CHAPTER 16 #2
Her heart pounded violently now. How could he think that? And more importantly, how did he know what Daksh had said to her? He had not been in the room then. He had not heard that conversation.
Her confusion must have shown on her face because his grip loosened slightly. Karan watched her closely, then released one arm only to point toward the small table lamp on her desk.
“That,” he said coldly, “has a camera and a voice recorder installed.”
Her breath caught.
“It is connected directly to my cabin,” he continued, “to my laptop and my phone.” His eyes bored into hers. “I saw and heard everything your brother asked you to do. Every word. Against me.”
Mishti felt the blood drain from her face.
She looked at the lamp, then back at him, struggling to process the violation and the accusation all at once.
“You were watching me?” she asked. “You are spying on me, Karan?”
His face did not soften. There was no hesitation in him now, no attempt to soften what he had done.
“Yes,” he said plainly. “I am.”
She looked shocked.
“Because you are a Goel,” he continued, as if with years of bitterness she could never fully grasp. “And because you have become a part of my company against my wish. I cannot trust you.”
He took a step back, not to give her space but to reassert control.
“Whatever happens in this cabin,” he said, gesturing around them, “whatever you say, whatever you discuss, will reach my eyes and my ears. So you better start showing loyalty to this place, Mishti. Otherwise, I will be the first one to throw you out.”
Her chest rose sharply with her breath.
“I can tolerate many things,” Karan added. “But I do not tolerate disloyalty. Not to me. Not to this company.” His gaze locked onto hers. “Am I clear?”
That was when she snapped.
She shoved him away with both hands, hard enough to force him a step back, as her restraint finally broke free.
“How dare you?” she shot back. “How can you judge me like that? Did you hear me agreeing to what Daksh bhai offered?”
Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, but her voice did not.
“If you were already spying on me,” she went on, stepping closer, “then why didn’t you make this dramatic entry a few minutes later?” Her eyes searched his face. “Why didn’t you wait to hear what I would have replied to him?”
Karan stayed silent. His breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling as he stared at her, clearly unprepared for her defiance. But Mishti did not stop.
She closed the distance further between them deliberately.
“Loyalty matters to me too, Mr Karan Wadhwa,” she added. “And whether you believe me or not, whether you spy on me or watch my every move, I would never cheat on you. Or on this company.”
Her eyes held his without wavering.
“So, keep your suspicions to yourself,” she continued, patting his chest hard. “I may be a Goel, but I am your wife now. Karan Wadhwa’s wife. I will show you my loyalty. You do not have to demand it. You do not even have to expect it.” Her chin lifted. “It is something I will give you on my own.”
Karan stared at her, blank. She didn’t look like the Goel who was a pawn in his revenge. But as a fearless woman standing her ground in front of him, despite everything he had just thrown at her.
And just like that, suddenly, he was sceptical. Could he afford to trust her? Did he even want to?
Mishti took a slow breath, letting her anger settle, finally.
“Anyway,” she said at last, “since you are already here, I have to inform you of something, before you get to know from others.”
Karan didn’t speak.
“On Abhimanyu and Rajat’s insistence,” she continued, “the three of us are going out for dinner tonight. A small treat from my side.”
His gaze darkened again, but he did not interrupt, and she took that as permission to finish.
“They are the primary reason I am on the board today,” she said quietly. “They believed in me when I had no idea what stepping into this world would even mean. They rooted for me.” Her lips curved into a faint, honest smile. “I owe them that much.”
A muscle ticked near his temple. Mishti noticed it and still went on.
“And even though you never wanted me here,” she added, her eyes lifting to meet his, “I am extending the invitation to you as well.”
That came as a surprise to him. Karan’s hand flexed at his side, unable to hide his impatience any longer, before he took a step closer.
“I do not need your invitation,” he said. “And there will be no dinner.” His eyes narrowed. “You will cancel it. Make an excuse.”
Mishti stared at him, surprised.
“Why would I do that?” she asked. “I want to treat them.”
“Because I am saying so,” Karan replied, in his unmistakably commanding tone. “Your lawfully wedded husband.”
Mishti studied his face for a few seconds, as if seeing him anew. Then she shook her head slowly in disbelief.
“How conveniently you use that right over me,” she said softly. “When it suits you, you remember you are my husband and expect obedience. The rest of the time, you treat me worse than a stranger.”
She stepped forward, closing the distance that he had created.
“So why should I obey you now?” she asked. “I am taking the two people who stood by me out for dinner.” She paused. “Whether you like it or not, there will be no change to that plan.”
Her tone did not rise. It did not need to.
“You are invited,” she added. “What you do with that invitation is your choice.”
Karan looked at her as though he was seeing this version of her for the first time. She was no longer retreating, no longer shrinking under his authority.
He was about to argue, the words already on his tongue, when a knock broke the moment.
His assistant stepped in, cautiously, her eyes flicking briefly to Mishti before settling on him.
“Sir, your next meeting is due,” he said. “The client is already on the line.”
Karan exhaled sharply before he adjusted his suit jacket, regaining the control that had slipped from his grasp.
Before leaving, he shot Mishti one last warning look and then walked out, closing the door behind him.
Mishti stood alone in the cabin, her heart beating louder at the realisation that she had not backed down. Not to her brother, not even to the man who claimed she was his.