12
Chapter 12
The Woman Who Knew Too Much
Anaya's entire body went rigid.
The woman stood outside her apartment as if she belonged there, her expensive clothes and confident posture making her look completely at ease.
Anaya, on the other hand, felt like the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The woman smiled.
It wasn't a pleasant smile.
It was the smile of someone who knew she had the upper hand.
"That's not true."
Anaya's grip tightened on the door.
"Who are you?"
The woman finally extended her hand.
"Rhea Kapoor."
The name meant nothing to her.
And yet something about the woman felt familiar.
Not personally.
But connected to something she had spent years trying to leave behind.
"I think you should leave."
Rhea laughed softly.
"Still protective. That's good."
Her gaze drifted past Anaya again.
Toward the apartment.
Toward Kabir.
Anaya immediately shifted, blocking the view.
The movement didn't go unnoticed.
In fact, it seemed to amuse Rhea.
"Relax. I'm not here to hurt your son."
The words only made Anaya more nervous.
Because now the woman had openly acknowledged Kabir.
"How do you know about him?"
Rhea looked genuinely surprised.
"You really don't know?"
"Know what?"
The woman sighed.
Then said something that made Anaya's blood run cold.
"Aarav's enemies have known about him for months."
The world seemed to stop.
"What?"
Rhea's expression turned serious for the first time.
"Did you honestly think a secret like this could stay hidden forever?"
Anaya couldn't breathe.
For five years, she had believed she was protecting Kabir.
Keeping him away from Aarav's dangerous world.
Keeping him safe.
Now she was learning that people had known anyway.
People she couldn't even identify.
The realization terrified her.
"What do you want?" she asked again.
Rhea studied her for a moment.
Then her expression softened unexpectedly.
"Believe it or not, I'm trying to help."
Anaya almost laughed.
"You show up at my apartment and threaten me."
"I didn't threaten you."
"You implied that someone is watching my son."
"Because they are."
The silence that followed felt suffocating.
Rhea reached into her purse and pulled out a business card.
She placed it on the table near the entrance.
"When you're ready to talk, call me."
Then she turned and walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving Anaya standing there with a thousand new fears.
---
That night, Anaya checked on Kabir three times.
Then four.
Then five.
The little boy slept peacefully through all of it.
Completely unaware that his world might be far more dangerous than she had ever realized.
Eventually, she sat alone in the living room.
Staring at Rhea's business card.
She didn't know who the woman was.
But one thing was obvious.
Rhea knew things.
Too many things.
And that terrified her.
---
The next morning, Aarav was already in a bad mood.
The anonymous photograph had kept him awake most of the night.
Someone was watching Anaya and Kabir.
Someone confident enough to send him proof.
He hated it.
Not because he was afraid.
Because he wasn't.
He hated it because he wasn't the one in control.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
Vikram entered.
Immediately noticing the tension.
"Didn't sleep?"
"No."
"Thought so."
Aarav slid the photograph across the desk.
"Find whoever took this."
Vikram studied it carefully.
Then frowned.
"This angle."
"What about it?"
"It was taken from close range."
The realization made Aarav's expression darken.
Whoever had taken it hadn't been observing from a distance.
They had been close enough to approach.
Close enough to watch.
Close enough to become a threat.
And Aarav had very little patience for threats.
---
Around noon, Anaya arrived at Rathore Industries.
She hadn't planned on telling Aarav about Rhea.
In fact, she planned on keeping him as far away from the situation as possible.
That plan lasted less than ten minutes.
Because the moment she stepped out of the elevator, she saw her.
Rhea.
Standing outside Aarav's office.
Smiling.
Anaya froze.
Rhea noticed her immediately.
The smile widened.
As if she had been expecting this.
As if this was all part of some game.
The office suddenly felt too small.
Too crowded.
Too dangerous.
Before Anaya could react, Aarav's office door opened.
And Aarav stepped out.
The second he saw Rhea, his entire expression changed.
Cold.
Sharp.
Hostile.
A reaction far stronger than anything Anaya had expected.
"Why are you here?"
The question wasn't polite.
It sounded like a warning.
Rhea looked completely unfazed.
"It's nice to see you too."
Aarav didn't answer.
The tension between them was obvious.
Years of history hanging in the air.
Then Rhea glanced at Anaya.
And said the one thing that guaranteed disaster.
"I met her yesterday."
Aarav slowly turned toward Anaya.
His eyes narrowed.
Anaya's stomach dropped.
Because she knew that look.
It meant he was putting pieces together.
And he didn't like what he was finding.
"What did she want?" he asked.
The question was directed at Anaya.
But before she could answer, Rhea spoke first.
"I was just checking on the mother of your son."
The hallway fell silent.
Completely silent.
Anaya's heart stopped.
Aarav didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
For one horrifying second, nobody spoke.
Then Rhea smiled.
As if she had just lit a match and walked away from the fire.
To be continued...