Monday.
10:18 AM.
Singhaniya Tech.
CEO's Cabin
"Sir, the 11:30 client has arrived."
Anika's voice.
Clear. Professional. Controlled.
She stood across his desk, tablet in hand, posture straight, expression neutral-the exact version of herself the office had come to recognize.
Efficient.
Untouchable.
Vihaan didn't look up immediately.
Pen moving across a document.
Signature precise.
Deliberate.
"Reschedule."
Flat.
Immediate.
Her fingers paused over the tablet.
Not confusion.
Calculation.
"They've flown in from Singapore," she said. "The meeting was confirmed last week."
Now he looked up.
Eyes sharp.
Unmoved.
"I said reschedule."
Silence.
It wasn't defiance.
But it wasn't blind agreement either.
Anika held his gaze for exactly one second longer than necessary.
Processing.
Re-evaluating.
Then-
"Alright."
Simple.
No argument.
But not passive either.
She turned slightly.
Already making the call.
"Mr. Khanna," she said into the receiver, voice smooth, "we'll need to move your slot to 2 PM. There's been an internal adjustment."
A pause.
She listened.
Didn't interrupt.
Then-
"I understand the inconvenience. I'll ensure the revised discussion is more productive."
Another pause.
Then she hung up.
Turned back.
"2 PM. Confirmed."
No praise.
No acknowledgment expected.
Just-
Work done.
This-
This is what people didn't understand.
Vihaan made decisions.
But Anika-
Made them work.
And in this office-
That mattered.
----------------------------------------------
Outside - Work Floor
Anika walked through the corridor.
File in hand.
Steps steady.
Expression composed.
Too composed.
Because people noticed.
They always did.
"Good morning, ma'am."
She nodded.
Kept walking.
Didn't slow.
Didn't engage.
Because if she stopped-
Even for a second-
Her mind would go back there.
And she couldn't afford that.
Not here.
Not now.
----------------------------------------------
11:42 AM - Conference Room
The meeting had already started.
Clients seated.
Screens on.
Numbers displayed.
Everything running on schedule.
Everything-
Normal.
Anika stood near the screen.
Explaining projections.
Clear.
Precise.
Sharp.
"-if you look at the Q3 trend, the deviation aligns with-"
"Excuse me."
The interruption was polite.
But pointed.
A senior client leaned forward.
"These figures don't match the report we received earlier."
A pause.
Room shifted.
Slightly.
Anika didn't react immediately.
Didn't panic.
Didn't fumble.
She turned.
Looked at the screen.
Then at the report.
Then-
Back at him.
"They do," she said calmly.
"They don't."
Another voice joined.
Now two.
Eyes shifted.
Subtle tension.
Anika stepped forward.
Took the remote.
Pulled up the comparative sheet.
Explained again.
Clean.
Logical.
Structured.
But-
There it was.
A tiny mismatch.
Not major.
Not disastrous.
But-
Visible.
And in a room like this-
That was enough.
"...There seems to be a slight variation in the circulated version," she said calmly.
The client leaned back.
Unimpressed.
"You're saying this is accurate?"
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Anika inhaled.
Her grip tightened on the remote.
Just once.
Then-
"...There seems to be a minor discrepancy," she admitted.
Professional.
Honest.
Controlled.
But the room had already shifted.
Because confidence once shaken-
Echoes.
Door Opens
Click.
The room shifted before anyone turned.
Because presence-
Does that.
Vihaan walked in.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Controlled.
And just like that-
The room straightened.
Attention snapped.
Power rebalanced.
His gaze moved once across the room.
Then-
Settled.
On her.
Only for a second.
But enough.
"Continue," he said.
Calm.
She continued.
Finished her explanation.
Clean.
Tight.
No cracks visible anymore.
But the damage?
Already done.
Vihaan stepped forward.
Took over.
Smooth.
Effortless.
Controlled.
Redirected the conversation.
Closed the gap.
Reclaimed the room.
Like he always did.
Meeting ended.
Clients satisfied.
Deal-
Still intact.
After the Meeting
Room emptied slowly.
Chairs pushed back.
Murmurs low.
Controlled.
Anika gathered her files.
