Arvi's pov:

It was nearly 2 AM.

The silence in the Oberoi Mansion was absolute so still that even my own breaths felt too loud. I sat on the edge of the bed, knees pulled to my chest, staring blankly at the moonlight stretching across the floor. Sleep felt impossible, and my thoughts wouldn't stop racing.

Then I heard the softest sound.

A click.

My heart stilled.

The door creaked open, slow and deliberate, and in stepped him.

Rayaan.

My body froze.

He didn't knock. Didn't say a word. Just walked in like the space belonged to him and maybe in some twisted way, it did. Because the moment he entered, the air changed. Thickened. The kind of silence that made your skin prickle.

He shut the door behind him. Quietly.

"Why did you say you like gentle, calm people?" His voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. It carried weight on its own.

I stared at him, wide eyed. My throat tightened. "What?"

He stepped forward. "You said it earlier. That you like calm people. Gentle ones."

Another step. Another breath knocked out of my chest.

He didn't stop until he was right in front of me, towering, shadows playing over his sharp features. I felt small. Like he could see every single fear I'd ever tried to bury.

"You don't think someone like me could ever fit that, do you?" he asked, voice low... but there was something unspoken beneath it. Hurt? Anger? I couldn't tell. It scared me.

But what scared me more was how my body reacted to him.

The closer he got, the faster my heart raced. My skin tingled. My breath came shallow. My fingers clenched the blanket, trying to anchor myself.

He leaned down. Close. Too close.

His presence was overwhelming.

I could smell his cologne intoxicating, dark, and so distinctly him. His hand braced against the wall next to me, his eyes holding mine like a force of gravity. His voice was a whisper now, almost cruel in its softness.

"Tell me, Arvi. Do you flinch around me because I scare you... or because I make you feel something you don't want to admit?"

I hated how right he was.

My mouth opened, but no sound came out. The butterflies in my stomach were wild now, chaotic, as if my whole body was betraying me. I looked away, embarrassed by how warm my cheeks felt, how weak I suddenly was in his presence.

He didn't touch me. But he didn't have to.

Rayaan Oberoi had the kind of impact that stayed in the room long after he'd left.

He pulled back slowly, like he knew he'd left a mark. Like he could feel the way my world was still spinning.

"I'm not the man you think I am," he said, gaze intense. "But maybe I'm the one who gets under your skin the most."

And then he left.

No dramatic exit. No slammed door. Just a quiet departure and the ghost of his presence lingering all around me.

I sat there, still breathless, every nerve in my body lit like fire.

He didn't just affect me.

He shattered something inside me I didn't even know existed.

Rayaan's pov:

I closed the door behind me, slow and quiet. Not because I cared hell no but because slamming it would've meant I felt something. And I didn't. Or at least, I shouldn't.

I clenched my jaw, walking down the hallway like I wasn't two seconds away from turning around and demanding answers from her all over again. My fists were tight. My heart was louder than it had any right to be.

This is why I hate her.

Because somehow, without even trying, she makes me lose control. Makes me walk into her room in the middle of the damn night, just to ask her why she likes calm people. What kind of question is that? What the hell is wrong with me?

I stopped near the railing, trying to shake her face out of my head.

She looked scared. Good.

She should be scared of me. That's what I wanted, right? That's what I told myself the moment I saw her living under my roof like she belonged here. Like she hadn't gotten fired because of me. Like she wasn't a walking reminder of everything I didn't ask for.

But then... she looked at me like that.

Wide eyes. Silent lips. That trembling breath when I got too close.

Not defiant. Not angry.

Just... soft. Fragile. And worse she didn't push me away.

I scoffed, running a hand down my face.

Pathetic.

She plays innocent. She always has. Like she doesn't know what she's doing. Like she isn't aware of the effect she has on people on me. But I see through her. That's what I told myself since day one. She's a game player. A gold digger. Just another pretty face trying to cash in on a last name.

But if that's true...

Why do I keep seeing the fear in her eyes?

Why did it feel like I wasn't the one in control tonight?

I pushed away from the wall and started walking again, jaw tight, chest heavier than I wanted to admit.

