Then I opened the velvet box. diamond jewelry Mr. Chauhan had given me during my first kitchen ritual sparkling inside. It was beautiful. Too beautiful and far too expensive. What if someone snatched it? What if I lost it?
“God,” I muttered under my breath, forcing those thoughts away as I fastened the necklace around my neck and slipped the diamond studs into my ears. Lastly I styled my hair into a loose bun and tucked a rose into it.
“Well,” I sighed softly, looking at my reflection. “Time to wear the saree.”
I slipped into the blouse as cool air brushed across my bare back, making me shiver instantly. Turning toward the mirror, I froze.
“That’s… too much skin,” I groaned quietly. The blouse left almost nothing to the imagination. My entire back was exposed except for the thin strings tied across it, but I had no choice now.
Carefully, I draped the saree, adjusting the pleats again and again, trying to cover as much of my back as possible. Finally, I pulled the pallu over my head.
I stared at the mirror.
“No… now I look like someone’s overly traditional daughter-in-law,” I murmured.
My fingers moved to my bun. “Maybe I should let my hair down… ”
Just then...
“Kavya.” Mr. Chauhan’s voice echoed from downstairs.
I sighed softly, fixing my bun again before stepping out of the room.
When I reached the staircase, I paused and peeked downstairs. And then I saw him.
Saurav stood near the entrance, dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit. The sharp lines of the jacket made him look even taller, broader, almost intimidating. His hair was slightly messy, as if he had run his fingers through it impatiently. He looked devastating.
Beside him stood Tanya. She was wearing a black saree, her lips curved in a confident smile as she leaned slightly toward him. From where I stood, she looked less like a guest and more like a sly black snake coiling itself around its prey. My fingers tightened around the railing.
My heels clicked softly against the marble stairs, the sound echoing through the hall. It caught Saurav’s attention. His eyes lifted toward me.
For a moment...
I froze.
He froze.
It felt as if the entire universe had paused between one heartbeat and the next. His gaze slowly traveled over me from my face, to the curve of my shoulders, down the line of the saree. The look was slow, deliberate, almost reluctant, as if he didn’t want to look but couldn’t stop himself.
A strange warmth rushed through me. A pleasant shiver slid down my spine. And in that fleeting moment, I saw something in his eyes that wasn’t hatred. Something softer. Something dangerous.
It sent thousands of butterflies bursting inside my stomach.
How many times have I prayed for him to look at me like that? How many nights had I imagined his eyes lingering on me the way they were now?
For once… I wanted his gaze to stay. To remain glued to me.
But the moment shattered when someone cleared their throat.
Saurav pretended to be adjusting his suit while looking away.
I released a slow and shaky breath, like I had been holding it for years.
“You’ve got a sexy back, Kav,” Tanya said with a smirk. Her eyes deliberately trailed across my bare skin, lingering far too long. “Didn’t know you could pull something like that off.”
The compliment sounded sweet. But the mockery beneath it was impossible to miss.
I forced a small smile, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me uncomfortable.