"I'll quit."

The words hung in the air.

Fragile. Defiant. Desperate.

For the first time since walking into that boardroom, Khushi felt in control.

Not much. Just enough.

Enough to leave. Enough to walk away. Enough to finally escape him.

Arnav stood with his back to her.

Looking out over the city.

The same city that had made him richer.

More powerful. More feared. And infinitely lonelier.

His shoulders remained perfectly still.

But his right hand slowly curled into a fist.

Silence filled the room. Heavy. Uncomfortable. Dangerous.

Khushi waited. For anger. For shouting. For anything.

Instead, A smile appeared slowly. Not warm. Not amused. Not forgiving but dangerous.

The kind of smile that made her stomach drop. Because she knew that smile.

She used to love that smile. Now she feared it.

Slowly, Arnav turned around.

And the second he did—

His eyes found hers.Immediately.

As though they had never left.

"Who said I'm letting you go?"

The words stole the breath from her lungs.

Her fingers tightened around the folder in her hands.

The paper crumpled slightly beneath her grip.

A small step backward. Instinctive. Unconscious.

Arnav noticed. Of course he did. He always noticed.

Then he started walking toward her.

Slow. Controlled. Deliberate.

Every step felt intentional.

Every step made the room feel smaller.

"Starting tomorrow..."

Khushi frowned. Confused.

Arnav stopped only a few feet away.

Close enough to study every reaction.

Every flicker of emotion. Every lie.

His jaw tightened. His gaze lingering on her face a second longer than it should have.

"You're my executive assistant."

The world stopped.

"What?"

Her eyes widened. She blinked once. Twice.

Trying to convince herself she had heard wrong.

"No."

A bitter laugh escaped her.

Because the idea was ridiculous. Impossible. Insane.

Arnav didn't even blink.

"Yes."

The confidence in his voice made her want to scream.

"I'm not qualified."

His gaze dropped briefly. To the folder in her hands. Then back to her eyes.

"I think you'll manage."

Khushi crossed her arms. A shield. The only one she had left.

"I can't."

Arnav tilted his head slightly. The challenge in his eyes unmistakable.

"You can."

The arrogance. The certainty. The complete belief that he could decide her future.

It infuriated her.

"I'm refusing."

Without waiting for a response, Khushi turned toward the door. Toward freedom. Toward distance. Toward anywhere that wasn't here.

She took one step. Then another.

And suddenly, a hand closed around her wrist.

She froze. Not rough. Not painful. Not even forceful.

But impossible to ignore.

Khushi looked down. At his hand. At his fingers wrapped around her wrist.

Then slowly looked back up.

Arnav was standing closer than she realized.

"You don't understand."

His voice was lower now. More dangerous.

"Understand what?"

Her breathing had become uneven.

She hated that he could still do that. Hated it.

For a second neither moved. Neither spoke.

Their eyes locked.

Too close. Far too close.

The same electricity. The same history. The same unfinished pain.

Then Arnav released her wrist.

But he didn't step back.

"You're not in a position to refuse me anymore."

The color drained from Khushi's face. Her arms slowly uncrossed. For the first time all conversation. She looked genuinely shaken.

Arnav saw it. And hated how much satisfaction it gave him.

Then he stepped around her. Heading toward the door.

As if the discussion had already been settled.

"See you at 8 AM."

Khushi spun around.

"I'm not coming."

Arnav stopped. One hand on the door handle.

Then he looked back over his shoulder.

And for one horrible second, he looked exactly like the man she used to love.

Confident. Dangerous. Irresistible.

A cold smile appeared.

"That's cute."

Silence.

Neither looked away. Neither backed down.

Then Arnav opened the door.

"That wasn't a request."

The door closed behind him.

CLICK.

And just like that, He was gone.

The boardroom suddenly felt enormous.

Empty. Cold.

Khushi remained exactly where she was.

Unable to move. Unable to think. Unable to understand how one man could still have this much power over her.

Her eyes slowly lowered to her wrist. The wrist he had grabbed. The place where his touch still lingered.

Then his voice drifted through the closed door. Calm. Certain. Possessive.

"Welcome back to my life, Khushi."

And for the first time that day, Khushi felt genuinely afraid.