Meher POV

Carrying the coffee, I knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice came from inside.

I entered the cabin and greeted him.
"Good morning, sir. Your coffee," I said in my usual tone.

He gave a small hum and replied, "Sit, Meher."

I settled in front of him, and he asked, "What is the update from AR's company?"

"Sir, I have contacted them. They want to have a meeting with us. I was just coming to tell you that—"

"But you didn't tell me till now," he cut me off sharply.

"Sir, I was about to—"

"No, Meher," he interrupted again, his tone firm. "You didn't. I don't want any excuses or loopholes in work. I hope I am clear, Meher Sharma. Am I? Concentrate on your work rather than catching up in the office. You come here to work, not to make friends."

"Yes, sir," I said softly.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"No," he replied curtly, taking a sip of his coffee.

I exited the cabin and sank into my chair, frustration bubbling inside me. Is he bipolar or what? One moment he's normal, the next moment he's an absolute asshole.

But you have a crush on this asshole, my subconscious teased.

Shut up, I scolded myself internally.

The rest of the day went by smoothly.
There were no more clashes, no sharp words, and no unnecessary tension between us. For once, everything felt... normal.

As I stretched my arms and glanced at the clock, I noticed it was already 7:30 p.m. Most of the day's work was done; all that was left was to update him before leaving.

With a small sigh, I got up and walked toward his cabin, knocking gently on the door.

The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted not by his usual stern gaze, but by a sudden silence. His friends were seated with him, their conversation cut short the second I entered.

"Good evening," I greeted politely, offering them all a small smile before turning to him. 

"Sir, I just came to inform you that I'm leaving for the day."

He gave a curt nod, and I quickly excused myself.

As I walked out of the cabin, an uneasy thought lingered. Something felt... off. Why did they all go silent the moment I walked in?

ARAV POV

The sunlight streaming through the window disturbed my sleep, forcing me to get up and begin my daily routine. After an hour-long workout at the gym, I glanced at the clock—time to get ready for the office.

As I stepped into the bathroom, my thoughts drifted back to the conversation with my private investigator. He had told me that Meher and Karan were close friends in school.

I've suffered losses before because of careless employees. But this time, if it happens again, I'll make sure they face my wrath. No legalities. No police. Just me—and the employee responsible.

I came out of the bathroom, quickly grabbed my essentials, and began descending the stairs, only to pause when I heard my parents' voices.

"Where are you going so early?" Papa asked.

"Office, Papa," I replied.

"So early? Yesterday too, you skipped breakfast and left in a hurry," Mom added.

"Set the breakfast. I'm going with him," Papa said firmly.

"But Papa—" I started, only to be cut off by Mom.

"Come fast, I'm waiting," she said, moving toward the kitchen.

Papa's gaze lingered on me. "What's going on, Arav? I know you're hiding something. Tell me."

"Nothing, Papa. Just office work," I said, trying to sound calm.

"Are you sure? It seems like there's more."

"No, Papa. I'll handle everything."

"Fine. Come, let's have breakfast."

Descending the stairs, I sat beside Papa, and we talked lightly while eating. Once done, I grabbed my car keys and headed out.

Yes, I was going earlier than usual. But there was a reason—I wanted to keep an eye on each and every employee myself. This time, I couldn't afford betrayal. Whether it was Meher or anyone else, I wouldn't spare them. There would be no loss for the company. Not again.

With that thought, I entered the office, greeted by the receptionist and guards with polite good mornings. As soon as I stepped into the elevator, I noticed the shift—employees quickly settled into their seats, working with sudden focus.

Good. That fear should exist.

But then my eyes caught the vacant desk. Meher's. She wasn't here yet. She could walk in any moment. With a sigh, I entered my cabin.

The first thing I did was check for that bastard, Karan. The CCTV footage showed he hadn't arrived yet.

I immediately picked up my phone and called my PI. After two rings, he answered.

"Hello, sir. Good morning," he greeted.

"Any further information?" I asked, my voice firm.

"Sir, I'm on it. You'll have the update by today," he replied.

"Make it quick—we don't have time," I said, ending the call

I ended the call and resumed my work. After some time, my eyes caught sight of my assistant entering the office through the glass door.

"Coffee. In my cabin," I called out.

"Yes, sir," she replied in her usual tone.

I cut the call and buried myself back into work, only to be interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," I said firmly.

Meher stepped inside, and for a moment, my eyes lingered on her. She looked fresh... beautiful. A part of me wanted to ask about her health, to show concern. But I let the thought pass. I couldn't be that Arav again—especially not when she was still one of the suspects on my list of possible betrayers.

