Page 75 of Lawfully Yours

And then the door opened.

Both froze like guilty teenagers.

Raj Verma walked in, a file in hand, only to stop abruptly when he saw the scene before him…Arundhati flushed and breathless, Kushal’s hands still on her lower back, the two of them locked in what was clearly not a professional discussion.

Raj cleared his throat loudly. “Well,” he said, glancing between them. “This is… new. Back in the day, I used to walk in on your verbal arguments. But this didn’t look exactly like a fight.”

Arundhati immediately pulled away from Kushal, and glared at her uncle for teasing them at this very moment.

Raj just chuckled, unbothered. “Alright, alright. Let’s get started then. We’ve got damage control to plan.” He took his seat at the centre of the table and opened the file. “Sadhna’s legal team has already drafted a motion using the leaked photographs and the mystery woman, which means Noyonika’s statement. We’ve lost some ground, but not all of it. I need a full update from both of you.”

Arundhati finally took her seat. Kushal did the same.

But neither of them looked at each other now.

****************

An hour later, the discussion inside the conference room had taken a tactical turn, moving swiftly through legal strategies and media backlash before settling into the most volatile part of the case—Noyonika Talwar.

Kushal leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, as he spoke.

“Once I land in Dalhousie tonight, I’ll make sure I pay her a surprise visit tomorrow morning. My asset has been keeping track of her movements. She’s currently staying in a privateshort-stay villa booked under an alias. No security, no company. It’s secluded.”

Raj’s brows furrowed. “Kushal, you shouldn’t go alone. Not when the matter’s this sensitive.”

Kushal’s head tilted slightly, but he didn’t respond.

“I mean it,” Raj added. “We can’t risk her twisting the narrative after you meet her. If she decides to tell the media something else, something against you, we’ll be fighting a new fire.”

Arundhati lifted her gaze and nodded. “You are right, uncle. We need a second presence. Someone who can verify the intent of the meeting. Someone she won’t feel cornered by.”

“I can’t take my source,” Kushal replied, shaking his head. “If that identity is compromised, we lose more than just a tip-off. I’ll handle her. Alone.”

Raj’s hand landed on the table with a quiet thud. “Then take Arundhati.”

Silence snapped through the room like a whip.

Both Kushal and Arundhati froze. Raj, either oblivious or choosing to ignore the tension, continued, “You’re both handling this case. You’ve worked together on every stage of it. And honestly, I’d sleep better knowing she’s with you. This isn’t a local meeting. It’s delicate, emotional, and could turn volatile.”

He glanced between them. “If Arundhati has a problem with this, we can always assign someone else.”

Kushal turned slowly, his eyes finding Arundhati’s with a smirk.

“I don’t think she’ll agree,” he said, casually leaning back in his chair. “Just me and her in a place like Dalhousie. I doubt that’s a situation she’d walk willingly into.”

“And why wouldn’t I?” she snapped before she could stop herself.

“Because I know you, Aru. And if I’ve learned anything over the past few months, it’s that being alone with me is something you avoid like it’s contagious.”

She could hear the arrogance in his tone. It was maddening, the way he could provoke her with just a few words, dragging her into the same sparring ring they always ended up in.

She turned to her uncle. “I’ll go with him.”

Raj looked relieved. “Good. That settles it.” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s bring this case back under control. We’ve taken too many hits already.”

With that, he rose from his seat and left the room with Arundhati talking over other things. But Kushal? He hadn’t moved.

He remained seated, leaning back in his chair, his elbow resting on the armrest, his thumb grazing his lower lip in thought. He watched her walk to the door. There was a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.