Mission Love - Chasing Mr. Right ✓

Twenty-Seven

Recap: Naveen and Emily together?

Clank!

Shit!

The coffee cup toppled over, spinning before crashing onto the pristine conference table. For one breathless second, I prayed it was just a few drops. But no. It wasn’t.
My heart raced as the cup spun lazily, spilling a river of coffee across the pristine papers. Important papers.

The murmurs stopped.

Eight pairs of eyes turned to me in unison, freezing me like I was mid-heist in a spotlight.

My eyes widened so far I thought they’d fall out of their sockets.

"Oh God," someone muttered, and suddenly the heat of every gaze felt like I was standing on trial.

"I—I’m sorry! I’ll reprint it!" I stammered, my voice cracking with panic.

Thud!

In my panicked state, I stood up so quickly that the chair screeched across the floor before slamming into the glass wall behind me.

I flinched, and like a tragic echo, a chorus of hisses erupted around me—sharp and judgmental. I swear, it sounded like I’d wandered into a wildlife sanctuary where every creature disapproved of me.

My hands hovered uselessly above the spreading mess, unsure whether to fix it or flee from it.

"Oh no." My voice barely registered over the deafening silence.

A small sound escaped someone’s throat, half gasp, half groan.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."
Vikram grumbled, low and ominous, like thunder before a storm.

I scrambled to grab a napkin, but my hands fumbled clumsily, the pages smudging further under my touch.

"Stop touching them," Vikram barked, snatching the documents away from me like they were the Dead Sea Scrolls. My tongue felt heavy, every apology stuck somewhere between my brain and my lips. His expression twisted as he surveyed the damage. "This was critical, Aisha. Do you even think before you act?"

"Think?" Swasthi cut in with a cruel snicker. She leaned back in her chair, the smirk on her face spreading like a slow burn. "Is there even something inside that skull to think?"

The room exploded with laughter— sharp and biting. High-fives smacked across the table.

"Classic," someone muttered, loud enough for me to hear.

My hands froze mid-stack, and my cheeks burned. I've never wanted to disappear so badly before—just to sink into the floor and never surface again.

"Relax, it’s just coffee. Grab some tissues, I'll handle it."

Naveen’s voice suddenly drifted through my mind—soft, calm, and so different from this. I could almost see him grinning, shaking his head like it was the most harmless mistake in the world.

It didn't mattered. It was just coffee, and that had been enough to make me laugh too.

But now? it’s not just coffee anymore. It's a huge, unforgiving mistake. Like I’d set the entire building on fire.

"I—"

"Save it,"he snapped, waving a dismissive hand. "Just… clean it up and stay out of the way."

The room buzzed with stifled laughter, and scoffs again.

"Maybe next time, pour it directly on the laptop to save time," someone quipped.