The world refused to shut up about the slap.
Three days had passed, yet my name was still plastered across headlines. Some called me reckless, others called me a woman who refused to tolerate nonsense. Some questioned if I had ruined my professional image, while others claimed I had set a new standard.
I couldn't be bothered to care.
If putting a predator in his place made me controversial, so be it. If standing up for another woman made some men in this industry uncomfortable, then they had a bigger problem than me.
Still, the attention was irritating. Not because I regretted what I did-far from it-but because I had more important things to focus on.
A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Rhea stepped in, holding a tablet in her hand. Her usual composed expression was laced with something unreadable.
"You're officially the most talked-about businesswoman of the week," she said, placing the tablet on my desk. I smirked. "Should I be worried?" "That depends." She crossed her arms. "Are you ready to see this?" I quirked an eyebrow before glancing at the screen. My smirk faded the moment I saw the headline:
"Aditya Singhania Breaks Silence on Gala Incident-'I Respect Women Who Know Their Worth.'"
My fingers stilled on the desk. I clicked the article, scanning through the neatly worded statement he had given during an investor meeting when a reporter had brought up me.
He hadn't dismissed the situation.
He hadn't avoided the question.
Instead, he had said one thing. Simple, calculated, and powerful.
"I respect women who know their worth."
That was it. A single sentence. But coming from a man who rarely commented on anything outside business? It was more than enough to catch attention.
I exhaled slowly, placing the tablet down. Rhea was watching me, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Interesting, isn't it?" I didn't reply.
She leaned against the desk, folding her arms. "You know, for a man who's notoriously private, he sure had a lot to say when your name came up." "It was one sentence." i said. "One sentence more than he's ever given about anyone outside his business dealings."
I shot her a look, but she wasn't wrong.
Aditya Singhania wasn't the type to engage in unnecessary conversations. He didn't give opinions unless they benefited him. He wasn't a man who played into media-fueled gossip.
So why had he chosen to speak now?
Why had he acknowledged me at all?
I turned my chair, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows. But something told me this wasn't the last time my name would be linked with his. And I wasn't sure whether that should excite me... or warn me.
Because the moment two titans acknowledge each other, the game changes.
And I didn't know if I was prepared for what came next.
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