Arjun’s deep, commanding voice echoed through the call, “Miss Jia, you have a son, don’t you?”
Jia was stunned. Her body froze, and for a few seconds, she couldn’t find the words to respond. Gathering herself, she finally asked, her voice trembling, “Why are you asking me that, Mr. Arjun?”
Arjun replied firmly, his tone unwavering, “I’ll talk to you about it in person.”
Before Jia could say another word, Arjun abruptly hung up the call, leaving her speechless.
It felt like a storm had erupted in Jia’s mind. A thousand questions raced through her thoughts. *Why does he want to meet me about this? Does he... could he possibly know who I really am?*
Her hands trembled as she stared at the phone, gripped tightly between her fingers. *No, that’s not possible. There’s no way Arjun could know the truth about Aarush...*
As she stood there lost in thought, a gentle tug at her skirt brought her back to reality. A soft, innocent voice broke her trance.
“Mom, how long have you been standing here? Is something wrong?”
Jia quickly composed herself and knelt down to face her little boy, gently holding his arms.
“N-no, sweetheart. Nothing’s wrong. Just a bit stressed from work, that’s all,” she said with a strained smile.
As she gazed into Aarush’s blue eyes, a wave of unease washed over her. *Why has Arjun suddenly re-entered our lives? Is it really just about Aarush? No... it can’t be.*
Her expression darkened with suppressed anger, leaving poor Aarush confused by the shift.
Standing up with a smile, Jia told him, “Aru, wait for me in the lounge. Mommy needs to take care of something, okay?”
“Alright, Mom!” Aarush beamed and walked off through the corridor.
Jia watched him go, her jaw tightening with resolve. *I don’t care why you’re here, Arjun Singh Thakur. Aarush is my son. I brought him into this world. No one—*
*Not even you—can take him away from me.*
---
Jia now stood inside Arjun’s room, facing him. Arjun sat calmly on the sofa, browsing through a series of Aarush’s model photos, several of which were laid out across the glass table.
He looked up briefly, meeting her gaze. “Hmm? You’re here already.”
Jia didn’t respond. Her eyes fixated on the photos—*Why does he have so many pictures of Aarush? What is he planning? Could he have found something? Is he going to take my child away from me?*
Worry was etched into every line of her face.
Arjun looked at her thoughtfully before speaking again, “Please, have a seat. I want to discuss something important. I’m planning to take Aarush to Europe for three days. The brand we’re working with specializes in high-end children’s clothing, and the European streets and architecture would make the perfect backdrop for the shoot.”
Before he could finish, Jia’s rage erupted.
“Absolutely not!” she snapped, her voice laced with fury.
*How dare he think he can take Aarush away like that?* she thought. *How shameless can this man be?*
Arjun was momentarily taken aback by her reaction. “But why?” he asked calmly.
Clenching her jaw, Jia replied, “Because he’s my son! He belongs wherever I am!”
Her voice trembled with emotion and rage. Arjun sat silently, processing her words.
*Of course... how did I overlook this? If the child is traveling, the mother should be with him too...* he thought.
Then he said flatly, “Then you should come with us.”
Jia stared at him in disbelief. *What? He wants to take both me and Aarush?*
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “My son is not going anywhere. And neither am I.”
Arjun’s voice turned icy. “Director Jia, do you have a problem with the contract you signed?”
He added silently, *Did she even bother reading the terms before signing it?*
Leaning forward, he gathered the photos from the table and continued in a firm voice, “It clearly states that as the child’s supervisor, you are obligated to cooperate with the company. So what kind of behavior is this, exactly?”
Jia was shaken. “What contract—” she began to yell, but then fell silent, eyes narrowing as she looked closer at the photos.
*These pictures… the lighting, the angles, the backdrop—it’s a professional shoot, not something taken secretly. This... this looks official.*
And then it hit her.
*He’s the boss? He’s behind the children’s wear company Aarush signed with? No... it can’t be. I checked. HF Group had no connection with this brand...*
Her face drained of color.
Just then, a loud noise startled them both.
They turned toward the source—water was gushing out like a burst pipe from the bathroom.
Startled, Arjun stood up while Jia rushed to the bathroom. The pipe had broken.
“Oh no!” Jia panicked. “I need to shut off the motor!”
As she hurried toward it, a sudden burst of water hit her square in the face, knocking her glasses off, which slipped down onto her nose.
“M-my glasses!” she cried, staggering back—only to stumble straight into Arjun, who had moved toward the doorway.
Flustered, Jia turned quickly and shoved him away, making Arjun take a few surprised steps back.
But his eyes—his intense, stormy eyes—locked onto hers.
Without a word, he grabbed her hands—still trying to push him—and pinned her against the wall inside the bathroom.
It all happened so fast that Jia gasped loudly, unable to process the sudden intimacy.
Arjun kept his gaze locked on hers, eyes burning with questions. Jia shifted uncomfortably under his stare.
“M-Mr. Arjun,” she stammered, her voice laced with anger, “w-what are you doing?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned closer, his voice a whisper against her skin. “Who... are you?”
Jia’s heart raced. She turned her face away.
Then, without warning, he gently removed her glasses and asked again, “Who are you?”
Her voice was barely a whisper. “I…”
But before she could continue, Arjun softly turned her face toward him and said, “Why can’t you look me in the eyes?”
Panicked, Jia struggled against his grip and snapped, “Mr. Arjun, please behave yourself! If you don’t stop this right now, I swear I’ll scream and call everyone here!”
But his grip remained firm—his strong hands holding her wrists tightly as her back pressed against the wall.
*Will Arjun finally uncover the truth about Jia’s identity?*
**Stay tuned for the next chapter of ** Eclipsed Hearts*.**
---
**Author’s Note:**
A heart-racing moment between Jia and Arjun is coming in the next chapter!
Let me know in the comments how you felt about today’s update.
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ECLIPSED HEARTS - Twisted Fates & Unveiled Truths
RomanceSix Years Ago....She Disappeared Jiya Yadav never thought she would cross paths with *him* again. That one fateful night has now turned her life upside down. Arjun Singh Thakur, the commanding CEO, has become her hotel's VIP client. The problem? He...
