Ethereal

Dern

Dern
(adj.)secret, hidden, dark(also feelings)

*Contains crude language*

Nirvan and Kaia hurried down the empty corridor of the office building, their footsteps echoing softly on the polished floor. The dim lights overhead cast long shadows, adding an eerie atmosphere to the late hour. As they approached Kaia's desk at the far end, a faint sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears.

Kaia glanced nervously at Nirvan, her brow furrowed in concern. "Did you hear that? Who could be here at this hour?"

Nirvan held up a hand, motioning for her to stay quiet. "Shh, I think someone's coming. Let's go somewhere safer."

Just as they turned to retreat, the sound of footsteps grew louder, and they caught a glimpse of two shadowy figures rounding the corner at the far end of the corridor. Without a moment's hesitation, Nirvan grasped Kaia's hand firmly and pulled her along with him towards the Records room, which was nearby.

Nirvan held Kaia tightly, sheltering her behind the final shelf. His hand gently curved around her waist while she clung to his shirt, erasing any space between them.

"Why are we hiding? It might just be the janitors," Kaia asked innocently.

"We don't have any janitors on the night shift. It must be someone else," Nirvan replied, his gaze fixed on the door.

"Are you really that upset with me?" Kaia's voice was small, filled with concern.

"Wha-"Nirvan hesitated, finally meeting Kaia's earnest gaze, her large black eyes searching his.

"I know you're mad at me, but I—" Kaia's words faltered as the footsteps drew nearer.

The sound grew louder, and soon two men entered the room.

"Tum gadhe ki aulad ek kaam dhang se nahi hota tumse? (You worthless son of a bitch, you can't do a single thing right)" a hoarse voice shouted

"Sir tabiyaat saach mein bohot kharap thi, aap bataye pichle bara mahine mein has this ever happened? (Sir I was truly not well, has this ever happened in the last twelve months?)" another man's voice was heard.

"A small mistake would've sufficed to get us caught but now we are in boiling hot water of course we'll get caught."

"Shantanu uss nayi Larki se itna impress hojayega ki woh usse audit file karne dega mujhe nahi pata tha(I didn't know Shantanu would be so impressed by the new girl that he let her file the audit) "

"Kutiya sali (that bitch)" Nirvan's hand clenched into a tight fist against Kaia's skin, a subtle tension that didn't escape her notice.

"Just stash the file on the top shelf. Nirvan will assume the new girl messed up," the older man stepped forward, revealing himself to be Sandeep Rajiv's trusted employee.

"But the new girl has the original file with the actual numbers. They'll find out the funds are missing," the other man argued.

"It's touching that you believe anyone would trust her. She's clueless about how things work here," Sandeep smirked wickedly.

Kaia silently acknowledged the truth of Sandeep's words. Despite lacking proof, Nirvan trusted her implicitly which Rajiv remotely didn't . The moment she shared her suspicions, he acted swiftly, his faith in her unwavering.

After a tense silence, they exited the room. Nirvan withdrew from Kaia, his breath uneven, and she felt the chill in his touch.

Nirvan appeared visibly distressed; he understood the gravity of the embezzlement and dreaded his father's inevitable reaction.