Page 35 of One Hellish Love

Shekhar winced at the bluntness, but Rudra was still his brother, and he would be there for him no matter how much Rudra pushed him away. As Rudra started to leave the room, he suddenly halted and turned back.

“I want the entire team working on Tanuja’s project in my office,” he said, glancing at his watch. “In ten minutes.”

Without waiting for a response, Rudra left. Shekhar stood there, bewildered. Something was eating at him, something deeper than work. But what?

Meanwhile, in her cabin, Kashish fidgeted nervously with her pencil. For three hours, she had been staring at the blank sheets of paper in front of her, unable to draw a single line. That conversation with him had been haunting her mind ever since last night. He wanted her apology, that much was clear. But why had he said he wantedherandher forgiveness? Was there more to it than she was letting herself believe?

Frustrated, she slammed her fist on the desk and stood up. She couldn’t afford to lose focus. Not over him. Not now. She tried to dismiss the swirling thoughts, convincing herself that not every word he said carried a deeper meaning—especially coming from him. Yet, her mind kept returning to those words. How could she waste so much time on him?

Kashish forced herself to look back at the blank pages, which suddenly reminded her of her own life, 11 years ago—void of direction, stripped of hope. After her father’s accident, her world had collapsed. She had no future, no family willing to take her in, and the court had placed her in the care of the Rahejas—the verypeople she blamed for her loss. For months, her life had been aimless until she decided to take control, sketching her own path, piece by piece. This opportunity to build her career was a hard-earned one, and she wouldn’t let confusion cloud her now.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Pallavi, one of her team members, stepped in to inform her about an impromptu meeting with none other thanhim—Rudra Raheja. Though surprised, Kashish knew better than to break office protocol. She had just resolved not to waste her energy thinking about him, and now she would have to face him head-on.

Grabbing her phone, she followed Pallavi to his office. It was the first time she would be enteringhisspace. A few of her colleagues had already gathered around his desk, but Kashish opted to stand at the back, hoping to remain unnoticed. But things rarely went as planned.

Rudra’s commanding voice cut through the room. His next words were directed at her.

“I want the lead designer of the project to step forward.”

Grinding her teeth, Kashish stepped ahead, meeting his intense gaze. The simmering anger inside her was unmistakable, and Rudra, of all people, noticed it immediately.

“Is everyone here?” he asked, glancing around.

Pallavi quickly responded, “Yes, Sir.”

“Good,” he said, his tone sharp. “Our client, Tanuja, has a reputation for being unforgiving when it comes to deadlines. To meet her demands, we’ll need to expedite the work while maintaining the highest quality of design. I want every single sketch personally approved by me before it goes to production.”

The team nodded in agreement, all except Kashish. Rudra, of course, didn’t miss that detail.

“Miss Bedi seems to disagree,” he remarked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Kashish hated having to speak to him, but this was business. Still, the thought of having to interact with him on a daily basis just to get her work approved was a nightmare.

“This is a waste of time,” she said, controlling her frustration. “With deadlines this tight, running every sketch by you will only delay the process. Considering your schedule, if you don’t approve a design, we’ll waste even more time reworking it.”

Rudra’s gaze didn’t waver.

“You’re the lead designer, Miss Bedi. No one else needs to ‘run behind’ me—justyou.”

Her blood boiled. If only she had a knife. The way he emphasized “you” felt deliberate, as if he was toying with her, exerting control in the one place where she had to listen to him—here, in his professional domain. He couldn’t dominate her at home, where he was the cause of all her hatred, but here, in the office, he was her boss. And he was clearly enjoying it.

“Did I make myself clear, Miss Bedi?”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied, though the word “Sir” tasted bitter on her tongue.

“Good. You’re all dismissed.”

As the group exited his office, Sanjay, one of Kashish’s team members, let out a deep breath.

“I always get so nervous around him. He has this aura that just makes people feel... intimidated.”

Kashish clenched her phone in her hand, trying to hold back her fury. Pallavi, on the other hand, was far more interested in their boss’s appearance than his demeanor.

“But he’s so dashing,” she giggled. “Did you see that scar above his eye? So intense.”

Kashish knew exactly which scar Pallavi was talking about. She had given it to him 11 years ago. It should have stung when she hit him with that stone, but the scar was a permanent reminder of the pain he deserved for what he did to her father.The pain might have faded, but that scar would always remind him.

“You find scars sexy? Really?” Sanjay looked incredulous.

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