Page 69 of One Hellish Love

“You’re welcome. By the way, Valentine’s Day is coming up, and we’re raising funds for a small office party.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll contribute,” she responded, her thoughts elsewhere.

“Great. I’ll send you the details. Excuse me,” Jay said before leaving the cabin.

Kashish wasted no time opening the envelope. Inside were the agreement papers for her house—along with another notarized document clearly stating that the Khatris had been repaid the loan, with interest, and they had released her house from mortgage. She stared at the papers, placing them on her desk.

Why? Why had Rudra done this for her? He knew very well she wouldn’t want this favor. And yet, he had gone ahead, clearing another obstacle from her life, as if daring her to resist his help.

How was she supposed to accept this? Should she repay his kindness somehow? Or should she confront him and demand he stop interfering in her life? Each act of generosity from him felt like another chain binding her to a man she desperately wanted to keep at a distance.

CHAPTER 25

An hour later

Rudra returned to his cabin after an exhausting meeting. His shoulders ached as he loosened his tie and sank into the plush leather chair. Flipping open his laptop, he began skimming through his emails, but one subject line immediately caught his attention. He clicked it open without a second thought.

From:Kashish Bedi

To:Rudra Raheja

Subject:Gratitude

Mr. Rudra Raheja,

I received the envelope from Jay Mathur today, and I must say I am far from pleased with its contents. My personal life is not your business, and it never will be. However, since you’ve taken it upon yourself to pay off the mortgage on my house, I now owe you that sum.

I can’t repay the entire amount in one go, so I’ll follow an EMI structure, which I’m sure doesn’t interest you. The first installment of ?25,000 has already been transferred to your personal account. It will take me 8 years and 3 months to clear this debt.

Please refrain from offering me any more favors.

Regards,

Kashish Bedi.

Rudra shut his eyes. Kashish—paying him back in instalments for the house he had saved from foreclosure? Hehadn’t expected her to react this way. How had she even managed to send the first payment? Checking the date, he realized she’d used her salary from a few days ago. She was already sacrificing her future savings for this. This wasn’t what he wanted for her.

Leaning back in his chair, Rudra’s mind raced for a solution. He wanted her to save for herself, not drain her finances repaying him. But after ten minutes of restless thinking, he had no answer. Frustrated, he stood and walked to the glass wall that separated his cabin from hers. Slowly sliding the curtain, he peered into her office. Kashish was there, engrossed in work, surrounded by her team. She looked calm and focused—completely unaware of the storm brewing inside him. Rudra sighed, shutting the curtain again. This back-and-forth between them would never end. He’d have to ignore her email and focus on his business.

***************

Meanwhile, Kashish wrapped up her meeting and immediately checked her inbox. No reply. Did he not read her email? Impossible. Rudra wasn’t one to miss something like this. But why hadn’t he reacted? She didn’t want him to fuss, but she had expected something—some response. Her frustration grew. Why did his silence bother her so much? This was madness. She didn’t want his attention, and yet, when he withdrew it, it unsettled her even more.

Later that evening, their client Tanuja, called for a meeting to congratulate the team. The first set of designs forTalaash Boutiquewas ready for the market. After the meeting, Rudra entered the conference room, making his way directly to Tanuja, as he hadn’t been able to attend earlier.

“Congratulations, Tanuja,” Rudra said, shaking her hand.

“Thank you, Rudra. Your team has done an exceptional job.”

As Shekhar and Kashish approached to hand Tanuja the presentation, Rudra deliberately avoided looking at Kashish. This was new for her. He either overreacted or had finally decided to keep his distance, just as she had warned him to.

Tanuja smiled and patted Kashish’s shoulder. “Kashish, I’m so thankful for your work. Your designs are absolute masterpieces.”

Kashish smiled proudly but felt a gnawing nervousness, especially with Rudra standing nearby. She knew he must be proud of her, but he gave no indication of it.

“Thank you, Tanuja. It was a privilege to work on your project,” Kashish replied.

“Oh no, dear. You can work wonders anywhere. You can handle anything.”

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