Chapter 13
Armaan
I woke to the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, my hand instinctively reaching across the bed before my eyes had fully opened.
Empty.
The sheets on Viya's side were cool to the touch, meaning she had been up for a while now. I turned my head and looked at the indent on her pillow, the faint impression of where her head had rested just hours ago.
She must have woken early again. Probably in the kitchen right now, cooking breakfast for Dadi. Making sure everything was perfect before she left for the office.
I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the woman who had somehow become the center of my world in the span of just two weeks.
Viya was incredible. That was the only word for it. Incredible.
Nobody would ever guess from her soft spoken nature and innocent demeanor that she possessed the strength to handle crisis situations the way she did.
The way she had managed everything when Dadi fell, getting her to the hospital alone, making all the right decisions under pressure.
The way she cared for Dadi now, feeding her personally, sitting with her, making sure she was comfortable and happy.
The way she had comforted me in that hospital hallway when I was falling apart, holding me together when I could not hold myself.
I found myself intrigued by her in a way I had never experienced before.
I wanted to know everything about her. What made her smile.
What made her sad. What dreams she had tucked away in corners of her heart.
I wanted to spend more time with her, to peel back the layers and discover who she really was beneath the quiet exterior.
I had never felt this way about anyone. Not even Avija.
With Avija, everything had been surface level. Attraction, yes. Compatibility on paper. Shared social circles. But I had never felt this deep, consuming need to understand her the way I did with Viya.
The way Viya had seamlessly integrated herself into our family, taking care of Dadi like she was her own grandmother, handling household matters with quiet efficiency, it felt like she had always been meant to be here. Like God had always intended for her to fit perfectly into this space beside me.
I smiled at the thought, feeling something warm expand in my chest.
I did not know what was going to happen after a year. The agreement, the plan, all of that felt distant and unreal now. But right now, in this moment, I knew one thing with absolute certainty.
She belonged to me.
Not because of some contract or astrological arrangement. But because something fundamental had shifted between us. Something that made the idea of letting her go feel impossible.
I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, turning on the shower to let the water heat up. As I stood under the hot spray, I let my thoughts drift to the coming day. I would see her at the office. Maybe I could find an excuse to call her to my cabin. Maybe we could have lunch together.
The thought made me smile like an idiot.
After drying off and getting dressed in one of my usual work suits, I headed downstairs. The house smelled like fresh parathas and chai, and I could hear Mamta ji moving around in the kitchen.
I entered the dining room to find the table already set, steam rising from covered dishes.
"Good morning, Mamta ji," I said as she appeared with a pot of tea.
"Good morning, sir. I will serve your breakfast now."
As she began uncovering dishes and filling my plate, I looked around the room.
"Where is Viya?"
Mamta ji set a paratha on my plate before answering.
"Viya beta fed Dadi ji her breakfast in her room. Then she left for the office about twenty minutes ago. Her manager called her urgently this morning. She did not even have time to eat breakfast herself."
My hand tightened around my fork.
She had left without eating again. This was becoming a pattern I did not like.
"Did she say what the urgent matter was?"
"No, sir. Just that Vikrant sir needed to see her right away."
I nodded and focused on my breakfast, though my appetite had diminished significantly. Why had Vikrant called her in urgently? Was there a problem with her work? Had something gone wrong with a project?
An uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach.
I finished breakfast quickly and headed to the office, arriving earlier than usual. The building was still relatively quiet, most employees not yet at their desks. I went straight to my cabin and threw myself into emails and reports, trying to distract myself from thoughts of Viya.
Around ten o'clock, Meera knocked and entered with her tablet.
"Sir, Vikrant and Viya Mehra are here to see you. Should I send them in?"
My heart jumped at the sound of her name.
"Yes. Send them in."
I straightened in my chair, trying to compose myself into professional CEO mode. A moment later, my office door opened.
Vikrant entered first, his expression respectful and professional. And behind him came Viya.
The moment I saw her face, my hands clenched into fists under the desk.
Her eyes were red. Not just tired, but red like she had been crying. Her face was pale, and she was holding her laptop against her chest like a shield.
Someone had made my wife cry.
Vikrant stepped forward.
"Good morning, sir. I apologize for Viya missing her presentation last week due to the family emergency. She has completed all the work and is ready to present her optimization proposal to you today."
Viya's voice was small when she spoke.
"I am sorry, sir."
I forced my jaw to unclench and my voice to remain calm.
"It is alright, Vikrant. Family emergencies take priority. You may leave. Viya can give me the presentation."
Vikrant looked slightly surprised but nodded.
"Of course, sir. Thank you for understanding."
He left, closing the door behind him.
The moment we were alone, Viya began setting up her laptop on the small table near my desk. Her hands were shaking slightly.
I stood up and called Meera on the intercom.
"Yes, sir?"
"Send breakfast up to my cabin from the office café. Something substantial. Parathas, fruit, juice."
"Right away, sir."
I ended the call and turned to Viya. She was still fussing with her laptop, not looking at me.
"Viya. Come here."
She looked up, startled.
"Sir, I just need to connect the—"
"It is Armaan," I corrected her, my voice softer now. "Not sir. Armaan."
Her eyes filled with fresh tears.
That was it. I could not take it anymore.
I walked over to her and gently took her hand, pulling her toward me. Before she could protest or pull away, I sat down in my desk chair and pulled her into my lap.
She gasped, her hands instinctively coming to rest on my shoulders to steady herself.
