Aryan was seated at his desk, eyes fixed on his laptop screen. The live audio feed of the conversation between Chandrasekar and Sanjana played out clearly. His jaw clenched tighter with every passing word until, unable to contain his fury, he grabbed the vase from his table and hurled it across the room. It shattered into sharp pieces on the floor.
“Sir, please calm down,” Ranjith said, stepping in with concern.
“I respect him a lot,” Aryan snapped, his voice low but seething, “but he is going beyond his limits. How could he threaten Sanjana?”
“But Sanju replied to him boldly,” Ranjith said quickly, trying to ease his temper. “So you need not worry, sir.”
“Ranjith, tighten Sanju’s security,” Aryan ordered sharply. “Don’t let Maya near her.”
“Sure, sir. But now Sanju might question you if she finds out you knew about their conversation.”
“I’ll take care of it. But give a strict order to Ramya—fix the wireless mic in Sanju’s business attire without fail. Also, check if we can incorporate GPS into it.”
“I’ll check and let you know, sir. If not, we’ll get it designed by our security team.”
“That sounds good,” Aryan muttered, his mind still racing.
Meanwhile, Sanju sat in the balcony, lost in thoughts, her eyes distant as the evening breeze played with her hair. Aryan returned to the room and quietly refreshed himself. When he noticed she was still lost in her world, he walked toward the balcony and took the seat beside her, studying her face in silence.
“Hmm… When did you come?” she asked, snapping out of her thoughts as he called her name.
“I’ve already refreshed,” he said gently. “What are you thinking about?”
“Aryan, what did Maya’s father tell you today?” she asked, her eyes searching his.
“Nothing, sweetheart. Just casual greetings and he left soon. What happened?”
“He said… that you were listening to our conversation,” she said slowly. “I even checked around, but you weren’t there. Did you really hear our talks?”
“No, baby. Maybe he was just trying to mess with your mind. What did he say?”
“Nothing much… just that I should leave you.”
“And you’re so casual about it?” Aryan asked, taken aback.
“Why should I be serious? For whatever nonsense he was joking around?”
“Correct…” Aryan nodded, eyes narrowing slightly. “What did you tell him?”
“I said… I’ll think about it,” she replied with a straight face.
“What?? Are you serious?” Aryan’s voice spiked in disbelief.
Sanju burst out laughing at his reaction. “I was kidding! How will I leave you? Only my death can take me away from you.”
“Why do you even speak like that?” Aryan frowned, not liking her words.
“Okay, forget it. I’m starving. Shall we have dinner?”
Aryan simply hummed in response, gently took her hand, and they walked toward the dining area. Kowsalya was already there, serving dinner.
“Kowsalya maa, haven’t you made any sweet?” Aryan asked, looking around. “It’s been a long time since I had sweet.”
Sanju threw him a look. “You are being crazy,” she muttered under her breath.
“What do you want, sir?” Kowsalya asked warmly. “I’ll prepare it immediately.”
“No, it’s okay,” Aryan said with a small smile.
After dinner, they returned to their room. Sanju suddenly grabbed Aryan by his collar and gave his shoulder a playful hit.
“Ouch! That hurts, baby,” Aryan winced.
“Let it be! You couldn’t shut your mouth, right?” she said, narrowing her eyes.
“What did I do now?” he asked, still clueless.
“Why do you ask for sweet when we’re out of the room?”
“Hey! I asked it for real! Seems like you assumed it to be our sweet,” Aryan teased with a smirk.
“Stop acting!” she warned, glaring at him.
Before she could say more, Aryan caught her wrist and swiftly pinned her against the wall. His body pressed close to hers, eyes locked onto hers with desire.
“You really want me to stop?” he whispered, then crashed his lips onto hers.
The kiss deepened, urgent and consuming, until they finally pulled apart, breathless. Aryan looked at her flushed face, a satisfied smile curving his lips as Sanju leaned her head against the wall, her heartbeat racing.
“This is the best sweet for me,” Aryan said with a wink, before moving toward the bed with a relaxed grin.
Sanju shook her head and walked slowly to the couch, settling herself opposite him.
“Now tell me,” Aryan asked, resting back against the pillows, “how was your meeting?”
“Good,” Sanju replied. “Maya wanted access to our floor to meet you. I denied it, said you have nothing to do with the cosmetics business.”
“Hmm… smart,” Aryan said, clearly impressed. “What else happened?”
“Nothing, just the usual business talks,” she said casually.
Aryan’s mind voice: Though you don’t tell me everything, I’m happy and impressed with how you handled Maya and her father.
Sanju tilted her head, sensing his silence. “What’s running in your mind?”
“Nothing,” Aryan said quickly. “We have just three days before we leave for the Maldives.”
“Hmm, I’ll start packing,” Sanju said with a soft nod.
“What have you planned to pack?” he asked curiously.
“What would I pack? Just dresses and necessities,” she replied.
“Don’t pack too many dresses,” he warned playfully. “Remember, we’re going for our honeymoon—you won’t need much.”
Sanju’s eyes widened. “Oh God, Aryan! You are a pervert!”
“So?” Aryan teased with a smug smile. “I’m talking to you. Now let’s sleep. We’ve got a lot of work to finish before we leave for the Maldives.”
“Who’s stopping you now? Go to sleep,” she huffed, turning her face away.
Aryan chuckled, stood up, and without warning, lifted her in a bridal style. Holding her close, he walked to the bed and cuddled her in his arms.
“Now I can sleep,” he murmured.
Sanju smiled, kissed his forehead gently, and rested her head on his chest as they drifted into sleep.
