The black SUV hummed down the winding roads, surrounded by the vast greenery of the countryside.

Rudra kept his hood up, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he stole glances at Vani from the corner of his eye. She sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her arms crossed, her gaze resolutely fixed on the scenery outside.

"Seventeen hours," she muttered, more to herself than to him. "Seventeen hours of being stuck with this psychopath."

Rudra's smirk deepened. "Psychopath? Sweetheart, I'm flattered. I was aiming for 'irresistible villain.'"

Vani's glare could've burned a hole through his hoodie. "You're delusional."

"And you're adorable when you're angry."

She groaned in frustration, turning her face away. The man was insufferable, but what unnerved her more was how calm he seemed, as if he was thoroughly enjoying this journey.

Oh and he was being a bipolar too

Vani thought and rolled her eyes.

"The only time you are allowed to roll your eyes at me is when I am pleasuring you sweetheart" Vani turned her face towards him giving him the most disgusting look.

Vani fumed, "Aapko sharam aati hai ki nahi?" Rudra gave her a lazy smirk and replied,

(Don't you have any shame)

"Apni hone wali ardhangini se kesi sharam? Jaan"

(Why should I be ashamed in front of my future better half)

She huffed, her cheeks flushing with frustration, while he continued to stare at her with that maddening grin.

Vani glared at him and turned her head back towards the window.

"Bipolar insaan, insaan? No.. Rakshash hai. Kon dekh kar inhe bolega ki do din pehle he was about to kill someone." She muttered under her breath.

(Bipolar man. Man? No... he's a demon. Who would believe that just two days ago, he was ready to kill someone?)

Rudra, catching the faint sound of her murmurs, turned his head slightly and smirked. "What was that, my dear fiancée? Did you say something sweet about me?"

Vani froze, realizing he'd heard her. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing!" she shot back, avoiding his gaze and pretending to focus on something else.

But his deep chuckle sent a shiver down her spine. "If I'm a demon, sweetheart, you should pray I don't turn into one for you."

You don't have to put any effort. You already are.

She thought in head and mentally rolled her eyes.

Even an hour had not passed and she already wanted to pull his hairs and throw him out of the damn car.

To avoid his presence she took her bag and opened the book she carried in her bag along with a notebook and pen.

Rudra looked at her and for a second his throat went dry as she wore her glasses.

She almost looked like she was begging for him to take her there.

"What are you doing?" He questioned immediately taking off her glasses and throwing them in the backseat.

"Rudra, I have my last semester exams next month. Let me utilise my time" Vani said frustrated.

"We will reach your place by tomorrow evening anyways, you can study as much as you want but right now, you are supposed to spend your time and focus only on me." He replied as he took her book and notepad and kept it in the backseat too.

"Why can't you just mind your own damn business" Vani asked annoyed

"Well that's what I am doing right now, you're my business Jaan" Rudra smirked.

Vani sighed almost wanted to role her eyes again but not wanting to hear his crude remarks again, she refrained.

"How old are you?" She asked.

"Are we finally talking now?" Rudra asked, his smirk never leaving his face.

"You know what, I will just sleep" Vani gritted her teeth. His presence was a suffocating torture to her.

"Fine fine... I am 32" Rudra said, this time he didn't glance at her when for a few minute she didn't say anything. He turned towards her who was just glaring at him.

"What? I am not that old" he said.

Vani scoffed, crossing her arms, her gaze unwavering as she stared at Rudra. "Don't tell me you couldn't find a woman in 12 years of your life."

Rudra turned his head slightly, a slow smile spreading across his face. The smile was unsettling, too calm for the storm he was about to bring. "Well, I couldn't find you 12 years ago," he replied, his tone smooth, almost playful, but his eyes held a depth of something far more dangerous.

Vani raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "Of course you wouldn't... I must have been in primary school, Rudra," she retorted sarcastically, shaking her head. "When you were 20, I was 8. This is so messed up. No, wait, you are messed up! You could've found someone your age, gotten married, had kids by now, but no—you're lusting after someone more than a decade younger than you. And—"

Suddenly, with a sharp jolt, the car came to a screeching halt, cutting her sentence short. Vani was thrown forward slightly by the sudden stop, her body stiffening.

