Hey everyone!

Here is the prologue of the story.

Hope you will like it.

Happy Reading!

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Mechanical sounds filled the thick air in the dark room.

Alarming beeps and hurried taps echoed throughout the dense atmosphere.

And, right there, sitting in front of the whole technical setup, Maheer worked on his other project.

The dim glow of eight monitors cast eerie shadows across his face and his sculpted bare chest.

His fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard in careful precision.

The codes on the screen weren't just letters or numbers.

They were his weapon.

 Target: AS

The file name said.

Recorded CCTV footage appeared on the screen.

It was blurred, but his eagle eyes left no stone unturned and found the tiniest details in seconds.

A man in a black uniform, looking like a bodyguard, exchanged a file with another man with the same attire.

Maheer narrowed his eyes to study the file.

His eyes landed on the text, too small to notice but too large to be left unnoticed by him.

Swarang13

He read the title on the cover of the file.

He noted it down before taking out his phone.

"I told you, Mr K. This is going to be tough. I need a year, at least." 

He proclaimed over the call.

Someone spoke from the other side. Maheer nodded in response, his eyes still studying the unusual moments, if any, in the footage.

"5 Cr final. No more discussions." He said, his voice authoritative.

"I don't care. It takes extreme hard work. If you don't want the person, get lost." He said and disconnected the call.

His fingers curled into a fist, filled with rage. He threw his phone over to the couch and plucked out a wire.

The whole system got shut down.

Complete darkness took over the room.

He ran his hands over his face, getting up from his chair.

His movements were slow, gripped by the fatigue of working continuously for four days.

But then....

....he heard it.

A loud thud.

His pulse spiked.

Without any second thought, he ran out of the room hurriedly.

"Nooooo," he shouted, but the damage was done.

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"Welcome back, Crystal," his fingers brushed against her jaw.

She turned her face away in disgust.

He grinned, then laughed, laughed at her compulsion.

 "Stop calling me that. I am not your Crystal," she shouted, her eyes burning with the agony of betrayal.

Not only fire, but in her eyes, pain resided too.

The person who had turned her life upside down was standing here, with all the powers and protection, but she couldn't do anything.

A lone tear escaped her eye as the man grabbed her throat, pinning her head on the cold metal surface.

"You. Are. My. Crystal."

He groaned, his fingers digging into her skin.

A sleek gasp left her lips as he twisted her neck, and her soft cheek slammed into the rough metal, rubbing against it, giving a burning ache on her skin.

Her body shivered under his actions, and her legs weakened.

But, once again, after years, she couldn't do anything.

The coarse jute ropes were coiled tightly around her wrists and ankles, binding her in place.

Every desperate struggle only drove the fibers deeper into her skin, carving wounds that left blood all over her skin.

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"Myra," he whispered, his fingers curled around her wrist, pulling her closer.

In one swift motion, he pinned her to the trunk of a tree, his hand caging her while his eyes moved across the forest, finding any sign of danger.

She gasped, her eyes shut before slowly opening and settling into the moment, his embrace, her comfort.

While he studied the atmosphere, her oceanic eyes were studying him.

The moonlight cast a soft glow over him; his eyes were intense, his eyebrows arched, and tension was visible on his face.

But even in such an intense situation, he looked like the most peaceful thing ever.

She kept looking at him until he noticed her gaze, and an almost invisible smirk crept on his lips.

"Stop looking at me like you want to eat me right now," he said, his face serious, but his words twisted a million knots inside her stomach.

"I wasn't looking at you. You are hallucinating," she said, looking away, crossing her arms.

Her fingers brushed his chest, making his muscles tense.

But he didn't answer or react because he wanted to be assured she was safe.

After he searched all over, his eyes finally found hers.

For a moment, he froze. She was looking at him like he was the only thing that existed.

It was unusual but homely.

With a sharp exhale, he lowered his hands that caged her within.

As soon as he stepped back, the absence of his warmth hit her.

He held her hand and guided her through the woods.

The forest was dense, dark and spooky, but with him, she knew things would never go wrong.

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