The elevator opened with a soft ding on the 16th floor, revealing Shubhra's sleek cabin. As she entered, she was greeted by a gathering of familiar and unfamiliar faces.

Her husband, Adwait, sat on the central sofa, flanked by her brother-in-law, Janav. Adwait's secretary, Sameer, stood attentively behind them. Two others occupied the adjacent sofa and armchair, their faces unknown to Shubhra.

Sameer bowed respectfully as Shubhra approached, and she nodded in acknowledgement. Janav offered a warm smile.

Riva, seated beside Adwait, rose and surrendered her spot to Shubhra, who settled into the vacated seat.

"How may I entertain you all?" Shubhra inquired, her gaze sweeping the room.

"Hello! I am Harsh Sahani, Superintendent of Police for the industrial areas where your workshop is located, and this is my Assistant Superintendent, Deepak Kumar."

Shubhra nodded in response. "How can I help you, officers?"

"We received a report about your next product, which prompted us to investigate. Our findings confirmed its accuracy, so we've decided to seal your factories," Harsh explained.

The man had a round face, long nose, and lips curved into a small smirk.

"I see," Shubhra said. "What's the reason, and who filed the report?" She leaned back, placing her elbow on the armrest and crossing her legs.

"Your manufacturing units have been found to be in breach of waste regulation rules," Deepak stated bluntly. "The levels of Ethylene, Formaldehyde, Bisphenol, Mercury, cyanoacrylate, trichloroethylene, and toluene in your units exceed permissible limits for release into sewers or rivers. We've already sealed several units, and this workshop will be sealed as well."

Janav countered, "I'm certain we've overlooked something. We take precautions to ensure waste is handled properly before release. We comply with all regulations."

Harsh Sahani responded, "Are you suggesting the reports are false, Mr. Randhawa? But the evidence indicates otherwise."

Shubhra glanced at Adwait, who was also present, lost in his own thoughts. She could see he had guessed what was happening.

Someone was targeting them, but alas, they had unwittingly crossed someone even the devil thought twice about challenging.

Shubhra looked at Janav, shook her head, and conveyed that resistance was futile. He understood, having been around long enough to grasp the situation.

"Why are you here, then?" Shubhra asked bluntly. "Go ahead, complete your task."

Everyone looked taken aback by her response. No one expected such candor.

"Of course, we came to inform Mr. Randhawa as a sign of respect," Inspector Harsh said, his smug expression returning.

"Mr. Sahani, make sure to be safe on the road!" Shubhra voiced with a smirk. "Many people are dying in accidents these days, and many others disappear."

The man halted abruptly in his steps. His smug expression vanished, replaced by a frown.

Everyone's attention was caught by her words. The air conditioning remained steady, but the room seemed to grow hotter.

A subtle smile spread across Riva's face. Her boss was back in full form.

Shubhra grabbed a tissue from the small table beside her chair and began wiping the remaining blood from her hands. She stood and walked towards her desk with slow, deliberate steps, like a predator stalking prey.

"You see, not everyone drives safely," Shubhra continued. "Hit-and-run cases are increasing daily. Have you bought insurance? If not, you should consider it. What would happen to your family after you?"

She threw the bloodied tissue into the dustbin.

The man's face paled, sweat beading on his forehead. "Miss York, are you threatening an on-duty officer?" he scoffed. "You know I can arrest you for that."

Shubhra's gaze met his, calm and emotionless. Janav watched, dumbfounded, as she responded before he could intervene to defuse the tension.

"No, Mr. Sahani, you're misinterpreting my well wishes," Shubhra said, her tone even. "If I intended harm, you wouldn't be speaking so freely. And I'm sure you understand who these words are meant for."

Janav looked at his elder brother, Adwait, helplessly, who was also watching Shubhra. Compared to Janav, Adwait seemed completely nonchalant about the situation.

Was Adwait calm? Of course, he was. He had seen Shubhra stand up to men before, instilling terror in their eyes. That told him everything he needed to know. She could be terrifying sometimes.

Given her experience running the company, Adwait knew she had handled similar situations many times. He was curious to see how she would handle this one now.

"Do you think this issue is nonsense?" Harsh barked. "Don't you realize how many lives are at stake? Your company's recklessness has devastated the environment. And what did you mean by 'I know for whom these words are for'?"

She smiled calmly. "Tell the one you're trying to please that he's challenged the wrong person. No one dares to mess with me, and those who do... they soon find themselves knocking on the grim reaper's door." She warned, "I'm not a fragile porcelain doll. I didn't climb to the top without taking bold action. I can do far more than you think. And right now, I'm being friendly."

Janav thought to himself, "If this is what she means by 'friendly,' I dread to think what her enmity would look like." He had never seen this side of his sister-in-law before. She was always cool and composed, but now she was threatening two on-duty officers with ease.

The man's face turned red with rage, but before he could react, his phone rang. His expression transformed to stark white as he answered the call. After a few minutes, the call ended.

