Episode 1: The Day He Stopped the Elevator
The first rule of dating Arjun Malhotra was simple.
Don’t talk back.
No one ever did—except me.
The elevator doors slid shut with a soft ding, sealing me inside a box of mirrors and tension. Thirty-eight floors up, Arjun stood beside me in his usual sharp black suit, jaw tight, eyes cold like he was constantly calculating the world.
“Why were you late?” he asked, without looking at me.I crossed my arms. “Because life exists outside your calendar.”
His eyes flicked to me. One look. Enough to make half the office freeze.
I didn’t.
Arjun pressed the emergency stop.
The elevator jolted, lights flickering once before settling into a dim glow.
“You know,” he said slowly, stepping closer, “people don’t speak to me like that.”I tilted my head, meeting his gaze. “Good thing I’m not people. I’m your girlfriend.”
Silence.
Then—something unexpected.
He smiled.
Not the polite CEO smile. Not the media one. A real one. Dangerous. Soft at the edges.
“That mouth of yours,” he murmured, “is going to ruin me one day.”
My heart skipped, traitorously.
I looked away first. “You don’t own me, Arjun.”
“I know,” he replied. “That’s exactly why I want you.The elevator hummed back to life as he released the stop. Floors resumed climbing, but something between us had already fallen.
When the doors opened, the world returned—phones buzzing, assistants rushing, power and money everywhere.
Arjun stepped out first, then paused.
Tonight,” he said, voice low, “come to my penthouse.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that an order, boss?”
He leaned in, just enough for me to feel his breath.
“No,” he whispered. “It’s a request.”
And for the first time since I met the man who ruled everything—
I realized he was already losing control.
