Her Deviant Husband

Chapter 17

Athira's pov.

The elevator dinged, and I practically sprinted out before the doors could fully open. My heels clicked violently against the marble floor of Amara Mami and Abhimanyu Mama's penthouse as I made a beeline for Ayaan's room. My hair was in disarray, my white blouse crumpled, and my nerves were so frayed I wouldn't be surprised if I snapped at the next person who dared breathe too loudly near me.

The audacity of that bastard Reyansh. Who the hell did he think he was, storming into my life, into my head, and throwing around threats like he was handing out business cards? The Shekhawats being a mafia family? My board scheming to have me ousted as future CEO?

No. No fucking way. This was bullshit. It had to be.

But what if it wasn't?

I reached Ayaan's room, pushed the door open without knocking, and strode in. He was sprawled out on his bed, laptop open, phone balanced precariously on his knee. His calm, dimpled face turned toward me, eyebrows raised in that maddeningly unbothered way he always had.

"Athira Di," he said, closing his laptop with deliberate slowness, "you do realize doors exist for a reason, right?"

"Shut up and tell me if the Shekhawats are mafia," I snapped, pacing back and forth like a lunatic.

Ayaan blinked, his expression infuriatingly calm. He leaned back on his elbows, giving me that cocky little smile he always wore when he thought I was overreacting. "Good evening to you too, Di. What's with the dramatics? Did someone spill your coffee or something?"

I stopped pacing to glare at him. "Just answer the goddamn question, Ayaan. Shekhawats. Mafia. Yes or no?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he straightened up, his playful demeanor fading. "Why are you asking?"

I threw my hands up. "Because apparently, I'm the last person in this godforsaken city to find out that the land I just acquired for the real estate garden project belongs to a family who'd sooner plant bodies than flowers in it!"

His lips twitched like he was trying not to laugh, but he covered it with a cough. "You're serious."

"Of course I'm serious!" I yelled, resuming my frantic pacing. "And that's not even the best part! Word on the street is I'm about to be kicked out of my CEO position because apparently, everyone thinks I don't know what I'm doing!"

Ayaan stood up, his calm demeanor now replaced with something sharper. "Wait. What? Who told you this?"

"Does it matter?" I shot back. "Just tell me if it's true."

He sighed, rubbing his temple like dealing with me was the bane of his existence. "Sit down, Di."

"I'm not sitting—"

"Sit," he said firmly, pointing to the edge of his bed.

I huffed but obeyed, perching on the very edge like the seat itself was burning me.

Ayaan grabbed his phone, typing rapidly, and then held it to his ear. "Ravi? Yeah, I need you to confirm something. The Shekhawats—are they tied to any underworld activity? Mafia connections? I need it fast."

He put the phone on speaker, and I sat frozen, listening to the muffled voice on the other end.

"Yeah, boss," Ravi replied after a moment. "Shekhawats have a long history in the underworld. Smuggling, extortion—you name it. They've cleaned up their image in recent years, but the connections are still there. Why?"

"No reason," Ayaan said casually, ending the call before I could process what I'd just heard.

I stared at him, my heart pounding. "So it's true?"