Page 38 of No Boss
Only contempt.
Clear, undiluted contempt.
Then her thumb hit his forehead.
Hard.
She pressed the Kumkum with enough force to dent the skin, thumb stayed there as she spoke in a low, rapid, fierce… Marwari.
The words were meant for the goddess. The intent wasn’t.
He caught fragments…Kul Devi Maa… hamare ghar… pareshaan… aaya hai…
The rest blurred past too quickly. But the meaning stood sharp in her tone, in the edges of her voice, in the way she spat them.
His eyes narrowed.
Around them, the air shifted.
His mother cleared her throat. Someone near the entrance drew in a breath. Naina had gone very still, her attention sharpened, understanding the moment even if not the language.
Meera finished and lowered her hand. Before she could step back, his fingers closed around her wrist.
She stopped.
He bent closer, the tone he used in closed rooms, meant for one person alone. “I understood enough.”
Her chin lifted. The contempt in her eyes didn’t shift.
He let go.
She pulled her hand free anyway. A short nod, cold and final, and she turned from him.
Abhinav remained where he was. Kumkum burning on his skin. Her scent lingered in his breath. And a very specific, very unwelcome realization settling in with uncomfortable clarity.
It had taken her four minutes.
Four.
To get further under his skin than anyone had ever. Not because she had challenged or insulted him. But because, even now, angry, unyielding, walking away from him like he did not matter, his mind returned to a single thought.
The image of her.
Ethereal. Beautiful. Dressed as a bride.
He shut it down.
Turned toward the sanctum.
Devendra spoke of completing the blessing. Sarita joined her hands. Abhinav followed, composed, voice even where required.
The mark on his forehead burned. Not entirely from the kumkum.
???
The celebration took over the rest of the afternoon.
Lamps came alive one after another as daylight faded, their glow settling into the stone. Drums eased into strings, into women’s voices rising and falling in devotion, filling the Haveli with a living pulse.
