That night, the penthouse was surrounded by security.
But Ava still couldn't relax.
The sound of the gunshot kept echoing in her mind.
She walked into the kitchen and found Mihir standing there, staring at his laptop.
His expression was tense.
"You should be sleeping," Mihir said without looking up.
Ava crossed her arms.
"And you should be telling me the truth."
Mihir finally looked at her.
"What truth?"
Ava stepped closer.
"The truth about your former business partner."
Silence filled the room.
Finally, Mihir closed the laptop.
"There are things you don't need to know."
Ava shook her head.
"No. If someone is trying to kill you… and I'm involved now… I deserve to know everything."
For a moment, Mihir studied her carefully.
Then he sighed.
"My former partner's name is Arman Malik."
Ava frowned.
"What happened between you two?"
Mihir's voice turned cold.
"We built a tech company together. But Arman became obsessed with power."
"He started illegal deals… money laundering… corporate espionage."
"And when I tried to stop him…"
Mihir paused.
"I destroyed everything he built."
Ava slowly understood.
"So now he wants revenge."
Mihir nodded.
"Yes."
"But there's something worse."
Ava's heart skipped a beat.
"Worse?"
Mihir looked straight into her eyes.
"Arman knows about you."
Ava froze.
"What?"
"He believes you are my weakness."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Ava's hands clenched.
"So he's targeting me now."
Mihir stepped closer.
His voice was firm but soft.
"I won't let that happen."
For a moment, their eyes locked.
The tension between them wasn't just fear anymore.
It was something deeper.
Something neither of them could deny.
But before either of them could say anything—
Mihir's phone suddenly rang.
He answered quickly.
After a few seconds, his face went completely pale.
Ava's heart began racing.
"What happened?"
Mihir lowered the phone slowly.
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Arman just sent a message."
Ava's stomach twisted.
"What message?"
Mihir looked at her.
And said something that made her blood run cold.
"He says the next time we meet… one of us will die."
End of Chapter 8 – Cliffhanger