"I apologize, Mr. Randhawa, Miss York. You are right; the mistake was on our side, not yours. We regret causing you trouble." The man said, grinding his teeth.

The call from his senior had shaken him, instructing him to drop everything as it was a mistake. He wouldn't have apologized if it weren't an order.

Shubhra raised an eyebrow, glancing at Adwait, who was sipping his coffee casually. He shrugged in response to her unspoken question.

She turned her attention back to the two men. "I'm glad you acknowledged the fault was yours. The door is there." She gestured towards the exit.

Janav choked on air as the men departed without a word. What could they do when openly threatened?

But something was definitely brewing in their minds.

Janav and Sameer were shocked, but more astonishing was Adwait's nonchalance, sitting calmly, sipping his coffee, detached from the tension.

Sameer had tried to nudge his boss several times, hoping to stop the lady boss from escalating the situation by threatening those officers. However, All that time Adwait remained unmoved, as if oblivious to the tension.

Sameer's breath was caught during the time Shubhra issued those threats.

The room fell silent again after the departure of those officer's, each person lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Shubhra's voice broke the trance. "This seems more like a warning."
"Forget about it; I don't think they'll take further action," she continued, her tone confident.

Shubhra had already connected the dots and had a rough idea who was behind the scene. Her message had been delivered.

No one spoke, listening intently to her.

"Are you sure, Bhabhi?" Janav ventured, seeking reassurance.

Shubhra nodded in response.

"Fine, then we should leave," Janav said, nudging his brother, who had been statue-still since entering.

Adwait hadn't wanted to come, but he couldn't ignore his work due to his personal life.

He was still having difficulty digesting everything that had happened, and although Shubhra's actions were justifiable, they still didn't sit well with him.

Saying he was upset was an understatement. He needed time, which he didn't have. She decided to speak, choosing the time that suited her. He understood she was coming clean now because he wouldn't be able to do much, even if he was upset, with only two days left until his wedding.
He was well aware she had trapped him. He couldn't swallow his emotions, nor could he express them. So, he ignored her until their wedding to calm himself. He was already committed to this marriage, no matter what, but he needed time, which she wasn't willing to provide.

Even after the officers left, an unsettling tension lingered in the office, focusing on the two individuals.

"These guys are trouble," other then those two each one had the same thought.

Sameer nudged Janav to leave, sensing something was off. Janav understood and they departed with Riva following closely, leaving Adwait and Shubhra behind.

Adwait was about to leave, but the door closed in his face. Shubhra stood an inch away, having locked the door and pocketed the keys.

He glared at her. "Open the door!" His annoyance was palpable, even without raising his voice.

"No!" Shubhra shook her head.

"I have other work," he stated.

"I don't care!" She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Ava!" he called out. She looked at him, pressing her lips together. She understood that he had seen through her, but she wasn't going to let him slip away easily.

"Why the hell are you avoiding me?" she demanded, closing the distance between them.

"You know the answer," he replied, keeping his hands in his pockets.

Face to face, her breath whispered against his chin, and his exhalation caressed her cheeks. Suddenly, she grasped his collar, silencing him.

He was shocked by her bold move. His gaze shifted from her determined eyes to her hand gripping his collar.

"Listen, Mr. Randhawa," she spat, her eyes locked on his. "I don't care what you say now. You agreed we're in this together, so even if you want out, there's no escape."

He gazed into her eyes, his face etched with a frown. But his expression transformed into a devilish grin as he spoke, "Prove it."

Her eyes blazed with fury until those words slipped from his mouth. She was taken aback by his response, left speechless. His smirk widened, taunting her.

But in the next instant, he was dumbfounded as she crashed her lips into his. He stood frozen, his body rigid, as she claimed his mouth.

Then, his instincts took over. He grabbed her waist, pulling her closer, while his other hand tangled in her hair, grasping a fistful. He tugged her hair, and she bit down on his lower lip.

Her hands navigated to his hair, twisting and turning it as she pleased. She ravished his mouth, her passion unleashing a torrent of desire.

Their tongues entwined, fighting for dominance, but soon she yielded to his exploration. The faint taste of coffee lingered in his mouth, now shared with hers.

As he deepened the kiss, her grip on his hair intensified. He pulled her closer, their bodies aligning. She shuddered when he gently bit her bottom lip.

Without breaking their kiss, he guided her to her office table, where she sat, and he positioned himself between her legs. His hands slid from her hair to her back, tracing the curves beneath her black kurti.

Underneath, she wore a delicate camisole that accentuated her stomach and breasts. A soft moan escaped her lips as he gently pinched her nipples.

A shiver coursed through her core, followed by a surge of wetness. She wrapped her legs around his torso, pulling him closer.

They broke the kiss, panting heavily. He gazed into her eyes as she nuzzled her face into his chest, trying to calm her racing heartbeats.

She attempted to break free from his grip, but he wasn't ready to release her. "We're not done yet," he whispered in her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

He stepped back, adjusting his clothes, and walked away, leaving her rooted to the spot.

She stood there, lost in thought, wondering what he had meant by those cryptic words.