Destiny: Time To Fall In Love

Chapter 12- The No-Fire Clause

Aashi's POV

The sun filtered through my curtains, but the room felt colder than usual. For a year, I had woken up knowing Aryan was just a few meters away in the next house. Now, he was thousands of miles across the ocean.

I reached for my phone, and my heart did a little leap. A text from him: "Just landed in NYC. It's freezing here, but not as cold as it feels without you. Call me the second you wake up."

I didn't even brush my teeth before dialing. We talked for over an hour, about the skyline of New York, his tiny apartment, and my nerves for today. "You're going to get that job, Aashi," he said, his voice sounding raspy and tired but filled with absolute certainty. "Maheshwari Enterprises would be lucky to have you. Now go show them who you are."

Energized by his words, I got ready in my best professional attire. Downstairs, the smell of fresh parathas filled the air.

"Good morning, honey," Mom greeted me, her smile acting like a second dose of caffeine.

"Good morning, Mom," I said, hugging her from behind.

"Ready to conquer the corporate world?" she asked, kissing the back of my hand. I gave her a determined thumbs-up. After a quick breakfast, she insisted on driving me.

She dropped me off in front of a towering glass skyscraper. Maheshwari Enterprises. It looked intimidating and brilliant. I checked my watch, I was twenty minutes early. My throat felt dry from all the talking with Aryan, so I spotted a bustling coffee shop across the street.

"One cold coffee, please," I told the barista.

The shop was packed with office-goers, so I decided to take my drink to go. I stepped out onto the sidewalk, mentally rehearsing my introduction. "Hello, I'm Aashi Malhotra, I'm a graduate in..."

I was so lost in my head that I didn't see the person rounding the corner in a hurry.

CRASH.

The plastic lid popped off. I felt the icy, sticky sensation of coffee drenching the front of my white formal shirt instantly.

"Oh my god!" I gasped, looking down in horror at the huge brown stain spreading across my chest. My interview was in fifteen minutes. I looked up, ready to snap at whoever had been so careless, but the words died in my throat.

"What the hell! Are you blind or what? Can't you see where you're walking?"

The words flew out of my mouth before I could process the shock. I looked down at my ruined white shirt and then up at the person who had caused this disaster. He was dressed in an expensive-looking suit, but his face was twisted in an expression of pure arrogance.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he replied, his voice dripping with attitude. "First of all, it was you who bumped into me. And second, my shirt is also ruined by your coffee." He looked down at a few brown splatters on his sleeve with more drama than a soap opera. "And I was about to attend a meeting," he mumbled, just loud enough for me to hear. "And this idiot girl ruined it."

My blood boiled. "How dare you call me an idiot!" I scoffed, stepping closer. "If I'm an idiot, then you're the dumbest person to ever exist on this earth. And not only on earth, but in the entire galaxy!"

The man paused, looking at me as if I were a strange insect. "Look, you... madam," he said, the title sounding like an insult. "I am a very busy person. I don't have even a second to waste on people like you." He pointed a finger at me, his eyes cold and dismissive.

I put both hands on my waist, my interview nerves replaced by pure, unadulterated rage. "What exactly do you mean by 'people like me'?"

"People like you," he sneered, "who are useless and just waste other people's time instead of apologizing for their mistakes."