Kabir shot a sharp look at one of the employees who had earlier refused his order to delete his Tuk-Tuk account.
“What are you whispering about?” Kabir asked.
The employee immediately fell silent and moved away from his colleague. Kabir then rose from his chair, his emotions in turmoil because his wife still hadn’t picked up his calls.
“Were you talking about me?” he asked, his expression blazing.
“No, sir.”
Kabir didn’t believe them. He was sure they had been talking about him.
“Listen up. This rule applies to the four of you too, okay? Don’t follow my wife’s app. Understand? If you already follow her, delete it immediately!”
Kabir spoke with heavy emphasis.
All six employees nodded in unison.
“Understood, sir.”
“Good.” Kabir turned and walked away without saying goodbye.
As soon as he disappeared behind the door, the six employees immediately exchanged glances.
Whispers erupted. “Man, what’s wrong with our boss?”
“He seems to be getting weirder every day.”
“And we only followed her...”
But before they could continue, Kabir suddenly reappeared in the doorway.
They all fell silent at once.
Kabir narrowed his eyes. “You’re not allowed to gossip.”
The six employees immediately lowered their heads.
“This is a gossip-free zone.”
No one dared answer.
Kabir nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s more like it.” He then turned to Ali. “Ali, just close the store later, okay? I won’t be coming here anymore.”
Ali nodded respectfully.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I’m going home.”
Kabir turned and walked away again.
This time, he really left.
Only after the sound of his footsteps faded did one of the employees who had been caught watching Kharisma’s video let out a relieved breath.
“Our boss is seriously nuts. He’s always doing something weird.”
He shook his head as he slipped his phone into his pocket.
“He’s way too strict. We have the right to follow whoever we want.”
“That’s what happens when she’s the boss’s wife,” his colleague replied.
“But she really is beautiful.”
Another employee joined in.
“Our boss’s wife is so beautiful, she looks like she’s still a teenager. And she already has a child.”
“Hey!”
Ali immediately shot them a sharp look.
“You two have seriously corrupted minds.”
The two men chuckled.
“We’re just saying she’s beautiful, Ali.”
“That’s enough. Break it up!”
Ali waved them away.
“Why did this turn into gossip? You sound like a bunch of women.”
“Hey, don’t drag women into this!”
Several female employees called out from inside.
“Women aren’t the only ones who gossip, you know!”
“Exactly!”
“Once you start talking about a beautiful woman, you lose all track of time!”
The sales counter, which had been tense moments earlier, suddenly filled with laughter.
Ali could only shake his head.
“All right, all right. Get back to work!”
But one of the employees still managed to whisper to his friend.
“If our boss finds out there’s someone who doesn’t just follow his wife but DMs her every day, he might make the whole city unfollow her.”
His friend stifled a laugh.
“Let’s hope he never finds out.”
Kabir drove faster than usual.
Several times, his fingers tapped impatiently against the steering wheel.
His thoughts remained fixed on Kharisma’s video—his wife dancing in front of the camera.
Thousands of people had watched it. And what irritated him most was that Kharisma still wouldn’t answer his calls.
“Oh my God, Kharis... what were you thinking?”
Kabir let out a long breath. He couldn’t wait to get home. As soon as the car stopped in the driveway, Kabir didn’t even bother straightening his shirt. He went straight inside and hurried up the stairs toward the bedroom.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
“Babe!”
There was no answer. Kabir knocked again.
“Babe! Open the door!”
This time, he pounded on it harder.
“One second!” Kharisma’s voice came from inside.
Kabir crossed his arms over his chest. “One second for what? I’ve been calling you forever, and you haven’t answered!”
A moment later, the door opened. Kharisma appeared, looking slightly panicked. “Oh, Babe, you’re home?”
Kabir immediately furrowed his brow. His eyes swept across the room.
Windi was there.
“So what are you two doing in the bedroom?” Kabir’s voice held a suspicious edge.
Windi, who had been standing near the vanity, offered an awkward smile. “Oh, Kabir. You’re home?”
Kabir didn’t answer. His gaze remained fixed on Windi.
Windi grew even more flustered. “I’ll head home now, okay?” She hurriedly grabbed her bag. “Bye, Kharis. See you tomorrow.”
Windi walked quickly past Kabir. She nearly ran. Kabir merely watched the woman leave with a displeased expression. After he heard the front door close, Kabir turned back to his wife.
“Kharis.”
“Yes, Babe?”
“Where’s your phone?”
Kharisma immediately hugged her phone to her chest.
“Why?”
“Delete your videos on Ku-Tub and Tuk-Tuk.”
Kharisma frowned. “Which video?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.” Kabir let out a long sigh. “The video of you dancing.”
Kharisma immediately put on an annoyed expression. “Why does it have to be deleted?”
“Because I don’t like seeing you dance around like that for no reason.”
“Babe...”