I am His!

Japanese cheesecake or New York cheesecake?

I looked at the two delicious items on my dining table waiting for me to devour. It's already been 30 minutes since I have been sitting at the table for my breakfast, and my stomach is rumbling with hunger. The only problem is, I don't know what to choose. The 15-seater dining table is empty, with all the food prepared as usual for anyone to eat.

Anyone, in the sense, my family. Reddy's Mafia family, to be precise. Since my parents, their subordinates, and their subordinates live around this mansion, the food is always being cooked. There are other items on the table as well, but I don't want to see and confuse myself with what to eat this morning. I am already confused enough with these two cakes.

"Could you help me choose my breakfast? Jiggling cheesecake or creamy cheesecake?"

My personal, assigned friend, Aarushi, answered, "Princess has an appetite to eat both, so why bother asking?"

Her family has been working under us for generations. She is my assigned friend, her mother is my mother's assigned friend, and her grandmother is my grandmother's assigned friend. This is because women from Mafia families rarely have social lives, so they are assigned a friend who is loyal and trustworthy.

"Don't call me Princess, I am your friend. Call me Aadhya." I pouted. "Please, pick one name so that I can eat already."

I have trouble with decision-making. Maybe because everything is spoon-fed to me or assigned. Any other time, Mummy or my godmother, Aarushi's mother, would serve me breakfast. But today, all of them were having a secret meeting without me, leaving me to this hard decision. What should I eat?

I stopped hitting my feet on the floor as soon as I heard my Papa's voice, "How about eating healthy instead of cake first thing in the morning, Princess?"

Healthy? Should I eat Japanese cheesecake or New York cheesecake or healthy? Oh, now there is a third option for me to choose. God! Please end this misery.

As if God answered my prayers, Papa inverted a small bowl on my plate and moved away the cakes. I don't even know the name of the dish I am eating, but I started stuffing my face. The last time I remember, I used to pick and leave it. Now that I am hungry, I don't mind eating it. It tastes healthy, though.

"Wait, is it carrot or potato?" I asked my papa.

He took a moment of silence before sighing. "Sometimes I think I over-pampered you, Aadhya. Beans. The vegetable you are eating is beans. And how did you even guess the cake names right but got the vegetable names wrong?"

"It's written on the cake box, duh!" I mean, why can't they do the same for vegetables?

It would be easier for me to identify.

By this time, the ladies came out as well from their secret meeting and sat facing me as if they planned something against me. Am I adopted? Or do I have an evil twin?

"Can you stop overthinking for a while and listen to us for a second, Aadhya?" my mother said in a loud voice.

Now this is scaring the shits out of me! Coming from a Mafia family, we are always dressed in black, and it feels like my own funeral planning. Something is surely fishy, and I can't stop overthinking.

"It's time for you to get married. We have arranged your marriage with Mr. Menon," Mummy said in a no-nonsense tone.

"But I just reached 18 years," I said, trying to finish my food and stomp my feet on the floor.

"You are already 22," all of them said in unison, as if today was my birthday. But wait, last I remember I was 18, being celebrated for officially becoming part of Reddy's Mafia family. So many years have passed since that day, and I am still stuck there.

Damn you, Covid-19. I didn't get to enjoy my years.

"Papa, we are from the Mafia. What if Mr. Menon pisses his pants seeing a gun in the house?" I laughed aloud.

"He comes from a Mafia family as well. His family has the highest number of dens under their control. Mr. Menon is the son of the leader of the Menon Empire," my father explained.

The profile sounds good, but I am still not ready. I haven't been to college like other girls, nor have I been out of the Reddy mansion. If I get married to Mr. Menon, I am pretty sure I will stay inside the Menon mansion. There are a lot of things to do in my life. Like... I don't know.

"Princess, we always look for your best. Till today, we chose everything for you, and this will be the last thing we choose. Just accept it and you will be in the safest hands." They were literally pleading.

My family is one of the strongest Mafia gangs, and seeing them so weak made me super sad. "I will think and let you know, Papa."

