Playfully Ruined

Chapter 14 : "Just a CEO"

It was already well past midnight, the dim glow of her computer screen being the only light left in the otherwise darkened office.

Indrani's fingers tapped furiously on the keyboard, a soft click-clack resonating in the silence of the room.

The clock ticked mercilessly, reminding her of how late it was.

Anuruddha had stacked so much work on her that she had been working non-stop for hours.

Her body ached..
Her eyes burned..

but what stung the most was the deliberate way he'd given her this impossible workload.

He was testing her, pushing her, and it felt like a power play more than anything else.

She could feel his presence behind her, even when she wasn't looking.

He had been hovering all day, silently observing but never offering help or even acknowledging her hard work. His constant surveillance unnerved her, filling her with a sense of irritation that boiled just beneath her skin.

The anger simmered until it could no longer be contained.

When she finally signed the last document, she tossed her pen down in frustration and stormed out of her office.

The hallways were eerily quiet, the occasional flicker of fluorescent lights adding to her mounting agitation. Her heels clicked sharply on the marble floor as she made her way to his cabin.

She didn't bother knocking. She pushed open the door with a forceful shove, startling Anuruddha as he looked up from his laptop.

His brow furrowed, but before he could say anything, Indrani marched over and threw the stack of completed files onto his desk.

"All done," she spat, her voice trembling with both exhaustion and anger.

"Next time, don't you dare question my abilities."

Anuruddha leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving her face.

A slow, knowing smile spread across his lips, irritating her even further. He looked far too relaxed for someone who had been orchestrating her misery all day.

"So much fire in you, Ms..D ," he drawled, his voice infuriatingly calm. "You should learn to manage that temper of yours."

"Don't play with me, Anuruddha," she said through clenched teeth, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "You knew exactly what you were doing today."

He stood slowly, taking a step toward her. His movements were deliberate, almost predatory, and as he closed the distance between them, she felt a strange mix of anger and something else entirely-something unsettling.

"And what did I do, exactly?" His voice dropped lower, taunting her.

"Did I give you too much work? Did I push you too far?" He was only inches away now, his breath warm against her cheek.

She swallowed hard, her resolve faltering for just a moment.

"You're testing me," she whispered, her voice barely audible as her heart pounded in her chest. "You're always testing me."

Anuruddha chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through the air between them.

"And you always pass, don't you?"

The tension between them thickened, electric. His hand reached up, brushing a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. The gesture was so intimate, so unexpected, that she froze, her breath catching in her throat. She felt her body responding to his nearness in ways she couldn't control.