ADHURI KAHANI: A tale of an amnesic bond

9. SO HOW IS SHE?

ISHAAN'S POV

Inside the spacious and elegantly furnished corner office, I sat behind his expansive mahogany desk. The with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the city skyline. The soft hum of the air conditioner and the muted sounds from the bustling office outside created a serene atmosphere within the confines of the cabin.

I focused on the computer screen before me, meticulously checking the files that had been sent to me by various departments. My eyes then shifted towards my iPad screen, where my schedule for the day was efficiently organized by my secretary, Miss Inaaya. I picked up the iPad, intrigued to see how she had managed the day's agenda. No mistakes at all. Every detail was in its place, and the timing was perfect. I scrolled through the schedule, analyzing each appointment, meeting, and task assigned for the day. Considering the fact that this was only her second time creating a full schedule all by herself, without the usual assistance of Shivyansh, she had done an exceptional job. A sense of satisfaction washed over me as I acknowledged Inaaya's competence. It was evident that she had paid close attention to the intricacies of my routine and preferences.

With a nod of approval, I placed the iPad back on the desk, ready to delve into the day's responsibilities with a well-organized plan at my disposal when the door flung open without any warning. Irritation shot up to my face as I looked towards the direction. Speaking of the devil, there he stood, irritation visible on his face, mirroring my own. He closed the door behind him, and with two long steps, he was already seated on the grey sofa in the corner of the room. He rested his arm on the armrest of the sofa.

I raised an eyebrow, silently questioning the audacity of the unannounced entrance. The air in the room seemed to crackle with an unspoken tension as I awaited an explanation for this abrupt interruption. Rather than answering the unsaid question, the man in front of me chose silence. He took off his thick black-rimmed glasses and his ID card soon after, frustration visible in every movement. The muscles in his jaw tensed, a clear sign of the turmoil brewing within him.

His frustration did nothing to calm the storm of anger within me. The room, once a haven of organized calm, now bore witness to the conflicting energies of irritation and impatience. I maintained my composed demeanor, waiting for him to break the silence and offer a reasonable explanation for barging into my office unannounced. But when he didn't speak, I chose to voice my words.

"Is this how you barge into the CEO's cabin? Where are your manners?" I questioned, my tone calm yet lethal, carrying a mix of authority and disapproval.

Do your employees not know how to fucking respect someone?" His voice slightly raised as he looked at me with darkened eyes, irritation visible at the end of the sentence. However, that did nothing to calm my own irritation down.

"Seems like it. Should I fire the employee who barged into the CEO's cabin unannounced?" I stared back at him with challenging eyes.

"You wouldn't dare." He stared back at me, mirroring my own challenging eyes with a hint of amusement and a slight shoulder shrug.

"Are you challenging me?" I raised my left eyebrow as the left corner of my lips curved upwards.

"One favor I did for you and one favor you did for me, we are equals."

The subtle tension in the room now danced on the edge of camaraderie, a delicate balance between mutual understanding and the unspoken challenges that defined our semi-professional relationship.

We both looked away, and I refocused on the file that I was checking before his savage entry. I sighed as well, silently acknowledging the absurdity of the situation. With my peripheral vision, I saw his muscles visibly relaxing after a few moments, and he composed himself within minutes. I didn't mind asking him what happened, as I already knew he got lectured by someone from the department. After all, he was nothing but a low-paid employee in their eyes. I signed the file and placed it in the pile of checked files. My right hand reached for the pile where the files yet to be checked by me were stacked, ready to take another file. Before that, I took the iPad in my hand to check what tasks were next and if I had anything to prepare for the upcoming responsibilities. The room, which had been a battleground of tension moments ago, now settled into a facade of normalcy.