Aarya Malhotra tightened her grip on the gun. The metallic scent of rust mixed with damp air in the dimly lit warehouse. Across from her, Rudra Sen stood with his hands raised, his usual arrogance replaced by something unreadable.

"I should’ve known you’d be behind this," Aarya spat, voice sharp.

Rudra smirked, shaking his head. "For once, Malhotra, this isn’t my game. We’re both pawns in someone else’s."

Aarya didn't believe him. She had spent years hunting him, exposing his corrupt deals, dragging his name through the mud in courtrooms and headlines. She had lost people—friends, allies—to his empire. But tonight, the game had changed.

When she received an anonymous tip about Rudra's secret deal, she had rushed to the abandoned docks, expecting to catch him in the act. Instead, she found him trapped in a steel cage like an animal. Before she could process it, the warehouse doors slammed shut behind her.

Now, they were both locked in, a red timer on the far wall ticking down from thirty minutes.

"This isn't my doing," Rudra said, stepping closer. Aarya raised her gun, stopping him mid-step.

"Stay where you are."

"Use your damn brain, Malhotra!" he snapped. "Who would benefit from both of us being dead?"

Aarya hesitated. She had assumed Rudra was the mastermind, but if he was the target too… who else had the power to trap them both?

The realization settled uneasily in her stomach.

She had been hunting the wrong enemy.

The Real Threat

A sudden crackling sound filled the air. Aarya turned, spotting an old speaker mounted in the corner.

“Tick tock, Malhotra. Tick tock, Sen.”

The voice was distorted, mechanical—impossible to recognize.

Aarya exchanged a glance with Rudra. Whoever had orchestrated this was watching.

The voice continued. “I grew tired of your cat-and-mouse game. Thought I’d speed things up. One of you leaves alive. The other? Well…”

A loud beep. The countdown shifted to ten minutes.

“Your move.”

The voice cut off. Silence. Then, a soft click—a small handgun dropped from the ceiling, landing between them.

A death game.

"Looks like our mystery host wants blood," Rudra murmured.

Aarya ignored the gun. “You have more enemies than I can count, Sen. Who did you cross this time?”

Rudra’s expression darkened. “This isn’t about me.”

Aarya felt her heart race. She had spent years going after Rudra—but what if she had only been attacking the face, not the real power behind him?

Who was pulling the strings?

The Hidden Betrayal

Rudra moved first, stepping past the gun and toward a metal cabinet near the far wall. “We need to get out before that bomb goes off.”

Aarya followed, her instincts screaming at her. “You’re way too calm for someone about to die.”

“I don’t panic,” he said flatly, yanking the cabinet open. Inside—wires, a control panel, and a laptop with a black screen.

Aarya took a step back, realization slamming into her.

“This isn’t just a trap. It’s a test.”

Rudra nodded grimly. “Someone wants to see what we’ll do when we’re backed into a corner.”

Aarya’s mind raced. Who would benefit from pitting them against each other?

And then—it hit her.

Karan Thakur.

Aarya's own boss.

He had always warned her about Rudra, fueling her war against him. But recently, she had uncovered something disturbing—several of Rudra’s most dangerous deals weren’t his at all.

They were Karan’s.

He had been using her as a weapon.

Rudra must have caught the shift in her expression. “You figured it out.”

Aarya clenched her jaw. “If we get out of here, I’m taking Thakur down.”

Rudra smirked. “Now you’re talking.”

The Escape & the Double Cross

Aarya scanned the control panel, searching for an override. Rudra pulled out his pocket knife, prying open the back.

Five minutes left.

Aarya’s fingers flew over the keys, attempting to access the system. No luck. Whoever set this up was smarter than she had anticipated.

Rudra’s voice was calm. “The old-fashioned way, then.”

He cut the blue wire. The countdown stopped.

Aarya let out a breath—only for the screen to flash:

Secondary Detonation Engaged.

The timer reset—thirty seconds.

Aarya’s blood ran cold.

“This was never about a bomb,” Rudra murmured. “It’s about what happens after it goes off.”

The real plan wasn’t to kill them here. It was to make it look like they died together.

Karan wanted them erased.

Rudra grabbed her wrist. “We have to run. Now.”

They sprinted toward the exit as the final ten seconds ticked away.

The Warehouse Explodes

They barely made it out before the entire warehouse erupted in flames. The force sent them flying—Aarya hit the ground hard, coughing as smoke filled the air.

Rudra pulled her up. “We need to disappear. If Thakur thinks we’re dead, we have an advantage.”

Aarya’s mind spun. “You expect me to go on the run with you?”

His smirk returned. “I expect you to survive.”

She should hate him. She had spent years hating him. But now?

She had bigger enemies.

Aarya nodded. “Let’s finish this.”

Together.



The Twist Ending

As they walked away from the wreckage, Rudra spoke without looking at her.

“One question, Malhotra.”

She tensed. “What?”

A pause. Then—“Did you ever wonder why I never tried to kill you?”

Aarya stopped walking.

For years, she had attacked his empire. Yet he had never truly retaliated.

Her breath caught.

“You knew,” she whispered.

Rudra’s silence was answer enough.

He had known about Karan. Maybe even before she did.

And he had let her believe he was the villain—because as long as she was chasing him, she wasn’t looking at the real enemy.

Aarya’s grip tightened around her gun. She had just allied with a man she couldn’t trust.

Or maybe… he was the only one she could.

Either way, the game wasn’t over.

It was just beginning.