Chaotic office

After finishing breakfast, they both left the restaurant and started driving toward the office.

Karan sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on his iPad as he scrolled through documents. The car was silent except for the soft hum of the engine. Then, out of nowhere, he spoke.
"So, Mrs. Harsha, you joined a month ago, right?"
Harsha’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly. "Yes, sir. I joined as a trainee. And one more thing—it’s Ms. Harsha. I’m unmarried."
Her voice was noticeably colder than before. She didn’t know why, but his assumption bothered her.
For the first time since their drive began, Karan looked up from his screen. "Oh? My apologies. But anyway, your relationship status doesn’t matter." His voice was calm, indifferent. "I was just about to say that in our organization, we don’t use 'Sir' or 'Madam.' So, you can just call me Karan."
He went back to his iPad without another word.
Harsha exhaled sharply, feeling even more annoyed now. "Okay, Karan."

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she asked, "But what made you think I was married?"
Karan smirked slightly but kept his eyes on his screen. "Nothing in particular. Just a thought. And to be honest, I’m terrible at judging these things."
His response didn’t satisfy her curiosity, but before she could question him further, she noticed they had already reached the office.
Karan closed his iPad and adjusted his blazer. "Oh! We’re here already. Just drop me at the entrance before heading to the parking lot."
"Got it."
Harsha smoothly maneuvered the car toward the entrance and stopped in front of the building. Karan unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out, straightening his suit jacket.
Just as Harsha was about to drive off, he suddenly paused, turned around, and leaned slightly toward the driver's window.
"You drive quite well."

His deep voice was calm, yet there was a slight glint of amusement in his eyes.
And just like that, he turned and walked away without waiting for a response.

Harsha froze. “Did he just… compliment me?” Thinking to herself, Harsha was caught completely off guard. "Ahh! Well… thank you?" She muttered, but by then, Karan was already gone.
Her fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel as she watched him disappear into the building. "He’s... unexpectedly charming."
A soft blush crept onto her face before she quickly shook off the thought. Focus, Harsha!
She started the car again and drove toward the parking area.

Office Chaos

The company parking lot was massive, and it took her nearly ten minutes to find a spot and make her way inside the building.
As soon as she stepped into the office, she was met with absolute chaos.
Employees were rushing from desk to desk, frantically gathering files, while others were shouting across the room, exchanging urgent information. The tension in the air was palpable.

It was a stark contrast to how the office had been when she first joined.
Harsha ignored the commotion and walked over to her desk. The first thing on her list was to check Karan’s schedule for the day. During training, she had learned that he always wanted a detailed update on his calendar first thing in the morning.
Just as she was reviewing the schedule, a fellow trainee approached her, leaning against the desk.

"So… how’s your new boss?" The girl grinned playfully.
Harsha glanced up. "Why do you ask?"

"I feel really sorry for you," the trainee said dramatically. "You have to report directly to him. I heard he has a reputation for being impossible to work with. And now that he’s the CEO, I bet his arrogance is through the roof."

Harsha smirked, shaking her head. "Honestly, I thought the same thing at first, but in person… he doesn’t seem that bad."
The trainee raised an eyebrow. "Wait… you’re saying he’s not terrifying?"
Before Harsha could answer, the girl gestured toward the frantic office environment. "See this chaos? It’s all because of him."
Harsha frowned. "What do you mean? He was with me the entire time. I didn’t see him do anything that could cause this."
The trainee leaned in slightly. "He caused all of this in just ten minutes."
Harsha’s curiosity piqued. "What exactly did he do while I was gone?"

The trainee lowered her voice. "Apparently, he called an emergency meeting with all the project heads."
Harsha’s brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Many of the company’s projects are running past their deadlines, and because of that, we’re facing major financial losses," the trainee whispered. "People are saying he’s about to shake things up in a big way."
Harsha leaned in, intrigued. "How do you know all this?"