"You and thinking? For heaven's sake, Aadhya, I agreed to this marriage proposal as I have complete trust in your overthinking. Trust me and just say yes. If you start thinking, it will take forever to come to a conclusion." My mother was stubborn.

"My life, my rules." I stood up and stomped my feet on the floor and left the room. Bet they were stunned by my killer attitude. A few steps later, I realized I didn't finish my breakfast and went back to get it.

My father laughed and handed me the bowl as well as both cake boxes. "I won't fall for your cute antics, Aadhya."

Cute? My foot! I was being a badass. I pulled Aarushi's hand with me and marched to the garden. The fresh breeze would soothe me.

"Please help me, Aarushi. I want to get married but I don't want to as well. What should I do? All my life I have been inside the mansion, I want to live like all the princesses in fairytales. I just want to fall in some hole and open a new world." She is my age person, so she can understand me. I actually trust Aarushi a lot more than my confused self.

"Run away from home." I choked on the cake I was eating. "There is such a beautiful world outside your mansion's gates. Nobody would speak of killing each other. Girls of our age can walk freely at midnight too." She continued.

"Really? But everyone knows I am Aadhya Reddy, and my parents always said the world outside is unfair and I am safe only inside the gates."

She chuckled. "They are playing with you, Aadhya. I have been outside the gates, and it is completely different from your house. Your parents think you are still a child. Are you?"

"Hell NO! I am not a child. I can take my own decisions. I will escape from the house and this stupid marriage. Let them know I can explore the world alone without anyone's support." I puffed.

"That's the strong Aadhya I know," she smiled. "Now before you run away, leave everything which proves your identity. You must look like a common person so that nobody can recognize you."

"Oh! Should I time travel or go to a witch for a magic potion? How do I become unrecognizable?" This is so hard.

"You know, if there is anything I like about you, it's your stupidity. You just need to remove all the expensive attire of yours and dress up like a commoner. I can lend you my clothes and prepare you."

Whoa! It is that simple. Aarushi is truly a genius. By the way, what's there to like about being stupid? Anyway, I am so excited and nervous. A few minutes later, Aarushi came with a sack of her belongings to my room. She pulled out a simple black frock along with the servant's brooch to pin on my shoulder. After wearing the dress, Aarushi tied my long hair into a tight bun like hers. She removed all the makeup I had on my face, revealing my smooth skin.

"Now you look like a perfect maid." She laughed. "Aadhya, the servant." She started laughing hard.

My reflection speaks the truth. We both look so alike after the makeover. Wow, nobody will recognize me. I twirled around in happiness, and Aarushi stopped her laugh.

"What are you doing?"

"I am so happy, Aarushi. You are very talented, thank you." I hugged her.

She pulled out of my hug, "You must not be happy from now on, Aadhya. I mean, you are a servant, and people might get suspicious if a servant is happy."

Woah! There is so much to learn in my life. Now I blame my parents for not showing me the beautiful world outside and hiding me here. Anyways, I will be free from tomorrow. My beautiful life, here I come.

As soon as the clock struck twelve midnight, I sneaked out along with Aarushi. She made sure that I left anything which would suspect my real identity. I didn't even have a single coin on me. Aarushi would throw the bag of money and my clothes towards me as soon as I jumped from the tall wall. After climbing secretly with the help of a ladder, I saw the other side and it scared me.

"Aarushi, I am afraid. It's so dark and I can't see anything on the other side." I shivered with the thought of being alone.

"Don't worry, I placed a cushion for you. As soon as you jump, you will be safe. Please hurry up, someone might see us." She hurried inside as soon as she noticed someone coming to our side, promising to come back here after they were gone.

I waited for more than fifteen minutes, but Aarushi did not come. I was alone, standing on the wall just a foot away from my freedom. But it bothered me for unknown reasons. Will I really be happy away from my family? Should I just marry Mr. Menon and be safe? A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by a thousand. It's so cold out here, and there is no one with me.

