Authors pov

As they followed Abhimaan to his office, Prajakta and Kavya couldn't help but exchange nervous glances. They had never seen Abhimaan so angry before, and they didn't know what to expect.

When they entered his office, Abhimaan slammed the door shut behind them and began pacing back and forth across the room. "So, you guys are the ones working on the project," he growled, his eyes narrowing. "I expect I expect perfection."

They nodded nervously, trying to keep up with Abhimaan's rapid-fire questions about the project. They explained their ideas and progress, but Abhimaan was relentless, poking holes in their plans and demanding more.

As the meeting wore on, Prajakta began to feel a sense of unease. She couldn't shake the feeling that Abhimaan's anger was directed at her,

You all have been making too many mistakes lately. This is a business office, not a playground. You need to be more focused and attentive.

Abhimaan goes on to scold each intern individually for their mistakes, sending them away one by one after their scolding sessions. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Abhimaan seemed to exhaust himself.

Finally, he turns his attention to PRAJAKTA,.And you, Prajakta. Where is your attention? , this is a critical mistake. Do you know how much trouble this could cause us?"Your work has been sloppy and careless. Just because I know you doesn't mean I will let you off the hook. You can't expect special treatment here.I won’t tolerate this sort of negligence. It makes me question whether you belong here.This is a professional environment, and we expect nothing but the best from our interns

Prajakta looked up, her eyes welling up with tears. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I'll try to do better."

Abhimaan's expression was scathing. "Try? Try isn't enough.  You're a waste of my time and resources."

Prajakta felt a lump form in her throat as she fought back tears.

Abhimaan sneered. " I want results. And if I don't get them, you're out. Do I make myself clear?"

Prajakta nodded, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. "Y-yes, sir."

Prajakta's POV:

My work wasn't completed yet, and I was planning to recheck it in detail today. But before I could even start, Mr khurana called us into his office.

As he began to scold us, It was a minor mistake,. How can you be so mean? I thought. It's not like I made a huge mistake on purpose! I was going to check it.

His voice was raised, and I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I hate the fact I cry easily when someone raises their voice at me.

But even as I felt tears streaming down my face,

Two drop of tears fell from my eyes, and I quickly wiped them away, but my bad he had noticed it.

"Now, don't cry," he said " Now get out of my sight and don't come back until you have something worth showing me."

I wanted to retort,  But I bit my tongue, knowing that would only make things worse.

Instead, I nodded silently and quickly gathered my things, As I left, I could feel Abhimaan's eyes on me, boring into my back

As I walked back to my desk, the walls of the office closed in around me. My head was spinning with the echoes of his scathing remarks. How could he be so harsh? I

Sitting at my desk, I glanced over at Kavya, who offered me a sympathetic smile.  All I could think was that I needed to do better.. I took a deep breath, steeling myself, because I refused to let this moment of weakness break my spirit.

This job was my chance, and I would not waste it.

________________________

Prajakta felt herself shrink in her seat, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. She fought the urge to cry, the sting of embarrassment burning deep as she nodded silently, the air around her suffocating.

As Abhimaan finished his scolding, the office returned to its state of uneasy silence, a stark contrast to the chaos only moments ago. Everyone got back to their work, heads bowed low, hands moving in swift but quiet furor. The atmosphere felt heavy, and an oppressive weight hung over them, a reminder of their boss’s discontent.

She buried herself in her work, pushing through the mounting pressure but feeling utterly deflated.

It was then, during the lunch break, that a flicker of light broke through the bleakness. Kartik, an employee known for his easygoing nature, approached her desk with a playful grin. “Hey, beautiful,You need a break,” he said, leaning against her cubicle“Why don’t you step away for just a moment? I promise, the world won’t end if you’re not glued to that screen every minute.”

Prajakta chuckled and said trying to brush him off. "Just trying to meet a deadline,"

Karthik let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh God, everyone in this office is so boring. Thank God I'm here to liven things up. Someone has to bring some excitement to this dull place, right?"

He continued talking nonstop, barely pausing for breath. She hummed softly to herself, tuning out Karthik's chatter.

But Karthik didn't seem to mind. He talked about everything and nothing, his words flowing effortlessly. Finally, after several minutes of monologue, he said, "Prajakta, come on, let's go grab lunch! I'm starving!"

Prajakta looked up, slightly startled, and nodded half heartedly she knew that he won't go otherwise.

