I had just finished a long meeting, the kind that drained every ounce of patience out of me.
My company, Rajput Enterprises, had been navigating a delicate business expansion, and my day was filled with back-to-back negotiations. I barely had time to breathe, let alone deal with unnecessary encounters.
Yet here I was, stepping out of the building, only to be met with a sight that made my steps falter. Leaning casually against his car, as if he owned not just the vehicle but the entire damn street, was none other than Aditya.
He was dressed in another one of his ridiculously expensive suits-tailored to perfection, as always. His sleeves were rolled up just enough to be effortlessly arrogant, his watch gleaming under the afternoon sun. He looked entirely too relaxed, his sharp gaze fixed on his phone, as if the world revolved around his convenience.
I told myself to keep walking.
Just walk past him, pretend he doesn't exist.
But then, as if sensing my presence, he looked up. Our eyes met, and for a split second, neither of us moved. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. That smirk. The one that made me want to simultaneously roll my eyes and throw something at him.
"Ms Rajput," he drawled, slipping his phone into his pocket. "You look like you've seen a ghost." I exhaled slowly, gripping my purse tighter. "Disappointed?" "Not at all." He straightened up, his movements slow, deliberate. "In fact, I'd say it's the highlight of my day."
I wasn't in the mood for this. My patience was already thin, and the last thing I needed was an encounter with him clogging up my already exhausting day. So I did what any sane person would do-I turned on my heel and started walking away.
Of course, he fell into step beside me. "Where's the fire?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. I gave him a sideways glance. "You don't take hints, do you?" "I take them," he said easily. "I just don't always listen."
I sighed. "What do you want, Mr Singhania?" His eyes gleamed with amusement. "Straight to the point. I like that about you." I stopped walking abruptly and turned to face him. "If you're here to waste my time, don't bother. I have a company to run."
He tilted his head slightly, as if considering my words. "And I don't?" "Oh, you do," I said, crossing my arms. "But you also have the luxury of playing around whenever you feel like it." He let out a quiet chuckle. "And here I thought you enjoyed our little chats."
I didn't have the patience to answer that. I was about to walk away-again-when a man walking past us accidentally bumped into him. It was an accident, nothing more. The man muttered a quick apology, barely slowing his pace, but Aditya turned sharply.
"Watch where you're going," he snapped, his tone sharp and dismissive. The man, visibly flustered, stammered, "I-I didn't mean to-" "I don't care what you meant," Aditya cut him off. "Next time, don't be careless."
It was so effortless for him, the way he dismissed people like they were nothing. I felt something hot simmer inside me. Before I knew it, I stepped forward. "That's enough."
Aditya turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" I ignored him and looked at the man. "You don't have to stand here and take this. It was an accident. You apologized. Move on." The man hesitated for a moment before nodding quickly and walking away.
Aditya exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly. "That was unnecessary." I turned to face him fully, my pulse thrumming with irritation. "No, your reaction was unnecessary." He gave me a look-one of those infuriating, unreadable ones. "Since when do you care about how I talk to people?"
I took a step closer, not backing down. "Since you decided to act like a privileged, rude- "Atleast I am not all over media" he said. I clenched my jaw. "You think you can treat people however you want just because you have money?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Spare me the lecture, Ms Rajput."
I took a step back, my voice softer now. "You're not untouchable, Aditya. You act like the world owes you something, but one day, you're going to realize it doesn't."
A muscle in his jaw ticked. And then, like flipping a switch, his smirk was back. "You think you know me that well, huh?" "I don't need to know you," I said. "Your actions speak loud enough." His smirk widened. "Then why do I get the feeling that you want to?"
I rolled my eyes and turned away.
"See you around, Ms Rajput," he called after me.
I didn't bother responding. But as I walked away, I felt his eyes on me. And for some stupid, frustrating reason... it stayed with me longer than it should have.
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