The next morning, Aaradhya arrived at Rajvansh Group at 8:57 AM.

Three minutes early.

She stood before the elevator doors, breathing slowly.

Her body hurt.

Every movement reminded her of yesterday.

But her face showed nothing.

She had learned how to hide pain better than she had learned how to express happiness.

The elevator opened.

She stepped inside.

And for the first time that morning, she allowed herself to close her eyes.

Just get through today.

The doors opened on the forty-second floor.

She stepped out.

"Good morning, ma'am."

Aaradhya smiled faintly.

"Good morning."

She reached her desk and immediately noticed the enormous stack of files waiting for her.

Her smile disappeared.

She looked toward Rudra's closed office door.

Already?

She sat down.

Opened her laptop.

Started working.

At 9:07 AM, the intercom rang.

"Ms. Sharma."

"Yes, sir?"

"Inside."

Her heart skipped.

She picked up the presentation file and entered.

Rudra was standing beside the windows, his hands in his trouser pockets.

Mumbai stretched behind him.

He didn't turn.

"You're three minutes early."

Aaradhya blinked.

"Yes, sir."

"Why?"

"I prefer being early."

He finally turned.

His eyes moved over her.

The same high-necked shirt.

The same full sleeves.

Every button fastened.

His suspicion returned.

Still playing the same game.

"Sit."

She obeyed.

He placed a document in front of her.

"Read this."

Aaradhya scanned it.

It was a contract between Rajvansh Group and a foreign investment firm.

"You'll accompany me to the meeting at eleven."

Her eyes widened.

"Me?"

"Do you see anyone else here?"

"No, sir."

"Then why ask?"

"Sorry."

He watched her reaction.

She wasn't excited.

Most women would have been thrilled to accompany him.

Some would have seen it as an opportunity to get closer to the billionaire CEO.

Aaradhya looked terrified.

Rudra mistook that too.

She's nervous because she knows she's being noticed.

He walked closer.

"During the meeting, you'll take notes."

"Yes, sir."

"You'll prepare the revised contract afterward."

"Yes, sir."

"And you'll finish the presentation I gave you last night."

Aaradhya hesitated.

"I'll finish it."

"Good."

He walked back to his desk.

Then casually added—

"One mistake today, and I'll have HR replace you."

Aaradhya's fingers tightened around her file.

"I won't make a mistake."

Rudra looked at her.

Something about the quiet determination in her voice caught him off guard.

"Let's see."

At eleven, they entered the conference room.

Six executives were already waiting.

The moment Rudra walked in, everyone stood.

Aaradhya followed behind him.

She kept her eyes down.

The meeting began.

For almost an hour, Rudra dismantled every weak point in the proposed deal.

His voice remained calm.

His words did not.

"No."

Aaradhya looked up.

Rudra stared at the executive across the table.

"That clause protects you, not us."

"Mr. Rajvansh, perhaps we could—"

"No."

The room went silent.

Aaradhya quickly wrote everything down.

Rudra noticed.

Her handwriting was precise.

Her notes were organized.

She hadn't missed a single point.

Interesting.

The meeting continued.

At one point, the foreign representative asked for a particular financial figure.

Rudra turned toward Aaradhya.

"The number?"

She immediately opened her folder.

"Thirty-eight point six percent projected growth, sir."

Rudra looked at her.

She continued.

"The revised projection after the second-quarter adjustment is forty-one point two percent."

Silence.

The representative looked impressed.

Rudra's eyes remained on Aaradhya for a moment longer.

She lowered her gaze.

The meeting resumed.

But something had changed.

For the first time, Rudra couldn't call her incompetent.

He didn't like that.

Not at all.

Back in the office, Aaradhya sat down and began preparing the revised contract.

At 2:30 PM, she realized she hadn't eaten.

Her stomach twisted.

She ignored it.

At 3:15 PM, Rudra came out.

"Where is the contract?"

"Almost finished."

"Almost?"

"Five minutes."

He looked at the clock.

"You've been working on it for three hours."

"There were several changes."

"I don't care."

Aaradhya stood.

"I'll finish it."

Rudra stared at her.

Then his gaze moved toward the untouched lunch sitting beside her laptop.

"You haven't eaten."

Aaradhya froze.

"It's fine."

"That's not what I asked."

"I'm not hungry."

He looked at her face.

She was pale.

"You look exhausted."

"I'm okay, sir."

The answer came too quickly.

Rudra's eyes narrowed.

There was something wrong.

But before he could question it, his phone rang.

He walked away.

Aaradhya quietly sat down again.

