Dhruv's POV

(Location: His office, just when he thought the day was done tossing surprises)

I had barely leaned back in my chair, finally getting to breathe after a whirlwind of meetings, when my cabin door burst open like a storm was about to walk in. And it did.

"KABIR. RATHORE." I said sharply, narrowing my eyes as he marched in with enough energy to power a small city.

"Try knocking. It's a common human courtesy." I said helplessly.

"Knocking is for boring people who don't have explosive news," Kabir declared, marching in like he owned the place.

"And you, my emotionally frozen brother, are missing the national broadcast of the century!" Karan followed, far calmer but clearly amused.

"Just watch it, Bhai. He's been unbearable since morning." I set my pen down.

"I saw the press conference headlines. Was about to watch when an urgent meeting came."

"You saw the headlines?" Kabir looked personally offended. "That's like saying you just sniffed biryani instead of eating it. Sit. Down. Watch."

"I am already seated." I said dryly. Kabir huffed, connected his phone to the office screen, and hit play. The room dimmed. The screen flickered. And there she was.

Aakriti. My wife. My Chaos. But right now she was nothing but Miss Arrogant, whom everyone feared.

Walking into that press conference alone, dressed in a crisp white suit, her presence sliced through chaos like a scalpel through silk. Looking sexy and scary.

"Wow, Bhabhi looks like she's about to sue the universe." Karan said with amusement.

"Bhabhi looks like she owns it." Kabir corrected with pride swelling in his chest. My siblings have already accepted her as family so effortlessly. I wouldn't be surprised if one day they disown me for her.

The footage played. I stayed silent. Every answer she gave, every pause, every look—it was masterfully done. Ruthless, calm, and devastating.

Then the whistleblower part came up. Kabir was vibrating in his seat.

"Wait, wait, my favorite part—" He said excitedly. He is watching it again.

She raised her hand. Said just one word but with so much power. Enough to shut up the entire crowd. The man sat down like a timid mouse.

Karan barked out a laugh. "She didn't even look at him."

"She broke him with a single word," Kabir added gleefully. "Iconic."

"Karan never let me anger her. My survival is in your hand. My mouth can harm me more than my enemies." Kabir said.

"True. Because it would be like offending two devils at the same time." He winked at me. I smiled, knowing what he said was true. No one can anger my baby, including me.

And then came the real twist. The drug reveal. The low price. The announcement that flipped the entire narrative.

The room in the footage was stunned. So was I. I already knew her aura and the power she held during our negotiation. She was right when she said everything was under her control.

But nothing—nothing—prepared me for what came next. That final question.

"Did you worry that the scandal would affect your reputation or your relationship with your husband?" She paused. Turned around. It looked like she'd been waiting for that question all her life.

"My reputation doesn't depend on what people say when I walk into the room. It depends on how fast they keep quiet in order to not offend me. And my relation with my husband depends on the amount of love he has for me and nothing else." Even in my temperature-controlled cabin, it felt like someone lit a firecracker.

Kabir gawked at me like I'd grown another head.

"BHAI. WHAT. DID. SHE. JUST. SAY." Kabir blinked.

"Is that... new? Did I miss something? You confessed? When? How?" Karan asked me.

I didn't answer. What was I supposed to say? She has always chosen to not see my overflowing emotions. Pretending that what we have is just a casual, friendly bond. Is she accepting me? My inner voice is telling me not to daydream.

"Bhai?" Kabir came uncomfortably close to mine with a villainous grin. "Did you hear that? The amount of love he has for me. That's a line straight out of a Bollywood climax. She basically soft-launched your entire love life. I am so jealous of you. I also want someone like that who openly claims her right over me." He said, but there was a hint of sadness at his last line. Whose fault is it that you don't have it? Yours. Idiot.

"Wait." Karan leaned forward, eyes gleaming.

"Does she know? Like know..... know how whipped you are?" He said with a teasing smile.

I scowled. "I'm not whipped."

Kabir let out a bark of laughter. "Bhai, if you were any more whipped, you'd be a dairy product."

Karan clutched his stomach and started laughing. "That was beautiful."

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the paused frame of the press conference on the screen—Aakriti, turning away from the podium, the ghost of a smile still playing on her lips.

