Chapter 20: When the Storm Hits

The entire office was buzzing with tension.

With one week left until the show, the team was in overdrive—finalizing the lineup, double-checking fittings, and coordinating with models and stylists. Adhya had barely sat down all day, running around, fixing last-minute issues.

Her head ached, but there was no time to stop.

And then—

"Adhya, Reyan sir is calling you to his office."

She blinked at her assistant. Now?

Something about the way the girl spoke—**hesitant, careful—**made her stomach twist.

Taking a deep breath, she walked into Reyan's office.

He was standing by the window, his back to her, one hand gripping his jaw, the other clenched at his side.

The air was thick.

Something was wrong.

Really wrong.

"Reyan?" she asked, her voice wary.

Slowly, he turned around. His dark eyes met hers. And she knew.

The storm had hit.

Reyan's jaw was tight. "Adhya."

His voice was so serious, so tense that her heartbeat stuttered.

"What happened?" she asked, her stomach twisting.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair before finally saying—

"Our competitor just leaked their new collection."

Adhya frowned. "Okay...?"

He exhaled sharply. "It's your designs, Adhya. They stole them."

For a second, she didn't understand.

Then—

Everything inside her stopped.

Her body froze, her breath caught in her throat.

"What?"

Reyan's voice was cold, sharp. "They plagiarized every single one of your pieces. The exact same designs, just tweaked slightly. And they released them first."

Adhya's knees buckled.

She reached for the chair, sitting down heavily as the weight of his words crashed over her.

No. No, no, no.

Her designs.

Her hard work.

Months of effort, countless sleepless nights, all stolen.

"But—how?" her voice cracked.

Reyan's eyes darkened. "Malini."

Adhya sucked in a sharp breath.

Of course.

Malini, the designer who had stormed out of their team a month ago.

She had joined the competition. And now—

Now she had betrayed them.

Betrayed her.

Adhya's hands shook.

Her vision blurred as she stared at the floor, her heart cracking open.

It was all gone.

She had given everything to this project. And now—

Now it wasn't even hers anymore.

A small, broken sound escaped her throat.

And the next thing she knew—

Reyan was pulling her into his arms.

The moment his arms wrapped around her, she crumbled.

She buried her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking.

"All of it, Reyan," she whispered brokenly. "Everything I worked for. It's—it's wasted."

He tightened his hold.

"No, it's not, baby," he murmured, his voice low and firm. "We're not letting them get away with this."

Adhya sniffled, clutching onto his shirt. "How do we fight this?"

His hand slid into her hair, gently massaging her scalp, soothing her.

"We will. You hear me?" he murmured. "You're too brilliant for them to steal your light, Adhya."

She hiccupped, pressing her forehead against his chest. "But—"

"Shh," he whispered. "I've got you, jaan."

Adhya froze.

Jaan?

Her heart flipped.

She pulled back slightly, looking up at him with shiny eyes. "Did you just—"

"Shut up."

She sniffled, a tiny smile breaking through her tears.

Reyan sighed, brushing away a tear with his thumb. "Don't cry, sweetheart. It kills me to see you like this."

Her breath hitched.

The way he was **looking at her—**like she was something precious, something he would burn the world down for—

Her stomach twisted.

After a long moment, Reyan finally said—

"We're going to fix this. We still have time."

Adhya swallowed. "How?"

His jaw set. "By being smarter than them."

She blinked, wiping her eyes. "You have a plan?"

He smirked. "Of course, I do. Have a little faith in me, angel."

Adhya sniffed. "I do."

The words came out softer than she intended.

Reyan's smirk faltered for a second. Then, clearing his throat, he straightened. "Good. Then let's get to work."

She nodded, determination replacing the helplessness.

Because if there was one thing she knew—

She wasn't going down without a fight.