Estranged lovers

Chapter 46

AUTHOR'S POV

The morning after their retreat to the countryside, the world felt normal again. But for Annika, the sense of peace she had found with Siddharth during their time together still lingered within her.

The office felt different now, quieter, as though everyone around her was going about their tasks while she was wrapped in a bubble of something she couldn't quite describe.

When she entered the office, she couldn't help but look across the floor at Siddharth, who was already absorbed in a meeting, his brow furrowed as usual.

But when their eyes met for a fleeting moment, Annika caught a soft smile that only she could see.... a silent reminder of the connection they'd built over the past weekend.

Despite the professional surroundings, there was a tenderness between them that no one could touch, least of all the employees working around them. Siddharth, though still commanding in his role as CEO, wasn't as cold as he used to be. He had a warmth to him when it came to Annika, something that only she could bring out of him.

Annika moved toward her desk, feeling a little lighter. Her mind drifted to the conversation she had with her friend, Shivani, earlier. She'd noticed something off with Shivani recently, but wasn't sure what. Shivani was being unusually quiet, and Annika couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. But Shivani had always been a closed book when it came to her personal life, and today was no different.

Still, Annika couldn't deny how happy she was. After everything they had been through—Siddharth's dark past, the struggles, the complications—it felt like they were finally at a place where things were starting to fall into place. She couldn't have asked for anything more.

Shivani, on the other hand, was deep in her own thoughts as she typed away at her desk, pretending not to notice the small flickers of glances exchanged between Annika and Siddharth across the office. There was a storm brewing within her, and it wasn't something she was ready to confront. Her mind kept returning to Shaym, Siddharth's stepbrother, a man who both repelled and attracted her in equal measure.

Shivani hated Shaym. The tension between them was palpable, like oil and water that would never mix. She had always viewed him as arrogant, selfish, and utterly dismissive of her. But the physical attraction she felt toward him was undeniable. It irked her to no end, and she found herself constantly torn between disgust and a strange pull toward him, a pull that seemed to intensify every time they crossed paths.

Shivani's thoughts were interrupted when she heard her phone buzz. It was a message from Shaym.

Shaym: "We need to talk later."

Shivani stared at the message for a moment, her fingers hovering over the screen. But she knew the conversation would lead nowhere good, and she wasn't ready to deal with it yet. She put her phone down and tried to refocus on her work, but the thoughts of Shaym lingered, like a shadow she couldn't escape.

Across the office, Siddharth had finished his meeting and was now making his way toward Shaym's office. Despite the occasional tension between them, there was a mutual respect that had always existed beneath the surface. Today, however, the conversation took a more personal turn.

Siddharth knocked on Shaym's door and entered, finding him sitting behind his desk, his expression unreadable. There was an unspoken understanding between them.....today was not about work.

"You wanted to talk?" Siddharth asked, leaning against the doorframe, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp.

Shaym didn't immediately respond. He just looked at Siddharth, his fingers tapping absentmindedly on the desk. There was a certain weight in the air, and Siddharth could feel it.