Stacked them neatly.
Turned-
"Stay."
His voice.
Not loud.
Not harsh.
But-
Not optional.
She paused.
Then nodded.
Others left.
Door closed.
Silence.
Just Them
He didn't speak immediately.
Walked to the table.
Picked up the report.
Flipped pages.
Once.
Twice.
Then-
"What was that?"
Calm.
Too calm.
She met his gaze.
"Minor mismatch in pre-circulated data."
"That shouldn't happen."
"It won't again."
Immediate.
No defense.
No excuse.
Just-
Fact.
And that-
That tone-
That distance-
That lack of reaction-
Hit harder than the mistake itself.
His jaw tightened.
"'Won't again' isn't the standard here."
"I'm aware."
Silence.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
Because this wasn't about the report anymore.
And both of them knew it.
"You've been off," he said.
There.
Finally.
Not work.
Not numbers.
Her.
She held his gaze.
Didn't deny it.
Didn't accept it either.
"I'm doing my job."
"That's not what I said."
A beat.
"Then what are you saying?"
Quiet.
Controlled.
But-
Direct.
He stepped closer.
Not too much.
Just enough.
"That this-" he tapped the file lightly, "-is not like you."
"And yet, it happened."
No emotion.
No explanation.
Just-
Distance.
And something in him snapped.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
But internally-
Something shifted.
Because this-
This wall-
Was new.
And he didn't know how to break it.
His fingers tightened slightly against the file.
A thought-unwelcome-sharp-refused to stay buried.
"...Is this about him?"
The words came out before he could stop them.
Sharp.
Direct.
Irreversible.
Silence.
Immediate.
Heavy.
Her expression changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
"Excuse me?"
His gaze didn't move.
"Rohan."
There.
Name said.
Line crossed.
Clean.
Cold.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the file.
"That's not your concern."
And that-
That was it.
That was the moment.
Because professionalism?
Maintained.
Distance?
Maintained.
But this-
This was personal now.
And she had just drawn the boundary.
Clear.
Final.
He let out a quiet breath.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
Just-
Measured.
"Everything that affects your work is my concern."
Her eyes sharpened.
"My work was handled."
"It was compromised."
"It was corrected."
"It shouldn't need correction."
"And it didn't affect the outcome."
Silence.
Clash.
Not loud.
Not explosive.
But-
Sharp enough to cut.
She stepped back slightly.
Not retreating.
Just-
Creating space.
"If there's nothing else, sir-"
There.
That word.
Sir.
Again.
Like a wall slammed between them.
And this time-
He felt it.
Fully.
"Stop doing that."
Low.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
She frowned.
"Doing what?"
"This."
A beat.
"This distance. This-formal tone. This-"
He stopped.
Because he didn't have a clean word for it.
Because what he really meant was-
Stop acting like I don't matter.
But he couldn't say that.
So instead-
"This isn't you."
She looked at him.
Really looked this time.
And when she spoke-
It was quieter.
But sharper.
For a second-just a second-something flickered in her eyes.
Then it was gone.
"Maybe this is me."
That landed.
Hard.
Because now-
There was nothing left to correct.
Nothing left to control.
Nothing left to hold on to.
Silence
Long.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Then-
She picked up her file.
Straightened it.
Perfectly.
Professional.
Composed.
"Anything else, sir?"
Final line.
Final distance.
Final blow.
He didn't answer.
Because for the first time-
He didn't have one.
And she-
Didn't wait.
She turned.
Walked out.
Door closing behind her.
Soft.
But this time-
It didn't feel soft.
It didn't feel like a door closing.
It felt like something... ending without permission.
Clean.
Clear.
Irreversible.
Vihaan stood still.
File in hand.
Mind not on numbers.
Not on clients.
Not on work.
Just-
One realization.
Cold.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
He hadn't lost control in that room.
He had lost something else.
And this time-
He had always known how to close a deal.
He didn't know how to close distance.
----------------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED...
----------------------------------------------
Hey, My Cute Little Butterflies ❤️
I hope you are doing well.
Are you enjoying it so far?
Stay tuned for more.
Thanks for reading 🫶🏻
Write a comment ...