Page 76 of Yes Boss
“I’m sorry to have kept everyone waiting.” The voice came from the doorway.
Warm. Familiar. Steady.
It hit him before his mind caught up. His head lifted. And the world tilted. Time suspended between one heartbeat and the next.
Ishani stood in the doorway, but not his Ishani from the office with her crisp suits and perfect posture. This Ishani wore a pale pink silk saree that draped her curves like water. His diamond necklace glinted at her throat. Her hair fell loose past her shoulders, adorned with tiny jasmine flowers.
Jasmine.
The faint fragrance he had noticed the moment he walked into the house. The one that had felt oddly familiar. The one that lingered near her every day at work.
Her eyes met his across the room, calm and knowing, while his entire body turned to stone.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t process what his eyes were telling him.
Ishani. Here. In the Rao house. Dressed like… that.
His mind raced, pieces clicking into place. The Rao girl. Ishani Rao. His secretary. The woman he’d been kissing behind closed office blinds for days. The woman he’d just declared himself in love with. They were the same person.
She smiled—a small, private curve of her lips that held secrets and satisfaction in equal measure.
Understanding slammed into Raghav with physical force. She had known. All this time, she had known.
“Well!” Vikram announced brightly, pushing himself to his feet. “If my brother is refusing, I would like to formally volunteer.”
He took two confident steps toward Ishani, hand extended. “Vikram Khanna. The fun Khanna twin.”
Something inside Raghav tightened past reason. He moved before he consciously decided to.
He closed the distance in three long strides. His hand came around Ishani’s waist, firm and unyielding, drawing her against his side. The silk of her saree shifted beneath his grip, warm and real.
Possession, instinctive and absolute.
Vikram halted inches away, eyebrows climbing toward his hairline. “Possessive much?” he drawled.
Raghav didn’t even look at him. “Step back,” he said quietly.
The words were final.
The room went still.
His mother’s hand rose to her mouth. His father leaned forward, interested. Pushkar and Gayatri exchanged knowing looks.
Vikram grinned. He raised both palms in surrender and retreated a step. “Relax, brother. I was appreciating, not proposing.”
Raghav’s jaw flexed.
Ishani remained perfectly composed in his hold. She didn’t lean in. Didn’t pull away. Just stood there, pulse beating steadily beneath his palm.
He became aware of how tightly he was holding her. He didn’t let go. Instead, he turned her slightly toward him, lowering his voice. “What are you doing here?”
It came out rough. Not angry. Disbelief mixed with relief mixed with accusation.
She met his gaze steadily. “Meeting my arranged match. The one my parents planned for months.”
“You knew.” Not a question. “All this time.”
“Yes.”
