The new phone arrived within an hour. It was delivered by a man in a black suit who bowed deeply to Joy before disappearing. Joy didn't hand it to her immediately; he sat on the sofa, his long fingers tapping on his own device, syncing the two together with a cold, calculated precision.
"Come here, Arshi," he commanded, not looking up.
Arshi approached him like a wounded animal. She sat on the edge of the opposite sofa, but Joy's eyes snapped to hers. He patted the space right next to him.
"I won't bite... unless you give me a reason to."
Reluctantly, she moved. As soon as she sat down, Joy draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into his side. He handed her the new phone. It was sleek, expensive, and to Arshi, it looked like a shackle.
"It's already set up. No passwords, no private galleries. Everything you do, I see. Every call you receive, I hear," he whispered, his breath fluttering the stray hairs near her ear. "And I've blocked Rohan. If you try to unblock him, the phone will lock automatically, and only I can open it."
Arshi bit her lip to keep from crying. "You can't keep me like this forever, Joy. My father will notice."
"Your father thinks I'm protecting you from the 'harsh world'. He's already agreed that you should start working as my intern at my new office. You'll be with me, 24/7."
Arshi's heart sank. She was being moved from one prison to another.
"I have a meeting at 11:00 AM," Joy continued, standing up and pulling her with him. "Go get your bag. You're coming with me."
The office building was a towering monolith of glass and steel. As they walked through the lobby, every employee stopped and bowed. Joy didn't acknowledge any of them; his hand was firmly gripped around Arshi's waist, announcing to the world that she was his territory.
They entered his private office on the top floor. It was cold, minimalist, and dominated by a massive mahogany desk.
"Sit there," Joy pointed to a small desk placed directly in front of his. "You'll be sorting these files."
For two hours, the only sound was the scratching of pens and the hum of the air conditioner. Arshi felt Joy's gaze on her every few minutes, heavy and stifling.
Suddenly, the office door opened. A young, handsome man walked in, holding a stack of papers.
"Boss, the contracts for the—" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Arshi. His eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I didn't know we had a guest."
"She's not a guest, Sameer. She's my personal assistant," Joy said, his voice dropping an octave. He stood up and walked toward Arshi, placing a possessive hand on her shoulder. "Arshi, this is Sameer, my head of marketing."
Sameer smiled kindly at Arshi. "Nice to meet you, Arshi. If you need any help with the system, just let me know. I'm just down the hall."
"Thank you," Arshi whispered, feeling a spark of hope. Maybe she could ask him for help?
But that spark was instantly extinguished. Joy's grip on her shoulder tightened, his knuckles turning white.
"She doesn't need your help, Sameer. Anything she needs, she asks me," Joy hissed. "Now, leave the files and get out. And from now on, knock before you enter. If I see you looking at her for more than three seconds again, you're fired."
Sameer paled, nodded quickly, and scrambled out of the room.
Joy turned to Arshi, his eyes blazing with jealousy. "You liked that, didn't you? The way he smiled at you?"
"He was just being polite, Joy! Please—"
"I don't care about polite!" Joy roared, slamming his hand onto her desk. "From now on, you don't look at any man. You don't talk to any man. Your world begins and ends with me. Am I clear?"
Before she could answer, his phone buzzed. It was a tracker alert.
"Well, well..." Joy smirked, showing her his screen. It showed a map of the city library. A red dot was blinking there. "It seems your friend Rohan is still waiting for you. He's persistent. Should I go there and teach him a lesson, or will you tell him to go away... on speakerphone?"
Author's Note:
Joy is tightening the noose! 😱 He's even jealous of his own employees. Now, Arshi has to break Rohan's heart to save his life.
• What will Arshi say to Rohan over the phone?
• Can Sameer be a secret ally for Arshi, or is he too scared of Joy?
Comment 'Save Rohan' or 'Obey Joy' to decide the next move! Don't forget to Add to Library! 👇🔥