The Silent Seduction

22. ARJUN

The silence in the car was almost deafening as I drove away from the Kapoor mansion. Mahira’s words lingered in my mind, each syllable echoing like a persistent drumbeat.

The memory of her eyes, wide and vulnerable, kept playing over and over. Her hesitation. Her surprise. And that damned card.

An event. With her.

The thought alone was enough to stir a storm within me. A storm I’d been trying to suppress for weeks, ever since that night in the elevator when everything shifted between us.

No, it wasn’t just that night. It was every stolen glance, every brush of our hands, every damn breath we shared in close proximity.

My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I navigated the dark streets. I could feel the tension in my jaw, the way my teeth clenched unconsciously. My body was betraying the calm façade I was trying so hard to maintain.

Mahira was like a drug—intoxicating, addictive, dangerous. The more I tried to distance myself, the more I was drawn to her. Like a moth to a flame, knowing it would get burned, yet unable to resist the lure of the light.

The event.

The word seemed so innocuous, yet it carried the weight of a thousand implications. What was Kapoor’s game? Was this just a business strategy, or was there something more?

I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was part of some larger scheme, something that I hadn’t quite figured out yet. And then there was Mahira. How could I keep myself from unraveling when she was around?

A sigh escaped my lips as I pulled into the driveway of my house. The mansion loomed before me, its windows dark, save for a faint glow coming from the living room. My mother was still awake. Of course, she was.

I turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, staring at the front door. I wasn’t ready to face her. Not yet. Not with everything swirling in my head.

The memories of the kiss, the heat of her body against mine, the way her breath hitched when I touched her—it was too much. I could still feel her lips on mine, still taste the desperation in that kiss.

But I knew I couldn’t sit here forever. I couldn’t avoid my own home. With a resigned breath, I stepped out of the car and made my way to the door. The cool night air did little to soothe the fire raging inside me.

The moment I walked in, I saw my mother seated on the couch, a cup of tea in her hands. She looked up, a small smile playing on her lips. “You’re home late,” she remarked, her eyes softening when they met mine. “Work?”

“Something like that,” I replied, shrugging off my jacket and draping it over the back of a chair. I didn’t want to get into the details. Not now. Not ever, if I could help it.

But she knew me too well. She always had. “Arjun,” she began, setting the cup down on the coffee table. “What’s on your mind?”

I ran a hand through my hair, a nervous habit I’d picked up over the years. My mother had this way of seeing right through me, of knowing exactly what was bothering me even when I tried my best to hide it. “It’s nothing,” I muttered, but the words felt hollow even to me.

She sighed, standing up and walking over to me. Her hands were warm as she cupped my face, forcing me to look at her. “You’ve never been good at lying, my son. Talk to me.”

I swallowed hard, the words I wanted to say stuck in my throat. How could I tell her about Mahira? About the way she made me feel, about the battle I was fighting every day to keep myself in check? It wasn’t something I could just say out loud, not even to my mother.

“It’s work,” I finally said, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. “There’s a lot going on with Kapoor Enterprises. Some high-stakes deals coming up.”

Her eyes searched mine, and for a moment, I thought she would push further. But then she simply nodded, her hands dropping to her sides. “Just… don’t lose yourself in it, Arjun. Business is important, but it’s not everything.”

Her words struck a chord in me, one that resonated far deeper than I wanted to admit. I wasn’t just losing myself in business. I was losing myself in her. And that was the most terrifying thing of all.

I forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Just a few more weeks, and things will settle down.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she let it go, patting my cheek affectionately. “Get some rest. You look like you need it.”

I nodded, turning to head upstairs. But as I climbed the steps, my thoughts kept drifting back to Mahira. To the way she looked at me when I left her tonight. To the way her lips felt against mine. To the way her body fit so perfectly against me.

When I finally reached my room, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, the weight of the day pressing down on me. I was losing control. I could feel it slipping through my fingers, like sand in an hourglass.

How long could I keep this up? How long before I gave in completely?

My hand clenched into a fist as I pushed away from the door, moving to the window. The city lights twinkled in the distance, but all I could think about was her.

Mahira Kapoor. The one woman who had the power to destroy me, yet the one I couldn’t stay away from.

As I stared out into the night, I knew one thing for certain: I was walking a dangerous line. One wrong step, and everything would come crashing down.

But damn it, I couldn’t stop. Not now. Not when I was already in too deep.

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