Head over Heels ☑️

Chapter 40

🎶 Teardrop - Mezzanine

Khushi's foot slipped on the stair edge as she hurried, yanking her bag strap higher. She darted into the elevator just as the doors began to close. "Fifteenth floor, please!" she blurted out, breathless.

"Sorry, Gauri. Something urgent has come up. I have to dash back to my office. I'll see you some other time, okay!"

The familiar hallway loomed ahead, unnervingly quiet—most of the office had emptied out. Flashing her badge at the checkpoint, she broke into a jog.

Karthik was already seated at their desk. He snapped to attention from to her, eyes wide.

"W-what's going on?" Khushi asked, doubling over, hand pressed to her side.

"They told me to wait. We've been called to the Director's office. I don't know why, but—they said they tried to reach you—"

"I saw the missed calls," she muttered, forcing herself to breathe steadily.

"Anyway, are you ready?" he asked, voice low, glancing nervously toward the far end of the corridor.

Khushi nodded once. "Yeah."

They moved quickly, their footsteps echoing loudly on the deserted floor. Most offices were dark now—only the last one blazed with light, casting stark reflections against the glass wall.

Khushi had never been here before. The nameplate beside the sleek door read: Shabri Diwakar – Director

Karthik knocked. A curt voice responded. "Come in."

They stepped into the brightly lit corner office, its glass walls gleaming on all sides. The last vestiges of twilight spilled in—soft hues of pink and orange streaking across the polished beige floor. The phrase 'you could cut the tension with a knife' didn't even begin to cover it.

Khushi and Karthik entered quietly, the click of the door behind them unnervingly loud.

At the far end of the room, Director Shabri Diwakar sat rigid behind her broad desk, her silhouette haloed by the fading sky. Aditya leaned silently against the wall to her left, arms folded, hands tucked in his pockets. A deep frown carved shadows across his face; the salt-and-pepper gray at his temples glinted faintly in the dying sunlight. He didn't so much as glance in their direction.

Smitha and Saurabh stood directly in front of the desk, hands clasped tightly before them. An air of guilt hung heavy around them—undeniably suffocating.

"There are the interns," Saurabh said stiffly, motioning toward them without turning.

Director Diwakar finally moved, her pearl necklace catching a glint of light as she leaned forward and tossed the file in her hands onto the desk. It landed with a sharp slap that echoed through the glass box of a room like a gunshot.

Khushi's heart jumped. The bold lettering on the cover was unmistakable—it was the project report they'd all worked on.

She swallowed hard, a whispered plea slipping through her mind. Devi Mayya, raksha karna. The fear of the unknown gripped her throat like a vice.

"This...is frankly a disgrace."

Shabrih hadn't yelled, but the tenor almost felt like she had slapped them all in the face. "It is a failure on our part, to bulldoze our way with the proposal, ignoring the proper channels like we usually do. It is a learning experience if anything."

They listened in silence, Khushi's confusion and apprehension reflected on Karthik's face.

"I had enough faith in the team to believe we were ready with the proposal, especially given how tight the timeline was," Shabri said coldly. "Aditya and I presented it to Maison Caulfield just an hour ago—and guess what they pointed out in the middle of the meeting?"