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Rudransh sat in his office, staring blankly at his desk. A storm of emotions raged within him, ones he couldn't quite name. His head throbbed, and his heart ached in a way that was unfamiliar yet unbearable. He had been distracted for days—no, weeks. Aarohi's sudden silence was like a void, a constant echo in the back of his mind that he couldn't escape.
He sighed heavily when his office door slammed open, and in walked Kabir, his oldest friend, carrying his usual carefree smirk.
"Rudra, what's going on? You cancelled every meeting today, left your staff confused, and here you are, sulking like a heartbroken teenager." Kabir's tone was sarcastic, but his eyes scanned Rudransh with genuine concern.
"It's nothing," Rudransh replied hoarsely, avoiding Kabir's probing gaze.
"Yeh koi baat kaise nahi ho sakti, bhai?" Kabir mocked, leaning casually against the desk. "You're sitting here looking like the world just ended, canceling meetings left and right, and you're telling me it's nothing? Please, enlighten me!"
Rudransh glared at him but didn't answer.
"Fine, don't tell me." Kabir shrugged, his smirk growing wider. He walked over to Rudransh, grabbed his arm, and started pulling him toward the door.
"Kabir, kahan le jaa raha hai?" Rudransh demanded, trying to free himself from Kabir's grip.
"No questions," Kabir said curtly, pressing the elevator button.
As the elevator descended, Rudransh shot him an annoyed look. Kabir, however, remained silent, his focus on dragging Rudransh out of the building and into his car. The drive was quiet except for the hum of the engine. Rudransh, too exhausted to argue, leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Kabir's penthouse.
"Ab yeh kya nautanki hai?" Rudransh asked as Kabir led him inside.
"Baith," Kabir ordered, pointing at the plush sofa.
Rudransh reluctantly sat down. Kabir poured two glasses of whiskey, handing one to Rudransh before taking a seat across from him.
"Ab bata," Kabir said firmly. "Kya hua hai? Itna kyun pareshan hai?"
Rudransh stared at his glass, swirling the amber liquid absentmindedly. Finally, after a long pause, he muttered, "Aarohi stopped talking to me."
Kabir froze, processing the words.
"Come again?" he asked, leaning forward, thinking he had misheard.
"Aarohi stopped talking to me," Rudransh repeated, louder this time, his voice tinged with frustration and something akin to sadness.
There was a beat of silence before Kabir erupted into laughter.
"The great cold and arrogant CEO Rudransh Singh Raghuvanshi is sulking because his wife isn't talking to him?!" Kabir laughed harder, clutching his stomach as he rolled onto the floor.
Rudransh's glare could have frozen fire.
"Kabir, shut up," he snapped, his voice low but dangerous.