My body swayed with the wind and was about to fall on the other side of the mansion wall, but I stopped as soon as a bright light filled the entire mansion. Instead of the cushion, there were huge rocks. The thought of falling on those hard rocks scared the living shit out of me. Aarushi must have forgotten to place the cushions. All thanks to my overthinking, I did not jump.

I turned back to look at the bright light source and froze the next second. This is a nightmare. The mansion is burning while some people are just slashing my family's throats.

"Mummy!" I screamed, but nobody could hear me as I was very far from the mansion.

I came down the ladder and ran towards my family, my house, where I belong. My feet hurt as I wasn't used to running barefoot. As I came closer and closer, I saw my people on the floor, lifeless. I finally spotted my father-until someone slashed his throat too, right in front of my eyes.

I slumped to the floor at the sight of my father struggling for his life. The person who slashed his throat continued slashing the bodyguards without remorse. How cruel can one be to kill someone?

My father motioned his fingers to run away, but I couldn't even lift a finger after this scene. Instead, I ran towards him. The men who killed were nowhere to be seen. They left once they were sure everyone was dead and left the building to burn. It wasn't a sight to see or feel. The temperature in the mansion rose, and I started panting.

"Papa," I cried next to him.

He shook his head at my attire and whispered, "Never." He must be in shock to see his princess in a servant uniform. I wiped my tears and tried to stop his throat from bleeding, but nothing worked. I sat there wailing, and my father tried to say something with much difficulty.

"Don't trust... anyone... Menon." He pressed my palm and left his final breath.

"Papa!" I screamed.

My body shook with every sob as I sat between many lifeless bodies. Just an hour ago, it was normal, and how everything became a cemetery.

I tried to think about what my father said a few moments ago. Did he mean not to trust anyone except Menon? Or not to trust anyone including Menon?

The fire started spreading, and I didn't know what to do or how to escape. All of a sudden, a door burst open with a bunch of men storming inside the mansion.

They came again? I tried to run away and hide but crashed into a strong body.

I looked up from his black suit to his face. His eyes were furious and his jaw tightened. His dark hair was falling over his forehead as he looked down to match my height.

"Check if anyone is still alive," he ordered the people behind him, and they all hurried to complete the duty.

His heart still isn't satisfied with all the killings? He still wants to make sure all of our people are dead and wants to kill every single person. A sob escaped, and I tried to run away from him, but he pulled me back by my arm, and I once again crashed into him.

A wooden decor from the ceiling fell down with the fire, and I jumped in fear. I instantly hugged this person as if he would save me from this nightmare. What was I even thinking, hugging a murderer?

I instantly pushed him with all my force and questioned, "Who the hell are you?"

"Aadhya?" I heard Aarushi's mother's voice from behind me. I turned with huge hope to see someone alive. She didn't have a single scratch, and I was so relieved to see her safe and sound. I was about to run towards her and hug her, but this monster held me tight in his arms.

"Do you want to know?" he questioned. His eyes, which were dangerously on me, moved a few degrees behind me. He pulled out his gun and shot something-or someone.

I hurriedly turned back to see my godmother now dead. He shot her between her eyebrows. A knife in her hand dropped-must be to protect herself.

Wasting no time, I picked the knife and stabbed this man in his torso. I don't know if it pierced his heart, liver, or brain. All I know is the knife is inside his torso. Point to note: I never held a knife, let alone killed someone.

"Kartik!" the guy almost the same age as this person screamed.

Kartik clenched his jaw, pulled the knife out, and threw it aside. "I am fine. Did you find anyone alive?"

The hell is wrong with this guy? He is bleeding right now and still cares if anyone is still alive. Why is he so passionate about killing everyone?

"All are dead, and the mansion is burnt ninety percent," that guy replied.

My heart sank. Even though the truth is in front of my eyes, I still chose to believe someone is still alive out there and will protect me.

"Gautam, arrange the vehicle. We need to leave," Kartik said and started dragging me along with him.

