Destiny For Unlikely Vows

Chapter:36

I woke up in the morning, and as usual, I got ready and completed my daily routine. Today, I had to face that human devil again. From now on, he is my boss. I can't return his money because my salary barely covers my expenses—EMIs, my sister's tuition fees, my brother's debts, and a small amount I send home every month.
I won’t waste money unnecessarily. I told him that I’d work as his maid, but only for a month. And no, I wouldn’t live with him. I’d go early, complete all his house chores, then head to the office. After work, I’d return to his place to finish the rest. He gave me ten days to enjoy before starting this nightmare. Maybe, just maybe, something miraculous would happen, and I'd find another way to repay him.
I do have some savings, but those are for emergencies, like returning to India if he ever decides to fire me. There's one person I can ask for help—my best friend, Mourya. We haven’t talked in three months. He’s in Edinburgh and is probably busy, which explains why neither of us has called or texted. Let me message him today after work. I have so much to share.
Lost in these thoughts, I got dressed. I chose a shirt dress—white on the top half and black on the bottom—and paired it with gold hoop earrings, my smartwatch, and some metal bangles that resembled bracelets. My look was completed with a pair of boots, lip gloss, and moisturizer. Just as I was about to call Ankit, someone knocked on my door. Of course, it was him. When I opened it, there he was—dressed in a formal shirt and pants, looking as sharp as ever.
We had toast and black coffee before heading to the office. Once we arrived, I checked my emails and saw an invite for a town hall meeting with Mr. Devil and all the teams to discuss the roadmap. Being a BA, I knew I’d have to interact with him more, so I braced myself.
During the meeting, he presented new client ideas and major features to be implemented. No doubt, he’s an excellent businessman—professional and articulate. After his speech, Ankit presented the architecture designs for the software changes planned for this quarter. The budget was there, but time was tight, meaning more pressure for everyone. As Ankit spoke, I noted the key points and smiled encouragingly at him. But when I glanced at him, his fists were clenched, and his knuckles were red as if he were holding back anger. What on earth did I do now?
After the meeting, he called me out in front of everyone. “Ms. Singh, could you come to my office to discuss the breakdown of points for the developers?” Great. Why couldn’t this discussion happen in the meeting room? Now, I’d have to be alone with him.
I grabbed my laptop, notepad, pen, and mouse and walked toward his office. My heart raced at 200 BPM. The moment I stepped inside, he scanned me from head to toe, making chills run down my spine. Then he walked toward me, and I instinctively backed away until my back hit the wall. He placed one hand above my head and whispered, “Red suits you.”
What? Red? Is he colorblind? I wasn’t wearing anything red—no red boots, no red dress, not even red lipstick. He smirked and added, “Nine days left, Ms. Singh. Then, I’ll show you how colorblind I am.”
What was wrong with this man? He turned and sat in his chair while I stood there, trying to process his words. Ignore him, Riya, I thought to myself. He’s just testing your patience.
“Ms. Singh, I don’t have all day,” he snapped. “Please open your laptop, and let’s get started.”
I composed myself, sat down, and began discussing the tasks with him. Honestly, he’s an asshole, but during our discussion, he never made me feel that my opinions didn’t matter. He listened, accepted some suggestions, and denied others. By 1:00 PM, I had finished creating the story on Jira and was about to email it to all stakeholders when Ankit messaged me asking about lunch. A smile crept onto my face as I replied, “I’ll be there in 20 minutes.”
Just then, his eyes met mine, and he was glaring at me. “Ms. Singh, the company pays you to work, not to smile at messages and waste time with your so-called friends,” he said coldly.
What was his problem? I apologized and quickly emailed the stakeholders. Then I asked if I could leave for lunch. “No,” he replied. What the… it was lunchtime!
“Miss Riya,” he said smugly, “work is more important. You can eat later.” I messaged Ankit on Teams, “Still stuck with Mr. Devil. Go ahead without me.” He replied with a fist-boxing emoji, making me smile. But before I could enjoy the moment, Mr. Devil snapped again. “Ms. Singh, if you’re done calling me a devil, focus on your work.”
I froze. How did he know? He smirked and said, “Don’t be surprised. I can see everything in the reflection of your glasses.”
God, please save me.
It was already 4:00 PM, and my stomach was growling in protest. The freezing air-conditioned room wasn't helping either. While he sat comfortably in a three-piece suit, I was shivering in my one-piece dress. To make matters worse, I had to excuse myself for washroom breaks every half an hour to avoid freezing, silently thanking my stars that he hadn't commented on my frequent trips—otherwise, my bladder might have exploded. Meanwhile, he kept sipping coffee and munching on protein bars, without even offering me a bite. When my stomach grumbled loudly, breaking the silence, he finally said, “You can go have your lunch. We’ll continue tomorrow.”
I thanked him silently, gathered my things, and ran to my desk. I immediately looked for something to order because I was starving.