Chapter 32 When Jealousy Strikes & Hearts Soften
The air in Malhotra Industries was thick with authority as Aarav walked through the corridors, his presence alone enough to send employees scrambling back to their workstations. But his mood was already soured the moment he stepped into the building.
The reason?
Ira.
His wife was smiling—no, laughing—with someone who wasn’t him.
His eyes darkened as they landed on the young male intern standing way too close to Ira, his hand holding a document as they spoke. Ira, completely oblivious to the storm brewing behind her, nodded at something the intern said, even playfully pushing his shoulder when he cracked a joke.
Aarav’s jaw clenched. Tight.
His fingers curled into fists at his side, his body practically vibrating with a territorial rage he barely contained.
Vihaan, who had just walked in beside him, noticed the change instantly.
“Oh no,” Vihaan muttered under his breath, already bracing himself for the chaos.
Aarav’s lips curled in a predatory smirk—dangerous, sharp, and lethal.
“Ira,” he called out, voice calm. Too calm.
Ira turned, still smiling. “Oh, Aarav! Good morning—”
But before she could finish, Aarav grabbed her wrist, tugging her firmly but gently to his side. His grip was possessive, unyielding.
The intern’s face paled as Aarav’s eyes locked onto him—dark, murderous, and filled with an unspoken warning.
The message was clear: Touch her again, and you won’t have hands left to sign your resignation letter.
Ira, confused at first, blinked up at him. “Aarav, what—”
“Do I pay you to flirt, Mr. Sharma?” Aarav’s voice was silk laced with poison, his eyes never leaving the trembling intern.
The poor guy gulped. “N-No, sir! We were just—”
“Just what?” Aarav’s smirk deepened. “Making my wife laugh?”
Ira’s eyes widened. “Aarav, stop it. He was just—”
Aarav cut her off by pulling her closer, his fingers slipping under her chin, forcing her to look only at him.
“Baby,” he murmured, his tone deceptively soft, “Is there something funny about the way I run my office? Because I don’t recall hiring clowns.”
Ira’s cheeks burned. “Oh my God, Aarav, he was only—”
“I don’t like it,” Aarav interrupted.
“Like what?”
Aarav’s thumb brushed over her lower lip, his eyes darkening as he whispered, “You laughing with someone else.”
Vihaan groaned. “Dude, you’re being dramatic.”
Aarav shot Vihaan a glare, effectively shutting him up.
Then, turning back to Ira, he tilted her chin up even more.
“Your smiles, your laughs, your touch—all of it belongs to me.” His voice dropped an octave, sending shivers down her spine.
Ira felt her heart stutter. “Aarav, stop talking like this in front of everyone!”
Aarav’s lips curled. “They should know.”
And with that, he did the most unexpected thing—
He cupped her cheek and kissed her.
The first kiss which is out of jealousy.
Right there. In front of the entire office.
Gasps echoed around them. The intern almost choked. Vihaan facepalmed.
And Ira?
Her knees buckled, her hands gripping his shirt for support as his lips moved over hers—possessive, demanding, and completely consuming.
By the time Aarav pulled back, his expression was smug.
“There,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. “Now, they all know who you belong to.”
Ira’s face was on fire. “You are insane,” she whispered, voice breathless.
Aarav grinned, completely unbothered. “Only for you, baby.”
Vihaan sighed, muttering, “This is why HR hates you.”
Later that night, the Malhotra Mansion was filled with the warm glow of lights as the family gathered in the home theater room.
Tonight was movie night, something Anika had insisted on after the chaos of the day.
“I vote for an action movie!” Kabir declared.
“No way!” Ira argued. “Romance!”
Vihaan scoffed. “Romantic movies are unrealistic.”
Anika rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t know romance if it hit you in the face.”
Aarav, sitting beside Ira on the couch, smirked. “Put on anything. Ira won’t be able to focus on it anyway.”
Ira gasped, elbowing him hard. “Excuse me?!”
Aarav chuckled, pulling her into his arms. “You always get distracted, baby.”
Vihaan snorted. “That’s because you keep whispering things in her ear.”
Kabir gagged. “Can you two not?”
Aarav, unfazed, leaned closer to Ira. “Should I whisper now?”
Ira slapped a hand over his mouth. “Behave!”
The family laughed as the movie began.
But Ira, despite trying her best to focus, felt Aarav’s fingers tracing lazy circles on her knee.
She glared at him. “Aarav, stop.”
He smirked. “Stop what?”
His hand moved a little higher.
Her breath hitched.
“You are impossible,” she whispered.
His smirk deepened. “And you love it.
Halfway through the movie, Ira found herself leaning against Aarav’s chest, his warmth wrapping around her like a cocoon.
She sighed.
For all his possessiveness and jealousy, Aarav had one undeniable truth—
He loved her fiercely, deeply, and irrevocably.
And despite everything, she knew—
She never wanted to belong to anyone else.
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