Chapter 14

Then, a sharp tap on my desk makes me jump.

Nitya stands before me, arms crossed, her gaze filled with hostility.

"Because of you, Kathir Sir got mad at me," she says, her voice dripping with accusation.

I blink. "What? What are you talking about?"

She scoffs. "You spilled coffee on his shirt yesterday. And because of that, he scolded me."

Emma's eyes widen in shock.

I shake my head. "But... you were the one who asked me to give him the coffee."

"That doesn't matter," she snaps. "You're the one who spilled it. Now, come and explain yourself to him."

Nitya's fingers curl around my wrist like an iron grip, her nails digging slightly into my skin as she tugs me forward. My breath hitches as I stumble, trying to keep up with her sudden urgency.

"Nitya! What are you doing? I already apologized!" I protest, my voice coming out in short gasps, but she doesn't respond. Her pace quickens, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor, and before I can pull away, she yanks open a door and shoves me inside.

I stumble forward, my body jerking as I try to regain my balance. A loud thud echoes as the door slams shut behind me.

"Nitya!" I whirl around, my hands slamming against the wooden surface. "Why are you doing this? Open the door!"

Silence.

I tap the door louder, desperation creeping into my voice. My palms sting from the force, but the room is swallowed in darkness. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. My breathing grows uneven as I step back, my fingers tightening into fists.

What is happening? Why is she acting this way?

Then-click.

A sharp hum fills the room as the overhead lights flicker on, illuminating the space. My eyes widen.

Sitting at a long glass table are Kathir and six sharply dressed individuals, their eyes trained on me with varying degrees of confusion and amusement. The sleek projector screen behind Kathir casts a faint glow, its last presentation slide still visible.

My stomach drops. A meeting room.

"Who is this, Mr. Kathir?"

A woman's voice breaks the silence. One of the clients, dressed in an elegant navy-blue blazer, raises a perfectly arched brow at me.

I barely manage to turn my head before I see him.

Kathir.

His jaw clenches, his sharp features hardening as his hands curl into tight fists on the table. His eyes close briefly, as if he's trying to reign in his frustration. But when he opens them, his glare is fixed directly on me.

My throat goes dry. I can't move.

"Vidya," his voice is low, strained. "What are you doing here?"

I feel my entire body tremble under his piercing stare. I swallow hard, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I-I was pushed by Nitya." My words come out unevenly. "She pushed me here... f-for coffee."

A beat of silence. Then-laughter.

It starts as a chuckle from one of the male clients, but soon, the entire room bursts into quiet snickers and muffled amusement.

"What?" A man smirks. "You got pushed here for coffee?"

The laughter grows louder, ringing through the room. My cheeks burn as I shrink under their scrutiny. The sound makes my chest tighten, my fingers trembling at my sides.

But the laughter stops-abruptly.

"Enough!"

Kathir's voice slices through the air like a blade. His chair scrapes against the floor as he stands, his eyes flashing with barely controlled rage.

"Get out. Now."

His tone is final. The clients exchange uneasy glances before hurriedly gathering their belongings, their heels clicking against the tiles as they shuffle out. One by one, they disappear through the door, the tension in the room thickening with every second.

Then, he moves.

Kathir storms past the table, his tall frame rigid as he strides towards the door. He doesn't glance back-doesn't say another word. The door slams shut behind him with a force that makes me flinch.

I let out a shaky breath, the air thin in my lungs. The room feels empty, vast, like a cavern where my pulse is the only sound. But my heart still races, each beat echoing in my chest like a drum.

What should I do? Is he mad at me?

I clutch my head, fingers pressing against my temples as I try to clear my mind. But it's like trying to fight a storm-panic swirls inside me, my thoughts a whirlpool of confusion and fear. Everything feels out of control.

Then, before I can even gather myself, a hand grips my wrist.

My eyes snap open, wide with shock.

