BRIDGING HEARTS

{36}

                            JEIA

As I stepped into my room, I barely had a chance to close the door before a firm grip on my wrist spun me around. In the next moment, I found myself pressed against the wall, my breath hitching as Mr. Singhania's tall frame loomed over me. His unwavering hold pinned my wrist behind my back, leaving me unable to move.

His smoldering brown eyes fixed on mine, unwavering, a tempest of emotions churned in his dark eyes—anger, frustration, and a smoldering intensity that sent a shiver racing down my spine. "What the hell was that downstairs? How dare you?" he demanded, his voice low and trembling with barely-contained fury.

"You have no right to speak to my brother like that," he said, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made my knees weak.

"Mr. Singhania," I stammered, my voice trembling as I wriggled against his unyielding grip, desperately trying to free my wrist. "Let me go!"

Instead of letting me go, his grip only tightened, pulling me closer with a force that left me breathless. I gasped, startled by his audacity, my free hand flying to his chest in a desperate attempt to put some space between us.

"Let you go?" he said, his voice eerily calm as his face hovered just inches from mine. "Not until you tell me why you thought you could behave like that under my roof, with my family, with my brother."

I glared at him, trying to mask the turmoil inside me. "Maybe teach Aarav some manners, I didn’t mean to lose my temper, but he—"

"He what?" he cut me off sharply. "Jokes around? Tries to make you smile? That’s Aarav. He saw you dull and tried lifting your mood. And you humiliated him in front of the staff for it." His tone was accusatory, his anger obvious in every word he spoke. And damn, he was right. Aarav had only tried to cheer me up, and it was me who’d lost my temper and accidentally unleashed it on him. Guilt twisted in my stomach, but I wasn’t about to admit that to this arrogant man. Hell no. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing I regretted my actions, especially when I’d been backed into this corner by his condescending tone.

"Maybe I might have overreacted, but have you ever thought of teaching him how not to test someone's patience?" I tried freeing my hand from him, my fingers digging into his grip, but it remained unyielding. I wasn’t about to back down and let him dominate me—not without putting up a fight.

He didn’t flinch. His grip tightened, and he leaned in even closer, his breath hot against my face, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine. "You think you're the only one who has a temper?" he snapped, his voice dangerously controlled, like a simmering storm. "I don’t care if you’re having a hard time, but there are lines you don’t cross. Not in my house, not with my family."

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as his words hit like a hammer, shattering my composure. The heat of his body pressed against mine, his overwhelming presence suffocating. I never liked such close proximity with any man; it felt invasive, too overpowering—and I hated it.

I glared up at him through my glasses, refusing to let him see the effect his words had on me. My anger flared, raw and unchecked. "You don’t even know what’s happening or what all has happened, so shut up!"

His grip on my wrist tightened, a silent reminder of the power he held in that moment. My pulse quickened with a volatile mix of fury and frustration as his sharp gaze bore into mine. A sneer curled on his lips, laced with cold disdain.

"Don’t you dare," he retorted, his tone cutting and mocking.

"You think your little temper tantrums give you the right to treat people however you want?" His words dripped with contempt, each one sharper than the last. "You’re just a guest in this house, trying so desperately to fit into a world that doesn’t even belong to you."