She placed the coffee on my desk and was about to leave when I stopped her.

As she settled into the seat across from me, I leaned back and asked about AR's company. They were strong in business, and working with them could help recover the loss I had suffered earlier because of an incompetent employee.

"What is the update from AR's company?" I asked, my tone steady.

"Sir, I have contacted them. They want to have a meeting with us. I was just coming to tell you that—" she began.

"But you didn't tell me till now," I cut her off sharply.

"Sir, I was about to—" she tried to explain.

"No, Meher," I interrupted again, my voice firm. "You didn't. I don't want any excuses or loopholes in work. I hope I am clear, Meher Sharma. Am I? Concentrate on your work rather than catching up in the office. You come here to work, not to make friends."

"Yes, sir," she replied softly, almost in a whisper.

She quickly gathered her essentials and left the cabin without another word.

The rest of the day passed smoothly, buried in office work—until the sudden creak of my cabin door broke the rhythm. In walked Aditya and Karan, their grins already mischievous.

"Hello, Mr. CEO," they said in unison.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you two doing here?"

"Oh, we thought to check up on you," Aditya replied with a smirk. "You seemed... busy in someone's thoughts."

"That's not the case," I said flatly.

"Oh, really?" Aditya teased. 

Karan leaned in, studying my expression. "What's wrong? Why do you look so stressed?"

"Nothing," I replied calmly, settling back in my chair. "Just caught up in office work."

"Are you serious? Tell us what happened... wait, let me ask Meher to grab coffees for us," Karan said, already reaching for his phone.

"No," I cut in firmly.

"Why? Is she on leave?" Aditya asked.

"No, she's in the office. I'll ask someone else."

Without another word, I quickly made a call and ordered three coffees. Soon, a knock came at the door, and one of my employees entered with the tray. After handing us the cups, he left, and the room settled back into quiet.

I leaned forward, lowering my voice as I explained everything—the conversation I had with my private investigator.

When I finished, both Aditya and Karan exchanged stunned glances.

"No... that can't be possible. Meher can't do this," they said in unison.

"I can't trust anyone in business," I replied coldly. "Especially after the betrayal I faced last time."

"But—" Karan started.

"No buts," I cut him off sharply. "She's an employee, nothing more. I don't know why you both keep hyping her up. She's just my assistant—until everything is clear."

"What do you mean by until everything is clear?" they asked together, their eyes narrowing.

Before I could answer, a knock echoed through the cabin. The door opened, and Meher stepped inside.

The three of us fell silent. She greeted Aditya and Karan politely before turning to me.
"Sir, I was just informing you that I'm leaving for the day."

I gave a curt nod, and she walked out.

The moment the door closed behind her, both of them fixed their gaze on me.

"What do you mean, Arav?" Aditya asked firmly.

I met his stare without flinching. "I mean, if I find out she's involved with that bastard—Karan, the CEO's son—betraying us... then she will face my wrath. This time, I won't leave anyone. No means no."

"But if she's not involved in all this..." Karan said carefully.

"Then she will remain just my assistant—as she is now," I replied curtly.

"Aarav, be careful," Aditya warned. "Earlier, your behavior with her wasn't good. Don't repeat the same mistake this time."

"I'm not here to make relationships, Aditya," I shot back.

"Still... think carefully before you act. I don't want you to regret later," he said firmly.

With that, both of them walked out of the cabin, leaving me with my thoughts.

I moved toward the window, staring out at the city buzzing with life. But then... something caught my eye.

Meher.

She was standing outside, talking to someone.

I narrowed my gaze, straining to see clearly. And then I froze. It was him—that bastard Karan.

They were speaking with ease, Meher smiling as she listened to him. My eyes caught the papers in his hand. What are those?

The longer I watched, the tighter my fists clenched. My blood boiled when, at the end of their conversation, they shared a casual side hug.

"That's it," I muttered under my breath. "Now I'm sure... she's with him. A betrayer."

I quickly dialed the PI's number, my patience already wearing thin.

"Why is the report not on my table yet?" I snapped the moment he picked up.

"Sir... I was working on it," he stammered. "In fact, I just found something in Karan's file. There are huge weekly transactions being made to someone—every single week."

My grip on the phone tightened. "Who the hell is this person?"

"I'm still tracing it, sir," he replied quickly. "I'll have the name soon."

"Make it quick," I ordered coldly. "And from now on, track Meher Sharma. Everywhere. Office, home—every single detail. I want her movements properly recorded."

"Yes, sir," he responded. "By tomorrow, I'll give you the complete details—both about her and Karan."

I ended the call, my jaw clenched. Tomorrow, there would be no room for doubt.

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