CRACK!
The splintered office door slammed violently against the wall.
The deafening sound echoed across the entire executive floor.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Inside the cabin...
No one moved.
Kabir Rathore stood beside his desk.
His expression remained unreadable.
The terrifying anger that had filled his eyes only moments ago hadn't disappeared.
It had merely been interrupted.
A few feet away...
Radhika stood completely motionless.
Her heart hammered wildly against her chest.
She didn't dare breathe.
The sudden intrusion had shocked her just as much as it had shocked Kabir.
Outside the cabin...
The entire office had fallen into complete silence.
Employees who had been pretending to work only seconds earlier slowly raised their heads.
Some stood up.
Others quietly walked toward the corridor.
Nobody spoke.
Everyone simply stared.
Because...
Someone had just broken Kabir Rathore's office door.
And everyone inside Rathore Group knew...
That wasn't bravery.
That was suicide.
Back inside the cabin...
The sound of slow footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Each step was calm.
Measured.
Unhurried.
Whoever had entered...
Didn't seem frightened in the slightest.
The sunlight pouring through the broken doorway stretched a long shadow across the polished floor.
First...
A pair of elegant heels appeared.
Then...
The edge of a soft cream-colored saree gently brushed against the floor.
A slender hand rested lightly against the broken doorframe.
Still...
The face remained hidden.
Kabir's sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
The person standing at the entrance wasn't looking at Kabir at all.
Not even once.
Those calm eyes remained fixed...
On Radhika.
Radhika frowned.
Her confidence, which had already been shattered by Kabir's anger, completely disappeared.
An uneasy feeling slowly crept into her heart.
She instinctively took one cautious step backward.
The mysterious figure finally walked into the cabin.
Gracefully.
Elegantly.
Without uttering a single word.
The atmosphere inside the room changed instantly.
Even Kabir...
Who rarely reacted to anything...
Remained silent.
The woman stopped a few feet inside the office.
Her eyes never left Radhika.
Not for a single second.
The silence became unbearable.
Then...
A faint smile slowly appeared on the woman's lips.
It wasn't warm.
It wasn't friendly.
It was the kind of smile...
For a long moment...
Nobody spoke.
The woman slowly stepped completely inside the cabin.
The morning sunlight gently illuminated her face.
Her sharp yet graceful features.
The calm confidence in her eyes.
The entire room seemed to grow quieter.
Then...
Almost simultaneously—
Kabir's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"Doctor Sahiba..."
At exactly the same moment...
Radhika's trembling voice escaped.
"Mrs... Mrs. Rathore..."
The mystery finally disappeared.
Standing before them...
Was Chahat Rathore.
Kabir's wife.
The same woman whose name had become almost legendary throughout Rathore Group after the Shanaya incident.
The same woman every employee admired...
And feared.
Kabir remained frozen for only a second.
Then immediately walked toward her.
Unlike his composed self a moment ago...
A faint trace of concern appeared in his eyes.
He stopped directly in front of her.
Completely ignoring Radhika behind him.
"Doctor Sahiba..."
His voice softened noticeably.
"What are you doing here?"
"You didn't tell me you were coming."
His eyes instinctively scanned her face.
Then her hands.
Almost as though checking whether she was hurt.
"Were you waiting outside?"
"When did you arrive?"
Question after question escaped naturally.
Without realizing it...
He had already become a worried husband instead of the feared Chairman.
But this time...
Chahat did not answer.
Not even with a glance.
Her silence was strange.
Heavy.
And Kabir's heart, which had only just settled after seeing her, suddenly began to tighten again.
Not because he had done anything wrong.
But because he was afraid.
Afraid of what she might have heard.
Afraid that she had misunderstood something.
Afraid that this silence was not ordinary silence...
But the silence that came before disappointment.
His brows drew together.
"Chahat..."
He called her name again, this time with a little more urgency.
"Did you hear something?"
No response.
He swallowed once, his voice lowering further.
"Are you upset?"
Still nothing.
Kabir's gaze flickered over her face, trying to read even the smallest expression.
But Chahat's face remained calm.
Too calm.
And that calmness only made him more restless.
"Doctor Sahiba, say something."
His tone was no longer the same commanding one he used with everyone else.
It had turned careful.
Almost pleading.
"Did someone say something to you?"
"Or... did you hear me talking just now?"
The moment the words left his mouth, even Kabir himself realized how uneasy he sounded.
Behind him, Radhika stood rooted to the spot, unable to understand what was happening.
Just a minute ago, this same man had looked at her with such cold authority that she had nearly broken down.
Now he was standing in front of his wife like a man afraid of losing her trust.
Kabir took a small step closer.
"Chahat, if something bothered you, tell me."
"I can explain."
His voice was low, but the concern in it was unmistakable.
He was not asking as the Chairman of Rathore Group.
He was asking as a husband who was suddenly terrified that his wife might be misunderstanding him.
But Chahat still remained silent.
Her eyes moved past Kabir.
Slowly...
Deliberately...
And then she stepped forward.
Kabir instinctively shifted aside, thinking she might finally speak to him.
But she did not.
Instead, Chahat walked straight past him...
And stopped in front of Radhika.
The entire room seemed to freeze again.
Radhika's breath caught in her throat.
Kabir turned sharply, his confusion deepening.
Chahat stood there in complete silence.
Her expression unreadable.
Her gaze fixed on Radhika.
And the faint smile that had once touched her lips was gone now.
Only a quiet, controlled stillness remained.
A stillness that made the air around them feel heavier than before.
Chahat slowly raised her hand.
The movement was unhurried.
Elegant.
Almost graceful.
Standing before her...
Radhika instinctively held her breath.
Her pupils widened.
A single thought flashed through her mind.
She's going to slap me.
For a brief second...
Time itself seemed to stop.
Even the air inside the cabin became unbearably heavy.
Radhika unconsciously closed her eyes.
Waiting for the impact.
A sharp slap.
A humiliating end.
...
But nothing came.
Several seconds passed.
Complete silence.
Slowly...
Almost fearfully...
Radhika opened her eyes.
Only to find Chahat standing exactly where she had been.
Her raised hand...
Had gently brushed away an invisible strand of lint from Radhika's shoulder.
The gesture was so unexpected...
That Radhika's mind went completely blank.
A faint smile appeared on Chahat's lips.
Calm.
Graceful.
Beautiful.
Yet somehow...
Terrifying.
Softly, she spoke,
"Relax."
"I'm not going to hit you."
Radhika unconsciously let out the breath she didn't even realize she had been holding.
But before relief could settle...
Chahat leaned slightly closer.
Her smile never disappeared.
Only Radhika could hear the next words.
"Because women like you..."
"...aren't worth dirtying my hands."
The words were gentle.
Almost polite.
Yet they landed far harder than any slap ever could.
Radhika's face instantly turned pale.
Behind them...
Kabir watched everything quietly.
He didn't move.
Not even an inch.
His queen had stepped onto the battlefield.
And Kabir Rathore had absolute faith in her.
After all...
If his wife happened to create a little chaos...
Her husband was more than capable of cleaning up the mess afterward.
The corner of Kabir's lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
There it was.
His Doctor Sahiba.
His Queen.
And God help anyone foolish enough to challenge her.
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