Kiara Tripathi learned two things the moment she walked into the conference room.
First — the air was colder than it should have been.
Second — Reyansh Rathore was sitting at the head of the table.
Her steps faltered for half a second.
Just half.
But he noticed.
Of course he did.
Reyansh Rathore never missed weakness.
His presence dominated the room without effort — dressed in black, posture relaxed, eyes sharp and unreadable. The same man who had once smiled at her like she mattered. The same man who had destroyed everything she stood for.
And now fate had placed him here.
Again.
Kiara straightened her spine and walked in like she hadn't felt the old wound tear open inside her chest.
"Ms. Tripathi," one of the board members said nervously. "Please, take a seat."
She did.
Directly across from him.
Reyansh's gaze lifted slowly, deliberately, until it met hers.
The world shrank to that single moment.
No apology. No shock. No guilt.
Only recognition.
"So," he said at last, voice calm and cruelly familiar. "You're the one standing in my way."
Kiara smiled.
It was sharp. Defensive. Dangerous.
"Funny," she replied. "I was thinking the exact same thing."
Something flickered in his eyes.
Not anger.
Interest.
The meeting continued around them — numbers, contracts, negotiations — but Kiara heard none of it. Every nerve in her body was focused on the man across the table.
The way his fingers tapped once against the file. The way his gaze lingered a second too long when she spoke. The way he looked at her like she was a problem he intended to solve.
When the meeting ended, chairs scraped back. People stood. Voices faded.
Reyansh didn't move.
Neither did she.
"Stay," he said quietly.
It wasn't a request.
The room emptied, leaving them alone with the past neither had buried properly.
Kiara stood. "Whatever this is, end it. I won't work under you."
He rose slowly, towering, closing the distance one step at a time.
"You won't be working under me," he said.
Her heart pounded despite herself.
"You'll be working with me."
She laughed bitterly. "I'd rather walk away."
Reyansh stopped inches from her.
"So would I," he said softly. "But neither of us gets what we want anymore."
Their eyes locked.
Enemies.
Strangers.
Something far more dangerous waiting beneath the surface.
And Kiara realized — with a chill running down her spine — this wasn't a coincidence.
It was a trap.
And Reyansh Rathore was already three steps ahead.
Continueeee....