The door closed behind him. Mishti exhaled shakily, expecting Karan to follow him out. But he did not. Instead, Karan turned toward her.
Before she could say anything, he crossed the space between them in long strides and, grabbing her upper arms, he pushed her back until the edge of the work desk pressed into her spine.
She gasped softly, more from surprise than pain.
“Not even twenty-four hours passed since you joined this company, and you are already trying to infiltrate it behind my back?”
Mishti stared at him, stunned.
“What?” she whispered. “What are you talking about?”
Her heart pounded violently now. How could he think that? And more importantly, how did he know what Daksh had said to her? He had not been in the room then. He had not heard that conversation.
Her confusion must have shown on her face because his grip loosened slightly. Karan watched her closely, then released one arm only to point toward the small table lamp on her desk.
“That,” he said coldly, “has a camera and a voice recorder installed.”
Her breath caught.
“It is connected directly to my cabin,” he continued, “to my laptop and my phone.” His eyes bored into hers. “I saw and heard everything your brother asked you to do. Every word. Against me.”
Mishti felt the blood drain from her face.
She looked at the lamp, then back at him, struggling to process the violation and the accusation all at once.
“You were watching me?” she asked. “You are spying on me, Karan?”
His face did not soften. There was no hesitation in him now, no attempt to soften what he had done.
“Yes,” he said plainly. “I am.”
She looked shocked.
“Because you are a Goel,” he continued, as if with years of bitterness she could never fully grasp. “And because you have become a part of my company against my wish. I cannot trust you.”
He took a step back, not to give her space but to reassert control.
“Whatever happens in this cabin,” he said, gesturing around them, “whatever you say, whatever you discuss, will reach my eyes and my ears. So you better start showing loyalty to this place, Mishti. Otherwise, I will be the first one to throw you out.”
Her chest rose sharply with her breath.
“I can tolerate many things,” Karan added. “But I do not tolerate disloyalty. Not to me. Not to this company.” His gaze locked onto hers. “Am I clear?”
That was when she snapped.
She shoved him away with both hands, hard enough to force him a step back, as her restraint finally broke free.
“How dare you?” she shot back. “How can you judge me like that? Did you hear me agreeing to what Daksh bhai offered?”
Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, but her voice did not.
“If you were already spying on me,” she went on, stepping closer, “then why didn’t you make this dramatic entry a few minutes later?” Her eyes searched his face. “Why didn’t you wait to hear what I would have replied to him?”
Karan stayed silent. His breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling as he stared at her, clearly unprepared for her defiance. But Mishti did not stop.
She closed the distance further between them deliberately.
“Loyalty matters to me too, Mr Karan Wadhwa,” she added. “And whether you believe me or not, whether you spy on me or watch my every move, I would never cheat on you. Or on this company.”
