๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ ( ๐พ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ง-1 : ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ข๐จ)
1319 Words
The boardroom was built for intimidationโglass walls, stone table, leather chairs that swallowed egos whole. It smelled of authority. The kind that made people shrink the moment they stepped inside.
But she didn't shrink.
She adjusted her kurti sleeves, flicked a piece of lint off her chest, and walked in with her head high, five minutes past the scheduled time.
Every pair of eyes turned to her. Some in judgment. Some in discomfort. A few in smirking pity.
But the only pair she felt was his.
He sat at the head of the table, dark suit tailored so sharply it looked like it could cut skin. One hand resting on the table, the other lazily flipping through a file that definitely didnโt require that much focus. Cold. Unbothered.Powerful. Observing her like a bug on the glass.
Veer Rathore.
The firmโs most ruthless senior partner.
Sheโd heard about him before she took the jobโstories of shattered careers and frozen silences. The man didnโt raise his voice. He didnโt have to. He crushed with looks, fired with a glance. And now, his eyes were on her. He didn't look at her with softness neither did she.
And she was late.
โNice of you to join us,โ he said, voice smooth as polished marble. โI trust youโve made your dramatic entrance?โ
The sarcasm was soft. But it slid under her skin like a blade.
She sat down without looking at him. โIf your assistant had sent the correct time, I wouldnโt need a dramatic entrance. Or a warning.โ
She stepped into the room with heels that echoed confidence.
โSheโs never wrong,โ he said coolly.
She took the last chairโdeliberately not looking at him. โThen maybe this was your fault.โ
A ripple of tension cracked through the room. No one spoke to Veer Rathore like that. Not analysts. Not managers. And definitely not her โan outsider hired last week as a consultant
A sharp inhale came from someone across the table. She didnโt care.
He closed the file. Finally looked up. And the full weight of his attention slammed into her like a punch to the chest.
โI donโt like excuses, Missโฆ?โ he prompted.
โAarohi Singh,โ she replied. โAnd that wasnโt an excuse. It was a correction.โ
His lips twitched. Not a smile. Something darker. โCorrection noted.โ
The meeting resumed, but the tension didnโt. She felt it like a second skin, wrapping itself around her shoulders. His voice filled the roomโmeasured, commanding, and disturbingly addictive. She hated that she noticed how deep it was. Hated even more how it vibrated through her bones when he stood to move to the digital board , his presence drowning the oxygen in the room.
She had worked with arrogant men before. But Veer Rathore was a different beast.
He didnโt just own the room.
He was the room.
And she was the only one not playing submissive.Atleast not yet.
When the meeting ended, people filed out in quiet relief.
But his voice stopped them. โEveryone elseโout. Aarohi stays.โ
She blinked.
What?
The others glanced at her, some with sympathy, some with the thrill of watching a live execution. The door clicked shut behind them.
Now it was just the two of them .
He stood at the far end of the table, arms crossed, gaze unreadable.
โTell me something,โ he said calmly. โAre you trying to make a point?โ
She raised a brow. โWas I supposed to shrink because you raised your voice Or feel intimidated by you?โ
โI never raised my voice,โ he said calmly. โAnd I donโt need to intimidate anyone. Especially not someone who still confuses confidence with noise.โ
She stood, matching his stance. โAnd you confuse arrogance with power. I wasnโt hired to be quiet.โ
โNo,โ he said, stepping closer. โYou were hired to contribute. Not disrupt.โ
She shouldโve stepped back.
She didnโt.
Even when he walked the full length of the table and stopped two feet in front of her. Even when his cologne hit her sensesโwood, spice, and something dark that didnโt have a name. Arrogance. Dominance. Power.
She hated how tall he was. How still he stood. Like a storm that never needed to roar. Just be.
โIs this how you handle women who donโt worship you or who don't act submissive?โ she asked, voice low.
His eyes narrowed, gaze flicking from her eyes to her lips and back again.
โI donโt need to be worshipped,โ he murmured. โBut I demand respect.โ
โI earn respect,โ she shot back. โNot hand it out because you wear a suit and have your name on the damn building.โ
He exhaled a quiet laugh. Not amused. Impressed.
And dangerously intrigued.
โYouโre going to be a problem,โ he said finally.
She smiled. โOnly if you try to control me.โ
โI donโt try,โ he said, stepping even closer. โI do.โ
Her pulse kicked.
He wasnโt touching her. Not yet. But his words dripped heat down her spine.
โYouโre not used to women who donโt fold, are you?โ you asked.
He leaned in just enough for his breath to fan your cheek.
โNo,โ he whispered. โAnd I donโt like it.โ
Her skin lit up.
Good.
She didnโt want him to like her.
She wanted him to feel herโthe way fire feels the oxygen it consumes.
She didnโt look away. โThen fire me.โ
A pause. Thick. Dangerous.
His lips curved, almost cruelly. โI donโt fire problems that fascinate me.โ
She blinked.
The silence hung between them like a challenge neither of them was willing to back down from.
โIโm not here to be part of your... fascination,โ she said.
โThen why are you here?โ
She stared at him. โBecause Iโm good. And because no matter how much you glare or threaten or act like Godโdeep down, you know Iโm not someone you can break.โ
The words echoed. Sharp. Final.
His jaw tightened.
โI know exactly what you are,โ he murmured. โSomeone with a mouth too sharp for her position.โ
โSomeone not afraid to bite when cornered,โ she shot back.
And that was when it happened.
That shift.
That unspoken current between enemies who were seconds away from becoming something dangerous.
He said nothing. Just leaned a little closer. His voice dropped like a secret.
โCareful, firecracker. In this world, people like you either burn everythingโฆ or get burned.โ
Her pulse thundered in her ears. โWeโll see who turns to ash first.โ
He didnโt argue.
He just leaned back slightly. โWeโll see.โ
She picked up her file. Walked toward the door without looking back.
But before her hand touched the knob, his voice came again. Quiet. Commanding.
โAarohi.โ
She turned, pulse still high.
His gaze didnโt waver. โNext time you walk into my boardroom late, I wonโt embarrass you in front of others.โ
She raised a brow. โHow considerate.โ
His eyes darkened. โIโll do it privately.โ
Something hot and dangerous curled in her gut.
She said nothing.
Just walked outโwith her spine tall and her hands clenched.
She hated him.
But she would have never been this alive.
---
๐ค End of Chapter 1
Next Chapter:
He assigns her an impossible project
She humiliate someone he respectsโฆ and he watches with dark pride
But that night, he canโt stop thinking about how her voice made his blood burn
- Writer
