The email arrived at 6:47 a.m.
Riyan read it once.
Then again.
And then he leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.
Board Directive:
To avoid future conflict of interest, Miss Aarvi Sharma is to be reassigned to a different department, effective immediately.
Professional language.
Neutral tone.
A clean solution.
A cowardly one.
---
Aarvi found out the hard way
She was halfway through her morning routine when her phone buzzed.
HR.
Her stomach dropped.
Reassignment?
New reporting manager?
Immediate transition?
No explanation.
No discussion.
Just a decision made about her — not with her.
She sat down slowly on the edge of her bed.
So this was the price.
Not confrontation.
Not termination.
Erasure.
---
She didn't cry
By the time she reached the office, her face was calm.
Too calm.
She walked to her desk, packed her things quietly, and ignored the curious glances around her.
She didn't go to Riyan.
She wouldn't.
Because this time… she wasn't going to be the one asking him to choose.
---
Riyan noticed immediately
Her desk was half-empty.
Her chair pulled back.
And she wasn't answering emails.
Riyan stood so abruptly his chair scraped loudly against the floor.
He walked straight to HR.
---
The conversation that changed everything
"This reassignment," he said evenly, placing the document on the table,
"was not discussed with me."
"It's a preventative measure," HR replied carefully.
"For optics."
Riyan's eyes hardened.
"Then you've misunderstood the problem," he said.
"The issue isn't where she sits."
"It's perception," HR insisted.
"No," Riyan said quietly.
"It's fear. And I won't reward it."
Silence fell.
"What are you suggesting?" someone asked.
Riyan didn't hesitate.
"Either Miss Sharma stays in her role — evaluated on merit alone," he said,
"or I formally disclose my involvement and recuse myself from decisions affecting her."
The room froze.
That wasn't compromise.
That was exposure.
---
A choice that couldn't be undone
"You understand the implications," HR said carefully.
"I do," Riyan replied.
"And I accept them."
Because staying silent would cost him her.
And speaking up would cost him control.
And this time… he chose the risk.
---
Aarvi didn't expect him
She was in the elevator, box in her arms, when the doors stopped abruptly.
They opened again.
Riyan stood outside.
Her breath caught.
"Come with me," he said calmly.
"I've been reassigned," she replied, steady.
"I'm leaving."
"No," he said gently.
"You're not."
She looked up at him, confusion flashing.
"I made a decision," he said.
"One that affects both of us."
Her heart started pounding.
"What kind of decision?"
"The kind that stops people from deciding your worth without your consent."
The elevator doors remained open.
People waited.
But in that moment, nothing else existed.
---
The truth he finally said out loud
"I told them I'd disclose everything," Riyan said quietly.
"That I'd step back from any authority over you — publicly."
Aarvi stared at him.
"You… what?"
"I won't let them move you around like a liability," he continued.
"And I won't hide behind power while you carry the consequences."
Her hands trembled.
"You don't owe me that," she whispered.
"I know," he said.
"That's why it matters."
---
Her decision mattered too
Aarvi swallowed.
"This could ruin you," she said.
"It could," he agreed.
"But losing you quietly would ruin me more."
Silence.
Then she spoke — not softly, not fearfully —
"If you do this," she said,
"we do it honestly. No secrets. No protection that costs someone else."
He nodded.
"Agreed."
---
The elevator doors closed
Not on distance.
Not on silence.
But on two people choosing courage over comfort.
Whether it ended them
or defined them —
Neither of them knew yet.
But for the first time,
they were choosing together.