I resisted, but my strength was no match for him. He is at least ten times stronger than all the men here. With every second, his speed increased, and I almost skipped a few steps. By the time we were near the gates, the mansion collapsed with a loud bang. All the bright fire was gone, replaced by darkness and dust. The entire scene slowly faded as I shut my eyes and fainted.

The last thing I heard was a faint voice: "Kartik, control your anger."

...

The soft bed was warm and cozy. I tried to pull the blanket as much as I could to cover myself and sleep more. My body felt so relaxed as if I were sleep-deprived. That's funny! Princess Aadhya is good at one thing, and that's to sleep well.

I tried to pull any pillow around me but found none, which is surprising as my bed is filled with pillows. I love being surrounded by pillows. I slowly opened my eyes to spot any nearby but frowned. The bed sheets, the bed, the wall, and the entire freaking room are different. I am somewhere else!

I sat up in shock. One by one, memories came back-how my parents arranged my marriage with Mr. Menon, I rejected it and tried to run away from my house in disguise, someone wiping out the entire Reddy family, and finally being kidnapped by the person who killed my family.

I stormed to the door and started banging on it. I don't care how many people are outside. I will fight every single person and escape. The door opened, revealing the same man who kidnapped me. What was his name again?

Kartik?

"Trying to run away, are we?" he questioned and locked the door from inside.

He is wearing a night robe while I am still in my servant uniform. The robe revealed his upper chest muscles slightly, and he smelled of aftershave.

"How can you face me after killing my family?" I punched his chest.

He winced, and I remembered I stabbed him earlier. I felt bad for hurting a person, but I chose to brush all these thoughts aside for now.

"That lady? Isn't she your maid?" he questioned back, rubbing the wound to ease his pain.

"She is still my family," I gritted my teeth. "Her life is still valuable. She must have felt so much pain."

"No, she was dead in a second. But I wish she felt pain instead of the painless death," he answered casually.

Anger rose within me. I started punching him. "You monster, how heartless can you be?"

He dodged my punches with ease. The smirk on his face grew wider with every miss. This only added fuel to me. I pulled his hair in both of my fists, and he yelled in pain.

Okay! Now that's what it takes to hurt this monster Kartik.

"Aadhya, leave me. Don't touch my hair." He tried to loosen my grip, but I didn't budge.

"Finally, someone is feeling pain. You deserve this for killing my family." I pulled his hair more strongly. At this rate, he would surely be bald.

"It's my final warning, Aadhya." His voice was now getting stronger.

"Will I miss my flight after the final warning?" I provoked.

With a swift movement, he pulled me up and pinned me to the wall. My legs still hanging, and my arms around his neck, trying to support myself. His entire body is pressed against mine. I squirmed, trying to get away from him, but it was futile as my body just rubbed against his.

"Stop moving," he roared.

I froze for a moment but got back to my senses. He needs to be punished in any way, and once again, I started pulling his hair.

"You stop moving!" I roared back.

He pulled me from the wall, and now I am completely clinging onto his strong body for support. My legs around his waist, my chest to his eye level, and his hair in my grip.

He threw me on the bed in a swift motion. The spring mattress bounced my body a little. I looked up to him standing in front of me. He looked so much taller in this view, and I felt tinier than ever.

I sat up and tried to lunge for his hair, but he pushed me back and pinned me to the bed. Now he is laying on top of me, and me under him. His right leg is between my legs, and my arms above my head-he locked both my wrists with one palm. I had nowhere to go and lay under his mercy.

His nose flared with heavy breaths and fanned just above my breasts from the tiny opening of the dress. I shivered under his powerful gaze and hold.

He slowly looked at my lips, then my eyes, and back to my lips. "You asked for it, Aadhya. Don't say I didn't warn you."

What does it mean? Holy shit! Did he get any wrong idea with our position? My eyes went wide when I saw him opening the knot of his robe.

No! That's the only thing keeping him dressed.

He held the belt of the robe in his hand, still pinning me down under him. The blue robe was now loose around him, revealing his strong muscles. With every breath he took, his chest muscles twitched, and his abs grew even harder. This guy surely works extremely well on his body.

