Page 52 of One Hellish Love

She frantically looked around for a place to hide, her pulse hammering in her ears. If he found her in here, she’d have no way of explaining herself.Think, Kashish, think!In a split second, she ducked behind the long, heavy curtains covering the French doors.

He won’t find me here. He can’t. She pressed her back against the cold glass. All she could do now was wait, and pray he didn’t look too closely.

Rudra stepped into his room, his voice low but tense as he spoke into his Bluetooth.

“No, Jay. I don’t want this to leak. What else did we dig up on Uday Khatri?” He yanked off his tie and tossed it onto the bed, completely unaware that Kashish was hiding in his room, just behind the curtains.

She watched him from the corner of her eye, her heart pounding.What am I doing here?She cursed herself for getting caught in such a position—hiding in the bedroom of a man she despised. Still, his words echoed in her ears.He’s investigating Uday Khatri? Why? What did they discuss?

“If he makes any move against Kashish, we’ll slap an extortion case on him. All he cares about is the money.” Rudra began unbuttoning his shirt, stripping it off in one swift motion.

Kashish’s throat tightened. She felt utterly out of place—trapped in this awkward situation, forced to witness her enemy undressing. It felt like torture. Rudra’s hand reached for his pants zipper when a gasp escaped her lips. Loud enough for him to hear.

He froze.

His eyes flicked to the curtains, noticing the subtle movement that shouldn’t have been there in a closed room. His gaze dropped to her curled toes peeking from under the fabric, and his senses sharpened. Without a word, he disconnected thecall and strode forward. Kashish, hidden and panicking, knew she’d been caught.

Rudra yanked the curtain aside, exposing her presence.

Their eyes met, and Kashish could see the cold fury simmering in his. She swallowed her unease and crossed her arms, trying to regain some composure.

“Who is Uday Khatri? What does he want?” she demanded, her voice steady but edged with tension.

Rudra’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in my room?” he shot back, his tone low and dangerous.

Kashish’s pulse quickened, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her. “What business does Khatri have with my father?” she pressed.

He studied her for a moment, calculating the intensity of her curiosity before grabbing her wrist and dragging her toward the door. She struggled, pulling free from his grip.

“You can’t keep me from this! If this involves my father, I have the right to know,” she snapped, her anger flaring.

Rudra stopped, releasing her arm. His gaze darkened as he stepped closer, his voice cutting through the air.

“We’re not on the same side, Kashish. We never will be. Sharing this information with you will only lead to more conflict, and I’m not about to let that happen. Stay out of it until I fix things. Do you understand?”

The raw intensity in his tone sent a chill down her spine, but she refused to back down.

“Who gave you the right to ‘fix’ my problems? Because I sure didn’t,” she retorted.

“That’s right—you didn’t,” Rudra snapped. “So I took it, for your own good. Now leave my room.”

He opened the door, waiting for her to exit, but she wasn’t done yet. Her jaw tightened as she slammed the door shut and stood her ground.

“If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll find out myself. I know people in Uttam Nagar, and I’ll trace him down,” she threatened.

Rudra’s eyes flashed with anger. “No, you won’t. He’s dangerous.”

“I don’t care.” She turned to leave, but in an instant, Rudra pinned her against the door, his body trapping hers.

“You’re not doing anything like that, Kashish,” he growled. “Let me handle this. It’s for your own protection.”

She shoved him away, glaring. “By keeping this from me, you’re not protecting me, Rudra. I’m not your possession. Stop acting like I belong to you.”

A tense silence filled the room as they stared each other down, both too stubborn to back down. Finally, Rudra sighed, knowing she wouldn’t rest until she had answers.

“Your father took a hand loan from Uday Khatri’s father. Do you know anything about that?” he asked.

Kashish’s face paled. “A loan? No. He never told me about any loan. We didn’t need one—we managed just fine on his income.”

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