Page 32 of The Redemption
Anger sparks inside me instantly. I lift my chin, refusing to let his warning intimidate me. “I’ve heard that you don’t kill women,” I mock, my eyes meeting his without flinching. “Has that changed?”
His dark eyes stay locked on mine, burning in a way that would have made most people look away. But I don’t.
“I don’t kill women,” he says at last, his jaw tight as he forces his temper under control. “But I can definitely bury one in my vineyard, and make sure she never sees the light again.”
Before my mind fully processes what he said, I react, shoving him back with all my strength. The sudden movement catches him off guard just enough for him to release my arms.
“As if I would let you do that,” I snap, taking an immediate step back. “I’m not one of those showpiece mafia princesses you might have been acquainted with in your past, RK.” My fingers curl into fists at my sides as I glare at him. “One wrong look, onewrong touch… and I can make even the mightiest men like you crawl on their knees.”
He looks furious, the expression on his face so dark that it looks like he might actually lose control. I brace myself, half expecting him to step forward again, to grab me like before and prove that my words mean nothing in his world. But he doesn’t. He simply turns and walks away without another word or threat.
“Unbelievable,” I mutter under my breath.
The man truly believes he can threaten me and walk away as if nothing happened. I shake my head lightly and turn towards the exit as well, ready to return to my suite and forget that this ridiculous encounter ever happened. But the moment I take a step, something catches my eye. A faint flash of gold glimmers near the floor under the pool lights.
I pause and look down at the small object lying on the tiles where Raghav stood just moments before. Bending slightly, I pick it up and turn the object between my fingers.
It’s a pendant.
Solid gold. Simple, but clearly expensive.
It must have slipped from the chain around his neck during our argument. I turn it over and notice the engraving immediately.
The letterRis carved into the centre.
Rfor Raghav. Of course.
I glance towards the exit where he disappeared only seconds ago. I consider going after him to return it. It’s the logical thing to do. But why should I go after him? The man literally threatened to bury me alive in his vineyard two minutes ago. I stare down at the pendant resting in my palm and scoff.
“If you’re careless enough to lose something like this,” I murmur, “then that’s your problem, RK.”
I’m certainly not doing any favours tonight for a man who clearly believes threatening me is an acceptable way to end aconversation. With that thought firmly in place, I turn away from the pool and walk back towards the corridor leading to my suite, the gold pendant resting warmly in my hand.
I’ll return it tomorrow, either to him or to one of his staff. Tonight, he can very well wonder where it has disappeared. And perhaps the next time he decides to threaten someone, he’ll remember that even the mighty Dark Prince is capable of losing things when his temper gets the better of him.
CHAPTER 8
RAGHAV
Same Night – An hour later
I step out of the bathroom of my villa and walk towards the dressing area, with a towel still draped loosely around my waist. But my mind keeps returning to what happened at the pool. I hadn’t expected to see Siya Vardhaan lounging by my pool, wearing that skimpy black nightie of hers. But it wasn’t the sight of her that annoyed me, it was the way she spoke.
“One wrong look, one wrong touch, and I can make even the mightiest men like you crawl on their knees.”
The nerve of that woman. She actually believes she could bring me to my knees. The thought almost makes me laugh. No one has ever brought me down like this. But the real shock tonight was Siya telling me that her mother knows the Dark Prince is alive. My fingers slowly curl into fists. She had said it so casually, as though it were just another passing remark.
No. I cannot trust Siya and her mother. They are Vardhaans. And if they know the biggest secret of my life, then they’re not just a problem. They are a threat that could tear apart everything I have spent years building here.
For a moment, I just stand there, breathing hard, my reflection staring back at me from the mirror. Instinctively, my hand lifts to my neck. That’s when I notice the thin gold chain is still there… but the pendant is missing.
I stare at the bare spot against my skin, as if refusing to believe what my eyes are telling me. That’s not possible.
That pendant has been around my neck since my childhood. It’s a part of my past that has stayed with me through every version of the man I have been.How could I lose it?
I look around the bedroom, scanning the floor, the carpet, and the space near the bed. Nothing. I turn abruptly and march back into the bathroom in panic. Maybe it slipped off while I was in the shower. Again, nothing.
I return to the bedroom, this time searching the drawers. I check the bedside table, the shelves, and then shove the chair aside to look underneath it. Still nothing.
