The office felt different again.
But this time—
Not with gossip.
With fear.
Because everyone had seen what happened in the meeting.
Arman Khurana didn't just defend Anika Kapoor.
He stood by her.
And that changed everything.
Inside his cabin—
Arman sat quietly, scrolling through something on his laptop.
Not emails.
Not reports.
Evidence.
CCTV clips. File logs. Access records.
Every detail.
Every second.
Every mistake.
And all of it—
Pointed to one person.
Rhea.
His jaw tightened.
Not out of anger.
Out of control.
Because Arman never reacted without planning.
And this time—
He wasn't just going to confront her.
He was going to break her game.
"Call Rhea," he said on the intercom.
A few minutes later—
Rhea walked in.
Confident.
Composed.
Like always.
"You wanted to see me?"
Arman didn't look up immediately.
"Sit."
She did.
Calmly.
Waiting.
Watching.
Arman finally closed his laptop.
And looked at her.
Directly.
"You've been busy."
Rhea smiled faintly.
"Work tends to do that."
He slid a file across the table.
"Explain this."
She opened it.
Inside—
Printed logs.
System access timings.
Design file edits.
Her name.
Her login ID.
Her fingerprints all over it.
Her smile didn't disappear.
But it… weakened.
"You're accusing me?" she asked lightly.
"I'm giving you a chance."
"To what?"
"To be honest."
Silence.
Rhea closed the file slowly.
"I don't know what you think you've found."
Arman leaned back.
"You altered Anika Kapoor's design file."
Her eyes flickered.
Just for a second.
But he noticed.
"And?" she said.
The word hung in the air.
Cold.
Defiant.
Arman's expression didn't change.
"And you sent false information to the clients."
No denial this time.
No acting.
Just silence.
Then—
Rhea leaned forward slightly.
"So what if I did?"
The room went still.
Because now—
It wasn't suspicion.
It was truth.
Arman's eyes darkened.
"You just admitted it."
Rhea smiled.
"You're not recording this."
"I don't need to."
Silence.
Then she said quietly—
"You think this is about the project?"
Arman didn't respond.
"It's not," she continued.
"It's about her."
The word carried weight.
Her.
"Anika Kapoor."
Arman's jaw tightened.
Rhea stood up slowly.
"You replaced me on projects."
"You ignored me in meetings."
"And suddenly—"
Her voice dropped.
"She becomes important."
Arman stood up too.
"Don't confuse your personal issues with company decisions."
Rhea laughed bitterly.
"Really?"
She stepped closer.
"You're risking deals for her."
"You're threatening people for her."
"You're standing against me for her."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Then—
She said it.
"So don't pretend this is just business, Arman."
That hit.
Because it was true.
Arman stepped closer.
His voice low.
Dangerous.
"You crossed a line."
"So did you."
A pause.
"You chose her."
Silence.
And in that silence—
Everything was said.
Arman walked past her.
"Clear your desk."
Rhea froze.
"What?"
"You're done here."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You're firing me?"
"Yes."
Just one word.
Cold.
Final.
Rhea laughed softly.
"You think this ends here?"
Arman didn't turn.
"It already has."
She looked at him—
Not hurt.
Not broken.
Just… dangerous.
"No, Arman," she said quietly.
"This is just the beginning."
She walked out.
But as she passed Anika's desk—
She stopped.
Looked at her.
And smiled.
Not softly.
Not kindly.
But like a warning.
Inside the cabin—
Arman stood still.
Hands in his pockets.
Eyes closed for a second.
Because this time—
The game wasn't over.
It had just changed.