Mathur Industries,
Aarohi had arrived at the office early that morning. She wore a grey formal skirt paired with a white top. Her beautiful yet expressionless face looked completely devoid of emotions.
Tanya had fallen ill due to overeating. Urmila was also upset with Aarohi for leaving suddenly the previous day and not answering her phone. Aarohi had to wrap up all her work quickly so she could go home early and pacify both the little and big drama queens. Although one stern look from Aarohi was usually enough to shut them up, they never missed a chance to create a scene—after all, they were mother and daughter.
Aarohi was working through her tasks at a fast pace when her phone began to ring. She looked at the screen—it was Kevin calling.
Answering the call, Aarohi said, "Yes Kevin, tell me. What did you find out through Vivek?"
Kevin replied from the other side, "Boss, just like you instructed, we gave Vivek a chance to escape. And he went straight to meet someone at a club. We've found out the details of the man he met. I'm forwarding you everything now."
Aarohi said, "Okay. One more thing—whoever Vivek met, I'm sure he's not the mastermind, but we can definitely get to the mastermind through him. So keep the investigation going and dig up more information on that man. I have a feeling he's connected to someone I know."
Kevin understood exactly what Aarohi meant and said, "Alright, boss. I'll keep a close watch on them."
After hanging up the call, Aarohi drifted into deep thought.
She was still lost in thought when a knock came at her cabin door. Without looking up, she asked the person to come in.
It was her new secretary, Rosie, who had joined just that day. Smiling, she walked in and said, "Good morning, ma'am. My name is Rosie. I've just joined today as your secretary."
Aarohi looked briefly at her and then, while continuing her work, said, "Good morning, Rosie. Welcome to Mathur Industries."
Rosie smiled at the welcome and handed Aarohi a file given to her earlier by Kapil. He had explained everything in the morning and instructed her to brief Aarohi.
The file contained resumes of well-known lawyers who had applied to join Mathur Industries. Aarohi had interviews scheduled to appoint members for her legal team. She needed a reliable team for both her personal and professional matters.
Aarohi said, "Send them in after thirty minutes."
Rosie nodded and replied, "Alright, ma'am."
She then exited the cabin and walked to the nearby waiting room, where the candidates were seated. Addressing them, she said, "Ma'am will call you in after about thirty minutes. You'll be called one by one for the interviews. Meanwhile, please relax and help yourself to some tea or coffee."
Some of them didn't react, but others seemed surprised. They had already been waiting for thirty minutes, and now they had to wait another thirty? Sure, they weren't top-tier lawyers, but they had some recognition. How could they be made to wait like novices?
While many sat quietly to wait their turn, a few began to grumble. One man, in particular, spoke with irritation, "Tell your boss we're not sitting here for fun. She thinks she can make us wait? Typical woman—what does she know about how valuable our time is?"
This was a man in his forties who had recently returned from abroad. His name was Nakul Malviya, and his recent streak of legal wins had made him arrogant. He was also well-connected with a senior lawyer, which earned him a great deal of respect—and he had expected the same treatment here.
Rosie found his tone extremely rude. She didn't like how he spoke about Aarohi. Even though she had just joined, it was clear to her that Aarohi was a focused and busy woman who wouldn't make people wait for no reason.
In her mind, Rosie thought, "Who is this man to talk like that about the boss in her own territory?"
Annoyed by his arrogance, Rosie snapped at him, "Excuse me, sir, but you can't speak like that about ma'am. Don't forget why you're here."
Nakul didn't like her tone; to him, it sounded like a threat. Pointing a finger at her, he said, "Hey girl, you're just a low-level employee, so don't get too full of yourself. If I join here, you'll be the first one I fire."
Rosie was shocked at his arrogance. How could he assume he already had the job before the interview? She found him to be quite unhinged and reached for her phone to call Kapil.
Just as she was about to dial, Nakul snatched the phone from her hand. "Look, I've handled big cases. Don't treat me like some junior lawyer. If I wasn't being considered for the legal director role, I wouldn't have waited this long. Take me to your boss now, or—"
He stormed toward Rosie.
Everyone in the waiting room was stunned by the scene—except for one person. While some looked on in silence, two young men who looked quite alike stood up and stopped Nakul.
"You can't speak to a woman like that," one said.
"We're all here for work, sir. This is not acceptable behavior," the other added.
But Nakul ignored them completely. "You two shut up. I'm not talking to you."
The two men exchanged glances. Others in the room remained passive observers. In the corner, one young man sat with Bluetooth earphones in, staring at his phone, seemingly unaware of the chaos unfolding around him.
Rosie, now visibly angry, said, "Mr. Nakul, that's enough. I don't think Mathur Industries needs people who behave like this. You may leave." She pointed toward the door, glaring at him.
Nakul roared, "How dare you speak to me like that? I'll teach you a lesson—"
Before he could do or say anything further, a tall, handsome man stepped between him and Rosie. His intense black eyes locked on Nakul's.
Meanwhile, in her cabin, Aarohi had just finished her work and pressed the button to call Rosie, intending to begin the interviews.
When Rosie didn't respond, Aarohi pressed the button again. Still no response. Curious, she checked the CCTV footage from the waiting area—and saw the drama unfold in real-time.
Without wasting another moment, she got up and hurried toward the waiting room.
Back there, the man who stepped in between Rosie and Nakul was the same one who had been silently sitting in the corner. He hadn't said a word so far, but seeing Nakul about to physically harm a woman prompted him to act.
As Nakul tried to push him away, he said, "Back off, kid. This is between me and this rude girl."
Nakul, seeing someone standing in front of him, raises his hand to push him aside and says, "Hey boy, don't get in the middle. This is between me and this ill-mannered girl." He then tries to push the boy, but despite all his effort, the boy doesn't move an inch.
In contrast, the boy simply lands a punch on Nakul's face, which almost sends him stumbling backward—but he manages to stay on his feet. Still, just that one punch is enough to make Nakul see stars in broad daylight.
As soon as he regains his composure, Nakul glares at the boy with hatred and threatens, "You don't know who I am. I can end your entire career with a snap of my fingers. By raising your hand against me today, you've made the biggest mistake of your life."
The boy looks at Nakul with a sarcastic smile, as if he had just heard a joke. This annoys Nakul even more, and he shouts, "How dare you laugh at me? I'll knock all your teeth out right now!"
He had barely finished saying that when two of his front teeth went flying out of his mouth—he had been punched again. This second punch knocked out two of his front teeth.
Seeing this, everyone around tried hard to hold back their laughter. After all, the whole scene looked ridiculously funny.