Page 79 of One Hellish Wedlock
The elevator doors opened to reveal the logo of Chopra Group on the eighteenth floor. Aanya’s stomach sank. He had an office here too? She should have checked beforehand. He owned more than one office in the city. This was just another branch.
The staff inside rose immediately, startled to see their boss. Reyansh rarely visited this office and had just been here ten days ago. Still gripping her wrist, he dragged Aanya out of the elevator.
“Walk,” he snapped under his breath.
Realizing a scene here would only worsen things, she silently followed him to his cabin. It was as lavish as his primary one. He shut the door behind them, releasing her arm.
“You said my words don’t matter to you and yet here you are,” he bit out. “What the hell is this?”
“An eye opening,” she retorted. “And believe it or not, you’re the one who lit the spark. You’re right, Reyansh. I’m nothing, at least not to the world. I’m just Anand Malhotra’s daughter or Reyansh Chopra’s wife. I want to be known for something more. I want to beme.”
Reyansh was taken aback. He hadn’t dragged her here to embarrass her. He simply wanted her to understand that she didn’t need to throw herself at the world unprepared. But now, seeing the fire in her eyes, he realized he’d misjudged her.
“If you want to work, I’ll find something suitable for you. But notthis,” he said firmly.
She folded her arms across her chest.
“Why not this? Does it bruise your ego that I’m doing something without your help?”
“Don’t make it petty. My ego isn’t so cheap that I’d block my wife from doing something for herself.”
“Itlookedpretty cheap when you yanked me out of that elevator,” she bit back.
“I don’t care how it looked. What matters is, why didn’t you tell me? Why wasn’t I informed?”
“I don’t need your permission to stand on my feet,” she hissed. “And tell me, what are you really angry about? That I didn’t tell you? Or that I dared to look for a job right under your nose?”
His mouth twisted into a hard smirk.
“Decisions taken in haste end up in regret, Aanya. I’m not questioning your potential. But let’s be real. You’ve never taken life seriously. Do you honestly think you’ll survive a full-time job without losing interest after a week? When people talk aboutyou, they’ll also talk aboutme. I won’t let my wife’s name be dragged through dirt because she couldn’t commit to something.”
Her jaw clenched. That’s all he thought of her? An impulsive, spoiled brat who never saw anything through. Maybe he was right. Maybe that had been her past. But not anymore. And this was her first real test.
“I don’t need your handpicked options, Mr. Reyansh Chopra. I want to find a job on my own, earn based onmyskills, notyourreputation. If you can’t support that, fine. And if you think this breaks our deal, then I’ll wait. I’ll give this interview after our two months are up. Because by then, you won’t have the right to interfere in my life at all.”
For the first time, he had nothing to counter her with. He stood there, silent as she walked out of his office.
There was something in her eyes today, a purpose he had never seen before. He realized then, with a startling jolt, that the woman he had dismissed for so long… had somehow become the axis of his world. Whether he liked it or not, every thought began and ended with her.
And she didn’t even know it.
CHAPTER 14
Chopra Mansion
Even after the heated confrontation with Reyansh, Aanya chose to follow her instincts and attend the interview. Just because her husband doubted her ability to stand on her own didn’t mean she would crumble. Yet she had seen a completely different side of him today. Though he had tried to stop her, he hadn’t entirely forbidden her from working. In fact, he had offered his support. But onhisterms, underhisguidance. Was that his way of trying to protect her? If so, he didn’t need to. She had survived all these years without a father’s protection, without supervision of any kind and she intended to keep it that way.
“Aanya Malhotra,” the receptionist at Icon Interiors called. Aanya blinked out of her thoughts.
“That’s me,” she responded, rising from her seat.
“You’re called in.”
Taking a steadying breath, she stepped into the interview room where two elderly men sat, waiting. She greeted them with a courteous smile.
“Please come in,” one of them welcomed her.
She took her seat and handed over her documents.
