The office was almost empty.
Most employees had already gone home, but the lights in the design department were still on.
Anika sat in front of her laptop, fixing the corrupted project file.
Her fingers moved quickly on the keyboard, but her mind wasn't focused.
Someone had sabotaged her work.
And she had a feeling about who it might be.
But she couldn't prove it.
The glass door opened quietly.
Anika didn't even look up.
"I told you I'll finish the design," she said tiredly.
"Good."
Arman's deep voice filled the room.
Her fingers paused instantly.
She slowly looked up.
Arman Khurana stood near the door, his sleeves rolled up, tie slightly loose, looking like he had just walked out of another meeting.
"You're still here?" she asked.
"I said I'd handle the clients," he replied calmly.
"That doesn't mean I'll let you fix everything alone."
He walked toward her desk.
The tension between them felt… different tonight.
Not angry.
Not hostile.
Just intense.
Arman pulled a chair beside her and sat down.
"Show me the structural section," he said.
Anika turned the laptop toward him.
"This part was modified," she explained quietly. "The load calculation was changed."
Arman studied the screen carefully.
"You didn't do this."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Anika looked at him.
"And yet everyone thought I did."
His eyes lifted to meet hers.
"Not everyone."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them felt heavier than words.
Then Anika closed the laptop slowly.
"Why did you defend me today?"
Arman leaned back in the chair.
"Because it was the truth."
"That's not the reason."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"You hate me," she continued.
"You ruined my first presentation. You bought the company just to prove a point."
Arman's lips curved faintly.
"That part was entertaining."
She frowned.
"But today you defended me in front of everyone."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Why?"
Arman looked at her for a long moment.
Then he leaned forward slowly.
Too close.
Close enough that she could feel his breath.
"Because," he said quietly,
"I don't like when someone else tries to destroy what belongs to my company."
Anika's eyes narrowed.
"Your company?"
"Yes."
"And what about your employees?"
His gaze didn't move from her face.
"That depends on the employee."
The air between them suddenly felt charged.
Anika looked away first.
"You're impossible."
"And yet," Arman murmured,
"you still work here."
She grabbed a file from the desk and stood up.
"I work here because I need the job."
Arman stood up too.
Now they were standing dangerously close again.
"And I kept you here," he said calmly.
Her heart skipped.
"Why?"
Arman looked down at her.
For once, his voice wasn't arrogant.
It was softer.
"Because you're the only person in this office who isn't afraid of me."
Anika's breath caught.
Before she could reply—
Her phone suddenly rang loudly on the desk.
The moment shattered instantly.
Anika stepped back and grabbed the phone.
The screen showed a name.
Rhea.
Arman noticed the name too.
And something in his expression changed.
Cold.
Observant.
"Answer it," he said quietly.
Anika picked up the call.
But across the room—
Arman Khurana was already starting to connect the pieces.
And if his suspicion was right…
Someone in this office had made a very dangerous mistake.