Page 69 of Entangled Vows

Mahika opened her Sent Mail, and there it was. An email sitting smugly like a landmine. A leave request, sent two hours ago.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

She hadn’t applied for any leave. In fact, the idea hadn’t even crossed her mind. And there was no way in hell she’d done it by mistake.

“What the heck...” Mahika muttered, grabbing the phone to call IT. But she paused mid-sentence the moment her eyes landed on Vikram.

The way he was looking at her made it clear this was not a coincidence. Smugness radiated from his expression, and he wasn’t even trying to hide it.

Mahika slowly set the phone down and narrowed her eyes. “You did this.”

Vikram tilted his head slightly, his gaze thoughtful as he considered the question.

“Did what?” His voice dripped with mock innocence, though the performance was too half-hearted to convince anyone.

“You put in my leave for two days. I never applied for it.” Her frown deepened as her gaze locked on him. “Did you… forge my leave request?”

Vikram gave a casual shrug, his shoulders barely moving. “Forge is such a dramatic word. I prefer to call it ‘applying for leave by proxy.’”

“You can’t just do things like that,” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You are not my boss, Grizzly.”

He smirked slowly. “Maybe not… but Iamyour husband… the one you are hell bent on seducing every night by wearing those microscopic nighties. Ring any bells?”

Mahika’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Rubbish! I amnotseducing you.”

“Of course not,” Vikram responded sarcastically. “You’re just parading around in silk and lace for your own comfort. Totally innocent. Consider this as payback. You need to cool off, so take a break.”

“You can’t hijack my calendar just because your willpower is slipping. Is this about the kiss… you know, the oneyouinitiated?”

“My willpower is perfectly fine, thank you. But actions have consequences, Momo.” He stood up and leaned forward, his palms digging into the table. “This is about everything you’ve been doing since that kiss. Every little bedtime performance. Do you think I haven’t noticed how you stretch before crawling under the covers in those barely-there nighties? Do you expect me to stay calm through that? You’re driving me insane.”

“That is my routine. It helps me sleep.” Her glare was sharp, but the blush rising to her cheeks completely ruined the effect. She touched her face, trying to cool the sudden heat.

“It helps menot tosleep,” he muttered.

“You’re crazy. You wrecked my entire week just because you can’t keep your eyes to yourself.”

“I know exactly where to look, trust me. I just… don’t. For your sanity and mine. And for the record, your team actually looked relieved when I showed up. You were driving them half mad.”

“Whatever. I am calling HR,” she huffed, reaching for her phone.

“Go ahead and call the President of the United States if you want. You’re still out of the office for the next two days. End of discussion.”

“Oh, just shut up.” Mahika crossed her arms and studied him carefully.

She couldn’t figure out what his endgame was. First, he bulldozed her meeting, then he interfered with her calendar, and now he had orchestrated forced time off?

“And what exactly am I supposed to do with this break?” she asked, clearly suspicious.

Vikram just dusted imaginary lint from his sleeve and gave her that infuriatingly cool look. “Relax. You’ll get an alert.”

“Huh? What alert?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as he reached the doorway. “What are you talking about, Grizzly?!”

But he was already gone, striding away like he had just closed a business deal, not executed a personal ambush. She stared after him, irritation burning beneath a rising tide of curiosity.

One thing was certain. Vikram never acted without intent. She knew that much about him. And whatever he’d just set in motion… it felt bigger than their usual back-and-forth.

It felt intentional…and damn, it intrigued her.