"Okay, just a minute."  She said and saved her work and stood up, stretching her arms over her head.

Karthik grinned, satisfied.

__________

As they walked to the cafeteria, Karthik continued to talk nonstop, Prajakta listening patiently and nodding along.as they headed to the cafeteria for lunch. As they waited in line, Karthik continued to talk, sharing stories and jokes with everyone around them. She couldn't help but laugh at his silly jokes and witty remarks

When they arrived at the cafeteria,When they reached the front of the line, Karthik insisted on paying for her lunch,  he insisted on buying Prajakta's lunch, despite her protests.and say's  "I'm treating, it's the least I can do for putting up with me," he said with a grin.

As they found a table and sat down, Prajakta finally had a chance to get a word in edgewise.

As they finished up and prepared to head back to their desks, Karthik turned to her and said, "You know, Prajakta, you're not so bad yourself."

Prajakta raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What do you mean?"

Karthik just winked. "I'll tell you later. Maybe over coffee?"Prajakta shakes her head

Then A second voice joined in, and Kavya, appeared . “If this one doesn’t lighten up,” she teased, nodding toward Kartik, “I’ll have to take over the role of cheerleader.”

But as they finished their lunch and talked for sometime and then headed back to the office,

_____________

He had seen Prajakta talking and laughing with Kartik, . The moment had twisted his insides, a phenomenon he neither understood nor appreciated. How could she enjoy Kartik's company. this made Abhimaan's fists clench involuntarily, a fire igniting within him.

He couldn't grasp why he was so drawn to her, nor could he tolerate it when she appeared happy with anyone else.

In a fit of rage, he went to his cabin and grabbed a water glass from his desk and squeezed it. It  shattered under the pressure, the shards cutting into his palm. The stinging pain was insignificant compared to the visceral ache of jealousy tightening in his chest. Blood trickled down his hand, a stark contrast to the pristine white of his shirt, but he was too consumed by his thoughts to care.

”he heard a soft knock on the door. Prajakta’s gentle voice interrupted the tempest as she knocked timidly on his door. He could see her on the monitor, her anxious demeanor.  She was looking tentative yet composed.Abhimaan paused before granting her entry, .. Abhimaan paused before granting her entry, employing all his steely self-control not to unleash his fury on her. She entered, clutching her project report like a lifeline, her eyes darting nervously around the room.

He gestured for her to sit, his mind racing through a thousand thoughts as he focused on her project.

As he flipped through the pages, he didn't say anything just glances at her. She was nervous, probably thinking he would get scolded again as he had done before.

Finally, he nodded, “This is okay .” Her eyes widened in disbelief, and then she exhaled a shaky breath of relief. The tension in the room diminished slightly,

", what happened to your hand?" Prajakta rushed to him, her instincts sharp as she took in the sight of the blood. There was concern in her eyes, an innocence that tugged at the dark corners of his heart. She moved closer, her presence almost disarming, and for a moment, he forgot why he was angry.

"It's nothing," he snapped, though the harshness of his words fell flat against the sincerity of her gaze. He watched as she took a step back, surprise flickering in her eyes, her enthusiasm dimmed.

"I can—" she started, but he cut her off.

"I said it's nothing!" The anger seeped through once more, and he glared at her,

"But you need to have it treated first," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "Infection could set in, and it might get worse."

Abhimaan nodded curtly. "I'll get it done. You go. And there's something important I need to discuss with you. Meet me outside, in the parking lot. Wait for me, I'll come in 10 minutes."

Prajakta's eyes widened slightly, but she nodded. "Okay, ."

Prajakta blinked, her mind racing.mind was racing with thoughts of Why there?what Abhimaan wanted to talk about. She was scared,a What if he wanted to discuss the proposal?  Was he going to scold her again for the project? Anxiety gnawed at her as she packed her things. She thought of evading him, disappearing into the comfort of her routine, but the magnetic pull of their interactions couldn’t bear ignoring.

As she walked toward the parking lot, her thoughts spiraled out of control. What would he say? About the proposal?  “Oh God, why does this always happen with me?” she muttered under her breath, . “I just wanted to ignore that topic!”

Exactly 10 minutes later, Abhimaan walked out to the parking lot, his eyes scanning the area until he saw Prajakta waiting by her car. He strode towards her,.

"Prajakta," he said, his voice was serious.

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