Kartavya's PoV

Ever since I dropped her home last night, I haven’t been able to forget her.

I mean… how can a person occupy all of my thoughts like this?

And that too, every single moment.

Her face… her plump lips… her dress… the way her hands moved while talking…

Everything keeps flashing in front of my eyes every time I close them.

But her eyes…

Her eyes were the most hypnotizing thing I had ever seen.

The way they moved… the way emotions flickered inside them so naturally…

And then her eyebrows—slightly arching while she spoke.

That tiny mark near the end of her eyebrow…

Everything about her was strangely mesmerizing.

As I was lost in these thoughts, a knock came on the door.

“Come in,” I said.

Mrs. Zaaida entered the cabin.

“Sir, the file is ready along with the required changes you asked for,” she said while forwarding the file onto the table.

I nodded slightly and said, “You can go.”

As she turned the knob of the door, I suddenly asked,

“Are the changes in the security department done as well?”

Hearing me, she turned back and replied,

“Sir, those changes will take some more time. Once they are done, I’ll come with that file.”

I leaned back slightly and said,

“Send that girl… what’s her name…”

“Sir, Dharini,” she replied immediately.

“Yes… that Dhani. Send her along with the file,” I said.

Mrs. Zaaida awkwardly corrected me,

“Sir… it’s Dha…ri…ni. Dharini, not Dhani.”

The moment she said that, Kartavya started glaring at her.

Seeing his expression, Mrs. Zaaida immediately rushed out of the cabin before he could say anything else.

After Mrs. Zaaida left, a soft knock came on the door after some time.

I already knew it was her.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened, and Dharini walked inside with confidence, almost like she owned the floor beneath her feet.

And here I was thinking—

How can someone look this beautiful without even trying?

Ahhh… I should’ve called her earlier.

My gaze unconsciously travelled toward her.

Her brown-colored shirt was enhancing the beauty of her fair skin, making her look even more elegant.

And then… her eyes.

God, someone tell those eyes to look somewhere else, or I might actually drown in them.

“Sir… sir?”

Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

She waved her hand lightly in front of me.

“Sir, what happened? Are you okay?” she asked, confusion visible on her face.

I looked at her for a second before murmuring softly,

“Nothing… I was just mesmerized by you and was about to drown in your eyes.”

“Sorry, sir?” she asked, not hearing me properly.

I immediately cleared my throat.

“Nothing.”

I leaned back slightly in my chair.

“Well, Miss Dhani, when will the task assigned to you be completed?” I asked in my usual calm tone.

“Sir, it will be completely ready by tomorrow. More than half of it is already done,” she replied professionally.

I nodded slightly.

Then she spoke again, this time carefully—

“And sir… my name is Dharini, not Dhani.”

As soon as she said that, a small smile almost escaped my lips. I knew this was coming.

I stood up from my chair and walked toward Dharini, stopping right in front of her while still maintaining a little distance between us.

“Of course I know, Dhani, that your name is Dharini,” I said calmly. “But it’s such a big name, so I’ll call you Dhani. Do you have any problem with that?”

The moment I said that, her brows furrowed instantly.

She crossed her arms tightly for a second before replying,

“No, you can’t. I would prefer if you call me Dharini, because that is my name. And if it’s difficult for you, then you can call me Miss Shekhawat. That won’t be difficult for you, sir.”

A tight-lipped smile appeared on her face.

The kind of smile people give when they are trying very hard not to sound rude.

But her eyes…

Her eyes were openly glaring at me with irritation, and the extra sweetness in the “sir” at the end made it even more obvious that she was annoyed.

I almost smirked seeing her reaction.

“Dhani…” I stretched the word deliberately. “Miss Shekhawat is too long. Much like Dharini. So I’ll call you Dha…ni only.”

I intentionally dragged her nickname, fully aware that it was irritating her even more.

And it worked.

Her fingers, which were relaxed a moment ago, slowly curled into fists.

Her jaw tightened as she gritted her teeth, trying hard to control herself.

Anger flashed clearly in her eyes.

For a second, she looked like she was ready to argue with me.

Then suddenly, she took one step toward me and pointed her finger at me.

I raised my brow slightly, waiting.

She opened her mouth to say something—

but suddenly stopped.

As if she realized who she was standing in front of.

Her expression shifted instantly.

She stepped backward again, lowered her hand, and without saying another word, turned around and walked out of the cabin.

I kept looking at the closed door in amusement.

Did I tease her too much?

Or did I actually cross a line?

No… I didn’t do anything wrong.

Then why did her reaction affect me this much?

Dharini’s POV

“Samajhta kya hai khud ko? Saand kahin ka! Main kya uske phoophe ke chacha ki mausi ki beti hoon jo mujhe nickname de raha hai?! How dare he!

(What does he think of himself? Bloody bull! Am I some distant relative of his that he’s giving me a nickname?! How dare he!)”

I kept mumbling angrily under my breath while walking back toward my desk.

Honestly, at that moment, I really felt like smashing his face.

But no…

Control, Dharini. Control.

“He’s your boss,” I reminded myself while inhaling deeply and exhaling a long breath. “And right now, you desperately need this job.”

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to calm myself down.

But the moment I opened them—

Netra and Nishant were staring at me as if I was some alien performing an impossible ritual in the middle of the office.

