𝓑𝓻𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓷.

Chapter - 34

Shivanya ~

By the time I reached the office the next morning, my ID card almost slipped out of my hand at the gate because I couldn't stop thinking about stupid things.

Like the way his hand had found mine in the dark.

Like the warmth of his lips against my forehead.

I tapped my card, walked in, and tried very hard to remember that here, this building with glass walls and polished floors and people walking around with files and laptops, he was not the man whose hand I fell asleep holding.

Here, he was my boss.

The one everyone was slightly afraid of, even when he didn't raise his voice.

"Good morning, ma'am," the receptionist greeted me.

I smiled. "Good morning."

I adjusted the strap of my bag, took the elevator up, and stepped into the corridor. The air conditioning felt extra cold against my skin, or maybe that was just nerves. Then, I made my way to my cabin and kept my bag on the chair, switched on my laptop and tried to focus on my inbox. HR reminders. Court listing updates. A client asking for a quick call that would definitely not be quick.

I was halfway through typing a reply when the desk phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered, balancing the receiver between my shoulder and ear while my fingers hovered over the keyboard.

"My office now, Sunshine." came Vihaan's voice. Short, clipped, all business.

My spine straightened automatically.

"Yes," I said. "I'll be right there."

He didn't say anything else. The line clicked.

I placed the receiver back in its cradle and blew out a slow breath.

Right.

Work mode.

Vihaan at home and Vihaan at work were not opposites, but different versions of the same man. One teased me until I didn't know where to look, kissed my forehead, and told me not to hide from him. The other could make senior partners from other firms nervous just by being quiet.

And both of them somehow lived in my head at the same time.

Very helpful.

He had left home very early today, I was still asleep. Maa had told me that he had reached the office by seven thirty because of some call from the United States.

I grabbed my notepad and a pen, smoothed my shirt even though it was perfectly fine, and walked towards his office and I could hear his voice before I even reached the door. Calm and low but carrying enough authority that you felt it even from outside.

"Yes, but you cannot tell the board that without written advice." he was saying, probably into the small Bluetooth earpiece he wore during calls. "Send me the revised note. I will look at it this afternoon."

I paused at the half-open door and knocked lightly.

"Come in." he said.

I stepped inside.

He was standing near the window, jacket off, white shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, phone in one hand, a file in the other. Morning light filtered through the blinds, cutting across his face and leaving one side shadowed.

"Yes. I will have my secretary call you later." he said and disconnected.

He took off the earpiece, set it on the table, and finally gave me his full attention.