The Diamond Code

Chapter 8

Rhea smirked. “Maybe I just don’t like mysteries.”

Aryan’s eyes darkened, his gaze lingering on hers.

For a brief moment, something shifted. Like a silent understanding. Like he was telling her something without saying it aloud.

But before she could press further, her phone buzzed.

She frowned, glancing at the screen.

Unknown number.

She let it ring.

Then, a few seconds later, another message popped up.

Unknown: You shouldn’t be with him.

Rhea’s heart skipped a beat.

What the hell?

---

Aryan saw it the moment Rhea’s expression changed.

One second, she was teasing him, and the next, she looked uneasy.

Aryan followed her gaze to her phone screen, but before he could catch anything, she locked it.

Something’s wrong.

Rhea forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Sorry, just a work thing.”

Liar.

Aryan didn’t press further now, instead, he mentally filed away the moment.

Because Rhea Mehta wasn’t just part of this mission. She was being watched, too.

-----

Walking out of the restaurant, the night air was cool against her skin as she stepped onto the sidewalk, Aryan following beside her.

Rhea couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling, her mind kept circling back to the message.

You shouldn’t be with him.

It was cryptic, yes. But the weight of those words pressed down on her like an invisible force.

She had half a mind to confront Aryan right there—demand to know if he had anything to do with it. But that would be crazy. Wouldn’t it?

“Everything okay?” Aryan asked, tilting his head slightly.

His voice was smooth, controlled, but she noticed the way his eyes flickered toward her phone.

He saw it. Or at least, he saw something.

Rhea forced a smile, slipping her phone into her bag. “Yeah. Just usual work stress.”

Lies. She wasn’t sure if she was lying to Aryan or to herself. Maybe both.

“Do you always work this late?” he asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

Rhea glanced at him, shrugging. “Occupational hazard of being a designer. Clients think creativity happens at their convenience.”

Aryan smiled, his gaze gentle. “Sounds exhausting.”

She sighed. “It is. But it’s better than sitting in an office all day.”

Aryan chuckled, and for a moment, the unease faded.

This was nice. Too nice and that’s what scared her.

Because when things felt too good to be true, there's always something hiding under the layers of happiness. She just hopes that this is nothing more than just a random prank.

---

Aryan was good at reading people.

It was part of the job—watching for micro-expressions, the shift in posture, the tension in their voice.