“Karan, we have that meeting with Saxena,” Kanika reminded curtly.
“I know,” he said, glancing at his watch. “And I’m already bloody late. Give me five minutes. I’ll change.”
His eyes met Mishti’s one last time before he turned and walked out. Kanika followed without another word.
As soon as they were gone, Mishti exhaled, glancing at Rajat. “Why did you bringherhere? I don’t like her.”
Rajat chuckled. “Trust me, I don’t like her either. But I don’t have much choice. She’s Karan’s business partner.” He paused, grinning. “And my sister.”
Mishti’s jaw dropped. “She’s your…sister? Oh God, I’m so sorry!”
“It’s fine,” he laughed. “You are not the only one from my friends who has told me they don’t like my sister. Kanika crosses lines more often than you think. By the way, what were you making before our dramatic entry?”
“Gajar halwa,” she said softly, still embarrassed. “I thought I’d make it for Karan.”
Rajat’s eyes lit up. “It’s my favourite! Can you send some to the office later? I’ll make sure Karan gets a bite too, whether he likes it or not.”
“Deal.” Her lips curved into a faint smile realising that only Rajat could make sure Karan tasted the halwa.
******************
KW Capital Ventures
The afternoon meeting at KW Capital’s top floor was meant to be a routine review—numbers, projections, and a few key updates before the quarterly report went out. Around the sleek oval table sat the core management team: the finance head, twoanalysts, the legal advisor, and Mr Rajeev Saxena, who was one of Karan’s senior partners.
For years, Saxena had been working for KW Capital and handling the finances.
Karan sat at the head of the table with his sleeves rolled up. The sharp lines of his suit did nothing to soften the tension radiating off him.
“Explain this mess to me, Saxena. The missing company funds, how the hell did this happen under your watch?”
Saxena straightened his tie, trying to appear unfazed.
“You’re overthinking it, Karan,” he said. “These are just mere numbers. I’m sure there’s some mistake by the team. I’ve been doing this long before you knew what a balance sheet was. I have given so many profits every year to this company. Maybe you should stop finding ghosts in numbers and start fixing your own personal headlines instead.”
“What did you just say?” Karan’s jaw tightened.
“I said,” Saxena went on, his confidence swelling with arrogance, “there are already whispers about your marriage to Mishti Goel. You were supposed to destroyDG Group, not sleep with the enemy. Instead, you married his sister and are now busy saving their sinking company. How exactly doesthatprofit KW Capital? How good a businessman does that make you?”
Karan’s patience snapped as he grabbed the paperweight from over the glass table and hit it on the floor. His action even rattled the pen stand as he rose from his chair in fury and stalked toward Mr Saxena, who stood on the other side of the table. Before the man could react, Karan’s hand fisted his collar, dragging him forward until their faces were inches apart.
“You forgot your place, Saxena,” he snapped. “My marriage isn’t up foryourjudgment. One more opinion about my personal life, and I’ll forget that we ever shared business. You’llbe out of this company before you can pack your overpriced suits.”
Saxena’s nostrils flared. “How dare you speak to me like this? What did I say wrong? I merely advised you—”
“Advisedme?” Karan cut him off sharply. “Nobody gets to advise me on my marriage. Or my wife. You get that?”
He released Saxena with a sharp shove. The older man staggered backwards, his pride wounded more than his balance.
“You’ll regret this, Karan,” Saxena hissed, adjusting his tie. “I won’t stay quiet after this humiliation.”
Karan’s gaze hardened. “Get out ofmycompany.”
Saxena froze for a second, saw that unmistakable rage in Karan’s eyes, and turned on his heel. Rajat, who was also part of this meeting, immediately spoke up.
“Karan, calm down. I know Saxena shouldn’t have talked about your personal life. But removing him from the company? What the hell was that about?”
Karan sank into his chair, running a hand through his hair.
