chapter 33

Chapter: The Shift in Scar BossScar Boss had never known what it was like to hesitate. To be uncertain. To feel something other than calculated control. But as he watched Amaira walk ahead of him through the halls of the mansion, something in him felt different.He had accepted it.Somewhere between her stubborn defiance, her quiet strength, and the way she always managed to surprise him, he had fallen for her. And not just in passing. Not just in a way that could be ignored.He loved her.The realization didn’t scare him. He wasn’t the kind of man who feared emotions. But it did make him impatient.He had always taken what he wanted, but this was different.He wanted her to come to him willingly.And so, he started with the little things.—At breakfast, instead of his usual cold demeanor, he waited for her. When she walked in, her eyes flickered with confusion, but she said nothing.“I ordered your favorite,” he said casually, pushing a plate toward her.Amaira looked at him for a long moment before sitting down. She didn’t touch the food immediately, simply picking at it without much reaction.Scar Boss watched. She didn’t smile.—Later that day, as Amaira walked through the garden, Scar Boss followed, keeping a short distance between them. She had been avoiding him, barely looking at him, speaking only when necessary.He didn’t like it.“Are you avoiding me?” His voice was calm, but firm.Amaira turned, her face blank. “Why would I?”His jaw clenched. He had expected her usual stubbornness, but this felt different.—That evening, he found her in the study. She was standing by the bookshelf, lost in thought, when he stepped behind her.He placed a hand on the shelf beside her, caging her in without touching her. “Talk to me.”Amaira’s breath hitched, but she didn’t react the way he expected.She didn’t blush. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t look affected at all.Instead, she simply turned, stepping past him with an ease that felt deliberate. “There’s nothing to talk about.”Scar Boss stilled.He had never met a woman who didn’t react to him. But this wasn’t just indifference—it was avoidance.And it was driving him mad.—Days passed, and the pattern continued. Every small gesture, every attempt to get closer—she didn’t respond.When he handed her something, she took it without a word.When he brushed past her, she acted like she didn’t notice.When he stood too close, she simply moved away.It was as if she had put a wall between them.And Scar Boss—who had once sworn she meant nothing—was now desperate to tear it down. He needed to fix this, and one way he could do it was by being honest.***The sun hung high in the sky, casting golden light over the mansion's balcony, but Scar Boss felt nothing of its warmth. His hands rested on the railing as he waited. Waited for her. He was sweating nervously but he knew it was time he took this step.Amaira walked onto the balcony, her expression unreadable. He had sent for her, and she had come—just as she always did. But this time… it was different. It was just as he wanted. The environment was beautiful and it felt perfect.Scar Boss turned to face her, his cold mask cracking just enough to let something raw slip through. This was it.“I love you, Amaira.” His voice was steady, but his grip on the railing tightened. “I don’t know when it happened, and I don’t care. All I know is that it did. We can be together and forget about our past. We can start a new. What do you say." It was a statement more than a questionAmaira blinked, and for a second—a split second—something flickered in her eyes. But then, just as quickly, it was gone.She took a step back. “No.”Scar Boss’s jaw tightened. “What?”Amaira inhaled sharply, gathering herself. “No,” she repeated, her voice softer this time. “This… whatever this is between us, it was never real.”His heart, which had been so steady, suddenly felt like it was crumbling.“What are you saying?” His voice was dangerously low.Amaira looked away, her hands clasped together. “I only stayed because of Dilip. Because I needed to. And now that he’s recovering, I don’t need you anymore.”Scar Boss took a step forward, closing the space between them. She was lying. She had to be lying.“You don’t need me?” His voice was laced with something dark—something dangerous.Amaira met his gaze, and for the first time, there was no hesitation. “No.”His entire world tilted.He had faced bullets, betrayals, and death itself without so much as flinching. But this? This felt like someone