Kidnapped to love

chapter 27

Elijah sat across from Dimitri in the quiet restaurant, his hands clenched into fists under the table. The tension between them was palpable, thick in the air as they stared each other down. Dimitri leaned back in his chair, an unsettling calmness on his face, almost as if he were enjoying the conversation.

“You’re pretty calm today,” Dimitri remarked, sipping his drink. “Should I take that as a good sign?”

“Let my sister go, Drimti,” Elijah said, his voice tight with restrained anger.

Dimitri raised an eyebrow, as if this conversation was a mere inconvenience. “We’ve already discussed this, Elijah. And the answer is the same. I’m not letting her go.”

“She’s innocent,” Elijah pressed, his voice more forceful. “She’s got nothing to do with this. Don’t involve her in your twisted revenge.”

Dimitri smiled faintly, almost amused. “Oh, I agree. Crystal’s innocent. That’s part of her charm.”

Elijah’s eyes narrowed, his fists tightening. “Then why are you doing this? Are you planning to hurt her?”

Dimitri looked at him, his face betraying no emotion. “Hurt her?” He laughed softly, shaking his head. “I can’t bring myself to hurt her. I told you already—I’m in love with her.”

Elijah’s lip curled in disgust. “This isn’t love, Drimti. Stop playing your twisted games.”

“Believe it or not, Elijah, I did fall in love with her. The moment I saw her, I knew she was meant to be mine.”

Elijah leaned forward, his patience wearing thin. “This is about revenge. You’re using her as a pawn because of what happened years ago between our families. But you’re dragging her into something she never asked for.”

Dimitri’s expression remained impassive, as if Elijah’s words barely touched him. “Revenge or not, it doesn’t change how I feel about her. You think I’m playing games, but I’m deadly serious. She’s mine now.”

“She’s not yours,” Elijah snapped, his anger rising. “You don’t own her. You’re just continuing this sick cycle. Just like your before”

Dimitri’s eyes flashed, a rare flicker of emotion breaking through his calm facade. “Don’t bring that up”

“Why not?” Elijah shot back. “you are doing this cause my uncle did  , cause you think , He did the same thing, didn’t he? Kidnapped  your aunt. And you think this is the way to settle old scores?”

Dimitri’s jaw tightened, his gaze turning cold. “your uncle took my aunt with force”

Elijah snapped. “your aunt wasn’t forced. She wanted to go with him. They were in love.”

Dimitri’s expression hardened, his calm demeanor finally cracking. “Don’t you dare say that.”

“It’s the truth,” Elijah continued, undeterred by Dimitri’s growing anger. “They were in love, but their families didn’t agree, so they had to do it this way. Your aunt wasn’t some prisoner. She chose him.”

Dimitri’s hands clenched the edge of the table, his knuckles white. “You’re lying,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t you ever lie to me like that again.”

Elijah leaned back, his eyes steady on Dimitri. “It’s not a lie. You’re the one twisting the story to justify what you’re doing to Crystal.”

Dimitri’s eyes darkened with fury. “You’re wrong. And you’ll never see her again. Before, I might have let you meet her. I thought about it. But now? Forget it. You won’t be allowed anywhere near her.”

Elijah’s heart pounded, his frustration boiling over. “You can’t keep her like this. She’s not a pawn in your sick game.”

“She’s not a pawn,” Dimitri said, his voice deadly quiet. “She’s mine. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe from liars like you.”

“Safe?” Elijah scoffed. “You call this safe? You’ve kidnapped her, isolated her, and you think she’ll love you back?”

Dimitri stood up abruptly, the force of his movement shaking the table. “This conversation is over. Crystal is mine, and you’re not seeing her again.”

Elijah stood too, matching Dimitri’s intensity. “I’m taking her back, Drimti. This isn’t over.”

Dimitri’s smile returned, cold and unsettling. “Try it, and see what happens.”

With that, Dimitri turned and walked out of the restaurant, leaving Elijah standing there, seething with frustration and helplessness. The battle lines had been drawn, and Elijah knew that getting Crystal back would be more difficult than he had ever imagined.