This doesn't change anything.

She still makes my blood boil.

She still makes me want to slam every door in this mansion.

And I still hate her.

But then why does the silence after leaving her room feel louder than anything she's ever said?

Dining hall-OBERIO MANSION

The morning sun streamed through the tall windows of the Oberoi Mansion's breakfast room, casting a golden glow on the pristine dining table. The air smelled of freshly brewed coffee, buttered toast, and Sulekha's favorite jasmine tea.

The family trickled in slowly, some dressed sharply for work, others still wrapped in the haze of sleep. Rayaan sat in his usual place, dressed immaculately in a navy-blue suit, silently scrolling through his tablet as he sipped his black coffee. His expression, as always, unreadable.

Arvi walked in quietly, her nerves barely hidden beneath the soft beige kurta she had picked for her first day at Oberoi Industries. She offered a polite nod to Sulekha and the others before settling into a corner seat. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for a slice of toast.

Vivaan was cracking a joke with Arekha, and the soft clatter of cutlery filled the room until Mukesh Oberoi, calmly folding his newspaper, broke the rhythm.

"Rayaan."

Everyone instinctively looked up.

Rayaan didn't glance away from his tablet. "Yes?"

Mukesh reached for his cup of tea. "Drop Arvi to the office today."

The room fell into sudden stillness.

Arvi froze, her toast halfway to her mouth.

Rayaan looked up now, brow raised. "Why?"

"She starts at Oberoi Industries today. You're heading to the same building. Take her with you," Mukesh said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Rayaan's lips pressed into a thin line. "She can go with the driver."

Mukesh didn't waver. "I said you'll take her. That's final."

Sulekha looked between the two but said nothing. The cousins, usually too chatty for their own good, found sudden interest in their plates.

Arvi wished she could disappear into her coffee mug.

Rayaan held his father's gaze for a beat too long, then gave a stiff nod. "Fine."

Mukesh returned to his tea like nothing had happened. But Arvi's heart was pounding like it wanted to leap out of her chest.

No one said anything more but one thing was certain.

The car ride ahead was going to be quieter than the silence that just filled this table.

In the Car

The Oberoi Mansion gates opened slowly, and the sleek black Mercedes slid out onto the road. Inside, the silence was thick almost suffocating.

Rayaan sat behind the wheel, one hand on the steering, the other tapping the window frame absentmindedly. His jaw was tight, sunglasses in place, his posture cold and composed.

Arvi sat on the passenger side, clutching her bag to her lap like a lifeline. She kept her eyes trained on the passing streets, stealing glances at him only when she was sure he wasn't looking.

The air conditioning hummed low. Neither of them had said a single word since leaving the mansion.

She cleared her throat quietly, attempting courage. "Thank you... for the ride."

Rayaan didn't respond for a moment. Then, without turning his head, he said, "Don't thank me. You didn't have a choice. Neither did I."

Her lips parted slightly, then closed again. She nodded to herself. Right.

A few more minutes of silence passed.

"You're not going to last there," he muttered suddenly.

Arvi turned to him, startled. "Kya?"

Rayaan's eyes stayed on the road. "Oberoi Industries isn't kind to amateurs. Especially not ones who walk in with sympathy and favors tied to their names."

Arvi sat up straighter, the sting of his words like a slap. "I didn't ask for favors."

He chuckled under his breath, humorless. "No, but you didn't turn them down either."

She looked away, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snapping back. Not today. Not on her first day.

"I'll prove myself," she said quietly, more to herself than to him.

Rayaan didn't reply. But something in his expression shifted a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

The car pulled into the Oberoi Industries' grand entrance. Security guards stepped aside, and the heavy iron gates swung open.

He stopped the car with smooth precision and finally turned to her.

"You'll take the elevator on the left. HR is on the 8th floor. Don't get lost."

She opened the door silently, stepping out with her heart pounding.

Just as she was about to shut it, his voice came again.

"Miss Arvi."

She looked back at him.

"Don't embarrass my name in there."

And with that, the door shut between them, and the car pulled away leaving Arvi staring up at the towering glass building that held her future...