Page 13 of One Hellish Love

Tanuja, known for her ruthless standards, seemed unimpressed. Rudra had been warned of her exacting taste—she was a powerhouse in the fashion industry, with boutiques spanning India’s metros and the UAE. Her collections had to be extraordinary, and she never worked with the same designer more than twice.

Tanuja finally spoke, her tone biting.

“I’m not impressed.” She looked directly at Rudra. “Mr. Raheja, I had high expectations when I entered this partnership. These designs aren’t bad, but they lack depth. They’re just fabrics. I want to see the soul behind the work.”

Before Rudra could respond, Lavina nervously handed her another set of sketches. “What about these?”

Tanuja’s eyes scanned them, and a smile broke across her face.

“Yes, this is it. This designer understands the essence of beauty. These sketches are a perfect fusion of ethnic elegance and modern flair. This is the designer I want for my project.”

Lavina let out a sigh of relief, but Shekhar’s heart sank. These designs were Kashish’s. There was no way she would agree to this—no way. Rudra’s face darkened as realization dawned.

“Tanuja, could you excuse us for a moment?” Rudra asked tersely. She nodded, and Jay escorted the team out. Once they were alone, Rudra stormed toward Lavina, gripping her arms in fury.

“I told you,” Rudra seethed, his voice low and dangerous, “Kashish needs to stay out of this. Why did you give her designs to Tanuja?”

Lavina stared at him, shocked by this uncharacteristic outburst. She had never seen him like this—someone unhinged, his raw emotions boiling over.

“Rudra... you’re hurting me,” Lavina gasped, her voice barely above a whisper.

The word “hurt” echoed in Rudra’s mind like a cruel joke. He knew hurt better than anyone. It had been his constantcompanion for the past eleven years. He released her abruptly, turning to Shekhar.

“Tell Tanuja the designer is unavailable. If she can’t find the soul in the rest of our work, she’s welcome to walk away from the contract.”

Shekhar and Lavina exchanged looks of disbelief.

“Rudra, wait,” Shekhar urged. “Don’t make such rash decisions. Tanuja isn’t just any client—she’s a force in this industry. If we lose her, we could lose much more than just this contract. We need to handle this carefully.”

Lavina chimed in, still shaken.

“Why is this designer so untouchable? She can send us her work, but she can’t be part of the team? It’s absurd.”

Rudra’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“Not another word, Lavina. You’ve already made things worse. Let us handle it now.”

Lavina fell silent, her curiosity piqued. What was Rudra hiding? Was he protecting Kashish, or was he shielding himself from something far darker?

Despite Shekhar’s attempts to smooth things over, Tanuja remained firm. She gave Raheja Designs a week to convince Kashish, or the deal would fall through. The company had already invested heavily in this partnership; they couldn’t afford to lose it.

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Later that evening, Shekhar and Anjali visited Kashish in her room. The floor was scattered with papers, her mind clearly consumed by her latest designs. She moved the mess aside, gesturing for them to sit.

“Sorry about the chaos,” she said with a weak smile. “Just working through something.”

Anjali smiled warmly.

“I have no doubt you’ll get it right. You always do.”

Shekhar, however, was in no mood for pleasantries.

“Kashish, what’s going on? You’ve been locked in here for two days—breakfast, lunch, dinner, everything. Why?”

“I told you, I’m busy with this design. It’s keeping me focused.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Shekhar snapped. “I know you better than that. You’re hiding. You’re hiding fromhim.”

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