, blood trickling from his lip. "Brother… it's not like that. But please, don't do this to her…"
"Shut up." Rafael's tone turned sharp, cutting. "She's mine. You're nothing but a pawn — used to bring her here. Don't forget that."
The words struck deeper than any blow. Aarush's fists clenched against the marble, helpless.
Rafael turned, climbing the staircase slowly, each step echoing like a countdown to something terrible.
Kabir and Arav remained rooted where they stood — their eyes glued to the floor, hands trembling at their sides. They didn't dare breathe too loud. They knew what happened when someone challenged Rafael.
At the top of the stairs, Rafael paused before Bhuvanya's door. He raised his hand and knocked — once, twice — the sound echoing through the silence.
Inside, Bhuvanya's heartbeat raced wildly. Her hands trembled as she stepped back.
"Who's there?" she whispered.
Rafael's voice slid through the door like poison-coated silk. "The one you belong to, dear."
Her stomach dropped. "I'm not yours," she said sharply, trying to sound brave, though her voice cracked slightly.
Downstairs, Aarush stumbled to his feet, chest heaving. "Please… stop!" he shouted, pushing himself toward the stairs.
Rafael turned his head, his patience finally snapping. "ENOUGH! Go back, Aarush!"
But Aarush didn't stop. He grabbed Rafael by the collar, rage and terror clashing in his eyes. "I won't let you touch her!"
Rafael laughed — a dark, bitter laugh that froze the air. "Oh… now you dare grab me, little brother?"
In one fluid motion, he reached into his blazer and pulled out a gun, pressing the cold barrel to Aarush's forehead.
"Back off," Rafael said softly, eyes gleaming with lethal calm. "Or I'll forget you're my brother."
Aarush's breath came shallow, but he didn't move. For a heartbeat, the entire mansion seemed to hold still — servants frozen mid-step, the brothers below too terrified to lift their gaze.
Inside the room, Bhuvanya shouted again. "What's going on? Open the door!" Her voice cracked, panic bleeding through.
Rafael's head tilted slightly, his gaze flicking back toward the locked door. Then he smirked.
"Oh… locked from the outside," he murmured, amusement curling through his tone. "I thought it was from the inside."
He lowered the gun slowly, slipping it back into his blazer. Turning toward the door, he reached for the latch.
Aarush lunged forward, grabbing Rafael's wrist before it touched the handle. "Don't," he rasped, every ounce of defiance left in him burning in his eyes. "Don't you dare."
For a moment, they stood there — brothers, locked in a silent war. The older one calm, predatory, unstoppable; the younger trembling, desperate, but unyielding.
Rafael's smirk faded. His voice turned quiet, deadly. "You've forgotten your place, Aarush. You were supposed to obey… not challenge."
He wrenched his hand free, stepping closer until their foreheads nearly touched. "You want to protect her?" Rafael whispered. "Then pray. Because next time… I won't stop at words."
Rafael turned sharply and descended the stairs again, leaving Aarush trembling at the door — half-broken, half-burning with rage.
Inside, Bhuvanya sank to the floor, pressing her back against the wall, tears blurring her vision. She didn't understand everything she'd heard, but one truth rang loud and clear in her chest:
Whatever this house was… whatever these men were hiding…
It was only beginning to show its real face.
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