The Secret Wife of the CEO

Anjali's Last Gambit

Sanju stared at the name on her true caller caller id of her phone screen, her heart pounding in her chest. Anjali's name blinked ominously, a ghost from the past she wished she could forget. After everything Anjali had done—the manipulation, the lies, the way she had tried to wedge herself between Sanju and Bhargav—why was she calling now? Sanju's thoughts flashed back to that day in the conference room, when she'd walked in on Anjali pressing herself against Bhargav, her hand trailing down his chest with that smug, seductive smile. Sanju had trusted Bhargav then, but the memory still stung, the image seared into her mind. And now, this call — what could Anjali possibly want? For a moment, Sanju considered ignoring it, letting the call go to voicemail. But something inside her — a mix of curiosity and unresolved anger — made her swipe to answer. She brought the phone to her ear, her breath shallow.

"Hello?" Sanju's voice was steady, but her grip on the phone was anything but. There was a brief pause, and then Anjali's voice came through, lacking the confidence it once held. "Sanju." Sanju could hear the strain, the desperation barely masked in her tone. It was a stark contrast to the woman who had walked into that conference room with calculated intent, dressed to kill, both literally and figuratively. "What do you want, Anjali?" Sanju's tone was sharp, laced with the resentment she hadn't yet fully let go of.

"I... I didn't know who else to call," Anjali admitted, her voice faltering. "I need your help." Sanju felt a mix of surprise and wariness. Help? After everything that had happened? "Help with what?" she asked, her tone neutral, giving nothing away. Anjali hesitated, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I... I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand. I just wanted to talk to Bhargav, to... clear the air." Sanju's eyes narrowed slightly, though her voice remained calm. "You wanted to talk to him after trying to ruin our marriage? After everything you did?" Sanju could practically hear the gears turning in Anjali's mind. The confident, scheming Anjali who had tried to seduce Bhargav in that conference room was now unraveling, her smugness replaced with something close to fear. There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "Ruin your marriage?" Anjali repeated, her voice shaky. "I... I didn't know... you're married?" "Yes, Anjali," Sanju replied evenly. "Bhargav is my husband. What made you think I'd help you after everything you've done?"

There was a long, heavy silence as Anjali processed this new information. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with shock and realization. "I didn't know... I had no idea. So that's why everything fell apart so quickly. Why Mr. Gupta turned against me, why Bhargav was so cold..." Her voice trailed off, and Sanju could almost hear the pieces clicking into place in Anjali's mind. Sanju remained silent, letting Anjali work through the realization on her own. There was a long, heavy silence on the other end as Anjali processed this information. When she spoke again, her voice was shaky, a far cry from the woman who had once thought she could waltz back into Bhargav's life. "So... that's why all this happened. I had no idea. I thought... I thought I could just — "

Anjali's tone became pleading. "Sanju, please. I didn't realize. I... I thought Bhargav was just helping you, that you were just his girlfriend, not... I never expected him to be this ruthless. I need your help, Sanju. You're the only one who can get through to him." When Anjali spoke again, there was a note of desperation in her voice. "Sanju, I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing, or how far things had gone. I never meant for it to get this bad. Please, I'm begging you. Can you help me? I just need Bhargav to talk to Mr. Gupta, to get him to back off, to leave me a way out." Sanju's patience was running out, as her grip on the phone tightened. "You want me to help you? You think I'd help you manipulate him again?" "No, no," Anjali stammered, panic seeping into her voice. "Not manipulate. I just... I just need to talk to him, to explain. I didn't know he'd take it this far."

Before Sanju could respond, Bhargav entered the room. His eyes immediately locked onto hers, noticing the tension in her posture, the way her hand shook as she held the phone. His protective instincts flared, and he crossed the room in a few quick strides. "Sanju, who is it?" Bhargav asked, his voice low, concerned. Sanju was too absorbed in the phone call, her mind reeling from Anjali's desperate words. She didn't even notice Bhargav's approach, her focus entirely on the voice on the other end of the line. Bhargav, sensing something was wrong, glanced at her phone screen and immediately recognized the name. His protective instincts surged. Without a word, he gently took the phone from Sanju's hand, his expression hardening as he brought it to his ear, ready to confront the person responsible for so much of their turmoil.