AUTHOR'S POV:-
"Hello, Miss Arora,"
Damien said smoothly, stepping toward her with his signature authoritative presence.
The woman blinked, momentarily taken aback, before quickly correcting him.
"Oh, no, Mr. Volkov," she said, offering a polite smile. "I'm Kiara, Aarohi ma'am's secretary."
For a brief moment, Damien's eyes narrowed, though he masked his annoyance with his usual stoic expression. He straightened, his sharp gaze shifting to the others in the room as Kiara began introductions.
"This is Ishaan," Kiara said, gesturing to the man to her right. Ishaan gave a small nod and smile.
"He's Aarohi ma'am's assistant."
Kiara then gestured to the older man sitting beside Ishaan.
"This is Mr. Amit Kapoor, our company's financial advisor."
"And this is Mr. Aashrit Singh," she concluded, motioning to the man at the far end of the table. "He handles operations and logistics for Arora Enterprises."
Damien's eyes moved over each individual, his sharp gaze appraising them one by one. His posture remained rigid as he returned his focus to Kiara.
"And where is Miss Arora?" he asked sharply, his voice laced with displeasure.
"I was under the impression she would be attending this meeting. This deal is just as important to her as it is to me. Or am I mistaken?"
The air grew tense as his words hung in the room. Kiara cleared her throat, her professional demeanor faltering slightly under his piercing gaze.
"I apologize for the misunderstanding, Mr. Volkov," she said carefully. "Aarohi ma'am couldn't make it today. Something urgent came up that required her immediate attention."
Damien's jaw tightened, his displeasure evident. He leaned forward slightly, his towering presence casting a shadow over the table.
"Urgent, you say?" he mused, his voice soft but laced with an edge. "Tell me, Kiara, how urgent can it be for someone who has been orchestrating every aspect of this deal for weeks? Suddenly, an urgent matter? Forgive me if I don't buy it."
"You know," Damien continued, his voice dropping lower,
"if someone wanted to hide from me... to avoid a confrontation... they'd have good reason. But the question is... what could someone like Miss Arora have to hide from someone like me?"
The room was tense, the temperature rising as the weight of his words pressed down on everyone. His suspicion was now fully exposed, but his control was impeccable. He wasn't angry, no—he was calculating.
"Perhaps I should pay a visit to her office later," he added casually, as if suggesting a simple course of action. "You can't run a business empire from behind closed doors, now can you?"
His words were a threat, veiled in a cloak of politeness.
Kiara's face paled. "No, Mr. Volkov. That won't be necessary. I assure you—"
Damien interrupted her, his voice dropping to a dangerously calm level. "Oh, I think it is. If you're telling the truth, then I'll have no problem meeting her directly. But if you're lying, well... I'll make sure to uncover what's hidden."
His cold gaze flickered to the others in the room, as if dismissing them completely, before turning back to Kiara.
"I'm not a man who enjoys being played with, Kiara," he said slowly, every syllable dripping with menace. "And I'm certainly not one to tolerate being lied to. You might want to be very careful about what you say next."
The tension was unbearable, and no one dared to speak. Kiara knew she was walking on thin ice. She could feel the danger in the air, the weight of Damien's every word, the pressure that made her throat dry.
"I'll... I'll let her know you're expecting her," Kiara said quickly, her voice almost a whisper now.
Damien's gaze remained unwavering. "Good. But don't think for a second that I've forgotten this little stunt. Miss Arora's mysterious absence has made quite the impression on me, and I'm not so easily fooled."
With that, Damien straightened and gave a final glance at the room, signaling the end of the meeting.
Damien stormed out of the meeting room, his mind swirling with anger and suspicion. He was furious—not just at Aarohi's absence, but at the fact that his control over this situation seemed to be slipping. The cold air outside did little to calm him as he walked towards his car, his steps heavy with the weight of his frustration.
He slammed the door of his black SUV shut, the metallic sound echoing in the empty parking lot as he started the engine. His fingers gripped the steering wheel with a force that threatened to snap it in two. As the car sped down the road, his thoughts raced, each one a dark thread leading him deeper into suspicion. who was she really? he couldn't shake the feeling that Aarohi, was hiding something , something crucial.
The streets blurred past him, the steady hum of the car's engine doing little to quell the growing frustration bubbling inside him. He couldn't just let this go. Not now, not when everything was on the line.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the passenger seat. Damien's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the screen—Marcus. His assistant had learned something new, and Damien's grip on the wheel tightened, as if the information could alter the course of his life.
