A Calm Morning… at First

The day started perfectly normal.

Anaya was in her home office, going through the final paperwork for a multi-million-dollar merger deal she had been negotiating for weeks. The signing was scheduled for that evening at a prestigious hotel. If all went well, this would be one of the biggest achievements of her career this quarter.

Aarav wandered in with a plate of toast and jam. “You forgot breakfast again.”

She didn’t even look up from her laptop. “Put it there. And stop licking the jam before handing it to me.”

“I didn’t—” he began, but she raised an eyebrow, and he quickly placed the plate down.

He lingered at the doorway. “Can I come to your meeting later?”

“Absolutely not,” she said automatically. Then she noticed the faint slump in his shoulders. “…It’s a very formal event. People might… talk.”

He smiled anyway. “Okay. I’ll stay out of the way.”

---

The Unplanned Encounter

By evening, Anaya was dressed in a charcoal grey silk saree, her hair in a sleek bun, expression sharp enough to cut diamonds.

The hotel lobby buzzed with reporters, investors, and competitors. She spotted her clients across the room and started towards them—then froze.

Near the corner, Aarav stood talking to someone. Not just someone—a tall, glamorous woman in a figure-hugging dress. And this woman’s hands were everywhere.

A pat on his arm. A brush of her fingers along his tie. Even a playful touch on his jawline. Aarav was smiling that clueless smile of his, clearly not realizing the intimate signals.

Anaya’s blood pressure spiked.

---

The Boiling Point

She strode over, heels clicking like gunshots. “Aarav.”

He turned, oblivious. “Oh! Anaya, this is—”

“I know who she is,” Anaya interrupted, her voice ice-cold. “The head of PR for Luthra Industries.”

The woman smiled sweetly. “We were just—”

“Leaving,” Anaya cut in, gripping Aarav’s wrist with just enough force to make him wince slightly. “We have somewhere to be.”

“But—”

“No.” Her tone brooked no argument.

---

The Costly Mistake

She pulled him aside, but before she could return to her clients, her phone buzzed.

It was her assistant, whispering urgently:

“Ma’am… the investors just walked out.”

Her chest tightened. “What?”

“They said the Luthra PR head told them you were… distracted tonight. That you don’t have the stability to lead this merger.”

Anaya’s stomach sank. The deal was gone.

She looked over her shoulder. The PR head was smirking, clearly satisfied. Aarav looked between them, confused, realizing something had gone wrong but not understanding the full picture.

---

The Confrontation

Back in the car, silence thickened like a storm cloud. Aarav fiddled with his seatbelt. “You’re angry.”

“Yes,” she said flatly.

“Because I talked to her?”

“Yes.”

“But she came to me! She said she knew you and wanted to say hi. I didn’t—”

“She touched you,” Anaya snapped, turning to face him. “On your tie, your face—do you have any idea what that looks like in a room full of my competitors?”

He blinked, hurt. “I didn’t know it was wrong.”

She closed her eyes, forcing her temper down. “You’re… different, Aarav. And I should have protected you from people like her. Instead, I let her use you to destroy something I’ve worked for months on.”

---

The Cracks Show

At home, Aarav sat on the edge of the bed, unusually quiet.

“I’m sorry I made you lose your work thing,” he mumbled.

Her chest twisted. “It wasn’t your fault. It was mine. I let my emotions get in the way instead of thinking strategically.”

He tilted his head. “Because you were jealous?”

She stiffened. “…Yes.”

He smiled faintly. “That means you like me a lot.”

She huffed a small laugh despite herself. “You drive me insane, you know that?”

“But you still keep me,” he said simply.

---

A Silent Promise

Later that night, while she worked in her study, Aarav padded in with a steaming cup of coffee.

“I can’t help you with business stuff,” he said softly, “but I can be here. Always.”

For the first time that day, her heart softened completely. She reached out and squeezed his hand. “And I’ll make sure no one uses you to hurt us again.”

The deal was gone. The damage was done. But somewhere inside her, the protective fire only burned hotter.

She wasn’t just his wife now. She was his shield.