A sharp pull jerks me forward, and before I can react, I'm slammed against the cold, unforgiving wall. The impact knocks the breath from my lungs, and I gasp, a tremor running down my spine like an electric shock.

I look up, and my gaze is immediately caught by,

Kathir Rathore.

His eyes are closed, jaw clenched, as if he's trying to suppress something. But when he opens them, his gaze locks onto mine, burning with fury.

His presence is overwhelming-like a storm closing in. His hands are pressed against the wall on either side of me, trapping me in place. The warmth of his body radiates against mine, his face so close, I can feel his breath, heavy and controlled, fanning against my lips. The air is thick with tension.

"How dare you ruin my meeting?"

His voice is a low growl, laced with anger, each word like a slap. My heart skips a beat, the words landing on me like heavy blows, sending a bolt of fear racing down my spine.

I press myself against the wall, desperate to create distance, but there's nowhere to go. My hands tremble at my sides, the air around me suffocating. My throat is too dry to speak, like sandpaper scraping against my vocal cords. I try to look away, to break free from his gaze, but his eyes are like chains, locking me in place.

"Answer me!" His voice rises, sharp and dangerous, the sound of his hands slamming against the wall reverberating through the space. The noise cracks through my panic, making me flinch.

"I-I didn't do it on purpose," I stammer, my voice barely escaping, weak and unsteady. "Nitya... she pushed me in here. I-I swear."

"Do you have any idea what I've lost?"

His voice cuts through me, sharper now, dripping with barely restrained fury. The sheer force of his presence makes my knees feel weak, like I might collapse under the weight of it. His anger presses in, suffocating me.

My breath comes out in short, panicked gasps, each one too quick, too shallow. I press my hands to my ears, desperately trying to block out the noise, my body trembling uncontrollably, like a leaf caught in a storm.

"Stop," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut, begging my body to stop trembling, to stop betraying me.

But his hand moves in an instant, seizing my wrists with a brutal grip, yanking them away from my ears.

"Ahh!" A small cry escapes my lips, helpless and scared.

His hold tightens, and the pain shoots up my arms.

I look up, my tear-filled eyes locking with his furious ones. My wrists ache from his grip, each second of his touch a raw reminder of his anger. But the pain is nothing compared to the intensity of his gaze-like fire, burning through me, scorching my soul.

I can't do this.

"K-Kathir," I whisper, the words coming out barely above a breath. "I'm sorry, sir."

I bite my lip to stop it from trembling, but I know he can see my fear. My entire body quivers under his touch, like a fragile thing ready to break.

His jaw tightens, the muscle in his cheek twitching as his grip doesn't loosen.

"Sorry?" His voice drops even lower, deadly. "You think an apology is enough?"

He leans in closer, his face inches from mine, his breath warm against my lips, just a hairsbreadth away. The heat between us is unbearable, the tension suffocating.

"Not this time."

A single tear escapes, trailing down my cheek, a tiny, silent confession of the fear consuming me.

His fingers tighten once more, digging into my skin. I wince, my body recoiling against the pressure. With a swift motion, he pins one of my hands above my head, locking me in place, his grip unyielding.

The fear in my chest coils tighter, suffocating me-like a hand wrapped around my throat, slowly tightening, and I can't breathe.

"Come with me," Kathir's voice was sharp, like a command that left no room for argument.

Before I could even process, his hand shot out, seizing my wrist in a vice-like grip. His fingers felt like iron, unyielding, as he dragged me from the meeting room. My body jolted forward as he stormed out, his fury radiating in every step. I stumbled to keep up, my feet struggling to find balance, and my heart thudded against my ribs, each beat a terrified drum in my chest.

"Sir, where are you dragging me?" My voice came out shaky, loud in the otherwise quiet corridor, but Kathir didn't even spare me a glance. He only tugged harder, his pace never faltering, dragging me like I was nothing more than a ragdoll.

