Chapter 3

"Mr. Raizada instructed to do what!!", Khushi shouted, regretting immediately as she saw Alex, the EA she was sharing with Akaash for the time being, flinch.

She closed her eyes, exhaled loudly & ordered herself to calm down.

Alex cleared his throat, & replied cautiously, "Umm, it was his instructions to take the blinds off the walls. He told me to let you know about this.

"Of course he did. Thanks Alex"

"Ahem, right. No problem. Did you need anything else"

Khushi looked up from the corner she was standing & shook her head.

Once alone, Khushi moved further inside her office & looked around. Although every exec's cabin around her were made up of glass, they were shut with blinds. Some of them kept one of their walls open with the blinds rolled up, but otherwise they all had their privacy. Even the conference rooms located at the end of the corridor had the possibility of privacy if needed. Her cabin, the only cabin on the entire floor was exposed for everyone to see. She felt like a Zoo animal.

She couldn't help but feel irritated.

What the hell was wrong with this man? Why was he hell bent in pushing all her wrong buttons?

She knew exactly why he was doing this. He was showing her who was the Boss after the way their morning started in his office. But, it bothered her that some one at his position couldn't find a more adult or professional way to get back at her. She knew her cabin was adjacent to Arnav's and he could watch her every single move from where he sat.

Khushi took a calming breath & thought, or more like instructed herself to calm down. To find a solution to this ridiculous situation before it got more of out of hand.

Standing tall & shaking the last few mins off, for the first time she really noticed the space around her. As much as she was irritated with Arnav in that moment, she had to admit that the man had impeccable taste. Her rectangular office was all white. On one half sat a sleek white table with a glass top paired with a white coloured swivel chair for her & two more similar albeit smaller chairs in the opposite side of the table. And, the other half occupied by a small round coffee table, a long very comfy looking couch & two low sofa-chairs around it. The L-shaped wall around the couch area was criss-crossed by series of odd shaped shelves - empty for now, but already giving her ideas on what she could use it for. She walked past her table, her heals sinking into the plush cream-colored rug that adorned her entire floor & reached the glass wall parallel to her table. The entire wall had the bumped out white slab, half of its length covered by cushions to provide extra seating area, and half of it bare. Her office, like Arnav's & other C-level execs was located on thirty-third floor - just one shy of the actual height of the AR building. Which meant that the wall which was few centimetres right to her table where she stood right now, overlooked half of Delhi. And at that altitude, the view was breath-taking.

She sat down on the window seat, placed her palm on the glass, & then slowly rested her forehead against it. Letting the feeling of where she was sinking in. She liked the office. Whoever she met so far, they seemed cooperative. She did have a weird bumpy start with Arnav, but she was confident she would be able to get past it. After all this was what she was good at - her Job. The hard part was yet to come, something she was horrible at - relationships.

She didn't inform her Buaji or her Jiji that she was in India. She was actually very tired and as Akaash suggested she was aching to take a nap, but for doing that she would have to go home and she was trying to delay that moment as much as she could. She knew her Buaji & Jiji had huge hearts and they would forgive her for not being there for them after everything that happened in past, for not keeping in proper touch with them all these years. And that's what made her feel even more guilty.

Khushi sighed again tiredly as she walked up to her chair - hoping to get some work done before she had to go and face the people in her life. She opened her laptop to flip through some files on Acme. She did her research on them while she was back in New York, and there was something about the company that didn't quite add up. She started going through her notes about the company hoping to find something that she might have overlooked before their meeting with Acme.

---

As soon as Arnav entered his office from his meeting he frowned. Some thing felt amiss.

No one ever entered his office in his absence. He looked around, trying to pin point what felt different. And then he was face to face with the source of this weird sixth sense he didn't know he had, through the half opened blinds that covered the glass separating his office with the one adjacent to his, that now had a new occupant.

He walked near the wall. Khushi was sitting on the window seat, her head resting on the glass, face turned towards him or better yet the wall that separated them & her eyes closed. He folded his arms and resting against the edge of this table, he studied her. He almost shuddered thinking how she would react if she knew he could see her.

He could make almost every expression on her face. She looked so troubled. It was like she was million miles away with her thoughts. She opened her eyes suddenly, looking outside and he saw that same pain again.

What was up with her?

It was like she had two faces, one the successful one which was in front of everyone, which made people go on their knees and then there was this one, the sad, pained one which coincidently he came face to face with. What surprised him the most was why was this bothering him? Why was he getting so invested in some one he barely knew.

He chuckled to himself, Wasn't this one of the reason behind his immature decision of allocating next door office to her. He wanted to know how she was getting on, he wanted to be able to see her whenever he wanted.

He moved his fingers through his hair in irritation - what was he even doing? Looking at a woman without her consent.

---

It was almost noon and Khushi was trying really hard to figure out the discrepancy she found in one of the accounts of Acme's CEO, Suraj Khanna. But right now her tired mind was coming back empty. She groaned as another wave of headache hit her.

Damn! This way she won't get anywhere.

She had to go home now - she sighed, it was time to face the music. But before she did that, she had to face her next door neighbour. She swivelled her chair slightly to look at the only one glass wall of her office that was in fact shut closed by blinds - although not her blinds, but the blinds in Arnav's room, and signed. She had to clear the air with him. Even though he was equally or probably more wrong but she needed at least this problem out of her life. She collected her stuff and proceeded towards Arnav's cabin.

