Page 124 of One Hellish Love

She nodded, keeping her distance.

“Looks like you’ve already chosen your room,” he remarked casually, glancing around.

She smiled faintly, admiring the room once more. “I really liked it.”

Rudra chuckled. “Strange. Our choices match. I just had the maid shift my things here.”

Kashish froze. “What? Oh... I’ll take another room, then.”

“Don’t,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “You deserve to stay here.”

“I just realized I don’t like the color of this room, so thanks, but I’ll find another,” she said quickly, walking past him.

He watched her go, knowing she was doing it on purpose—refusing to take anything he claimed. She would reject anything he pointed out, no matter how much she liked it. He needed to change that.

Kashish chose another bedroom on the ground floor, closer to the kitchen. After freshening up, she walked to the dining area, where the maids were setting the table. Rudra was on a call with Daadi.

“Daadi, you know you can visit anytime. No one’s stopping you from seeing me,” he said, his eyes briefly meeting Kashish’s before she looked away. She began serving herself while the maids tended to Rudra, who was still on the call.

“I’ll eat on time, Daadi, don’t worry. There are people here looking after me,” he said, throwing a knowing glance at Kashish. She ignored him, focusing on her food.

Moments later, she began to cough violently, and Rudra was immediately at her side, panicking. He held a glass of water to her lips. She took it without protest, gulping the water down.

“Eat slowly, dammit. What’s the rush?” He scolded, gently caressing her hair, trying to soothe her.

Kashish finally caught her breath and pushed his hand away.

“I don’t need you telling me what to do. And keep your distance from me. I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”

He glared at the maids, who had rushed over to help, and they quickly retreated to their tasks. Rudra turned his gaze back to her.

“You don’t want a lot of things,” he said quietly, “but that doesn’t mean they won’t happen.”

Kashish stared at him, incredulous. He was unbelievable. Since she had finished eating, Kashish stood up to leave when he grabbed her wrist.

“You shouldn’t let someone eat alone,” Rudra said.

Kashish just stared at him.

“Stay with me while I finish,” he asked.

For some reason, she did. As she sat there again, she couldn’t stop admiring how he ate which she’d never paid attention before. He was careful about what he chose - not many carbs, mostly protein. And he ate every single bite on his plate, leaving nothing behind.

She wondered where he’d learned to eat like that. Was it from his time in the juvenile home? He had once told her about starving there, and she couldn’t help but wonder how deeply those memories still haunted him.

As he wiped his mouth and finished his meal, he gave her a small, satisfied smile. They both stood up from the table, and Rudra walked with her to her room.

“It’s been a hectic day for you,” he said softly. “But before you sleep, think about my proposal.”

Kashish rolled her eyes. “That will be the last thing on my mind.”

Rudra stepped closer, his presence overwhelming her. She backed into the wall behind her, heart racing.

“That’s exactly right,” he murmured, his voice low. “Me... and everything related to me should be the last thing on your mind.”

“Urgh! Stop over dreaming,” she snapped.

“I’m not dreaming. Why do you think I assigned you to this project? Why do you think I dropped all my other important matters to follow you here? Why do you think we’re not staying in a hotel with the team?”

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