2:15 AM.
Arman Khurana had an early board meeting in six hours.
He was still awake.
Standing in his penthouse.
City lights stretching endlessly beyond the glass walls.
But all he could see—
Was her.
Anika.
Her back against his desk.
Her breath uneven.
The way her voice softened when she whispered, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
He exhaled sharply.
Annoyed.
At himself.
He didn't blur lines.
He didn't mix work with emotion.
He especially didn't lose control.
Yet…
He had almost touched her.
Not to intimidate.
Not to dominate.
But because he wanted to.
That realization unsettled him.
He ran a hand through his hair.
Why did her defiance attract him instead of irritating him?
Why did her silence in that moment feel louder than all their arguments?
He replayed the interruption.
The way she stepped away instantly.
Like it meant nothing.
His jaw tightened.
It shouldn't matter.
She was a six-month contract.
Temporary.
Replaceable.
But the thought of her walking out of his office…
Of her not looking at him like that again…
It irritated him more than it should.
He picked up his phone unconsciously.
Opened her file.
Her employee profile photo.
Simple.
No forced smile.
Confident eyes.
He stared at it longer than necessary.
"This is distraction," he muttered to himself.
He didn't do distraction.
He did control.
And yet—
For the first time in years—
Arman Khurana wasn't thinking about profits.
He was thinking about the girl who challenged him…
And almost made him forget who he was.
He locked his phone.
But sleep never came.
Because somewhere between ego and attraction—
He was no longer sure if he wanted to win the challenge.
Or her.