In the stillness of the night, a shared laugh with friends can be the loudest reminder of what truly matters.

The night was calm, the city lights twinkling against the dark sky as Manik settled on his balcony, sipping his coffee. He leaned back in his chair, appreciating the rare moment of quiet after a long day. Just as he was starting to unwind, his phone buzzed on the table next to him, lighting up with a notification. He sighed, knowing exactly who it might be. Reluctantly, he picked up his laptop and opened Skype.

The moment his screen loaded, a voice pierced through the silence.

“MANIK MALHOTRA! How dare you ignore my calls!” Mukti’s face popped up on the screen, her eyes narrowed, looking almost ready to leap through the screen. “I swear, if you ever pull that stunt again, I will hunt you down. Seriously, Manik, you’re impossible!”

Manik couldn’t help but smirk, though he tried to hide it behind a neutral expression. Before he could respond, Alya’s face joined the call, her gaze critical but amused.

“Mukti, let it go. He’s never going to change,” she said, shaking her head as if resigned to Manik’s behavior.

Cabir joined in with a mischievous grin, saying, “This is way too good. I should have brought popcorn. Drama time!”

Dhruv, the most composed of the group, appeared on the screen, rolling his eyes. “Guys, give him a break! He’s probably just busy, right, Manik?” Dhruv looked at Manik expectantly, raising an eyebrow as if waiting for him to defend himself.

Finally, Manik leaned back and said with a smirk, “Thank you, Dhruv! You’re the only one who gets it. Muku, come on, I was in a meeting. Don’t kill me just yet.”

Mukti crossed her arms, unimpressed. “You always have some excuse. Meetings, meetings. How many meetings do you need to attend?”

Alya scoffed playfully, “Yeah, Manik, you can’t forget about us! We’re important too, you know.”

Cabir chuckled, shaking his head. “Here I am watching you get roasted, and it’s honestly the highlight of my day.”

Manik laughed, “Thanks a lot, Cabir. I really appreciate it. But seriously, I couldn’t miss your call – you guys would hunt me down.”

The familiar banter was energizing, and as the conversation flowed, Manik felt the stress of the day start to fade.

The screen is divided into five faces, each one representing a piece of Manik’s closest circle. Mukti, a passionate artist whose intense gaze softened only around her friends. Cabir, the laid-back, joke-cracking hotel mogul based in Bangalore, married and balancing his life between work and family. Alya, a top model with a sharp, witty sense of humor who never held back with her friends. And Dhruv, his calm, practical friend managing his family’s business, who always had a level-headed approach to things.

They had been together since school, practically family now, sharing everything – their successes, struggles, and even their wild dreams. Each of them was spread across cities: Dhruv on a business trip, Alya recently in Paris for a fashion event, Mukti in Delhi with an exhibition, and Cabir handling his hotel chain expansion in Bangalore. Yet, they always managed to stay connected.

“So, Cabir,” Manik said, leaning forward, “when are you moving back to Mumbai?”

Cabir smiled, looking a little tired but excited. “Soon, man. Just a few things to wrap up here, and then I’ll be there for good. But listen – I was thinking about dropping by next week. We could have a real catch-up.”

“That’d be great,” Manik said, nodding. “We need a reunion. Mukti, Alya, when are you guys back?”

Alya replied first, “End of the week. Paris was incredible, but I’m ready to be home.”

Mukti chimed in, “Same here. Delhi’s exhausting. I’ll be back by Friday. Just can’t wait to get some downtime with you guys.”

Dhruv nodded. “I’ll be back by next week, too. Let’s plan something, finally.”

Cabir leaned in, eyes gleaming with mischief. “So, Manik, in the meantime, any new secretaries to give you hell?”

Manik rolled his eyes, not entirely able to hide his smirk. “Let’s just say my new hire is…. She’s got potential, but today was her first day, so we’ll see.”

Cabir’s grin widened. “Oh, ‘interesting,’ ? Is she cute?”

Manik shot him a warning look, but Mukti jumped in, “Typical Cabir. But Manik, if she’s not up to the task, we’ll be here to remind you to give her a hard time. Can’t have you going soft.”

“Soft? Never,” Manik replied with a laugh.

After that, the conversation lightened, and Cabir threw in a few of his signature terrible jokes. Mukti groaned at each one, Alya rolled her eyes, and Dhruv chuckled, just enjoying the chaos. They spent a while catching up on each other’s lives, teasing, and joking as always.

Eventually, as the night grew late, they all started to say their goodbyes, each reluctant to end the call. Manik closed his laptop with a small smile lingering on his lips. This late-night ritual was his reminder of the bonds he cherished most in the world, no matter how far apart they all were.

Leaning back in his chair on the balcony, he took a deep breath, the laughter of his friends still echoing in his ears. Feeling lighter than he had in days, he finally headed to bed, drifting off to sleep with memories of the banter and laughter.