"She could've said anything," I muttered, half to myself. "Could've dodged. Could've shut it down. Why... say that?"

Kabir flung an arm dramatically across my neck.

"She wants to confess her love for you." Kabir said. I know my wife more than you. She will not confess her love unless forced. She said it so effortlessly, which means it was part of the plan.

I opened my mouth to respond, but the cabin door opened again. Like fate was just waiting to embarrass me.

And there she was.

Aakriti.

In the same sharp white suit. Hair pinned back now, face freshly powdered. Cool, unbothered elegance dripping from every step.

The queen has arrived.

All three of us froze. Kabir looked like a schoolboy caught cheating. Karan? He just grinned wider.

"Why do you all look like someone caught red-handed?" She said, gazing at us.

"Was the mic drop performance rehearsed, or did it come to you naturally like divine intervention?" Karan said, praising her.

She arched a brow. "Hello to you too, Kabir."

Kabir cleared his throat. "You killed it at the conference, Bhabhi. Might need you to help me handle any future controversy."

"You might wear yourself out if you agree to him." Karan said.

Aakriti let out a small chuckle, and then—her gaze landed on me. She looked at me with anticipated eyes. Waiting for me to praise her.

I stood up instinctively, adjusting my blazer. "Good job today."

"Stingy." She said with a huff. This twin's personality is rubbing off on my wife.

I tried to keep my voice even. "You delivered it well."

Kabir coughed dramatically. "Especially the part about how your relationship depends on Bhai's love. That was spicy."

Aakriti didn't flinch. "What about it?"

Karan snorted. "Don't play dumb, Bhabhi. You shattered our brother's soul in high definition."

She turned to me then, calm and unreadable. "Do you have a problem with what I said?"

"No." Why would I have a problem? But I want to know the reason behind her declaration.

"See." She said without any further explanation and sat on the couch.

I watched her settle into the couch like she owned the place. And she does own it. The twins were grinning like they were watching a romantic movie.

"Bhai. Are you just going to stare?" Kabir said. Enjoying too much of this situation.

"Get lost." I said.

"Let's go and not be a third wheel here." Karan said and dragged Kabir out of my cabin. 

I went towards her and sat beside her on the office couch. The silence between us brought the memory of that night. Making me crave her more. She looked calm, as if waiting for me to start the conversation.

I turned slightly toward her and lifted my hand, palm open between us. A quiet gesture. No pressure. No explanation. Just an invitation.

She didn't speak. Just looked at my hand. Long enough to make me think she'd ignore it completely. But then, with a softness that cracked something in my chest, she placed her hand in mine. Her palm looked tiny in my hand. Warm. Steady.

And then I pulled. Not forcefully—but with just enough pressure.

And maybe it was the way she trusted me without a second thought, or maybe it was the natural pull between us, but in one swift moment—

She landed on my lap.

A soft scream escaped her lips—not from surprise, but more like she'd been expecting it. Our eyes met.

Her hands instinctively rested against my chest to balance herself, while mine settled on her waist. Her heart was racing—I could feel it even through the thin layers of her shirt.

"You..." she began, amused, "could've warned me."

I smirked. "Would you have come willingly?"

She tilted her head, a slow smile curving her lips. "Depends. Would you have said please?" I pulled her in a bone-crushing hug. I don't know whether I am doing it for her or me, but we needed this.

Her breath hitched against my shoulder as I held her tight like I was afraid she'd disappear if I let go. And maybe I was. My emotions were awakened, making me recall the care that she showered on me right here when I needed it the most.

This place is where we don't pretend. Don't behave like CEOs of big companies who had everything under their control. We let ourselves be vulnerable in each other's arms. We comfort each other without words.

She was warm in my arms, still, soft... real.

Her fingers clutched the back of my shirt like she didn't want to move either. She didn't speak and didn't pull away. Her cheek rested against my collarbone, and I felt the sigh she didn't mean to let out.

"I needed this hug." I murmured into her hair. She scared me so much when she fainted after having the panic attack. I so wish her to keep safe and protected. But she is not someone who sits and watches others fight her battles. So all I can do is be there when she takes action.

She didn't say anything. But she nodded.

Tiny. Barely noticeble.

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