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“Simran,” he greets me warmly, pulling me into a polite hug. “I’m so glad you didn’t cancel this meeting. I hear you’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

I pull back, offering a small smile.

“Yeah, life’s been… a bit chaotic.”

He raises an eyebrow as we both sit.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m getting married. In ten days,” I say casually, leaning back and crossing my legs.

“What?” His loud exclamation draws attention from nearby tables, including Abhay’s team, who are now on high alert.

“Relax,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “What’s so shocking about it? It’s not like I needed your permission.”

He chuckles, but I catch the hint of disappointment in his eyes.

“I thought you’d at least inform me beforehand, but you’re telling me now?”

I shrug, taking a sip of water.

“It happened very quickly.”

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Veer’s father—Vishnu.”

“Oh...” His expression shifts. “So he’s back in your life? You never really told me much about him. Want to share now?”

“Sure, but not today,” I reply firmly. “We’re here for business, and I have limited time. Let’s focus on those upcoming trends you wanted to show me.”

He nods, switching gears, and soon, we’re diving into the updates he has on upcoming market trends. He slides his laptop towards me, and for the next twenty minutes, I focus on our discussion, taking notes and asking questions. And just as I’m starting to relax, the restaurant’s door swings open. My heart stops for a moment as Vishnu enters, looking devastatingly handsome in a perfectly tailored black suit, his crisp white shirt casually unbuttoned at the collar. He walks with his trademark swagger that always makes my pulse race. His presence, as usual, screams authority. He doesn’t spare me a glance; instead, he heads straight to another table. I know why he’s here. Abhay must’ve told him about Zane.

I shoot Abhay a furious look, but he slyly avoids my gaze. Turning back to Zane’s laptop screen, I try to focus on his presentation, but I can feel Vishnu’s eyes burning into us. Zane’s oblivious, showing me something on his laptop, but the moment his hand grazes mine as he gestures something, I feel the heat of Vishnu’s glare like a laser beam on my skin. My heart races, not from Zane’s touch, but from the charged tension radiating from the other table.

I pull my hand back subtly, hoping to diffuse whatever storm Vishnu is brewing, but his stare remains fixed on me.

Finally, we wrap up our meeting and stand to leave. Zane gives me another friendly hug.

“By the way,” he says, stepping back slightly, “you look stunning tonight. That dress…” He gestures with a slight chuckle. “You’re breathtaking. Any man who sees you like this would be blown away.”

“Thank you, Zane,” I say, offering a polite smile.

But then, he does something unexpected—he lifts my hand and is about to kiss the back of it. But before his lips can touch my skin, Vishnu appears, yanking my arm away from his hold and stepping between us, practically shoving Zane away.

“Who the hell are you?” Zane demands, startled.

“I’m the one who will break every single bone in your body if you ever lay eyes on her again,” Vishnu growls.

Before Zane can respond, I step between them.

“Vishnu, please relax.” I turn to Zane, trying to defuse the situation. “Zane, this is Vishnu, my fiancé.”

Zane’s eyes widen in understanding. “Oh, I see.” He offers Vishnu a tense nod but wisely says nothing more.

“I’m sorry for all this,” I begin, but Vishnu cuts me off.

“You’re sorry for whatIsaid to him?” His anger intensifies.