He walks down and takes a seat beside Dadaji. Everyone falls silent, clearly surprised.
“What?” Rudraksh asks, noticing the shift in atmosphere. "I was hungry. The meeting got delayed."
“Okay, bhai, if you say so,” Aarav says with a smirk.
I turn to Aditi, confused. “Bhai never eats with us,” she whispers. “Unless it’s a big occasion. I think he came for you today.” She winks at me. I am going to have a hard time around her; she's so carefree. I might be as red as a tomato right now. My cheeks flush again.
I try to focus on my plate, the delicious food, the laughter—but my eyes keep drifting to him. I watch the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles. The way a curl of his hair rests at the nape of his neck. He seems…differenthere. Not the rude, distant Rudraksh I expected. He’s laughing, talking, and at ease. Our eyes meet again. He raises an eyebrow, a faint smile curving his lips. My heart skips a beat.
After dinner, as I stand to help, Rudraksh walks over. He leans down, close enough that his breath brushes my ear. “After you’re done with everything,” he murmurs, voice low and husky, “come see me.” His voice is soft, but it curls down my spine like smoke. My hand trembles slightly around the plate I hold.
I nod, barely managing to keep my gaze from locking with him. He walks away, leaving behind a scent of sandalwood and confusion.
What could he possibly want to talk about?
And why does the idea of being alone with him suddenly make my heart race?
07
RUDRAKSH
“You can’t change the rule, sir.” I’m in a meeting with the marketing team, and the manager is unusually bold today, which is kind of surprising. When I told him he needed to go over his strategy again because I didn’t like it, he had the nerve to argue. With me.
“The team has reviewed it twice. We feel it’s the best approach.” The audacity.
It’s my company. I know what’s best for it. I don’t care how many times they’ve discussed it—if I don’t like it, it doesn’t go forward. I’m open to opinions, but I don’t sugarcoat my decisions. I pay them. Not the other way around. And if he doesn’t get that, he’s going to lose his job for not listening like a good employee should.
“I don’t care what it’ll do to employee morale,” I say firmly.
“Sir, it’s clearly stated in my contract that I have to work here for two more years. You can’t just change company policy like that,” Mr. Sharma insists.
Looks like he still isn’t getting the memo. If they can't take feedback, they have no place in my company.
“Too bad. I just did, Mr. Sharma. You’re fired.” I turn to Ms. Iyer. “You’ll be in charge of this team now. I expect a new and updated report by the end of the week.”
“Get out, Mr. Sharma.” My voice comes firm with aggression as I breathe deeply. Silence deepens after my decision. I run my hand through my hair and snap my head at the glass door when I notice it.
I see the door to my office open and Aditi gently pushing Shivani inside. I end the meeting before anyone can say another word, all my attention now focused on my fiancée.
She looks absolutely stunning. As ever. Her kohl-rimmed eyes wander nervously around the room, and then they land on me. As if sensing my gaze, she meets my eyes and offers a soft, shy smile. “Hi,” she whispers.
God, she’s cute. I get up from my chair and lean forward on the table.
“Come here,” I say, my voice low and commanding. Slowly, gesturing to her to come near.
She looks like a deer caught in headlights, but she doesn’t disobey. Like a good girl, she walks over and stops right in front of me.
“I hate that you don’t look into my eyes, Shivani.” My voice comes out hoarse as I drink in her sight.
Her eyes widen slightly as she glances up at me. “I—I’m sorry,” she stammers, barely audible.
My jaw tightens. I hate that she apologizes so much. “Don’t be sorry, Shivani. Just look at me. Really look at me.” My gaze roams her face, taking in her soft features, her hesitanteyes. I want to see through her, to understand what’s going on beneath that calm, shy exterior.
“I’m looking,” she whispers, her voice trembling.
My tone softens, just a little. The last thing I want is to scare her away. I’ve thought about this long and hard—initially I thought it would be best to keep her at arm’s length because I was not sure if I wanted a woman near me, so close to me, but then I realized I can’t keep pushing her away because of what someone else did to me.
She doesn’t deserve to be punished for something that wasn’t her fault. She’s going to be my wife. If she betrays me, she’ll see the worst of me—not because I’d be hurt, but because it would affect my family too. And I don’t take that lightly. But if she doesn’t betray me... then she’s mine. My family.