"Sir, please stop, sir!" I cried out, desperately trying to break free, my fingers slipping on his skin where I struck his hand, but it was like hitting stone. His hold was unrelenting.

I glanced around, the hallway now feeling suffocating, and every employee we passed froze in shock. Their eyes followed us, wide with surprise, but no one dared intervene. Emma's gaze flickered between me and Kathir, her brows furrowing with concern, but she remained rooted to the spot, silent. I wanted to scream for help, to make someone do something, but the cold, calculating power in Kathir's presence kept everyone at bay.

Tears blurred my vision as I continued to struggle, my body trembling with fear and helplessness. Kathir's grip never loosened, each step feeling like it was pulling me deeper into the abyss. He dragged me toward the staircase, my heels scraping against the marble floor, desperate to find purchase. I pulled at my wrist with every ounce of strength I had, but it was all for nothing.

At the base of the stairs, he shoved open the door to a room. The sharp crack of the door hitting the wall echoed through the empty hallway, and before I could even take a breath, Kathir forced me inside, slamming me against the cold, unforgiving surface of the wall.

"Get out!" His voice boomed as he waved his hand dismissively at the employees lingering by the door. They nodded quickly, their faces pale, and hurriedly exited the room, leaving us alone.

As the last person slipped away, Kathir turned to face me. His face was close enough that I could feel his seething anger radiating off him like an electric current. He yanked me toward him, pinning me to the wall with the weight of his body, his hands now pressing into the wall on either side of me. The proximity made it hard to breathe, his rage filling every inch of the room.

"I know what your intentions are!" he hissed, his voice a dangerous growl. "Don't try that with me."

His words hit me like a slap, and I froze. My mind scrambled to process what he was accusing me of, but the confusion was too much. I was too scared to speak, my throat tight, tears falling freely from my eyes.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I managed to choke out.

"You're trying to grab my attention!" His voice was cold, laced with disgust. "And that's not going to work out."

The words stung, and my chest tightened with the sting of rejection, the misunderstanding. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I couldn't let him accuse me of something I didn't do.

"I-I'm not trying to grab your attention!" I shouted, my voice shaking with frustration. "Can't you open your eyes and see? Nitya was pushing me in the meeting room! And because of that, your meeting was ruined! I didn't come in on purpose. If I wanted to-"

Before I could finish, his grip on my wrist tightened painfully, silencing me with the force of his touch. The pain shot through my arm, and I gasped, the air knocked from my lungs.

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me," Kathir growled, his face inches from mine. "And that's not good for you. Got it?"

His words were a warning, his forehead creasing with anger, the muscles in his jaw visibly clenched. He released my wrists, but the bruising sting lingered. I didn't know what to do with my hands now, my arms trembling from the pain.

Kathir gave me one last cold, deathly glare before turning on his heel. As he left the room, I sank to the floor, my legs giving way beneath me. The room spun, and I couldn't summon the strength to stand. The tears I'd been holding back came rushing out, flooding my cheeks as I pressed my hands to my face.

"Lock her up until the job is finished," I heard him say as he walked away, his voice echoing off the walls, leaving me cold and alone.

I blinked, my heart sinking. I wanted to fight back, to scream, to run after him, but my legs felt like lead. As I tried to get up, I saw the security guard step in front of the door, sliding the lock into place with a heavy, final click.

"Wait!" I rushed to the door, pounding my fists against it, my voice breaking as I shouted, "Please don't do this to me! Please!"

But the security guard didn't respond. The room around me felt suffocating, the walls closing in as I slumped back against the door, my entire body trembling. I could feel the panic rising, choking me.

I slid down the door until I was sitting, my knees pulled up to my chest. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. I was trapped. Completely trapped.

The darkness around me felt suffocating, and I couldn't hold it in any longer. I cried out, my sobs echoing in the empty room. The helplessness, the fear-it all came crashing down, and I was left alone with nothing but my tears and the silence that filled the space between each broken breath.