Riaz Malhotra didn't do mess.

His office was minimal. His movements calculated. His schedule, down to the minute.

And yet, the moment Aashika Pandey walked into his life again, everything began to tilt off balance. It wasn't loud. It wasn't chaotic. But it was unignorable—like a pulse that wouldn't slow.

The rest of the company noticed, too.

Especially her.

Sana, Riaz's long-time secretary, was beautiful in the exact way magazines liked—sharp heels, sharper smile, bodycon dresses that hugged like second skin. And she was loyal. But loyalty has limits when love turns into obsession.

She noticed the way his gaze lingered on Aashika during meetings. She noticed the way he brushed past every other woman like fog—but paused just slightly when Aashika entered.

And most of all, she noticed the way he didn't notice her anymore.

"Your 4 PM meeting with the Hong Kong delegation is confirmed," Sana said that morning, placing a file on Riaz's desk.

"Reschedule it. I want Aashika in that meeting instead."

Sana's hand paused.

"I've always handled foreign investor briefings," she said carefully.

Riaz didn't look up. "Now she does."

Her nails dug into her palm. But she nodded and left.

Minutes later, she stood outside the pantry, watching.

Aashika was laughing—really laughing—for the first time in days, head tilted back as she sipped her coffee with one of the junior analysts. The sunlight hit her profile like a movie scene.

Sana felt her stomach twist.

And she made a decision.

Later that day, Aashika entered the office with a report, only to stop dead in the doorway.

Sana was perched on Riaz's desk. Not beside it. Not near it. On it.

Legs crossed. Laughing at something he had clearly not said.

Riaz was seated, his eyes on his screen, expression unreadable.

Aashika's hand tightened around the folder. She turned sharply and walked away before either of them noticed.

But he did.

The moment she left, his gaze lifted slowly. Cold. Calculating.

"Get off my desk."

Sana blinked. "Riaz, I was just—"

He stood up. Full height. Full command.

"You don't sit on my desk. You don't linger when I haven't asked you to. And you don't mistake my silence for permission."

Her face turned pale. "You've changed. Ever since she came back—"

"Exactly."

A beat passed.

Then his voice dropped to a level that only meant one thing.

"You're fired."

Aashika sat alone in the cafeteria, stirring her coffee.

The jealousy had surprised her. Not because Sana looked like a model.

But because Riaz had let her sit there, so close. So casual. So intimate.

She should have known better.

"Aashi."

Her head jerked up. Her heart stopped.

Only one person called her that.

Riaz stood there, no guards, no assistant, just him. He sat across from her like it was normal.

"She's gone," he said simply.

Aashika blinked. "What?"

"Sana. She crossed a line."

"You didn't have to—"

"I did." His voice was calm. "You don't ignore the woman I want and keep your job."

Her pulse went wild.

He leaned closer.

"I'll keep firing anyone who looks at me like she did. Because they're not you."

Aashika stared at him. "This is insane."

"Maybe."

He stood and dropped something on the table.

A small box. Black velvet.

"I saw this in Paris two months ago. Thought of you. Bought it. Forgot it until now."

She opened it.

A pair of earrings. Minimal. Elegant. Rose-gold.

"I don't want gifts."

"I don't give them often. Take it as a warning, not a gesture."

"Warning?"

His eyes darkened.

"I want you. And I'm done pretending otherwise."

“Where silence turned sacred… and love turned lethal.”