Page 75 of One Hellish Passion

“These are for you,” Dhruv said, placing a fruit basket on the table. Then he pulled a yellow rose from his pocket and presented it to her. “And this too.”

Maya smiled happily as she accepted the rose. “Thank you, Dhruv.”

“My pleasure. But I don't like seeing you here - hope you get well soon,” he replied sincerely.

Maya nodded. “Yes, I hate it here too. I really want to get home.”

Dhruv chuckled lightheartedly. “Well, they say everything happens for a reason. And in this case, we all got to see a different side of Bro,” Dhruv remarked.

Maya stiffened. Really? What side?

“Bro never misses work. He's a workaholic. Even when sick, he works from home. But today, he hasn't even thought about work. I've seen him with women before, but with you he seems quite serious,” Dhruv observed.

Maya stared at him blankly, processing his words. Dhruv wasn't entirely wrong - she knew Ranveer had stayed here all night when he could've just left his people in charge of her care. And he'd cut a business trip short to return after her accident. Why? This effort couldn't just be for appearances.

Just then, Ranveer entered the room, interrupting them. “I hate backtalks,” he said sharply.

“Bro.” Dhruv jumped up to hug Ranveer in greeting.

“What are you doing here?”

“Came to see Maya. Aman told me you were here. Actually, I wanted to ask him your whereabouts - thought you were in Mumbai?”

“I was. But I had to come back,” Ranveer replied, glancing briefly at Maya. She did look better than last night when she could barely sit up.

“Yeah,” Dhruv nodded knowingly.

Ranveer's gaze fell on the rose Maya still held. He frowned. “Rose?”

“I gave it to her, for a quick recovery,” Dhruv explained shyly.

Ranveer forced a weak smile and took the rose, placing it in a vase instead. Maya looked confused by this, while Dhruv just laughed.

“Bro, you're really acting weird, so possessive of your girlfriend, huh?” he teased.

Ranveer smirked but Maya was unsure how to react, unable to decipher Ranveer's unusual actions and concern for her.

“Anyway, I should get going, got boxing class,” Dhruv said. “Get well soon Maya, see you when you're out of here.”

“Sure,” she agreed politely.

Dhruv and Ranveer hugged again before Dhruv departed. Maya breathed a sigh of relief once he was gone. Being around Ranveer's family always felt suffocating. But Dhruv was different - nice and humble. If only Ranveer had even one of his brother's good traits, since they shared the same mother.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ranveer's phone beeping. She realized Aisha hadn't been around since Maya regained consciousness. Just then a nurse entered to administer Maya's medication.

“I hope you sent Aisha home to rest,” Maya said to Ranveer. “She needs it too.”

Ranveer finished texting and looked up. “Aisha is gone for good. She can rest all she wants until finding a new job.”

Maya stared at him confused. “New job?”

“I fired her,” he stated bluntly.

“What?” Maya exclaimed in surprise.

The nurse gently reminded her to stay calm.

“One minute please,” Maya requested the nurse, then turned back to Ranveer demanding an explanation. “Why did you fire her?”

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