"Armaan! What are you—"
"There is no need to apologize," I said firmly, looking up into her wide, shocked eyes. "You did nothing wrong. The emergency with Dadi was not your fault."
She bit her lower lip, fresh tears threatening to spill over.
"But the presentation—"
"Can wait. Has been waiting. A few more days would not have mattered." I paused, studying her face carefully. "Did Vikrant scold you? Is that why you have been crying?"
She did not answer, but the way she looked away told me everything I needed to know.
Fury rose hot and swift in my chest. Vikrant had made her cry. Had probably called her in early to reprimand her for missing the meeting, never mind that it was a legitimate emergency.
He was going to pay for that. I would make sure of it.
But right now, Viya was the priority.
A knock on the door made Viya practically leap off my lap. She was across the room, standing rigidly by the presentation table, by the time I called out.
"Come in."
Meera entered with a tray laden with food. Parathas, fresh fruit, orange juice, and steaming chai. She set it on the low table near the couch.
"Will there be anything else, sir?"
"No, thank you, Meera. Hold all my calls for the next hour."
She nodded and left, closing the door discreetly behind her.
I stood and walked over to Viya, taking her hand again. She looked like she wanted to protest, but I just tugged her gently toward the couch.
"Sit."
She sat, and I sat beside her. She immediately reached for her laptop, clearly intending to start the presentation.
I picked up one of the parathas, tore off a piece, and brought it to her lips.
Her eyes widened.
"I need to—"
"Eat first. Present later."
She looked at the paratha, then at my face, clearly trying to decide if she dared to argue. Whatever she saw in my expression must have convinced her that arguing was futile, because she opened her mouth and accepted the bite.
Satisfaction coursed through me.
"Good. Now, start your presentation."
She swallowed and opened her laptop with shaking fingers. As the screen came to life and she began navigating to her files, I tore off another piece of paratha and held it to her lips.
She accepted it without comment this time, and began explaining her optimization strategy.
I listened carefully as she walked me through her solution, her voice growing steadier and more confident as she got into the technical details. She had done excellent work. The caching strategy she had developed was elegant and efficient, exactly the kind of innovative thinking we needed.
But I was only half focused on the presentation itself. The other half of my attention was on her. On making sure she ate every bite I fed her. On watching the color slowly return to her cheeks. On the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she was passionate about.
By the time she finished the presentation, the food was gone and she looked infinitely better than she had when she first walked into my office.
"Your approach is sound," I said, setting the empty plate aside. "You have my approval to move forward with implementation. Work with Vikrant to integrate it into the current development timeline."
Relief flooded her features.
"Thank you, si— Armaan."
She had almost called me sir again. But she had caught herself.
Progress.
As she began to close her laptop, I noticed a small crumb stuck to the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, I reached out with my thumb but in instant I moved close and licked it.
Her breath hitched.
Her eyes were closed. The air between us suddenly felt charged with something electric.
Viya's hand clutched at my arm, her fingers digging into the fabric of my sleeve. Her eyes fluttered closed, her lips parting slightly.
I leaned forward, drawn to her like gravity. My hand came up to cup her face, my thumb tracing along her jawline. She was so beautiful. So perfect. So mine.
Just as I was about to close the distance between us, there was a knock on the door.
We sprang apart. Viya's eyes flew open, wide and startled. I cleared my throat and forced myself to sound normal.
"Come in."
The door opened and Aryan walked in, his usual cocky grin firmly in place.
"Good morning, bro. Hope I am not interrupting anything important."
His eyes flicked between me and Viya, his grin widening in a way that suggested he knew exactly what he had interrupted.
I was going to kill him later.
Aryan turned his attention to Viya, his smile becoming genuine and warm.
"Hi, bhabhi. How are you?"
Viya looked startled at being addressed so familiarly, but managed a small smile.
"I am well, thank you."
"Good, good. You are taking care of my friend here, I hope? Making sure he is not working himself to death?"
Viya's cheeks flushed pink.
"I... yes. I mean—"
Aryan laughed.
"I am just teasing. But seriously, it is good to finally meet you properly. Armaan talks about you all the time."
I shot him a warning look, which he ignored completely.
Viya gathered her laptop and bag, clearly looking for an escape route.
"I should go. Let you two talk."
"It was nice meeting you, bhabhi," Aryan said warmly.
Viya gave him another shy smile and practically fled from the office.
Once the door closed behind her, Aryan turned to me with a knowing smirk.
"So. I can see why you are so distracted these days."
I ignored the comment.
"Did you come here just to harass me, or was there an actual purpose to this visit?"
Aryan settled into one of the chairs across from my desk.
"Actually, yes. I am here to remind you about the party this Saturday. The joint venture celebration. Invitations went out to all staff yesterday."
My chest tightened.
"Right. The party."
"It is a couples event," Aryan continued. "Everyone is expected to bring their significant other. Should be a good time."
A couples event.
Which meant everyone would be bringing their partners. Their wives, their husbands, their girlfriends, their boyfriends.
And I could not bring mine.
Because our marriage was supposed to be a secret. Because nobody was supposed to know that Viya and I were married.
The realization settled over me like a heavy weight.
I would have to go to this party alone.
While Viya, my actual wife, would probably be expected to attend as well. As an employee of the company. Maybe with some colleague as her plus one.
The thought of her going to that party with anyone else, dancing with anyone else, laughing with anyone else, made something dark and possessive coil in my chest.
She was mine.
But I could not claim her.
Not yet.
And I had never hated a situation more in my entire life.