I tried to wiggle under him, but it was of no use since both my legs and arms were pinned.

"Just let me go, please. I seriously don't want to have sex with you," I pleaded as his face got closer to mine. His breath now fanned over my face, and my entire form was drenched in sweat. I shut my eyes and started repeating "please" as many times as I could.

After a few seconds, I felt his weight shift to the right side, and I gradually opened my eyes. He was now on my right side, looking at me with a smirk.

"You seriously thought I would have sex with you right now?"

"You..." I tried to point my fingers at him, but my hands didn't cooperate. I realized he had tied both my hands above the bedrest with his belt. His robe now dangled at his sides, and he was still smirking.

"Unlock me right now."

He shook his head. "So that you could pull my hair? No chance."

I immediately used my legs to kick him in his balls, but my legs were too short to reach him. They just landed next to his knees, and I managed to hit him there-but it only hurt me. Who on earth hits others on their knees?

He rubbed my feet, trying to reduce the pain, but it did the worse for me. I felt ticklish. But giggling or enjoying in front of my enemy was the last thing I wanted to do, so I kicked him on his chest right where I stabbed him earlier.

He winced and looked back, all the playfulness disappearing from his face.

"Why are you so hell-bent on running away from me?"

"You killed my family, duh!" I stated. It was a matter of fact, and him being heartless would never understand that killing is a big issue.

He sighed. "It's been more than a day since I took a nap. It's midnight. Let us sleep. We can discuss everything in the morning." Saying that, he pulled the covers over himself and switched the light off.

That's when I realized it was midnight now. He killed all my family last night when I fainted, which means I had been sleeping for the past twenty-four hours.

And what the fuck does he mean by sleeping together? If only my feet had daggers, I would stab him again. I tried to kick him but stopped when he roared:

"I will tie your legs as well. Sleep if you don't want that."

Hell no! I would not trust him even in my sleep. Pretty sure he would do anything if I slept-especially with my hands tied. I planned not to sleep since I had plenty of rest in the past twenty-four hours. I could utilize that energy.

As soon as I heard soft snores from his tired body, I started to free myself from the belt. Thankfully, it was made of velvety material, so it didn't hurt me while I was freeing myself.

Damn! His knots were like a puzzle. It was nothing like a simple round-round-twist. It was more of a round-twist-twist-round-twist. The clock ticked three in the early morning when I finally freed myself. It literally took three hours just to free myself from his belt. But at least I was free!

I slowly tiptoed towards the door, only to realize it was LOCKED.

Why me?

It was a keypad lock, and I didn't know his passcode-nor his fingerprint. Should I threaten him with a weapon? Should I drag his hand and press the keypad? Should I ask him the passcode in the hopes he'll reveal it in his sleep?

I decided to do the latter.

"Mirror! Mirror! What is the passcode?" I tried in Snow White style.

He just lay there with no response.

"Hakuna Matata! What is the passcode?"

I tried a few more times, but no magic was working. I pulled out the tall lamp next to me and removed the bulb. I now had a long metal rod in my hand. I pointed it toward him like a Stone Age man pointing at his prey.

"Hey guy, reveal your passcode and I shall let you go."

There was still no response.

I poked him with the rod, and he didn't even budge.

Is he dead?

All the memories flashed in front of me. I stabbed him first, hit him again, and kicked him.

Is it possible for anyone to die from that? Heart attack due to the stabbing? High blood pressure due to the kick?

Since there was no blood around him, it must be internal bleeding. I concluded.

Should I save him or let him die?

If I save him, he will kill me-just like he killed my family.

But if I let him die, his men will think I killed him and they'll kill me.

I'm dead either way.

So, I chose the former-saving him, also because I'm a good person unlike him.

I began my task: saving the enemy.

Okay, now how do we save a person dead from internal bleeding? I scratched my head.

Should I cut his skin and find where it's bleeding and tie a bandage around his organ? I'm in big trouble.

There are, like, too many organs inside a human. So where should I start checking? Should I cut his heart? Liver? Kidney? Or brain?

