The Silent Seduction

2. ARJUN

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The door closed behind Mahira, and her father left behind her, leaving me alone in the dimly lit office. I stood there, rooted in place, as if the air had been sucked out of the room the moment she left.

There was something about her that unsettled me, something that gnawed at the edges of my control. I couldn’t quite place it, but it was there, a tension, a spark that I couldn’t ignore.

I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. Mahira was sharp, no doubt about that. She had a hint about what was coming, about the board meeting that would decide her fate as the next CEO.

But did she truly understand the gravity of the situation? Did she know what was at stake, what would be required of her?

I wasn't sure.

I walked to my cabin and walked over to the large window overlooking the city, my reflection barely visible in the dark glass. The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a dusky glow over the skyline.

The office was quiet now, the hum of activity having died down as the day came to an end. But my mind was still buzzing, replaying the conversation with Mahira over and over again.

She had looked at me with those sharp eyes, like she was trying to figure me out. But I wasn’t an open book, and she wouldn’t find the answers she was searching for in me.

My past was a locked box, one that I wasn’t about to open for anyone—least of all her.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Neha, my assistant, standing hesitantly in the doorway.

“Sir, the reports you requested,” she said, holding out a stack of files.

“Just leave them on the desk,” I replied, my voice flat.

She walked over, placing the files down gently. I could feel her eyes on me, a mix of curiosity and caution. Everyone in the office knew better than to pry into my business, but that didn’t stop them from wondering.

I had built a reputation here—one of efficiency, of getting the job done no matter what. And that reputation was what kept people like Neha from asking questions they had no business asking.

“Is there anything else you need, sir?” she asked, her voice a bit softer this time.

I shook my head, already turning my attention back to the view outside. “No. That’s all.”

She lingered for a moment, then nodded and left the room, the door closing quietly behind her. I stood there for a few more minutes, letting the silence settle around me like a heavy blanket.

It was moments like these that I craved—moments where I could just breathe, without the weight of expectations and responsibilities pressing down on me.

But those moments never lasted long.

The sharp ring of my phone interrupted the quiet. I glanced at the screen, recognizing the number immediately. Raj Kapoor. I answered the call, bringing the phone to my ear.

“Arjun, I need to see you in my office,” Raj’s voice came through, calm yet firm.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I replied, ending the call.

As I made my way to sir's office, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was brewing, something that would change everything.

He was a man who didn’t waste time on pleasantries—if he wanted to talk, it meant there was something serious at hand.