CHAPTER 4: Part 1 (CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE)
~ ISHIKA (POV) ~
I am so done with this Chudail (witch) of a team manager, all she ever does is ordering me around like a slave and she never gives me the work that I actually want to do.
Today, she asked me to fetch coffee from a specific shop three blocks away and photocopies of the report which is required for today's meeting and some other stuff.
Since she has a specific coffee order from that very shop which I forgot, I am so dead.
Juggling the coffee, the photocopies, and the door handle, I managed to keep my balance somehow but as I stepped into the office, disaster struck.
My foot caught in something, sending me tumbling forward.
The coffee tumbler with its precious contents, the papers, and everything soared through the air, landing right into a tall wall of a man in a very expensive suit.
"Main ek chalti-phirti musibat kyon banti ja rahi hoon? (Where did I develop this uncanny ability to attract disaster?)" I muttered to myself, my face burning with embarrassment.
The man's expensive suit was now adorned with a dark, ugly stain, courtesy of my clumsy self. But surprisingly, the man was smiling good-naturedly.
His expression was totally opposite to what I had imagined.
"I... I am so sorry, really sorry," I stammered, my face flushed with embarrassment. I couldn't meet his eyes, the weight of my clumsiness pressing down on me.
"Oh no, that's quite a stain. Perhaps... dinner would be a suitable form of compensation?" he suggested with a charming smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
I looked at him with surprise.
"Sorry?" I stammered, my mind racing. My face flushed a deep crimson as I realized the implication of his words.
"What on earth is going on here?!" The team manager's thunderous voice, sharp and accusatory, jolting me out of my stupor.
My heart pounded in my chest as I braced myself for the inevitable scolding.
"Can't you even do one thing right? Look at the mess you've created! All the photocopies are ruined, what will I show in the meeting today?
The CEO himself is coming to the meeting!" Her voice was sharp, laced with irritation, as she surveyed the disaster zone.
"I'll reprint everything right now," I announced, My focus was on trying to rectify the situation, ignoring the chaos unfolding around me, ignoring the man in front of me.
He turned around to look at the team manager. Her eyes were wide like a saucer in surprise, her jaw dropping slightly.
'Ye isse esse kyu dekh rahi hai? (Why is she looking at him like that?) ' My mind is trying to process the situation.
"Sir, you're here already. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience caused by my employee's clumsiness," the team manager apologized, her voice trembling slightly.
To everyone's surprise, a slow, enigmatic smile spread across the man's face.
His eyes, however, held a depth of amusement that hinted at something more complex beneath the surface.
"Don't worry about it," he said, his voice carrying an air of nonchalance. "We can start the meeting after the copies are printed," he added, giving me a last glance that lingered a moment too long.
His eyes, a piercing blue, held a depth that was both intriguing and intimidating, and he left to go to the meeting room.
"Hurry up and get to work!" Kamya Sahani, my team manager, barked at me, her voice laced with irritation.
I rushed to the printer and began pulling out the freshly printed copies.
"Oye, toone dekha CEO ko, meree side se hi nikal ke gaya abhi, He was breathtaking. (Man, did you see the CEO? He looked so cool! He just passed by me.)" Hiral my colleague, leaned against the printer and spoke to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"CEO ka toh pata nahi par koi chep insaan jaroor mila, dinner ke liye puch raha tha... ek second Vo, CEO tha! (I don't know about the CEO, but I definitely met some weirdo, asking me out for dinner... Wait a second, that was the CEO!)" I exclaimed, making a dumb face.
'Mujhe toh lagta hai ki mera waqt hi bura chal raha hai (I feel like nothing is going my way.)' My jaw dropping in disbelief.
"Oh here's your new ID card. I am the in charge of handing them out." Hiral said, sliding the card across the desk.
I picked it up and examined it closely. My blood ran cold. Stamped on the card, in bold black ink, was a name that wasn't mine. "Ishika Jayshree."
"Umm, Hiral, do you know any Ishika Jayshree who works in our office?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
"No, why?" she replied, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"It's Ishika Jayshree written right beside my photo," I said, pointing to the name on the card.
Hiral's face paled. "Oh no, this is bad. Is that even a surname?"
"I don't know, who did this? I have to get it right, today is definitely not my day." I ran a hand through my hair, feeling a surge of frustration.
"It's going to take a little while to correct it, I think all your documents are also messed up." Hiral said, her voice filled with sympathy.
"Please make sure it's corrected as soon as possible," I said, my voice firm.
"Yeah, but keep it till the new one comes," Hiral advised, handing me the incorrect ID card.
Wearing the ID card around my neck, feeling a sense of unease settling over me. This was just the beginning of a long, frustrating day.
~ MRITYUNJAY (POV) ~
A summons from Grandfather was never a casual affair. His office, a sanctum of power and tradition, loomed over me as I approached.
There was a sense of anticipation, of a storm brewing, a quiet intensity that demanded respect.
"Aao, Mrityunjay. (Come, Mrityunjay.) I am really happy today. Today, I am finally going to erase that stain on our name. I am going to get my revenge on that bastard finally," Bade Rana Sa's voice echoed through the room, his eyes burning with a cold intensity.
The old man, usually so composed, was visibly agitated, his voice laced with a venom I hadn't heard in years.
Confusion etched itself on my face as I struggled to comprehend his words.
The man I had known for years, the stoic and composed patriarch, was now displaying an uncharacteristic fervor.
"kya ham jaan sakte hai ki, kaun hai vo khushkismat, jisse aapse itni attention mil rahi hai . (Who is the lucky guy getting all this attention from you?)" I asked, a hint of amusement in my voice.
The old man's uncharacteristic excitement had piqued my curiosity.
"Vardhman Jaiswal," Bade Rana Sa spat out the name with venom, his eyes glinting with a dangerous intensity.
"His neck is under the blade of my sword. I've been waiting for this opportunity all my life, since the day he humiliated me so publicly."
"What are you planning to do to him?" I asked, the old man. The old man's eyes held a cold, calculating glint, a predator's gaze assessing its prey.
"Everyone will find out, in just two weeks. His company is going to go bankrupt, and his properties are going to be sealed. Soon, he will come begging on our doorstep." he said, his voice cold and calculated.
There was a chilling satisfaction in his tone, a predator savoring the moment before the kill.
To Be Continued...