Chapter 2 Nayara's breath came in shallow

Nayara's breath came in shallow gasps as Ardian Mahendra Dirgantara loomed over her. His presence was suffocating, his towering frame casting a shadow over the dimly lit room. The rich scent of expensive cologne mixed with something far colder-an air of dominance that sent a chill through her spine.

Her wrists ached from the rough bindings, her body tense as she tried to process what had just happened. One moment, she had been in the safety of Bu Siska's home, and the next, she had woken up here-trapped in a stranger's world.

No, not a stranger.

Ardian Dirgantara. The man she had been told to surrender herself to.

The man who now claimed she belonged to him.

She swallowed hard, forcing her voice to steady. "What is this? Where am I?"

Ardian didn't answer immediately. He moved to the sleek, dark wooden desk in the corner of the room, pouring himself a glass of whiskey with practiced ease. The soft clink of ice against the glass was the only sound in the suffocating silence.

"You're exactly where you need to be," he finally said, taking a slow sip. "My house. My rules."

Nayara's hands curled into fists. "You had me kidnapped."

Ardian let out a humorless chuckle, setting his glass down. "Kidnapped? No, Nayara. You were delivered."

She flinched at his words. "You think you own me? That I'm just some object to be traded?"

He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes scrutinizing her with an intensity that made her stomach twist. "That's exactly what you are. Your father's debts were astronomical. The only way to clear them was with something valuable. And it turns out, you're the most valuable thing he had left."

Rage burned through her veins, hotter than fear. "My father would never-"

"He didn't have a choice." Ardian's voice was calm, cruel in its indifference. "He gambled and lost, Nayara. And now, you're paying the price."

Her nails dug into her palms, but she refused to let her tears fall. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "So, what now?" she spat. "Are you going to keep me locked up like a prisoner?"

Ardian leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk as he studied her. "A prisoner? No. You'll have everything you need. Clothes, food, comfort... but freedom?" His lips curled into a smirk. "That, Nayara, is something you'll never have again."

Her body tensed. "You can't do this. I'll find a way out. I'll-"

"Escape?" He let out a low, mocking laugh. "By all means, try. But I promise you, the moment you step out of this house, you'll have nothing. No money. No home. No one to run to."

She froze.

Ardian took a slow, deliberate step toward her. "Even if you managed to leave, do you really think the world will welcome you back? Your father's debts ruined your name. Your so-called fiancé has already moved on, and your dear Bu Siska?" His smirk deepened. "She sold you to me without hesitation."

Nayara's stomach dropped.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head in denial. "She wouldn't-"

"Oh, but she did." Ardian's voice was cruelly smooth. "You really thought she took you in out of kindness? She was waiting for the right offer. And I paid handsomely."

Bile rose in her throat. She wanted to believe he was lying, but deep down, she knew the truth. The way Bu Siska had held her just a little too tightly, the forced warmth in her voice-it had all been an act.

She had been nothing but a commodity.

Her vision blurred with tears, but she refused to let them fall. "Why?" she choked out. "Why me? What did I ever do to you?"

The air in the room shifted. Ardian's smirk faded, replaced by something darker.

"You don't remember, do you?" His voice was dangerously soft. "What your family did to mine?"

Nayara's brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand-"

Ardian's jaw clenched. "Of course, you don't." His voice turned sharp, laced with resentment. "Your father wasn't just a businessman, Nayara. He was a thief. He destroyed my family, ruined everything my father built, and left us with nothing."

She shook her head, her mind spinning. "That's not true-"

"Isn't it?" Ardian's dark gaze bore into hers, filled with a hatred that had been brewing for years. "My father lost everything because of yours. He died in disgrace. And now, it's time for the Pradipta name to suffer the same fate."

Her breath hitched.

This wasn't just about a business deal. This was personal.

Ardian didn't just want to own her. He wanted to destroy her.

A slow, suffocating silence stretched between them. Nayara forced herself to stand taller, meeting his gaze with defiance. "If you hate me so much, why not just let me go?"

His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile. "Because keeping you here, watching you suffer, is so much more satisfying."

The weight of his words settled over her like chains.

She was trapped.

Not just in this house, but in a game she didn't even know she had been playing.

The days blurred together in a haze of suffocating luxury. Nayara was given everything she could ever need-silk dresses, gourmet meals, an entire wing of the mansion to herself.

But none of it mattered.

She was still a prisoner.

Every attempt to escape was met with failure. The mansion was guarded at all times, the windows locked, the doors requiring codes she didn't have. Ardian had ensured there was no way out.

And the worst part? He was always there. Watching. Waiting.

Their interactions were brief but suffocating. Ardian never hurt her, but his presence alone was a reminder of her captivity. A constant, looming shadow.

"You should get used to this, Nayara," he told her one evening as she sat across from him at the long dining table. "You belong to me now."

Her grip tightened around her fork. "I will never belong to you."

He chuckled, swirling the wine in his glass. "We'll see."

She hated him.

She hated the way he controlled her world, the way he spoke to her as if she was already broken.

But more than anything, she hated the way he looked at her.

Because sometimes-just sometimes-there was something in his eyes that didn't look like hatred at all.

Something that made her chest tighten in a way it shouldn't.

But it didn't matter.

Because no matter what game Ardian was playing, Nayara was determined to survive it.

And one day... she would escape.