Rudra's cheerful demeanor from just moments ago had completely vanished, replaced by a cold, silent rage. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel, his entire body radiating tension.

Vani blinked, confused by the sudden shift. "What the hell, Rudra?" she demanded, her voice wavering slightly, unsure if she should continue speaking or stay silent.

Before Vani could even process the words, Rudra was suddenly over her, his grip strong as he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her closer. The sudden pain made her gasp, her body tensing at the brutal force of his touch.

"Don't, Vani. Don't," he hissed, his breath ragged and dangerously close to her ear. "If it would have been my lust, then the night I kidnapped you, I could've taken you over and over again as much as I wanted, and no one would have dared to do a thing to me. But instead, I asked for your hand in marriage."

His voice was low and filled with a dark, unsettling intensity. The words hung in the air, suffocating the space between them. "So don't you dare insult my love for you. I might love you, but beware, I won't take any disrespect or insults from you towards my love."

Vani's heart pounded in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. The weight of his words crushed her, and for a moment, the world around her seemed to blur. Her mind raced with the horrifying thought: What if he actually did that?

The image of Rudra, back then, in his raw power, taking her against her will, lingered in her mind like a haunting specter. The terrifying possibility that he could have done so, that he would have done so, sent a shiver down her spine.

Her pulse quickened, her body frozen in place, and the heat from his proximity felt suffocating. She had never truly understood the depths of his obsession, the intensity of his feelings for her, but now, in this moment, it was clear. Rudra's love wasn't just love—it was possession, a claim, an ownership that she had no choice but to submit to, whether she liked it or not.

And that terrified her more than anything else.

Rudra closed his eyes took a deep breath inhaling her scent, he calmed himself down.

"Don't speak such bullshit again" Rudra said as he left her hair and went to caress her cheek but she almost flinched thinking he was about to hit her.

"Relax. I am not hurting you" Rudra spoke really calmly.

"M-move away" Vani said, noticing her little trembling form, Rudra moved away.

Hours passed, and the tension in the car thickened. Rudra eventually pulled over at a small roadside tea stall. Vani blinked in surprise as he stepped out.

"Lunch break," he announced casually, opening the door for her.

"I am not hungry," she snapped, staying put.

He leaned down, his dark eyes meeting hers. "Get out of the car, Vani. I don't like repeating myself."

Reluctantly, she stepped out, standing a good distance away from him as he ordered two cups of tea. The people nearby cast curious glances at the man in the hoodie, their murmurs growing louder.

Vani sat across from Rudra, her arms crossed defiantly, glaring at him. The tension in the air was thick, each of them aware of the simmering energy that had been building for days now. Rudra, in his ever-present calm, leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on her with that knowing look that always unsettled her.

"Why the disguise?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Afraid your own people who voted for you will kill you, Mr. Chief Minister?" Her tone was laced with mockery.

He didn't flinch. "They wouldn't dare to," he replied smoothly, his voice rich and confident as he poured her a glass of water.

Vani didn't even look at him as she scoffed. "I don't need your chivalry. Keep it to yourself. I'm perfectly capable of filling my own glass."

She reached for the water pitcher and filled her glass with a brisk motion. Rudra just watched her with a smirk, clearly amused.

Before she could say anything else, a waiter approached, but instead of just taking their order, he was accompanied by several servers, each one carrying a dish. Vani's eyes widened in surprise as they set down plate after plate, each one filled with her favorite foods. The aroma made her stomach growl, though she refused to show any sign of weakness.

Her gaze snapped up to Rudra, who was grinning like the cat who'd just caught the canary. "How did you—" she began, but he interrupted her, his tone smooth and unbothered.

"I know everything about you, sweetheart," he said casually, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Vani almost choked on her own saliva, her eyes narrowing. "You're unbelievable," she muttered under her breath. "Stalker," she added, in her head.

Rudra's smile only grew. "And you're predictable," he said with a shrug, as if the matter was already closed. "I know exactly what you need before you even realize it."

Hey folks!

Hope you liked the chapter.

Next chapter tomorrow ❤️❤️