The GIRLFRIEND Deal

CHAPTER 74

“Anika,” Sharon whispered as she passed, “Katherine’s asked for you.”

Anika froze mid-step. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked toward the glass office. Her reflection in the glass was calm—more composed than she felt.

She knocked.

“Come in,” came Katherine’s voice, firm but not sharp.

Anika entered, closing the door behind her. Katherine was seated behind her desk, legs crossed, a magazine open on one side, her screen still active. She gestured to the seat across from her.

“Sit.”

Anika obeyed. Her palms rested on her knees, her fingers curled slightly.

Katherine didn’t speak immediately. She closed the tabloid and held it up for a moment, eyes scanning it again as if making sure she hadn’t missed anything. Then, finally, she looked at Anika.

“Is it true?”

There it was. No preamble. No sugarcoating.

Anika’s first instinct was to downplay it, to pretend the article exaggerated. But then the thought hit her—Does he deserve to be treated like a secret? Would she want to be hidden, if it were the other way around?

She lifted her gaze and met Katherine’s.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “It’s true.”

Katherine raised an eyebrow but didn’t look surprised. “You and Shivaay Singh Oberoi.”

Anika gave a small nod. “We’re dating. We’ve been seeing each other for a few months now.”

Katherine leaned back slightly. “You do understand how this appears. The firm’s first major Indian heritage project. A billionaire client. And now, you—one of our lead designers—publicly spotted with the same man who signed off on the contract.”

“I know how it looks,” Anika admitted. “But I didn’t plan this. We didn’t… fall into this during the project. We knew each other years before this. We lost touch, and then we reconnected after I moved to London. It wasn’t a strategy. It was... just life.”

Katherine tilted her head, as if weighing her next words carefully.

“I’m not angry that you’re dating,” she said. “I’m not your mother. And God knows, I’ve seen worse scandals and office politics. But I need to know something very clearly, Anika. Was there any overlap between your personal relationship and this project? Because if word gets out that the woman leading our biggest cultural renovation was sleeping with the client during negotiation—”

“No,” Anika interrupted, firmer now. “Never during work. I didn’t even tell anyone, including my team. We maintained full professional boundaries. He never influenced our choices, our direction, our work. If anything, I worked harder because I knew people would assume this.”

Katherine studied her, fingers tapping lightly on the desk.

“I believe you,” she said finally. “But the headlines won’t. And I don’t need to remind you how easily reputation can be weaponized, mine, yours, and this studio’s.”

Anika nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I would never let my personal life ruin your trust. Or this studio’s name. I earned this project. I earned the respect that came with it.”

Katherine gave a small smile, almost approving. “You did. That’s why I hired you. Because you’ve got fire, and vision, and stubborn dignity. But now you need to be smarter than ever.”