Nadira had been living in Arkana's house for almost two weeks. Strangely enough, she was starting to get used to it.
She was used to seeing Arkana sit at the dining table every morning. Used to hearing the man's footsteps as he came down from the upper floor. Without even realizing it, she had started learning her husband's little habits.
Arkana didn't like his coffee too bitter.
He always read the business news while eating breakfast.
Whenever he was thinking about something serious, his fingers would tap slowly against the table.
Nadira shouldn't have been paying attention to any of that. They had made rules. Yet that morning, Nadira almost forgot about them.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Nadira flinched. “Who's looking?”
Arkana stared at her. “You are.”
“I wasn't looking.”
“You have been.”
Nadira picked up a piece of bread. “Someone's confident.”
Arkana only gave her a faint smile.
After breakfast, they left for the office in separate cars as usual.
At Astra Group, no one was allowed to know about their relationship. But that day, their secret almost came out.
It all started when Nadira had to deliver a report directly to Arkana.
She entered his office carrying several documents. “Here's the revised project report.”
Arkana accepted the documents. “Sit.”
Nadira sat in the chair across from his desk while Arkana read through several pages of the report.
“This section still needs work.”
“Which one?”
Arkana pointed to the last page.
Nadira stood and walked closer. She bent over to look at the document.
That was when the door suddenly opened.
“Ms. Nadira?”
The voice made both of them turn.
Doni, one of the senior managers, stood in the doorway. His gaze shifted from Nadira, standing very close to Arkana, to his boss's face.
“Sorry, Mr. Arkana. I thought you were alone.”
Nadira immediately stepped back.
“It's fine.”
Doni continued looking at them suspiciously. “Were you discussing the report?”
“Yes,” Arkana answered curtly.
Doni nodded, but before he left, his eyes caught something on Arkana's desk.
A small photograph. A wedding photo. Nadira's face was clearly visible in it.
Doni froze. “Sir….”
Arkana immediately picked up the photo. “What is it?”
Doni pointed at it.
“Isn't that…?”
Nadira held her breath. Arkana remained calm.
“A family photo.” His voice was even.
Doni frowned. “She looks exactly like Ms. Nadira.”
The room suddenly fell silent. Nadira looked at Arkana. The man showed not the slightest sign of panic.
“A lot of people look alike.”
Doni laughed awkwardly. “I guess you're right.” He finally left.
As soon as the door closed, Nadira let out a long breath. “Why was that photo here?”
Arkana looked at her. “It shouldn't have been.”
“How did it end up on your desk?”
“I'll take care of it.”
Nadira shook her head. “We almost got caught.”
“I know.”
“From now on, don't keep anything related to our marriage at the office.”
Arkana nodded. However, it turned out the trouble wasn't over yet.
That afternoon, Doni approached Nadira. “Nad.”
Nadira turned around. “What is it?”
“Earlier, in Mr. Arkana's office….”
Nadira held her breath. “Yes?”
“You were awfully close to him.”
Nadira gave a small laugh. “We were discussing the report.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Doni still looked suspicious. “You two don't have some kind of special relationship, do you?”
Nadira almost choked. “No.” The answer came too quickly.
That only made Doni even more suspicious. But before he could ask anything else, someone called out to him. Doni finally left.
Nadira let out a relieved sigh.
That night, as soon as she got home, she told Arkana what had happened.
“From now on, we need to be more careful.”
“I agree.”
“If everyone at the office finds out, everything will be a mess.”
Arkana looked at her. “That's why you shouldn't get too close to me at the office.”
Nadira nodded. “You too, Mr. Arkana.”
Arkana gave her a faint smile. “All right, my wife.”
Nadira immediately shot him a sharp look.
“Don't call me that!”
Arkana chuckled. For the first time, Nadira saw him truly laugh.
For some reason, that simple sight left her speechless for several seconds. She quickly looked away. Their rules still stood. They couldn't fall in love.
Nadira was beginning to realize one thing. Hiding their marriage wasn't the only difficult part.
Keeping her distance from Arkana was starting to feel harder and harder, too.