The next morning—
The office was louder than ever.
Not with work.
But with gossip.
Phones buzzed. Screens lit up. Whispered conversations turned into open discussions.
The photo had spread everywhere.
Arman Khurana.
Anika Kapoor.
One hotel. One story. A hundred assumptions.
Anika walked into the office.
And felt it instantly.
Eyes on her.
Judging. Curious. Mocking.
She kept her head high.
But inside—
It burned.
Every step toward her desk felt heavier.
Someone whispered just loud enough—
"Promotion milne ka reason samajh aa gaya."
A few people laughed.
That was it.
Anika stopped.
Her fingers tightened around her bag.
She turned—
But before she could say anything—
A voice echoed across the floor.
"Everyone. Conference room. Now."
Deep. Cold. Commanding.
The entire office went silent.
Arman Khurana.
Standing at the center of the floor.
His expression—
Unreadable.
Dangerous.
No one argued.
Within minutes, the entire staff gathered in the conference room.
Anika stood at one side.
Rhea at the other.
Arman walked in last.
Closed the door.
And for a few seconds—
He said nothing.
Just looked around the room.
That silence?
It was worse than shouting.
Then finally—
He spoke.
"I'm hearing a lot of conversations."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"About my personal life."
No one moved.
No one dared.
"And about Ms. Anika Kapoor."
His eyes briefly shifted toward her.
Then back to the room.
"Let me make one thing very clear."
He stepped forward slowly.
Every word precise.
"Anika Kapoor is working on the Eco Tower Project because she earned it."
Silence.
"If anyone in this room believes otherwise…"
His gaze swept across everyone.
"…you're free to prove it by doing better work."
No one spoke.
No one even breathed loudly.
Then his tone changed.
Slightly darker.
"Now let's talk about the photo."
The tension doubled instantly.
"I don't care who took it."
Pause.
"But I do care who circulated it."
A few employees exchanged nervous glances.
Arman's voice dropped.
"If I find out who is responsible…"
He leaned slightly forward.
"…they won't just lose their job."
A chill ran through the room.
"They'll lose their career."
Dead silence.
Rhea's fingers tightened on the table.
Arman straightened.
"And one more thing."
His gaze moved again—
This time directly to Anika.
Just for a second.
But everyone noticed.
"No one in this company will disrespect my employees."
His voice was final now.
"Especially not based on baseless assumptions."
The message was clear.
Crystal clear.
He wasn't just shutting down rumors.
He was protecting her.
Publicly.
Boldly.
Dangerously.
"Meeting over."
He walked out.
Just like that.
Leaving behind a room full of stunned employees.
Outside—
Anika stood frozen.
Her heart was racing.
Not from fear.
But from something else.
Something she didn't want to name.
Arman walked past her—
Then stopped.
Without turning, he said quietly,
"Get back to work, Ms. Kapoor."
His tone was normal again.
Professional.
Controlled.
As if nothing had happened.
But as he walked away—
Anika realized something.
This wasn't just about work anymore.
Because the way Arman Khurana just defended her…
Wasn't just authority.
It felt personal.
Across the floor—
Rhea stood still.
Watching everything.
Her expression no longer calm.
No longer confident.
For the first time—
There was tension in her eyes.
Because she had just understood something very important.
This wasn't a game anymore.
And Arman Khurana?
He had just chosen a side.