He tapped the message open, his mind already running through possible scenarios:
Marcus : -'Sir, here is the information of the girl Aaru. The information we got previously is half information. Actually, her full name is Aruna, and I am sure of it. But what we got is only half information. We are working to collect it all.'
Damien's blood ran cold. Aruna? His mind replayed every moment spent with her, every encounter, every piece of information he had so far. None of it made sense now. Why would she go by Aaru?
His foot slammed on the brake, the car skidding to a stop at the side of the road. He didn't care about the traffic, didn't care about anything but the revelation that had just been dropped on him.
Damien :- 'I don't care how you do it, Marcus. Get me everything on her. Full history. Family. Friends. Connections. I want it all. The moment you find something, I want to know.'
Damien's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as the message from Marcus flashed across his phone. His mind was already spinning with the new piece of information. Aruna.
His lips curled into a dangerous, predatory smile as the implications of the message sank in.
I don't care whatever your name is, Aaru or Aruna... His words were a promise to himself, the dark hunger inside him growing with every passing second.
"I will make you mine," he muttered under his breath, his voice laced with cold determination.
Damien's car came to a halt in front of the café that belonged to Aaru—or, as he now knew her, Aaru. He got out, his boots clicking sharply on the pavement as he made his way toward the entrance.
As he walked inside, the familiar smell of freshly brewed coffee hit him, but his focus was elsewhere. He scanned the room for Aaru, but his eyes landed on a girl sitting behind the counter, engrossed in her phone. She didn't look like a waitress. In fact, her appearance screamed wealth, not something you'd expect from a café employee. Perhaps a friend of Aaru's?
Damien approached the counter, his presence commanding the space. He tapped lightly on the wood, but she didn't seem to hear. He cleared his throat, louder this time, hoping to catch her attention, but she didn't even glance up. Her eyes remained glued to the screen, a soft chuckle escaping her as she scrolled through something on her phone.
Deaf to the world, Damien thought with a frown.
Growing impatient, he grabbed a nearby book and slammed it on the counter. The loud noise echoed in the quiet café, making her flinch visibly.
She looked up, her eyes wide, a startled scream escaping her lips.
"Aaaaaahhhh!"
Damien took a step back, scanning the space to see if anything or anyone had startled her. But there was nothing.
"Why did you scream?" he asked, his tone sharp.
She blinked a few times, her breath still quick. "No... it was... it was something in my phone," she muttered, trying to recover from the shock.
Damien wasn't buying it. "Where is the girl named Aaru? Who are you?" he demanded, his voice low and commanding.
The girl frowned in confusion but didn't back down. "I'm Ishika. I'm Aaru's friend. But... who are you, and why are you looking for her?"
Damien's patience was wearing thin. "None of your concern," he replied coldly. "Tell me where she is."
Ishika hesitated, then pulled out her phone, typing quickly. After a moment, she looked up, her expression still guarded. "She'll be here in an hour," she said, her voice more neutral now.
Damien didn't say anything for a moment, but the fire in his eyes was clear. He glanced toward a nearby table, considering his next move. Without another word, he walked to the table, ordering a black coffee before settling down.
He kept his eyes on Ishika, waiting for any sign of Aaru's arrival. There was something more to this than he had anticipated—Aaru was clever, and her friends weren't to be underestimated.
Time slipped by, the quiet buzz of the café filling the space. The doorbell jingled, drawing Damien's attention as Aaru finally stepped in. His eyes locked onto her immediately, but she didn't acknowledge him at first. She walked straight toward Ishika, handing over her handbag with a casual grace.
" Tumne ise kuch btaya to nhi ?"
("Did you tell him anything?") Aaru asked, her voice cool and composed.
Ishika shook her head, a small hint of nervousness flickering in her eyes.
"Nahi nahi main bas dar gayi thi , par yeh tumhe or tumhara naam kese jaanta hai?"
("No, no... I was just startled. But how does he know you, and how does he know your name?")
Aaru's gaze flickered briefly toward Damien before turning back to Ishika.
"I'll explain later," she replied, her tone not leaving room for argument.
With that, she began walking toward Damien, each step measured, her heels clicking softly on the floor. Damien straightened in his seat as she approached, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips. His voice was smooth, laced with a hint of challenge.
"Hello, Miss Aruna," ..................
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