(Kabir's POV)
Tension had been building for days. Every calculated interaction, every subtle misstep, every hint of misunderstanding was a pressure vessel Kabir had maintained with precision. But that control cracked today.
"You don't understand!" he snapped, voice sharp, precise. "This isn't about what you want. It's about what must be done!"
Anaya froze, eyes wide with hurt. "You… you can't just decide everything, Kabir!"
The words hit him with the force of a miscalculation he hadn't anticipated. The quiet order of the office, the carefully maintained boundaries, the systems he controlled — none could contain the heat rising in his chest.
She turned, storming toward the door. Kabir's hands clenched, jaw tight. His silence was deliberate, but his mind raced: consequences, outcomes, regrets. The system had failed to protect the human variable he valued most.
By the time the door closed behind her, the echo lingered — a reminder that even Kabir Mehra, master of control, could falter. And inside, he burned. Not with numbers or calculations, but with regret, frustration, and a raw, unprocessed desire he refused to acknowledge.