CHAPTER 17
KW Capital Ventures – Later that Afternoon
Attending the client call in the conference room, Karan returned to his cabin, but his mind refused to settle. The moment he shut the door behind him, he loosened his tie with an irritated tug and crossed the room, dropping his phone onto the desk without care. Whatever happened a while ago in Mishti’s cabin kept flashing before his eyes. Daksh’s sudden visit here, asking her, without hesitation or shame, to become an insider for him inside KW Capital itself. What the f*ck!
He shoved his chair back instead of sitting.This is exactly what happens when you marry an enemy, a voice inside him snarled. But even as the thought formed, a part of his mind refused to accept it.
Was Mishti really an enemy?
The question irritated him further. He dragged a hand through his hair and began pacing the length of the cabin restlessly. His anger was justified. Daksh had walked into his territory without permission. He had dared to approach Mishti with a proposal meant to poison the very foundation of this company.
But what surprised him was Mishti’s one question -
“If you were already spying on me, then why didn’t you make this dramatic entry a few minutes later? Why didn’t you wait to hear what I would have replied to him?”
His steps slowed.
Yes. He should have waited. He should have let the scene play out fully. He should have caught her red-handed if that was her intention, promising her brother loyalty over him. That would have made things easier. He would have had proof and reason enough to act without restraint.
But another thought followed that maybe he would have heard something else entirely. Maybe he would have heard her refuse.
The possibility hit him harder than he liked. He stopped near the window, staring out at the city below, his reflection faintly visible in the glass. Despite his allegations, Mishti had not pleaded. She had not defended herself with tears. She had looked him in the eye and spoken about loyalty as if it were not something she needed to negotiate.
“I would never cheat on you or this company.”
He clenched his fists.
Damn it.
His anger surged again. He had built his life on control, on certainty, on knowing exactly where people stood. And Mishti disrupted that balance without even trying.
And then there was the dinner she was hosting for his brother and his friend. Although she had invited him too, he would never go. And he would not let her go either.
He turned back to his desk, picked up his phone, and unlocked it. He scrolled once, then tapped a contact he rarely called without reason.
Maria.
Mishti thought she could draw lines with him. Thought she could move freely, make choices without consequences.
Today, he would remind her otherwise.
He did not want to stop her because he distrusted her. He wanted to stop her because the thought of her sitting across atable, laughing easily with two men who admired her so much, bothered him in a way nothing else had.
And that realisation irritated him more than even Daksh ever could.
*****************
Mishti was still in her cabin when her phone rang. Nearly an hour had passed since Karan had stormed out, leaving behind a silence that had slowly settled into something bearable. She had gone back to the files laid out before her, which Rajat had asked her to familiarise herself with. It was slow work, but she was determined not to be careless on her second day.
The name flashing on her phone screen made her pause.
Maria?
Mishti straightened instinctively and answered at once.
“Ma’am,” Maria said politely, “I wanted to inform you that today Karan Sir has given a forced holiday to all the chefs and kitchen staff.”
Mishti blinked, genuinely confused. “Holiday?” she repeated softly. “Alright. It is not an issue. I am anyway going out for dinner tonight. I am not sure if Karan is joining us or if he has other plans.”
