Chapter 9
For the first time in days,
I was smiling.
Actually smiling.
The city lights blurred beautifully outside the car window as Armaan Khanna's driver dropped me home.
My injured elbow still hurt slightly.
A bandage rested across my forehead.
But none of it mattered right now.
Because somehow...
Against all odds...
I had gotten the job.
I still couldn't believe it.
...
Earlier.
After realizing I was the same girl who had missed the Vertex interview,
Armaan had stared at me for a long moment.
Then suddenly asked,
"You came for the management position today?"
I nodded awkwardly.
"But I missed the interview."
He looked down briefly at the papers in my hand.
Then at my injured elbow.
Then back at me.
"You saved my life."
I blinked immediately.
"No, I just..."
"You literally got hit by a car for a stranger."
His tone remained calm.
Serious.
"And most people would've just screamed instead."
I didn't know what to say to that.
Armaan studied me quietly.
Not in the uncomfortable way rich men usually looked at women.
More... curiously.
Like he was trying to understand me.
Then suddenly,
He smiled slightly.
"You still want the job?"
My heartbeat had practically stopped.
"What?"
"The interview."
He casually loosened his tie.
"I think saving the CEO qualifies as a strong recommendation."
I stared at him in shock.
And for the first time that entire terrible day,
Hope returned.
...
Now as the car entered the Malhotra mansion gates, I hugged my file close to my chest.
I had done it.
Without Dhruv.
Without his company.
Without his surname helping me.
For once,
Something good had happened to me because of me.
The car stopped near the entrance.
One of the guards quickly opened the door for me.
"Good evening, ma'am."
I stepped out of the car smiling softly.
And instantly froze.
Because Dhruv stood near the entrance.
Waiting.
My heartbeat stumbled slightly.
Black shirt.
Grey trousers.
Hands in pockets.
Sharp jaw tight.
And those dark eyes?
Locked directly onto the car I had arrived in.
The atmosphere immediately felt dangerous.
The driver respectfully nodded toward me before leaving.
Dhruv watched the car disappear through the gates silently.
Then finally looked at me.
His gaze slowly travelled over:
My bandaged forehead.
My injured elbow.
The smile on my face.
And something about that combination visibly darkened his expression.
He walked toward me slowly.
Too calmly.
Which was always worse.
"What happened?"
His voice came out low.
Controlled.
I quickly touched my forehead awkwardly.
"Oh this? It's nothing."
His eyes narrowed.
"Riya."
God.
Why did he say my name like interrogation?
I sighed softly.
"A car almost hit someone."
Silence.
"I tried saving him ."
The second those words left my mouth,
Dhruv's expression changed instantly.
Dangerously.
"You WHAT?"
Okay wow.
He was actually angry.
Like genuinely angry.
I blinked nervously.
"He would've died..."
"And you could've died instead."
His voice echoed sharply through the entrance hall.
The guards nearby immediately looked down.
I froze slightly.
Because this was the second time he'd raised his voice at me.
Dhruv stepped closer.
His eyes scanned my injuries again.
Jaw clenched sharply.
"Are you insane?"
Something about the anger in his voice felt strange.
Not cold.
Not detached.
Almost... personal.
I swallowed softly.
"I'm okay."
"That's not the point."
The words came instantly.
Too instantly.
And suddenly,
Dhruv seemed to realize his reaction himself.
Because he abruptly went silent.
The tension around us thickened.
I stared at him quietly.
And for one weird second,
We both seemed confused by the intensity of his anger.
Then his walls returned immediately.
Expression cold again.
Controlled again.
"Who dropped you home?"
There it was.
Back to business.
I hesitated slightly.
Big mistake.
His eyes darkened instantly.
"Riya."
"Armaan Khanna."
Silence.
Dead silence.
The air itself seemed to stop moving.
Dhruv stared at me.
Completely unreadable now.
Worse than anger.
Because unreadable Dhruv was terrifying.
"The owner of Vertex Solutions."
Not a question.
A statement.
I nodded slowly.
Something sharp flickered in his eyes.
Not jealousy.
Dhruv Malhotra did not get jealous.
But definitely something territorial.
Possessive.
Competitive.
The billionaire rivalry itself probably annoyed him.
Then his gaze dropped toward the file in my hands.
And finally,
Very slowly,
He asked:
"You got the job?"
God.
Why did that sentence suddenly feel so important?
I looked down at the appointment letter inside my folder.
Then back at him.
And despite everything,
A small proud smile appeared on my face again.
"Yeah."
Silence.
A long silence.
Dhruv stared at me quietly.
And strangely,
Something about my happiness seemed to affect him more than the mention of Armaan.
Because for one tiny second,
His eyes softened.
Barely.
Almost invisibly.
Like he wasn't used to seeing someone genuinely proud over small achievements.
Then immediately,
The moment disappeared.
He looked away first.
Cold again.
"Congratulations."
The word sounded unfamiliar coming from him.
Like he rarely said it.
I blinked in surprise.
"Thank you."
Another awkward silence followed.
Then suddenly,
Dhruv held his hand out toward me.
I frowned slightly.
"What?"
"The file."
I hesitated before giving it to him.
He opened it calmly.
His eyes scanned the offer letter.
Then his jaw tightened faintly.
I noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
He closed the file slowly.
Expression unreadable again.
"The salary is terrible."
I stared at him.
Then almost laughed.
Of course THAT was his concern.
"It's good enough for me."
His eyes lifted toward mine again.
And the next words he said came quieter.
Stranger somehow.
