The rest of the afternoon passed with a quiet pull neither of them could escape.
Aarvi tried to focus on the files, her breathing, her heartbeat — anything that didn't involve the man watching her through the glass with eyes that didn't feel like a boss's anymore.
Every time she looked up, his gaze shifted away.
But not fast enough.
Not fast enough to hide that he kept checking if she was okay.
Aarvi's stomach twisted with something warm she didn't ask for.
---
The incident began with a simple mistake
Around 4:30 p.m., the finance department delivered a stack of documents for urgent signature. The pile was heavier than it looked, and Aarvi carried it awkwardly.
Halfway to Riyan's office, someone from another department rushed past her, bumping her shoulder hard.
Aarvi gasped, stumbling backward — the files slipping from her hands.
Papers scattered everywhere across the glossy floor.
Her knee hit the ground sharply, a sting shooting up her leg.
"Watch where you're going," the employee snapped before walking off.
Aarvi's eyes widened, embarrassment burning her cheeks. She quickly bent down, gathering the files with shaky fingers, trying to hold back tears.
She thought the hallway was empty.
She thought no one saw.
She was wrong.
---
Riyan saw everything
He had just stepped out of his office when he witnessed the entire scene — the bump, her fall, the scattered papers, her trembling hands.
For one terrifying second, he couldn't breathe.
The man who bumped her walked away without apologizing.
Something snapped inside Riyan.
His voice cut through the hallway like a blade.
"Stop."
The employee froze mid-step, color draining from his face as he turned.
Riyan's eyes were nothing like the soft ones he showed Aarvi.
They were sharp.
Cold.
Deadly.
"Did you just shove my secretary?" Riyan asked, voice dangerously calm.
"S-Sir, I—I didn't mean—"
"Apologize."
The man swallowed hard.
"I… I'm sorry, Miss Sharma."
Aarvi kept collecting papers, her head down, her cheeks burning hotter.
Riyan stepped forward and crouched beside her before she could hide her shaking.
"Aarvi," he said softly, "let me."
She quickly shook her head.
"No, sir, I'm okay—"
"You're not," he interrupted gently.
And without waiting for permission, he began gathering the papers himself.
Employees across the floor stopped and stared in disbelief.
The CEO — the man known for being unapproachable — was kneeling on the floor, collecting documents for his secretary.
Aarvi tried to stop him, panic rising.
"Sir, please… people are watching."
"I don't care."
Her heart thudded painfully.
He was too close.
Too gentle.
Too much.
When they finished, he stood and offered his hand to help her up.
She hesitated — just for a second — before placing her hand in his.
His fingers closed around hers firmly, warm and protective, sending a rush of emotion straight to her chest.
The moment she stood, he noticed the slight wince in her expression.
"You're hurt," he murmured.
"It's nothing—"
Riyan shook his head, jaw tightening as he looked at her knee.
"It's not nothing."
---
He made a decision in one breath
He placed a hand on her lower back — careful, gentle, guiding.
"Come," he said softly. "Sit in my office."
"Sir, I can walk—"
"Don't argue with me right now."
His voice wasn't cold.
It wasn't commanding.
It was worried.
Deeply, genuinely worried.
Aarvi's chest tightened.
She let him guide her inside.
---
Inside his office
He made her sit in the chair opposite his sofa.
"Where does it hurt?" he asked.
"My knee… but it's really not—"
"Aarvi," he said quietly, "if you say 'I'm fine' one more time, I'm going to get genuinely angry."
Her eyes widened.
He wasn't threatening.
He was scared.
Scared for her.
He knelt again — this time right in front of her — inspecting her knee with a tenderness that made her entire body freeze.
"It's red," he murmured, his voice a mixture of anger and worry. "He hurt you."
Her breath trembled.
"Why does this bother you so much, sir?"
He looked up slowly, eyes meeting hers.
And she saw it clearly this time —
the emotion he had been trying to hide for days.
"Because it's you," he whispered.
"Because it happened to you."
Aarvi felt her heart lurch painfully.
He wasn't just protecting her anymore.
He was affected.
Deeply.
Personally.
Maybe too personally.
She swallowed hard.
"Sir…"
He shook his head softly.
"No," he said gently.
"Please stop calling me that when we're like this."
Her lips parted in shock.
He stood up slowly, exhaling shakily.
"Aarvi," he said, voice raw, "I don't know how it happened, but you matter to me more than you should."
Her heartbeat skipped dangerously.
And in that moment, she finally understood—
The incident didn't make him protective.
It showed him why he already was.