The next day, Aryan was immersed in his work when Ranjith entered his office with Pradeep.
“Sir,” Ranjith began, “Keerthy will be arriving in three days.”
“Did you make arrangements for her stay?” Aryan asked, not looking up from his laptop.
“Yes, sir,” Ranjith replied. “I asked her to stay at the Mansion, but she didn’t want to give room for gossip about being Sanju’s friend. So I spoke to Pavithra, to check if Keerthy could stay with her. Pavithra agreed, and Keerthy is also okay with it. Pavithra’s staying alone in her flat, so she’ll have some company.”
“Good then,” Aryan said, finally looking up. “Just check if they need any interiors to be done and take care of it.”
“When will you return, Aryan?” Pradeep asked.
“We’ll be back two days before we start business with DC,” Aryan replied. He looked at both men seriously. “Ranjith, Pradeep—I don’t want anyone to know our actual destination until we return. Ranjith, make arrangements accordingly.”
“Sure, sir,” Ranjith nodded. “You can reach Bali in our private jet, and from there, we’ll switch to another private jet to reach the Maldives. We’ll tell everyone that you went to Bali—no one will know about your stay in the Maldives.”
“Good, Ranjith.”
Pradeep stepped forward. “Maya informed me that she’d be sending her designer team to set up her cabin. She may accompany them tomorrow. We’ll need to provide access.”
“Ranjith, check every person thoroughly before giving access,” Aryan instructed firmly. “Keep an eye on them until they leave the premises. Make sure they don’t enter any floor other than her cabin.”
Then he turned to Pradeep. “You can inform Maya to follow the security guidelines.”
“Okay, Aryan,” Pradeep said with a respectful nod.
At DC Head Office
“Dad, I’ve informed Pradeep that I’ll be taking my team to design my cabin,” Maya said, walking into Chandrasekar’s office with purpose.
“Sure, Maya. Go ahead,” Chandrasekar replied.
“I want my cabin to be completely spy-free,” Maya added firmly. “Send me a team who can ensure total privacy. I don’t want any of Aryan’s technology interfering.”
Chandrasekar raised a brow but didn’t argue. “Hmm. I’ll inform Rajesh. He’ll assist you.”
“I need one of the executives to be an experienced hacker. And I want one female executive—gorgeous and obedient. She should follow my orders without any questions,” she stated, crossing her arms.
“Hmm, okay, princess. I’ll tell Rajesh to arrange everything you need,” Chandrasekar assured her with a nod.
The Next Day Maya and her team arrived at ARC Towers. Ranjith was already waiting for them.
“Ms. Maya,” he greeted politely. “As mentioned earlier, your team is permitted to work only inside your cabin. They’re not allowed to touch a single article outside it.”
“Ranjith, you may stop repeating yourself,” Maya said, clearly annoyed. “I’m least interested in anything else.”
“Thank you,” Ranjith replied curtly. “I’ll leave you to your work. Our staff will be around to assist if needed. You can call me if anything comes up.”
“Thanks,” Maya said and looked around. “So, where do I wait until my team finishes their work?”
“Let me confirm with Pradeep,” Ranjith said and pulled out his phone.
“I wanted to meet Aryan,” Maya added abruptly.
“I’ll check,” he said and dialed Aryan.
After a short conversation, he turned to her. “Sorry, Ms. Maya. Sir is busy with meetings and can’t meet you now. He asked me to take you to Pradeep instead. You can discuss any business matters with him.”
“Fine. Let’s go,” she said with a sigh.
Ranjith gave instructions to his team and escorted Maya to Pradeep’s temporary cabin.
“Welcome, Maya,” Pradeep greeted as she walked in.
“Thank you, Mr. Pradeep. And congratulations,” she replied with a slight smile.
“Thank you. Would you like some tea, coffee, or fresh juice?” he offered.
“Thank you, not now,” she declined. “You should’ve accepted my offer, Mr. Pradeep. I would’ve given you ten times more than what you got from Aryan.”
Pradeep only smiled in response.
“Where is your chairperson?” she asked, glancing around.
“She’s not at the office today,” he said calmly.
“Very unprofessional. And you’re relying on such a person for a huge business?” Maya scoffed.
“It’s not necessary to be in the office when she’s capable of handling things from home. Besides, our operations haven’t officially started,” Pradeep explained.
“Aryan will definitely regret this decision,” she said bitterly.
“Not definitely,” Pradeep said, his tone firm. “Sanjana is a knowledgeable businesswoman. She’s worked closely with Aryan. Her experience is on par with his.”
“Too much praising. Stop it, Pradeep,” Maya snapped. “I know you wanted her in your life. Then how could you give up so easily?”
“I never loved her, Maya,” Pradeep replied evenly.
She leaned closer. “Tell me a way to meet Aryan personally.”
“That’s not possible,” he said. “Anyone who wants to meet Aryan must go through Ranjith.”
“Pradeep,” she said, her voice dropping, “I’m being honest with you. I’m not here for business. I’m here only for Aryan. I’m extending the offer to you—help me separate Sanjana from Aryan, and you can ask for anything in return.”
“What would you give, Miss?” he asked, eyes narrowing.
“Ask me anything,” Maya said confidently, “and you’ll get it.”
“Don’t regret later for giving your word, Maya,” he warned.
“Do you want shares? A luxury car? Mansions? Drugs? Money? Whatever… for Aryan,” she said, her voice laced with intensity.
Pradeep stood from his seat and walked slowly toward her. He leaned in, his face close to hers.
“What?” Maya asked, startled.
“Can I have you then?” Pradeep asked, his voice low and deliberate.
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