Nandini’s POV,

I bolted upright, the piercing sound of my alarm still blaring in my ears. My eyes widened in horror as I caught sight of the time flashing on my phone screen—it was over an hour past the time I’d planned to wake up. I shot out of bed, muttering under my breath as I scrambled to throw myself together. This was only my second day at Malhotra Industries, and I was already late. Of course, it would happen to me, on this job, working for him—the most intimidating CEO I could have ever imagined.

"God, please,” I whispered, pulling my hair back with a trembling hand as I rushed to get dressed. “Please, just let him not be in the office yet. Or let him have one of those meetings somewhere else today! Just… just keep him busy.”

I grabbed my things, throwing on my shoes as I dashed out the door and practically flew down the street, finally catching a cab to the office. As the cab driver sped through the city, every worst-case scenario flashed through my mind. What if he’d already checked in on me? What if he was keeping tabs on my arrival times? What if he—oh, no. I could almost see Manik Malhotra’s cold gaze, the way he looked at you without even needing to say a word, and you knew you were in trouble. His piercing dark brown eyes hold an intense gaze, often unreadable, which keeps people guessing at his true emotions.

When I finally made it to the office, I took a deep breath, straightened my clothes, and fixed my hair in a nearby reflection. I hadn’t even looked at my reflection since rushing out, so it was as good as it could get at this point. “Okay, Nandini,” I whispered to myself, “you’ve got this. He might be mad, but just... apologize, be professional, and maybe he’ll let you keep your job.”

As I headed to his floor, the tension in my stomach grew. I stood outside his cabin for a moment, breathing in deeply. There was no going back now. I closed my eyes, looking up at the ceiling with my hands pressed together in a desperate little prayer. “Please, please, please save me from his wrath. I promise I’ll set an extra alarm, I’ll never hit snooze again. Just, don’t let him fire me on my second day!”

With one last breath, I lifted my hand to knock, my heart pounding like crazy. His deep voice answered, “Come in.” I carefully opened the door and stepped inside, my head lowered. I hadn’t even opened my mouth to start my apology when he looked up at me with those dark brown eyes, his expression sharp and piercing.

“This is not how we work here, Miss Murthy,” he began, his voice low but biting. “This is not a park where you can just come and go at your own convenience. This is an office. You’re already late on your second day, and if you repeat this, I will not hesitate to fire you.”

My stomach dropped, and I could feel my cheeks burn in embarrassment. “I—I’m so sorry, Mr. Malhotra,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. “I overslept and I—”

He cut me off with a wave of his hand, clearly uninterested in excuses. “Just make sure it doesn’t happen again. Now, my schedule?”

“Yes, of course,” I stammered, clearing my throat and quickly scanning the notes I’d prepared. “At 10 a.m., you have a meeting with the finance team, then lunch with the board members at 1 p.m., and a review with the new project managers at 4 p.m.”

Manik looked at me with an unreadable expression for a moment, then simply nodded. “Good. Make sure you’re fully prepared for each of these, and don’t forget to bring the files I’ll need for each meeting. Also, I need you to draft an update email for the board after the lunch meeting.”

“Noted, Mr. Malhotra,” I said, nodding and trying my best to remain calm. I could feel his eyes on me, assessing me, as if he was deciding if I was even worth keeping after my blunder this morning.

“Then that’s all for now,” he said, looking back down at his files. “Make sure to be on time from now on, Miss Murthy.”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, quickly backing out of the office. I gently closed the door, finally letting out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I placed a hand over my chest, feeling my heart pounding wildly.

“That… was close,” I muttered to myself, my voice barely a whisper. I turned to walk back to my cabin, whispering, “Thank you, God. Thank you for saving me. But please, don’t let me oversleep again. I don’t think I could survive another one of those.”

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. I stayed completely focused on my work, making sure I was perfectly organized, double-checking his schedule, and prepping all the files he’d asked for. I wasn’t about to let another mistake slide. Now and then, I found myself glancing at the clock, just to be certain I was on track and not losing time.

At lunch, I made sure he had his coffee exactly as he liked it—no mistakes, no delays. When he called me into his cabin for updates, I entered with an air of professional calm, though I felt like I was walking on eggshells the entire time.

Finally, at 8 p.m., I got a call from Mr. Malhotra on the intercom, summoning me to his cabin. It was the end of the day, and I hoped I’d done well enough to avoid any more lectures.

When I entered, he looked up and simply said, “You’re free to leave now, Miss Murthy. And remember, I expect you here on time tomorrow. No exceptions.”

“Yes, Mr. Malhotra. Thank you,” I replied, giving a small nod. As I turned to leave, he added, “And keep the files for tomorrow ready by morning.”

I nodded again, closing the door behind me. Finally free, I let out a deep sigh of relief as I walked down the empty hallway. It had been an exhausting day, and yet, somehow, I’d survived it. I couldn’t believe I’d managed to make it through my second day without completely falling apart.

And as I walked out of the office building, the cool night air felt like a small victory. I knew I had a lot to prove, and he wasn’t going to make it easy. But one thing was certain—come tomorrow, I’d be on time, ready, and determined not to let him or myself down.

Nandini's POV ends

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