The trainee smirked. "Come closer."
Harsha hesitated but leaned in slightly.
"A good journalist never reveals their sources," the trainee whispered playfully.

Harsha rolled her eyes. "A journalist? Hah—"
But before she could finish, the phone at her desk rang sharply. She glanced at the caller ID, and her breath hitched. It was Karan.

She quickly gestured to her friend to be quiet before picking up the receiver.
"I want an update on my schedule. In five."
His voice was cold and sharp—completely different from the casual tone he had used earlier.

Harsha straightened. "Okay—"
Beep.

The line went dead before she could finish her sentence.
She stared at the phone in disbelief. "Guess he didn’t wait for my reply," she muttered with an exhausted sigh.

"What did he say?" the trainee asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Harsha mimicked his deep tone mockingly. ‘I want an update on my schedule. In five.’" She rolled her eyes before slamming the receiver down.
The trainee laughed. "Oh, you’re in for a tough time. Have fun with your charming boss."

Harsha sighed, grabbing her laptop. "Ugh. Story of my life."
As she made her way toward Karan’s office, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. Something was off.

"Why had his tone suddenly changed? , What had happened in the short time since he entered the office?"

Harsha stopped in front of his cabin, hesitating. For a brief moment, she debated whether she should turn around and pretend she hadn’t received his call.
But she shook the thought away and straightened her posture. No backing out now.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock… May I come in?" Her voice was lower than usual.

A brief silence.

Then—
"Come in."
"She opened the door, and there he was—sitting stiffly at his desk, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden surface. His jaw was set, eyes sharp as he looked at her, then back at his laptop. The air in the room felt heavier than before." His eyes lifted to meet hers.

"Why did he sound so different from before? Just a few minutes ago, he was casually complimenting my driving. Now, it felt like I was walking into a war zone. Does he have some evil twin who is sitting in front of me?" Harsha was speaking to herself; suddenly, his deep voice brought her back into reality.

"Harsha… Harsha!" Karan’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Give me the update on today’s schedule." His tone wasn’t angry, but it was noticeably colder than before

“Right Si.! I mean, Karan," as Harsha was saying this, she moved towards his direction. Harsha put her laptop on the desk in front of him and started showing her Excel sheet where she kept track of all Karan’s schedule for today.

“You have 3 meetings: one is with an investor for presenting a pitch deck for our next project at 2:00PM, the second with the board of directors at 4:00PM, and the third is going to be within," she briefly looked at her wristwatch, "30 minutes." Her expression was a bit shocked per the updated schedule received. ” Harsha continued with a calm voice even though her inner self was trembling from inside, begging her not to make any mistake; otherwise, this devil would eat her alive.

“Okay! Add them to my calendar. You may leave now.” Karan said.

hearing those words was like elixir to her ears Karans gaze was to intimidating; just being in presence at this point was crushing her from inside.

“Thank you, thank you!” Harsha started walking towards the door.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” karans voice stopped her in place

“I'm dead! Think, Harsha, faster. What could you be forgetting about?" she says to herself. “No, Si...! I mean, Karan I was told only to look after scheduling your meeting for the first day, Harsha said with a hesitant voice while turning to face him.

“I wasn’t talking about that. I mean, you did good work for your first day. The thing I was talking about was your laptop Don’t you need it?” Karan says this time his voice was a bit more relaxed than before.

“Ohh! I totally forgot I brought my laptop with me.” Harsha says while forcing an awkward smile on her face. “If there is nothing else to do, shall I go to my desk?” Harsha asks Karan.

“Yes, you can, but remember you have to attend project managers meetings with me.” Karan says

“Me!! I don’t think I can handle such an important task at this moment. Don’t you think bringing someone more experienced with you is more beneficial than me?” Harsha tries to find a way out of this situation.

Karan glances at her for a moment before replying, “Don’t worry, it’ll prove to be a great learning experience for you.” Karan says while resuming his work on the laptop. “I guess that concludes your business in here; you can leave now.”