Chapter 5 The evening air was thick with tension as Nayara

The evening air was thick with tension as Nayara stepped into Ardian's study, the massive doors closing behind her with a quiet finality. The room was dimly lit, the glow of the fireplace casting long shadows against the dark wooden shelves lining the walls. She could hear the steady ticking of the antique clock in the corner, the sound somehow amplifying the unease twisting in her stomach.

Ardian stood near the window, his silhouette sharp against the city lights outside. His posture was relaxed, almost too casual, but Nayara wasn't fooled. There was always something coiled beneath his calm demeanor-something dangerous, something waiting to strike.

"You're late," he said, his voice smooth, controlled.

"I wasn't aware I had a schedule outside of the work you assign me," Nayara replied, keeping her tone even. She wasn't in the mood for his mind games tonight.

Ardian turned slowly, his gaze locking onto hers. "You should know by now, Nayara, that everything about you is within my control."

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, but she forced herself to keep her expression neutral. "Is that what you tell yourself to justify what you're doing to me?"

His lips twitched, almost as if he found her defiance amusing. "You assume you understand my motives."

"I don't need to understand them to know they're cruel."

Ardian took a step toward her, and she instinctively took a step back. But there was nowhere to go. The heavy mahogany desk behind her pressed against her back, trapping her between the polished wood and the man standing before her.

"Do you know what the difference is between cruelty and justice, Nayara?" His voice was soft now, dangerously quiet.

She met his gaze without flinching. "Enlighten me."

His fingers brushed against the side of her face, the touch featherlight but burning like fire. "Cruelty is when pain is inflicted without purpose. Justice, on the other hand, is pain with meaning."

She swallowed hard, her heart hammering against her ribs. "And which one are you inflicting on me, Ardian?"

His fingers traced down to her chin, tilting her face up slightly. "I haven't decided yet."

Her breath hitched, but she refused to let him see her falter. "You think you have all the control, don't you?"

Ardian's smirk deepened. "I don't think, Nayara. I know."

She could feel the heat of his body so close to hers, the scent of his cologne-dark, musky, intoxicating. Every nerve in her body was on edge, her mind screaming at her to push him away, to run. But her body betrayed her, frozen under his gaze.

"You want to hate me," he murmured, his fingers barely grazing her jaw before he stepped back, putting distance between them.

Nayara exhaled, realizing only then that she had been holding her breath. "I do hate you."

Ardian chuckled, low and deep. "Not as much as you want to."

---

The following days blurred together in a tense rhythm of work and unspoken battles. Nayara had begun to understand the world Ardian lived in-a world of power, control, and ruthlessness. She saw it in the way he handled business, in the way men twice his age spoke to him with barely concealed fear.

But what unsettled her most was how easily he wielded that power over her.

Every interaction between them was a test, a push and pull of defiance and dominance. Ardian thrived on it, and she hated how easily he could unnerve her.

One evening, she was working late in his office, trying to ignore the weight of his presence as he sat across from her, reviewing documents. The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words.

"You haven't tried to run again," he finally said, breaking the quiet.

She didn't look up. "There's no point."

His chair creaked slightly as he leaned back. "That's not like you."

She set her pen down and met his gaze. "You don't know what I'm like."

Ardian studied her for a long moment before responding. "I know you don't break easily. And I know you won't stay here without a fight. So why aren't you fighting anymore?"

Nayara inhaled sharply. "Who says I'm not?"

A slow smile played on his lips. "Then tell me, Nayara. What's your plan?"

She hesitated. She had been planning, of course she had. She just wasn't sure if it was a plan she could execute-at least, not yet.

Instead of answering, she deflected. "Why do you even care?"

Ardian stood, moving toward the window. "I don't."

"Liar," she shot back before she could stop herself.

His head tilted slightly, as if her accusation amused him. "You're becoming bolder."

"And you're avoiding my question."

Ardian turned to face her fully, his expression unreadable. "Because you intrigue me, Nayara."

Her breath caught at his words, at the quiet intensity in his voice.

"You act as though you hate me," he continued, his gaze dark, calculating. "And yet, you look at me like you're searching for something."

Her pulse quickened. "I'm searching for a way out of this."

"Are you?" He took a slow step toward her. "Or are you searching for a reason to stay?"

She forced herself to hold his gaze. "I would never choose to stay here."

Ardian reached out, his fingers barely grazing her wrist before he pulled away. "Let's see how long that certainty lasts."

---

That night, Nayara found herself unable to sleep. She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind replaying the day's events.

She hated him.

She should hate him.

But there was something about Ardian that unsettled her in a way she didn't understand. He was cruel, yes, but he wasn't careless. He played with power like it was a game, but there were moments-fleeting, barely-there moments-when he looked at her with something she couldn't name.

Something almost human.

A knock at the door made her sit up abruptly.

Before she could respond, the door opened slightly, and Ardian stepped inside.

Her heart pounded. "What are you doing?"

His expression was unreadable in the dim light. "I needed to see you."

"At this hour?" She folded her arms, trying to ignore the way her skin prickled under his gaze.

Ardian stepped closer, and she could see something in his eyes-something almost hesitant. "I don't like unanswered questions."

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

He exhaled sharply, as if debating something within himself before finally speaking. "You said you hate me."

Nayara stiffened. "I meant it."

Ardian's gaze darkened. "Then why do I feel like you're lying?"

She opened her mouth to snap back, but before she could, Ardian reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek. The touch was gentle, so unlike him that it sent a shiver down her spine.

"You keep challenging me," he murmured. "And I don't know if I want to break you or..." His voice trailed off, and for the first time, Nayara saw something raw in his expression.

Her breath caught. "Or what?"

Ardian's jaw tightened. "Or let you win."

The words sent a jolt through her, and for a moment, the air between them felt too thick, too charged with something neither of them wanted to name.

She should push him away. She should.

But she didn't.

Because as much as she wanted to run, as much as she wanted to escape him...

Somewhere deep down, she knew he was the only person who could truly set her free.