Netra blinked twice before asking carefully,

“Are you okay? What happened? And why are you behaving like an angry bird?”

Nishant frowned in confusion.

“And who exactly are you calling a saand?”

I groaned dramatically before dropping into my chair and telling them everything that had happened inside the cabin.

The moment I finished, Netra’s eyes widened in shock.

“WHAT?! Are you serious? Our boss? That CEO? The same man we met today? He’s giving you a nickname?” she almost squealed. “You know what? I think he’s completely flat on you!”

Before I could react, Nishant immediately interrupted—

“Oye, buddhu, stop overthinking! He just gave her a nickname. Maybe he genuinely thinks her name is long.”

Netra instantly turned toward him with disbelief written all over her face.

“What nonsense! Since when is Dharini a long name? And the way he stretched ‘Dhaaa-ni’—that definitely means something. Pakka love at first sight ho gaya hai usse!”

(He has definitely fallen in love at first sight with her!)”

I nearly choked hearing that.

But Nishant refused to back down.

“No, no! It’s his first day here after so many months. Before this he was in Italy. Maybe he genuinely thinks Indian names are long. People there have names like John, Sus, Tommy…”

Netra stared at him for a second before bursting out—

“Wow. Just to prove your point, you even dragged your dog’s name into this conversation. Seriously, you’ve crossed limits!”

Nishant gasped dramatically.

“Excuse me?! Tommy is not a dog. He’s like my younger brother. And don’t you dare call my brother a dog!”

Netra immediately folded her arms and smirked.

“Oh please, I totally forgot. Looking at your face, personality, and behavior, you clearly belong to the same family anyway. I feel bad for poor Tommy. Imagine being forced to become your brother.”

“Dekhh tu—”

(Just you wait—)”

Nishant pointed a warning finger at her while she laughed loudly.

Meanwhile, my headache kept increasing.

Finally, I slammed both my hands loudly onto the desk.

The sound echoed through the office.

Within seconds, half the office turned to look at me.

Realizing what I had just done, I immediately straightened up and gave everyone an awkwardly polite smile before slowly sitting back down.

Then I glared at both of them.

“I shared my problem with you two so that I could get a solution,” I whispered angrily, “but instead of helping me, both of you are busy doing bakwaas.”

Both of them instantly looked away like guilty children.

I shook my head in disbelief before standing up again.

“Main chai peene jaa rahi hoon.”

(I’m going to drink tea.)

Then I narrowed my eyes at them.

“Mere aane tak yeh soch kar rakhna ki uske iss nickname se mera peecha kaise chhudwana hai.”

(By the time I come back, think of a way to get rid of this nickname he gave me.)

And with that, I turned around and walked toward the coffee machine room—where tea could also be prepared—still muttering curses about a certain irritating CEO under my breath.

✨ Dharini’s POV (Humanized, Corrected & Emotional)

“So… kuch socha tum logon ne?”

(So… did you both think of something?)”

I asked hopefully after returning from my chai break.

“Haan, socha.”

(Yes, we did.)”

Both Netra and Nishant replied together with suspiciously serious expressions.

My eyes lit up instantly.

For the first time since that irritating nickname disaster, I actually felt hopeful.

“Sachii? Ab jaldi batao kya socha!”

(Really? Then quickly tell me what you thought!)”

Both of them looked at each other dramatically before saying in sync—

“That he has really started liking you.”

My smile disappeared instantly.

Dead.

Gone.

I stared at both of them blankly for a second before glaring so hard that Nishant immediately raised both his hands defensively.

“Okay okay! Maybe! I don’t know!” he said quickly.

I rubbed my forehead in frustration.

“What the hell! Maine tum logon ko yeh sochne ke liye nahi bola tha ki woh mujhe like karta hai ya nahi. Mujhe yeh batao us manhoos nickname se chutkaara kaise milega!

(What the hell! I didn’t ask you two to think about whether he likes me or not. I asked you to tell me how to get rid of that cursed nickname!)”

Don't know they both said.

After some time

“Ma’am, sir has called you along with the corrected documents,” he said respectfully.

I blinked in confusion.

“Sir… why are you calling me ma’am?” I asked awkwardly. “I’m just an employee, and you’re my senior. I should be the one calling you sir.”

Shesh immediately shook his head politely.

“No, ma’am. Kartavya sir specifically instructed us to call you ma’am only.”

The moment I heard that—

I stiffened.

“Sir… said that?” I asked slowly.

He nodded once.

“Yes, ma’am.”

And then he quietly left from there.

The moment he disappeared, silence fell around our desk for exactly three seconds.

Then suddenly—

Netra grinned like she had just discovered the biggest gossip of the century and bumped her shoulder against mine.

“So… should we also start calling you ma’am now?” she teased before bursting into laughter.

Meanwhile, Nishant’s reaction was completely opposite.

He looked genuinely shocked.

“Maybe… maybe this is serious now,” he muttered dramatically. “Sir is actually flat on you.”

I slowly turned my head toward him.

The glare I gave him was enough to make him sit straight immediately.

“I’ll deal with both of you after I come back,” I warned dangerously.

Then, clutching the documents tightly against my chest, I walked toward the CEO’s cabin again—

while mentally preparing myself for another round of irritation, arguments… and that cursed nickname.