Chapter 3 — The Problem He Couldn’t Ignore

🌃 The night outside was calm.

Inside the Malhotra mansion—

Nothing was.

👣 Arjun walked through the hallway in silence after leaving Aarohi’s room.

Cold expression.

Sharp eyes.

Controlled steps.

The same Arjun Malhotra everyone feared.

Or at least—

That’s what it looked like.

But something felt wrong.

Annoyingly wrong.

💬 “I’m not afraid of you.”

Her voice echoed inside his head again.

Calm.

Certain.

⚠️ His jaw tightened slightly.

No one had ever spoken to him like that before.

Not without shaking.

Not without regret.

Yet she stood there—

Looking at him like she already knew him.

And Arjun hated that feeling.

🏢 Inside his office, several men were already waiting nervously.

Documents covered the table.

Weapons. Deals. Territory reports.

Normal business.

But tonight—

Nothing felt normal.

“Sir, the Dubai shipment issue has been handled,” one of the men reported carefully.

Arjun remained silent.

His eyes fixed on the city outside the glass windows.

Lights flickered below.

Cars moved endlessly.

The world continued normally.

Unlike his thoughts.

“Sir…?”

⚠️ Arjun blinked once.

The room returned into focus.

“…Continue.”

The men exchanged quick glances.

Something was different tonight.

And they all noticed it.

Because Arjun Malhotra never lost focus.

Ever.

Meanwhile—

🖤 In the east wing…

Aarohi sat quietly near the large window inside her room.

The moonlight fell softly across her face.

Calm.

Peaceful.

Dangerous.

She slowly looked around the room.

The locked door.

The cameras.

The guards outside.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

💬 “Too predictable…”

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Most people trapped in a place like this would panic.

Cry.

Beg for freedom.

But Aarohi?

She observed.

Calculated.

Waited.

(Ignore the smoking from the image!!!)

Back in the office—

Kabir entered quietly.

Arjun’s most trusted man.

The only person who could speak freely around him without dying.

👔 “You look irritated,” Kabir said casually, leaning against the table.

Arjun didn’t respond.

Kabir smirked slightly.

💬 “That bad, huh?”

⚠️ Finally, Arjun looked at him.

Cold.

Warning enough for anyone else to shut up immediately.

Kabir only laughed softly.

💬 “So the girl is interesting.”

Silence.

And that silence itself gave the answer.

“She’s strange,” Arjun finally muttered.

💬 “Strange enough to distract you during a meeting?”

Kabir raised an eyebrow.

⚠️ The atmosphere instantly shifted.

Dangerously.

But Kabir wasn’t scared.

He had known Arjun too long for that.

💬 “Relax,” he sighed.

“Was just asking.”

Arjun looked away again.

Toward the city lights.

💬 “She’s hiding something.”

Kabir’s expression darkened slightly now.

That sounded serious.

💬 “You think she’s connected to someone?”

A pause.

💬 “I don’t know yet.”

And that—

That was exactly the problem.

Because Arjun Malhotra always knew.

At the same time—

Aarohi slowly stood from her chair.

Quietly walking toward the door.

👣 One step.

Then another.

The guards outside remained completely unaware.

A small smile appeared on her lips again.

💬 “Let’s see how long your control lasts, Arjun…”

⚠️ And somewhere deep inside—

The game had already begun.

****END OF THE CHAPTER ****

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