The hospital lights were painfully bright.
Prema sat quietly on the examination bed while the doctor checked her injuries.
"Nothing serious," the doctor finally said. "She has some bruising and mild dehydration, but she'll recover."
Zyan stood near the window.
He hadn't left her side since the warehouse.
When the doctor walked out, Prema looked at him.
"You can go."
Zyan turned.
"No."
"You've already helped me."
"I'm aware."
"So you should go home."
"I will."
"When?"
"When I know you're safe."
Prema frowned.
"I can take care of myself."
"I know."
"Then why are you acting like I can't?"
Zyan walked toward her.
"Because someone kidnapped you."
She became quiet.
Zyan stopped several feet away.
His voice softened.
"I'm not saying you're weak, Prema."
She looked at him.
"Then what are you saying?"
"That you shouldn't have to face something like this alone."
She didn't know what to say.
The man standing before her was intimidating.
Powerful.
Dangerously controlled.
Yet tonight, he had risked himself to save her.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Zyan's eyes remained on hers.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I do."
"No."
He paused.
"Just promise me something."
"What?"
"If something feels wrong, call me."
Prema hesitated.
"I don't even have your number."
Zyan took his phone from his pocket and held it toward her.
"Now you do."
She stared at the screen.
His name appeared in her contacts.
Zyan Malik.
She saved it.
Then she looked up.
"Why are you helping me so much?"
Zyan didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth was dangerous.
He had known her for barely a day.
Yet she had somehow entered his thoughts, his plans, and his fears.
He couldn't explain it.
So he gave her only part of the truth.
"Because I care about you."
Prema's heart skipped.
Neither of them spoke.
Outside the hospital room, Harry watched through the glass.
He shook his head.
"This is going to become complicated."
And he was right.
Because neither Zyan nor Prema knew that someone had been watching the hospital from across the street.
A dark car sat beneath a tree.
Inside, a man held a photograph of Prema.
Beside it was another photograph.
This one was of Zyan.
The man smiled.
"So the billionaire has fallen for her."
He folded the photographs and placed them inside his coat.
"Perfect."
Then the car disappeared into the night.
Chapter 4 — Under His Protection
The first thing Prema noticed when she opened her eyes was the unfamiliar white ceiling above her.
For several seconds, she didn't remember where she was. Her mind was still trapped somewhere between the warehouse and the nightmare she had barely escaped. Then the smell of antiseptic reached her, followed by the faint beeping of a monitor beside the bed.
A hospital.
Her fingers tightened around the blanket.
The memories returned all at once.
Rakesh.
The ropes.
The dark warehouse.
His angry voice.
And then—
Zyan.
Prema's breathing quickened.
She turned her head.
He was sitting in a chair beside the window.
Zyan Malik looked nothing like the man she had seen at the temple. His expensive black suit was slightly wrinkled, his sleeves rolled up, and his expression was unusually tired. One hand rested against his forehead while the other held his phone.
For someone who controlled an enormous business empire, he looked strangely out of place sitting silently in a hospital room.
Prema stared at him.
Why was he still here?
Almost as if he sensed her gaze, Zyan lifted his head.
Their eyes met.
The exhaustion disappeared from his expression immediately.
"You're awake."
His voice was low.
Prema swallowed.
"Where am I?"
"The hospital."
She slowly looked around.
"How long have I been here?"
"A few hours."
Zyan stood and walked toward her bed.
Prema instinctively moved backward.
He noticed.
He stopped.
That tiny movement told him more than words could.
She was afraid.
Not of him, perhaps.
But after what had happened, her body no longer knew the difference between danger and safety.
Zyan forced himself not to move closer.
"The doctor said you have some bruising and mild dehydration," he said. "Nothing serious."
Prema looked down at her hands.
"Rakesh?"
"In police custody."
She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"And the others?"
"They were arrested too."
Prema nodded silently.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then she asked quietly, "Why are you here?"
Zyan's gaze remained fixed on her.
"Because I wanted to make sure you were safe."
"You didn't have to."
"I know."
She looked at him.
"Then why?"
Zyan leaned against the wall, his eyes never leaving her.
"Because when I heard you had been kidnapped, I couldn't stay away."
Something about the honesty in his voice unsettled her.
She didn't know this man.
Not really.
She had seen him once at the temple.
Yet he had rescued her.
He had stayed.
And now he was looking at her as if her safety mattered to him more than anything else.
"Thank you," she whispered.
His expression softened.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I do."
"No."
His voice became firmer.
"You survived. That's enough."
Prema lowered her eyes.
For the first time since waking, she felt a small sense of safety.
But she also sensed something else.
Something she couldn't name.
Zyan's attention was too intense.
He watched every movement she made.
When she shifted beneath the blanket, his eyes followed.
When she looked toward the door, his expression tightened.
It wasn't simply concern.
There was something possessive buried underneath it.
Something that frightened even him.
He wanted to protect her.
That much was undeniable.
But a darker part of him wanted more.
