CHAPTER 5 （aryan）
My fingers moved over the keyboard with controlled precision.
Then I stopped.
Closed the laptop.
Leaning back in my chair, I exhaled slowly.
But my mind didn't stop.
It kept going back to one moment.
"I'm a surgeon."
I hadn't expected that.
Not from her.
She didn't seem like someone who worked in an operating room.
Someone who cut into bodies.
Someone who stayed calm while holding lives in her hands.
But then again—
Expecting anything certain from her seemed like a mistake.
She didn't fit into anything I had assumed.
Her calm voice at the table.
The way she spoke without raising it.
The way her jaw stayed tight, like she was holding herself together from the inside.
Like she would tear herself apart before she showed weakness
I ran a hand over my face.
Annoying.
Interesting.
Dangerous combination.
I stared at the ceiling for a moment longer.
Then sat up again.
Because the more I thought about her—
The less she made sense.
And that was becoming a problem I couldn't ignore.
I looked out of the window, lost in thought.
A soft knock broke the silence.
I turned my head toward the door.
"Come in."
Mahi stepped inside.
She was still wearing the blue saree.
It contrasted perfectly against her green eyes.
She carried a small bag in her hand.
"I want to go to the hospital," she said simply.
I leaned back in my chair.
"So go."
A faint, sarcastic smile appeared on her face.
"And how do you expect me to do that? With a bamboo helicopter?"
I closed my eyes for a brief second.
People usually chose their words carefully around me.
Most avoided eye contact.
Most hesitated before speaking.
But she—
She just stood there.
No fear.
Not even a trace of it.
That should have irritated me.
Instead, it didn't.
It only made her more difficult to understand.
"What do you want?" I asked, releasing a slow breath.
This woman was exhausting in ways I didn't expect.
"I need a car and a driver," she said.
I nodded slightly.
"Go to the garage. I'll tell them."
She didn't argue.
Didn't hesitate.
Just turned to leave.
But then she stopped at the door.
Paused.
I looked up from my desk.
"Is there something else?" I asked.
She turned her head slightly, surprise flickering across her face.
For a moment, she looked like she hadn't expected me to ask that.
"Nothing," she said after a pause.
Then she left.
A soft click echoed as the door closed.
I leaned back in my chair again.
Silence returned.
But not my thoughts.
Her face stayed there.
Those green eyes.
Shocked.
Unsteady.
Unpredictable.
Annoying.
And for some reason—
Hard to ignore.
I shook my head.
Focus.
Not on her.
Not on Mahi.
Work.
I forced my attention back to the laptop.
My phone rang.
The screen lit up.
Ekaansh.
I picked it up immediately.
"Brother," he said.
"The Volkovs have agreed to your proposal."
I straightened slightly in my chair.
My gaze shifted toward the window.
"That's unusual," I said calmly.
"They don't agree to anything so easily."
"What do they want?"
A pause.
Then—
"Nothing," Ekaansh replied.
They don't want anything extra."
My brows tightened.
That didn't sit right.
"How is that possible?" I asked.
"I thought the same," he admitted.
"But I checked everything. They genuinely don't have additional demands."
Silence settled for a moment.
I exhaled slowly.
"If you've researched it," I said, "then it's fine."
A knock came at the door.
I ended the call.
"Come in."
A servant stepped inside.
"Sir," he said carefully, "Madam is calling you."
I nodded and stood up.
Adjusting my coat, I made my way downstairs toward the hall.
My mother had called me.
The moment I stepped inside, I heard it.
Sobs.
Avni.
And my mother's voice, trying to calm her.
I closed my eyes briefly and exhaled through my nose.
Of course.
Another problem.
I stepped inside fully.
"What happened now?" I asked calmly.
Both of them turned toward me at the same time.
Avni stood up immediately.
Her face was already painted with distress.
"Your wife spoke to me very disrespectfully," she said.
I looked at her for a moment.
Unmoved.
Then I spoke.
"You started the fire at today's breakfast."
A pause.
My gaze stayed fixed on her.
"If there is fire," I continued, "you should also know how to control it."
She looked at me through tear-filled eyes.
Crocodile tears.
"I'm not talking about breakfast," she said quickly.
I exhaled slowly.
"Then what is it?"
"Where is she going? I asked her something simple and she said she doesn't have to answer me."
My gaze hardened slightly.
I looked at her.
"She is right," I said calmly.
"I already told you this morning—no one will question my wife about where she goes or what she does."
Avni's expression shifted instantly.
"You're defending her?" she snapped.
"I didn't defend anyone," I replied.
"I'm defending the truth."
Her voice rose again.
"She is being disrespectful!"
I tilted my head slightly.
"And so are you."
That's when the sound of a clap cut through the hall.
Once.
Sharp.
Deliberate.
My head turned immediately.
And I froze.
Mahi.
She was standing at the entrance.
Not in the hospital.
Not where she was supposed to be.
She tilted her head slightly, looking straight at Avni.
"Wow," she said calmly.
"You should really consider writing movies."
A pause.
"In-law drama suits you."
"Do you want to know what really happened?" she said, looking directly at me.
I met her gaze.
"If you want," I replied.
Mahi stepped forward slightly.
"She asked me where I was going," she said.
"I told her—hospital."
"She said I couldn't go."
A pause.
My jaw tightened slightly.
Mahi continued, her voice steady.
"So I repeated someone's words."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What words?"
She looked at Avni for a brief second before speaking again.
"I will do whatever I want, and no one will stop me."
Silence dropped instantly.
Avni's face turned red with anger and embarrassment.
Mahi smirked faintly.
Then, calmly:
"I think you should leave now."
Avni didn't say another word.
She turned and walked out of the room, clearly furious.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Manipulator.
Simple.
Clear.
No doubt about it.
Then I looked back at Mahi.
"I thought you were in the hospital," I said.
"What are you doing here?"
A faint pink tint touched her cheeks.
"My shift starts tomorrow," she replied.
I nodded slowly, absorbing that.
"So you came back," I said.
"Yes."
She tilted her head slightly.
"What, do you expect me to stay there forever?"
No," I said.
"I don't expect that. But you didn't even check your shift timing?"
I watched her closely.
She met my gaze.
"No."
"So you forgot to check?"
A pause.
"What? I forgot," she said simply.
I raised my eyebrows slightly.
She actually forgot.
Interesting.
A faint smirk formed on my lips before I could stop it.
Not mockery.
Not anger.
Something else.