Page 125 of No Boss
The word cracked through the courtyard, echoing off stone.
Meera flinched.
Abhinav felt it at once. His arm tightened around her, drawing her closer, his hold firm, protective.
The guards stepped, grabbing Lakshya. He wrenched himself free, straightened his shirt straight with what remained of his pride, and walked toward the gate.
Abhinav’s attention moved to his parents before they could follow.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sampat." He was formal, not cruel. "No engagement was fixed. No agreement existed. Meera has broken nothing. Whatever expectations were raised, I take responsibility for clarifying them now."
Mrs. Sampat looked between her husband and her son.
“Your son’s conduct is his own,” Abhinav continued. “I understand this was not expected. I wish you a safe journey home.”
A dismissal wrapped in courtesy.
They left. The gates shut. Whispers rose among the staff.
Abhinav looked around once. The murmurs died.
Meera shivered. The small movement drew his attention.
His eyes found hers, softening as he looked at her face. For the first time since the confrontation began, he looked unsure. Not in his decision, but in how she would receive it.
Meera, on the other hand, couldn’t speak. What had just happened felt too large for words. He had chosen her. Before everyone. Without hesitation.
“Meera?”
Only her name, lower now, with a question in it.
It reached her.
Her breath caught. Her eyes dropped, unable to meet his, unable to take in all of this at once.
He did not push. His hand moved instead, settling at the small of her back as he guided her forward.
They walked side by side. Not Thakur and estate manager. A man and the woman he had just claimed before the world.
The courtyard parted around them. Eyes lowered, then lifted in quick, careful glances.
Rajan pressed himself against a pillar as they passed, silent for once. Somewhere behind, an older voice offered a blessing, soft enough to dissolve into the rain.
Meera kept her eyes down. Her fingers clutched his shirt at her chest tightly, as if that small grip might steady everything else.
They passed Devendra and Gauri.
Her father stood rooted, his face giving nothing, his eyes giving everything. Shock. Confusion. Fear. Her mother’s hand covered her mouth, unable to take it all in.
Abhinav’s hand remained at her back. His thumb traced once against her spine, a small circle, a reassurance without words.
She felt it. Every part of it.
At the door, he stopped.
His hand slipped away.
The absence hit instantly.