He wanted to know where she was every minute.
Who she spoke to.
Who made her smile.
Who stood too close.
The thought irritated him.
He had built his empire by controlling situations before they became problems.
But Prema wasn't a business problem.
She was a person.
And he knew he couldn't treat her like something he owned.
At least, he knew he shouldn't.
A soft knock interrupted them.
A doctor entered with a nurse.
"Miss Prema, how are you feeling?"
"A little tired."
"That's normal. You should rest for the next few days. Fortunately, your injuries are superficial."
Prema nodded.
The doctor glanced at Zyan.
"You should make sure she eats properly and stays hydrated."
"I will."
Prema immediately looked at him.
"I can take care of myself."
The doctor smiled politely before leaving.
Zyan raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't say you couldn't."
"You said you would make sure."
"There's a difference?"
"Yes."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"You're stubborn."
"And you're controlling."
His smile widened.
"Fair enough."
Prema couldn't help staring at him.
He was teasing her.
After everything that had happened, somehow this strange conversation made the room feel less frightening.
Then the door suddenly opened.
"PREMA!"
Satya rushed inside.
Prema's face immediately softened.
"Satya."
Satya hurried to the bed and hugged her carefully.
"I was so scared! Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell me you were going somewhere?"
"I didn't know this would happen."
"I know, but—"
Satya stopped and looked at Zyan.
Her eyes narrowed.
"You."
Zyan calmly raised an eyebrow.
"Me."
Satya folded her arms.
"You rescued her?"
"Yes."
She studied him suspiciously.
"And you've been here the whole time?"
"Yes."
Satya glanced at Prema.
Then back at Zyan.
Then at Prema again.
A knowing expression slowly appeared on her face.
Prema immediately understood.
"Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
Satya smiled innocently.
"I was just going to say that your rescuer is extremely handsome."
Prema's cheeks warmed.
"Satya!"
Zyan actually laughed.
It was the first genuine laugh Prema had heard from him.
Satya looked pleased with herself.
"At least someone agrees."
Zyan looked at Prema.
"I agree."
Prema stared at him.
He didn't look away.
Her heart gave an uncomfortable little beat.
Before she could respond, Satya's expression became serious.
She moved closer to Prema.
"Are you really okay?"
Prema nodded.
"I'm scared, but I'll be okay."
Satya squeezed her hand.
"You don't have to pretend to be strong all the time."
Prema's eyes became moist.
Zyan watched silently.
Something twisted inside his chest.
He had seen powerful men beg for mercy.
He had watched competitors lose everything.
None of it had affected him the way Prema's tears did.
He hated the thought of anyone making her cry.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, a dangerous thought appeared.
If someone tried to hurt her again, he would destroy everything standing between them.
He immediately pushed the thought away.
He couldn't become another person who decided what was best for her.
Not if he wanted her to trust him.
Later that evening, Satya stepped out to speak with the nurse.
Zyan remained beside the window.
Prema looked at him.
"You should go home."
"I'm fine here."
"You've been here all day."
"I know."
"You have work."
"I have people for that."
She frowned.
"Do you always ignore everyone when you decide something?"
"Usually."
"That's not a good quality."
"I never claimed it was."
She almost smiled.
Then her expression became serious.
"Zyan."
He turned toward her.
"Yes?"
"Why do I feel like you're watching me all the time?"
Silence filled the room.
Zyan could have lied.
Instead, he answered honestly.
"Because I'm worried about you."
"That's not the whole reason."
His jaw tightened.
She had noticed.
Of course she had.
She was more perceptive than he expected.
He took a slow breath.
"You're right."
Prema waited.
"I became attached to you faster than I should have."
Her eyes widened.
"We barely know each other."
"I know."
"Then how can you be attached to me?"
Zyan looked directly at her.
"I don't have a logical answer."
That honesty disarmed her.
He continued quietly.
"But I'm not going to force you into anything."
Prema studied his face.
"Promise?"
His expression became serious.
"I promise."
She nodded.
For the first time, she felt that perhaps she could trust him.
But neither of them noticed the dark sedan parked across the street.
Inside the car, a man sat motionless.
A photograph rested between his fingers.
It showed Prema leaving the college campus.
Another showed Zyan standing beside her hospital bed.
The man slowly placed both photographs on the dashboard.
Then he smiled.
"So the billionaire has fallen for her."
He picked up his phone.
"Move to the next stage."
A voice answered from the other end.
"And Rakesh?"
The man's smile disappeared.
"Rakesh was only useful until now."
He looked toward the hospital.
"Make sure he never gets the chance to tell Zyan who hired him."
He ended the call.
Then he stared at the hospital window where Zyan stood beside Prema.
"This is going to be much more interesting than I expected."
Upstairs, Prema suddenly shivered.
Zyan noticed.
"What's wrong?"
She looked toward the window.
"I don't know."
For one brief second, she thought she saw a pair of eyes watching from the darkness.
Then the car disappeared.
And neither of them knew that the real danger had only just begun.