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“I am not going to Mumbai,” she said.

Her tone was calm, too calm, but the spark in her eyes made something inside Adithyan coil tight, like a bowstring pulled to its limit.

“You are not?” His voice came out harsher than he intended, disbelief edging every syllable. “But I thought that was your plan.”

“It was.” Vaamika shrugged, careless, as though changing the course of her life was no more troublesome than changing shoes. “Then I changed my mind.”

“Just like that?” He blinked, thrown.

“Just like that.” Her smile was quick, knowing, like a blade flashing in sunlight.

“You don’t get to make decisions on a whim, Vaamika.” His tone hardened, the weight of authority slipping into place like armor. Her lips curved wider. 

“Don’t I?” She asked softly, eyes glittering with mock innocence.

“While you are under my care, you will follow my instructions. That was your grandfather’s will. That makes it law.” He took a step closer, lowering his voice so it carried the command he intended. 

She tilted her head back to meet his gaze, completely unruffled by his looming presence.

“Law?” She repeated, tasting the word on her tongue like it was amusing. “I thought I was in Bangalore, not a dictatorship.”

“Don’t test me.” His brows drew together. 

“Oh, I intend to,” she murmured, her tone velvet over steel. Then, more brightly, “Besides… what’s the harm in a change of plans? I like it here. And I rather like keeping you on your toes.”

“You are playing with fire.” His jaw flexed. 

“And you,” she countered, her voice dropping just enough to stir the air between them, “sound like a man who has forgotten how to burn.”

Heat licked down his spine, sharp and dangerous. He shifted his stance, trying to wrestle back the control slipping through his fingers. 

“This is not a joke, Vaamika. You can’t just waltz in here, defying every rule, every expectation, as if—”

“As if what?” she cut in smoothly. “As if I have every right to?” Her dimples flashed as she leaned in, just enough to make the faintest trace of her perfume drift over him. “Funny thing, Adithyan… the more you scowl, the more it feels like I do.”

“You are impossible.” He exhaled sharply , dragging a hand across his jaw, every line of his body taut with restraint. 

“And yet,” she said sweetly, brushing past him toward the desk as if she had every right to be there, “you will still have to deal with me. Every. Single. Day.”

His eyes tracked her despite himself, irritation and something far more dangerous twisting tight in his chest. This wasn’t the polite, forgettable meeting he had envisioned. She had turned it into a battleground and if he wasn’t careful, he was going to lose far more than just control.

“What exactly are you planning to do in Bangalore?” Adithyan asked at last, his patience fraying at the edges.

“What I intended to do in Mumbai,” Vaamika replied cheerfully, as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

“You don’t know anyone here,” he pointed out, exasperation coloring his tone.

“Same in Mumbai. I didn’t have anyone there either.” She let the words linger a beat before adding, softer now, “Here, at least, I have you.”

The shift in her voice caught him off guard, stealing the air from his lungs for a fraction of a second. His breath hitched, sharp and uninvited, but he masked it quickly beneath a tight expression.

“And what exactly were these grand plans for Mumbai that you now want to chase here?” He pressed.

“Oh, this and that…” She waved a hand, deliberately vague, her nonchalance only deepening his scowl.

“That’s not an answer I am willing to accept, Vaamika,” Adithyan said, his voice stern, controlled.

“Fine. I don’t have any clear plans. Maybe I will look for an apartment. Somewhere to settle.” She sighed as if indulging him.

“You have a sister, don’t you?” He asked, his tone easing almost unconsciously.

“Yes. Bhavya. She is in tenth grade right now. Still in boarding school. Two more years and she will be done. Then she can join me here in Bangalore.” Vaamika’s expression softened as she continued, “By then I will have things sorted. Universities, applications… all of it. She deserves better than drifting.”

Adithyan studied her in silence. When it came to herself, she was directionless, content to float with the current, but the moment her younger sister entered the picture, her edges sharpened, her priorities anchored. She became responsible. And against his better judgment, he liked that.

“Sounds… good,” he said finally, though nothing about this situation felt good.

Because this wasn’t temporary anymore. Looking after Vaamika was supposed to be a two-day obligation. A polite courtesy, a promise fulfilled to her grandfather. But now, with her planting roots in Bangalore, she was no longer a passing responsibility.

She was going to be a constant presence. A disruption. A complication.

And that was exactly what he had been dreading.

“Anyway, now that we have got it all sorted, let me get on my way. I need to find an apartment, after all.”

She rose to her feet, smoothing the hem of her skirt as if the conversation were neatly tied up and finished.

Adithyan’s eyes widened, his composure cracking for the first time. Did she just say she’s going apartment hunting? Alone?

The image slammed into him before he could stop it. Vaamika walking through Bangalore’s streets, dressed exactly as she was now. Heads would turn. No, not just turn, they would swivel, follow, linger. Men would stare openly. Some would approach. And she, with her sharp tongue and fearless spark, would only invite more trouble without even realizing it.

A disaster waiting to happen.

The thought coiled in his gut like dread. For years, he had ruled over chaos with precision, ensuring every loose end was tied, every threat neutralized. And yet, the idea of her wandering this city alone, looking like that, exposed and unprotected, felt like a problem no strategy could solve.

No. He couldn’t allow it.

“Well then, I will get going. No time like the present to start looking for a place.” Vaamika slung her bag over her shoulder and moved toward the door with airy confidence. 

“Stop right there.” Adithyan’s voice cracked like a whip.

“Yes?” She paused, tilting her head with faux innocence. 

“You are not stepping foot outside this building alone,” he said firmly. “You don’t know the city. You don’t know the people. It’s not safe.”

“Not safe? Adithyan, this isn’t a war zone. It’s Bangalore. People go house-hunting every single day.” Her brow arched.

“People aren’t you.” His tone was clipped, his jaw tight. “You will draw attention you can’t handle.”

“So what do you suggest? Lock me in the suite until further notice?” Instead of taking offense, her lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.

“I will assign someone to accompany you,” he countered instantly. “One of my men. Discreet. Capable.”

“Ah, so I get a babysitter? Wonderful. That will really help me appear independent and capable of managing my own life.” Vaamika gave a little laugh, soft and mocking. 

“This isn’t about appearances,” Adithyan growled. “It’s about safety.”

“Safety? Or control?” She took a step closer, lowering her voice until it coiled between them like smoke.

“Don’t twist my words, Vaamika.” His eyes narrowed. 

“I am not twisting anything. You said you would assign someone. A stranger. A man I don’t know, trailing me through the city. Do you realize how suffocating that sounds?” Her eyes glittered, sharp and deliberate. “If you don’t trust me to be on my own, then at least give me someone I do trust.”

“Who, then? Is there someone you know here.” Adithyan folded his arms. 

“Yes,” she said softly, her gaze locking with his. “You.”

A/N

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