"You really don't care about money, do you?"
The question lingered heavily between us.
Because maybe..
For the first time..
Dhruv Malhotra was meeting someone he couldn't understand at all.
After a while, I entered my room,
My room had never felt this alive before.
I threw my bag onto the couch dramatically before falling face-first onto the bed with the biggest smile on my face.
"I GOT THE JOB!"
My voice echoed through the room.
God.
I didn't even care how embarrassing I looked right now.
I kicked my feet against the mattress like an overexcited child before sitting up again.
Then immediately grabbed the appointment letter from my file for the hundredth time.
Still real.
Still there.
Still mine.
A stupid giggle escaped me.
I had a job.
MY job.
Not because of Dhruv.
Not because of his surname.
Not because people feared him.
Me.
Riya.
I stood up on the bed dramatically and started dancing horribly.
Completely horribly.
Little spins.
Terrible happy jumps.
Holding the appointment letter to my chest like I'd won an Oscar.
"Oh my god oh my god oh my god!"
I laughed breathlessly before collapsing onto the mattress again.
My forehead bandage shifted slightly.
My elbow hurt.
But I didn't care.
For the first time in days,
I felt like myself again.
Then suddenly,
A deep voice interrupted behind me.
"What exactly are you doing?"
I gasped so hard I almost rolled off the bed.
My head snapped toward the door.
And froze.
Dhruv stood there.
One hand holding a small ointment tube.
The other resting casually in his pocket.
His expression completely blank.
But those dark eyes?
Fixed directly on me.
And unfortunately..
He had probably witnessed the entire disaster performance.
My soul left my body.
I quickly sat properly on the bed.
Trying to look dignified.
Failed horribly.
Dhruv's gaze slowly moved across the room.
The scattered papers.
My open file.
The appointment letter clutched dramatically in my hands.
Then finally back to me.
Silence.
Long silence.
And somehow that made it worse.
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"You could knock."
Dhruv walked inside calmly.
"You were screaming loud enough for the entire mansion to hear."
Okay fair enough.
I looked away embarrassed.
Dhruv stopped near the bed.
Still holding the ointment.
Still staring at me strangely.
Like he genuinely couldn't process what he'd just witnessed.
Finally he spoke.
"You dance because of jobs?"
I blinked.
Then frowned.
"Obviously."
His expression remained unreadable.
"Why?"
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Because I'm happy?"
The sentence came out like a question because honestly,
Who asks that?
Dhruv looked genuinely confused.
Actually confused.
And suddenly I realized something.
This man probably hadn't celebrated small things in years.
Maybe ever.
His life had always been billion-dollar deals and pressure and expectations.
Not jumping on beds over first salaries.
The thought made something ache in my chest unexpectedly.
Dhruv finally held out the ointment toward me.
"For your elbow."
I stared at it.
Then at him.
"You came here for this?"
Instant regret crossed his face.
Like he hated that I'd noticed.
His expression hardened immediately.
"You'll stain the bedsheets otherwise."
Liar.
Terrible liar.
I almost smiled.
But controlled it quickly.
Dhruv placed the ointment beside me on the bed.
Then his eyes shifted toward the bandage on my forehead again.
Jaw tightening faintly.
"You should've gone to the hospital."
"I've had worse injuries."
The second the words left my mouth,
Something flickered in his expression.
His gaze slowly returned to mine.
"Worse?"
Oops.
I immediately realized my mistake.
Because suddenly Dhruv wasn't looking at me casually anymore.
Now he looked attentive.
Sharp.
Dangerously observant.
Like he'd caught onto something.
I looked away quickly.
"It's nothing."
Silence.
Then quieter,
"What happened?"
The question surprised me.
Not the words themselves.
The tone.
Because for once,
Dhruv didn't sound cold.
He sounded... careful.
Which somehow felt more dangerous.
I forced a small shrug.
"Just life."
His eyes stayed on me.
Unmoving.
Like he knew there was more.
But surprisingly,
He didn't push further.
Instead, his gaze drifted toward the appointment letter still in my hands.
And for the first time,
A tiny crease appeared between his brows.
Not angry.
Thinking.
"You risked your life for a stranger."
His voice came quieter now.
"And celebrated a low-paying job like you won the lottery."
I blinked slightly.
Dhruv looked at me like I was some impossible puzzle.
Then slowly,
Very slowly,
He said:
"What kind of girl are you?"
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
Because strangely,
That might've been the most personal question he'd ever asked me.
Not about rules.
Not about contracts.
Not about image.
Me.
I looked down at the letter softly.
Then back at him.
And smiled a little.
"The normal kind."
Something about my answer made Dhruv go still.
Completely still.
His dark eyes stayed locked onto mine for a long moment.
And suddenly,
The atmosphere shifted again.
Not romantic.
Worse.
Charged.
Like something invisible had quietly changed between us without permission.
Then abruptly,
Dhruv looked away first.
Almost irritated at himself.
He stepped back toward the door.
Walls returning instantly.
Cold billionaire mode back again.
"Apply the ointment before sleeping."
I nodded softly.
He reached the doorway.
Stopped.
Then without turning around,
"You looked ridiculous dancing on the bed."
My jaw dropped instantly.
A quiet scoff escaped me.
"You watched that long?!"
For the first time since meeting him.
Dhruv almost smiled.
Almost.
Just the faintest pull near his lips before disappearing completely.
Then he walked away.
Leaving me frozen on the bed.
Heart strangely unsteady.
Because somehow...
That tiny almost-smile felt more dangerous than his anger ever had.