She pressed a hand against her stomach.

Not now.

She couldn't afford to feel weak.

Not in front of him.

Not in front of anyone.

At 6:40 PM, the contract was finally complete.

Aaradhya printed the final copy and walked into Rudra's office.

"Sir."

He took it.

Read the first page.

Then the second.

His expression remained unreadable.

Finally, he closed the file.

"Good."

Aaradhya blinked.

That was praise.

From him.

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't look so surprised."

"I'm not."

"You are."

She lowered her eyes.

Rudra leaned back.

"Tomorrow, you'll prepare a presentation for the board."

"Okay."

"Forty slides."

Her eyes widened.

"Forty?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No."

"Good."

He handed her another file.

"And study this tonight."

Aaradhya stared at it.

Tonight.

Again.

She thought of Kunal.

His warning.

Her stomach tightened.

"Yes, sir."

She turned to leave.

"Miss Sharma."

She stopped.

Rudra's gaze dropped to her collar.

"Why do you always dress like you're hiding something?"

Her heart stopped.

For one terrifying second, she wondered whether he had seen the bruises.

She touched her collar.

"I'm just comfortable this way."

His expression hardened.

"Comfortable?"

"Yes."

He gave a humorless smile.

"You're very careful."

Aaradhya didn't understand.

"I try to be professional."

"Of course you do."

The words were cold.

She left without another word.

Rudra watched the door close.

He couldn't explain why she irritated him so much.

She was competent.

Quiet.

Disciplined.

And apparently determined not to attract attention.

Yet he still didn't trust her.

Perhaps because she was too controlled.

Too careful.

Too different.

He hated things he couldn't understand.

And Aaradhya Sharma was becoming one of them.

At 7:25 PM, Aaradhya finally packed her bag.

She checked her phone.

Three missed calls.

Kunal.

Her heart sank.

She immediately left.

The journey home felt longer than usual.

Every minute mattered.

Every second.

When she reached the apartment, the clock showed 7:58 PM.

She opened the door.

Silence.

She stood still.

"Kunal?"

Nothing.

She stepped inside.

The lights were off.

Then she noticed the broken glass near the sofa.

Her breathing stopped.

"Kunal?"

A voice came from behind her.

"You think you're very smart?"

Aaradhya turned.

Kunal stood there.

He was drunk.

Again.

"I came before eight."

He looked at the clock.

"Two minutes late."

"I'm sorry."

"You always have an excuse."

"No. I—"

He stepped toward her.

Aaradhya instinctively moved backward.

"I told you I don't want this job."

"But I need it."

"You don't decide what you need."

She lowered her eyes.

"I'll be more careful."

He stared at her.

Then at the file sticking out of her handbag.

"More work?"

"Yes."

"Your boss keeping you late again?"

Aaradhya nodded.

"He's demanding."

Kunal laughed.

"Maybe you like staying late with him."

Aaradhya's face drained of color.

"No."

He stepped closer.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not."

She clutched her handbag.

"I only work there."

For a moment, Kunal said nothing.

Then he turned away.

"Go make dinner."

Aaradhya released the breath she had been holding.

She walked toward the kitchen.

Her hands trembled as she washed the rice.

She kept her eyes down.

She didn't cry.

She didn't complain.

She simply continued.

Because tomorrow she had to wake up again.

And tomorrow Rudra Rajvansh would give her another impossible task.

Another deadline.

Another reason to stay late.

Neither man knew the other existed as a threat in Aaradhya's life.

Neither knew that their demands were colliding inside the same frightened woman.

And somewhere between them, Aaradhya was slowly running out of strength.

The next morning, Rudra found something on his desk.

A resignation letter.

He stared at it.

For several seconds, he didn't move.

Then his eyes hardened.

He picked up the phone.

"Send Ms. Sharma in."

Aaradhya entered.

"Sir?"

He held up the paper.

"What's this?"

Her face went pale.

"I didn't write that."

Rudra's expression changed.

"Then why is your name on it?"

Aaradhya stared at the paper.

Her heart began pounding.

Someone had forged her signature.

Rudra stood.

"Interesting."

His voice became dangerously quiet.

"You wanted to quit?"

"No, sir."

"Then someone wants me to believe you did."

Aaradhya said nothing.

Rudra walked toward her.

For the first time, his suspicion shifted.

Maybe she wasn't playing the game.

Maybe—

someone else was.

And that possibility made him far more dangerous.

Because Rudra Rajvansh hated being deceived.

And now someone had just given him a reason to find out exactly what was happening around his secretary.