Page 92 of One Hellish Love

“Wow, those are stunning! Whoever your Secret Valentine is, they must have a crush on you,” one colleague teased.

“Yeah, those look expensive. Was there no budget limit? I don’t think so,” another chimed in.

Kashish’s patience was wearing thin. She needed to find out if Rudra was behind this. If he was, she wasn’t going to let it slide. He knew she’d have to open the gift in front of everyone, setting her up for these exact comments. How could he be so reckless and thoughtless?

“I really need to make an urgent call,” Kashish excused herself, hoping to slip away. But the girls weren’t having it.

“Later! Right now, it’s party time. Come on, we’re all single. Let’s enjoy Valentine’s Day together!”

They dragged her back to the dance floor, leaving her no choice but to sideline her questions for the moment. As the music turned louder and the drinks started flowing, Kashish felt a growing restlessness. Her eyes darted around the room.Shekhar and Lavina were enjoying themselves, but where was Rudra? She wondered if he was probably hiding somewhere, avoiding the dance floor at all costs. He wouldn’t want to be touched, not with his fear of intimacy. It must be depressing for him.

Suddenly, she saw Shekhar pulling Rudra onto the dance floor. Rudra was clearly irritated, arguing with his brother, but Shekhar, unaware of his phobias, kept insisting. Kashish scanned the crowd for Lavina, hoping she could intervene, but Lavina was too busy dancing with Jay.

That’s when, she overheard Dimple, one of the top employees, talking excitedly with a colleague.

“Now that Rudra’s on the dance floor, I’m going to ask him to dance. He can’t say no! It’s like a dream come true for me,” Dimple gushed.

Kashish’s hands clenched into fists. Dimple had no idea what she was about to do. If she touched him, it would send Rudra spiraling. As Dimple strutted toward him, Kashish acted fast, stepping in between them.

“May I have this dance?” she asked Rudra.

Rudra’s brows shot up in surprise. Had he just heard that right? Kashish Bedi was askinghimto dance? Dimple fumed, her face darkening with disappointment as Kashish shot her a victorious smile. Dimple backed off, and Kashish turned her attention back to Rudra, letting out a breath of relief.

“Before you yell at me, let me explain—I did this for your own good,” Kashish said hurriedly.

Rudra’s face remained tense.

“I know you don’t want to be here, and I also know the girls here don’t realize you don’t like being touched,” she continued, her voice softening. “I’m just saving you from a situation that could get messy.”

Rudra’s expression shifted slightly. There was something almost vulnerable in his eyes now. Did she realize she was going out of her way to make him feel safe? His features softened, just a little.

“Sheetal tried to touch me that night at the party becauseyoutold her to,” he said, his voice sharp but with an undercurrent of pain. “You wanted to humiliate me in front of everyone.”

Kashish winced. She had no defense.

“I didn’t know about your phobia then,” she whispered.

“And now you think you can make it right?” he scoffed. “You don’t have to try and fix things, Kashish.”

The guilt gnawed at her, but his coldness pushed her away.

“Fine,” she muttered, stepping back. “I’ll leave then.”

She had just started to walk away when Rudra noticed Dimple watching them intently, waiting for her chance to approach him. Kashish had no idea and was about to take her next step when Rudra’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and spinning her back toward him. Her hands instinctively moved toward his chest, but before they could make contact, he caught her wrists, guiding her arms firmly onto his shoulders. At that moment, she realized he had finally understood her intention—to help him.

Kashish’s palms rested lightly on his shoulders, her gaze locked with his, searching, trying to the emotions behind his otherwise unreadable eyes. They began to sway in time with the music, but the tension between them hung thick in the air. She saw her chance to clear her mind of the nagging doubt that had been plaguing her.

“So, you were my Secret Valentine?” she asked directly.

“I’m not obligated to reveal that. The game’s over. So, get over it.” His voice was flat, dismissive, as if brushing off her curiosity would end the conversation.

But Kashish wasn’t one to let things go so easily. She narrowed her eyes, refusing to back down.

“Those anklets were in my shopping cart. Did you hack my web pages?” she snapped, irritation bubbling beneath her calm demeanor.

Rudra’s jaw tightened.

“I didn’t do that,” he growled.

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