Royal Coalition

|5|•

Feeling an impulse, I found myself knocking on the door of the cabin. The previous voices had ceased, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.

After a moment, a commanding voice broke through the stillness with a simple directive, "Come in," spoken by Namrata Ma'am.

As I entered the cabin, the head of the institute greeted me with a smile that seemed almost rehearsed, his hands braced on the table. I returned the gesture, with a not-so-true smile.

"Come reet," he said, moving forward to me while smiling. I glanced at sir and ma'am who were standing with a fake smile on their faces.

"Umm sir I just wanted to have the files and documents," I said in a low yet hearable voice.

"Yes, take it, Manohar sir, give it to her." He said with a weird gesture and expression.

"Well, it seems you and your friends have decided to take the day off today, haven't you?" he inquired, edging closer as I instinctively stepped back.

"Indeed, sir. However, I realized I had some pending tasks to attend to, so I thought it best to come in and take care of them," I replied, maintaining a polite yet insincere smile.

"Isn't it wonderful to see such dedicated employees like her, Namrata ma'am?" he exclaimed, placing his hand on my shoulder with an exaggerated smile.

Feeling uneasy, I stole a glance at Namrata, who was nodding in agreement with a forced smile, her eyes betraying a sense of sympathy towards me. Swiftly, I discreetly removed his hand from my shoulder and subtly gestured towards the door, signaling my desire to leave the uncomfortable situation.

As I gathered my belongings, a sense of relief washed over me as I prepared to make my exit. The encounter with the head of the institute always left me feeling uneasy, his overly familiar demeanor and intrusive gestures unsettling to say the least.

With a slight bow to them, I hurriedly made my way out of the office, eager to escape the suffocating atmosphere. Once outside, I couldn't contain my frustration any longer, and with a loud thud, I slammed the stack of files and documents onto my desk.

As I sat down in my seat, feeling angry and frustrated, my phone rang loudly, interrupting the peaceful silence like an unwelcome intruder. I looked at the caller ID and was surprised to see it was him. His calls were always unpredictable, and I prepared myself for whatever unexpected news he was about to give me.

Taking a deep breath, I asked in a casual yet formal tone, "How may I assist you today, sir? How do you remember me?"
"Reet, your future department requires your assistance," he stated in his usual enigmatic way as if revealing a surprise and anticipating me to handle the situation calmly. His words came out of nowhere, but I had learned not to react hastily.

My mind raced with possibilities as I calmly replied, "Where do I need to go?" He quickly responded with an address composed of a string of numbers and street names.

As I was about to say goodbye, he interrupted and asked, "Should I come to pick you up?" I appreciated his chivalry, but I preferred to handle my transportation. I had a mission to fulfill and didn't want to rely on anyone else. Perhaps he assumed that his senior would be present and wanted to make a good impression.

"No, thank you. I can handle it alone," I said, ending the call before he could object any further.

As I shifted my focus to the files I had brought from the cabin, a sense of reluctance washed over me. I knew leaving them behind was necessary, but it still weighed heavily on my mind. I reminded myself that duty called and that the files would have to wait on their shelf until my return.