---

Arnav was with Akash and Lavanya, busy discussing the initial ideas for their summer collection.

Lavanya was the head of his design department and one of Arnav's oldest friends from his university. "These are some of the proposed themes. Obviously, we will update these as lines are confirmed, but I need to know if you are happy with the direction we are going in”

"Hmm" Before Arnav could say more there was a soft knock on his door

“Yes”

"Mr. Raizada!"

"Ms. Gupta!"

Lavanya raised her eyebrows, opened her mouth and looked towards Akaash trying to say something witty on how ASR who usually liked to be casual with his staff was suddenly being so formal. But the moment she saw Akaash shaking his head with a grimace on his face, decided against it.

Arnav and Khushi were still staring each other almost as if daring the other to start.

Lavanya's eye went back & forth between them for a minute before she decided to break the deafening silence in the room.

She cleared her throat loudly, got up from her seat & extended her palms towards Khushi.

"Khushi, Hi, I am Lavanya. We have spoken on phone many times. It is really great to have you here. And congratulations on your promotion. I know we all will learn a lot from you"

Directing her attention away from Arnav, Khushi broke out into a big smile. Taking Lavanya's extended hands she replied "Thanks Lavanya. It is good to meet you in person finally. You are a real asset to AR. And, I am definitely looking forward to working closely with you"

Arnav watched the easy exchange between the two & sighed.

Looked like he was the only one to receive special treatment from Khushi.

Eager to know exactly what she was doing here, he gave a nod to both Akaash & Lavanya ,"I like first, third, seventh and then last two themes La. Lets refine these more before we finalise best three out of these"

"Perfect! I will talk to you later then ASR", then turning toward Khushi again, Lavanya smiled "I will see you later too Khushi. Welcome again"

Akaash too gave a small reassuring smile to Khushi, as if telling her to hold her ground, before he followed Lavanya out.

---

"So Ms. Gupta, how is the first day going", Arnav asked as he gestured her to take a seat.

She looked around his office noticing how classy it was. It reeked of power & influence - much like its occupant.

"You have a lovely office". She spoke, settling down on the seat in front of Arnav

"Thanks. Hope you liked yours too. Did you get a chance to look around it"

"I do. And I did...looked around I mean, and so can every other person on the floor"

He raised his eye brows, almost smirking. She had balls. He had to give her that. He knew she was fierce. But, it was trilling to seeing it in action. And he couldn't wait to see her at work.

She squirmed in her chair. He was doing it again. Looking at her. Making her uncomfortable with those eyes.

She shifted in her chair some more, deciding to get to the reason she was here. The sooner she was done, the faster she could get out & away from him.

"Ahem. I think we started off on the wrong foot Mr. Raizada. I am tired, and I could have explained myself better. I am excited to be here & can’t wait to get started"

Arnav studied her. Shocked to hear what she just said. It should have been him apologising. She did nothing wrong. Wheels in his mind turning. Why did she initiate talking about something that was clearly not her mistake. Was she just being a professional, trying to start with a clean slate in her new position. Or, was this her way of disassociating herself from those few moments that transpired between them in morning, moments where they couldn't keep their eyes off each other.

He could have just acknowledged what she said & apologise back. He should have done that. But instead something made him do the opposite. And he knew that "something" was making him do this, otherwise no way he was this insane to drag something so trivial for this long.

"Alright, no problem. Anything else?"

Khushi's eyes narrowed. Wasn't he supposed to apologize too? Or at least accept his part in what happened.

"Was there anything else Ms. Gupta?", he saw her face change. She had the most expressive faces he had ever seen. And he saw all the friendliness disappear from it.

"No, nothing else Mr. Raizada. I am planning to take the rest of the day off. I will see you tomorrow"

She hardly walked two steps away from the chair she sat in when she paused and turned to face him again.

Here we go., he thought

"Do you think you were right this morning? With the way you spoke to me & then the stunt with the blinds in my office - you think, that is all alright?"

Calm down. Walk away. This is not you. Don't do this, her mind kept chanting, but she was unable to stop.

He kept staring at her, not even bothering to reply, which triggered her even more.

"I was civilized. I was being professional. I believed the decent thing to do was to get past these childish drama. Looks like I was wrong to expect the same from you"

And he catapulted out of his chair.

He walked around his table, now standing almost within her touching distance. He looked deeply into her eyes and spoke in a dangerous low tone.

"Did you just call me uncivilized, unprofessional, indecent and, ah yes, childish, all in one go?"

Khushi cringed. What was she doing, she came here to make amends, but this was going in reverse direction. She opened her mouth wanting to take back her last statement, but what came out was, "If the shoe fits Mr. Raizada" "Get out", he bellowed

"Excuse me"

"I said get out Ms. Gupta. No one talks to me this way. Just because you have a perfect record here at AR - the last I checked it still bears my name. So do not walk in here & speak whatever the hell pops in your brain. Now get out"

He pointed toward the door & barely turned when she spoke. Her entire body shaking in fury "I do have the perfect record Mr Raizada, And the reason I am walking these floors is because your board & every single C-level executive here believes so too. Yes this building, this brand bears your name, but I am amazed how something so huge is being run by someone so small"

And with that for the second time that day, Khushi stomped out of his room, leaving him fuming behind.