Since I didn't have bandages or cotton in the room, I tore the curtain. It was long enough to save someone from internal bleeding.

I tried to use the sharp edge of the metal rod in my hand to cut his chest and find the internal bleeding in his heart. I chose the heart as it's a crucial organ for a human to survive.

Let's make sure everything is alright with his heart.

My hands shivered as I went near him and opened the robe covering his upper body. His lower half was covered in pants, thankfully.

Now that his strong muscles were in my view, I decided to dig open his skin and search for his heart.

The pressure I applied wasn't sufficient to cut open the skin, so I tried harder. The skin turned red but didn't cut deep.

He started moving weakly, and I knew I was doing it right. I didn't stop and started twisting the rod more rabidly.

By this time, he tried to push the rod away, but couldn't-as he was weak-and I didn't give up.

Someone on the other side of the door started pressing the keypad to unlock it, and I froze.

What should I do?

Should I continue to save him or leave him dead?

I mean, my surgery was almost successful if not for the interruption.

I instantly took the rod with me and hid under the low-rise bed. Believe me, it's uncomfortable to get under this bed.

Finally, someone came inside.

"Kartik, are you alright?"

By his voice, I recognized him as Gautam. He must be the right-hand guy of Kartik, since he came into his room.

After a few seconds, Kartik woke up and questioned,

"Where is Aadhya?"

"She must be in her room. How is the wound? Though the bullet was removed, the doctor said you'll still feel sore," Gautam replied.

Bullet? I stabbed him, idiot. These people don't even know the difference between a stab and a shot.

"She's not in her room, dammit! I brought her to my room as I was drugged with the medicine and was afraid she'd run away if she was in any other room. This is the only room where she'd have no chance to run away. Now look-she succeeded." He yelled.

"What do you mean? There's no way an insect can pass out of this mansion without checks, let alone this room. She must be hiding somewhere. You please get rest and we can think with a clear mind. You're still under the medicine's effect," Gautam tried bringing sense into Kartik.

Medicine effect! That's the reason he wasn't waking up.

Damn it, Aadhya. You could've killed him.

And this Gautam is too smart.

That was my plan to escape: I'll hide till everyone searches for me outside, and then I can escape.

"No way! I want her right now." Kartik stood up with his feet dragging behind him.

"Kartik, at least get your wound dressed. Your arm is bleeding." Gautam followed him out.

So, it's his arm. The robe was covering it and I missed checking it.

Anyway, which organ might be bleeding in an arm? Bladder? Gills? Or appendicitis?

No way, Aadhya-gills are in fish, not humans.

So it must be appendicitis in his arm.

Anyway, I heard Kartik creating havoc outside and Gautam trying to make him sound like an adult.

He thinks Kartik is not thinking straight due to the medicine, but he's missing the point-Kartik doesn't need medicine to be abnormal. He is abnormal.

Within a few minutes, dozens of men gathered, explaining the others had gone out for bringing firearms, food, etc., and only these people were left-which made things easier for me.

I heard a few jeeps coming to life, and finally, the entire building went silent.

Appreciate my brain-I blocked the bedroom door from closing with the rod I was holding.

Now I wasn't locked in.

I proudly stood up and ran outside to see the huge mansion empty except for the furniture.

The main door was about to be closed by the servants of this mansion. They were carrying vegetables with both their hands, preventing them from seeing me.

I tiptoed behind them and finally came outside the mansion and hid behind the vegetable van they were loading.

"Did you see someone was right behind us?" one of them questioned.

"Not this early morning, drunkard. We need to take these vegetables to Menon Mansion. And it'll take three more hours to reach, so please shut up."

They both sat in the van after loading all the bags.

Menon Mansion?

Exactly! I can meet Mr. Menon and let him know my situation. I still have someone to rely on.

I sighed with happiness and sat inside this vegetable van. The vehicle started moving out of the gates after the security let them go. It was now around five in the morning and still foggy.

This day turned out to be in my favor.