An Imperial Affliction

Chapter 13 - Observation is actually obsession

"Is that mean you are offering Coffee?"

"Why not?" He shrugged, "Or these files will burn under the heat of your look."

She scowled at it, shutting the file she was working on and leaned on seat, spinning it on the sides, "I despise paper work."

"You should have left a letter."

"I left a note."

"Post it." He corrected, "That doesn't count. Serves you right."

She glared, "Always so helpful, Arjun."

It has been ages she called him by his first name again. All of a sudden she started that Boss thing, not that he mind, but that moment he realized he missed her calling his name.

"The thing you were expecting, did that happen?" A part of him was screaming stupid at him because she will never answer straight, but he had to get a response. She stared at him, but looked away after a while.

"Not even close." She sounded angry, not the usual kind, but intense. He frowned at the tone.

She went back to her reports after a while on her own with the same irritated expression, and he found himself staring. If she noticed, she didn't say, or maybe she didn't, too busy to glare at the papers and trying to concentrate through her irritation. He left for home to change, and came back at 9, with a cup of Mc Caffeine. He left it on one of the benches inside the locker room, and was pleased with himself when he saw her talking to someone with the red mug after a while.

But then Director Kapoor summoned her, and irritated expression was back.

He wondered just how much he is missing in her life.

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"What is this, your way of punishing me?" ACP Mukherjee said through her comm, "If this is, then let me congratulate you. I am totally feeling the heat."

"Don't fret." Director Kapoor replied keeping her face straight, but the mocking tone gave her away, ''Let me repeat once again. You go inside the restaurant, spot Raja. Then you spill a drink on him and push him toward Men's room. Make sure you get his phone and fix the GPS tracker and other chip on it. Then you get out of there without any sound, is that understood?"

"Yes Mom." The ACP replied deadpanned.

"Riya." The Director called through gritted teeth, eyes fixed on the monitor. Nothing came from other side, but then the video in the screen was moving, the camera fixed on the ACP's dress showing the glass door and bright walls inside the restaurant. The camera spotted Raja and then one of the waiter, from whom the ACP took one drink. In the matter of 40 seconds, the orange juice was on Raja's shirt and the Director along with her team heard the ACP apologizing to the man in her sugary sweet voice, while the man eyed her from to bottom. The Director rolled her eyes, and then smirked proudly as the ACP stealthily took out his phone in the pretense of cleaning the shirt with tissue, while not letting him move his eyes from her. He hurried towards Men's and the ACP sat on the same seat he had occupied earlier, her fingers taking out the device's cover fast and adjusting the chip inside.

"Faster Riya." The Director said, unable to stop herself.

"Patience, Director." The ACP countered, earning chuckles around the Director. She glared at the team around, and then found the phone on the screen was coming alive.

"Did he come back?" She asked.

"No. It will take a while." The ACP answered, quickly going through messages and Contacts. Message option was secured by a password, but contacts were not.