The morning sun crept gently over the skyline of Bangalore as Meher Sharma stood outside the massive glass building of Malhotras Innovation — a place that shimmered with power and perfection.

She stood still for a moment, hands gripping the strap of her handbag, heart pounding in rhythm with the chaos inside her head.

This was it.

Her first real job. Her first step toward independence.

She looked down at her neatly ironed kurti and tailored pants. Light makeup. Tidy hair. A thin chain around her neck — the last gift from her father.

She had done everything to look confident... even if she didn't feel it yet.

"You've fought bigger battles, Meher," she whispered to herself. "This? This is just the beginning."

Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the doors.

Inside, the office was exactly what she imagined — sleek, minimalistic, and intimidatingly perfect.

She was greeted by the HR assistant who escorted her through the orientation formalities and gave her a brief rundown of her role. She tried to stay focused, but her eyes kept flicking toward the elevator that led to the Executive Floor.

Where he would be.

Arav Malhotra.

Her boss.

Her silent college-day crush.

Now... her biggest challenge.

When the elevator dinged on the top floor, Meher stepped out into a space that felt completely different — quiet, serious, and heavy with power.

She was led to a glass-walled cabin — her workspace — directly outside the CEO's office.

She was just placing her notebook down when a deep voice echoed from behind.

"Miss Sharma."

She turned quickly.

And there he stood — tall, composed, dressed in a steel-grey suit that matched the chill in his expression.

Arav Malhotra.

There wasn't a trace of recognition in his eyes. No warmth. Just professionalism wrapped in steel.

"I expect punctuality, confidentiality, and precision," he said, walking past her toward his office.
"Keep personal matters out of work. I don't entertain casual chats or coffee break gossip. You're here to assist, not observe."

Meher swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

"Understood, sir."

Without another word, he shut the door behind him.

Her fingers gripped the pen tighter.
So this is how it's going to be...

And yet — there was no fear in her.

Only a quiet fire building inside her chest.

I didn't come here to be liked. I came here to stand. On my own.

She opened her notebook, clicked the pen, and got to work — not realizing that behind the frosted glass, Arav had paused mid-email to glance at her silhouette.

And for a fleeting second... that calm, composed girl from the interview was once again inside his head.

But this time, he shoved the thought away before it could settle.

It had only been three hours since Meher took her seat outside the CEO's cabin — three silent, tightly focused hours of going through company emails, understanding Arav's meeting schedule, and double-checking the upcoming event logistics.

Everything had felt smooth... until her phone buzzed.

Internal Message – From: Mr. Arav Malhotra

"Come in. Urgent."

She quickly grabbed her notepad and walked in.

Arav stood by the window, phone to his ear, brows furrowed, and jaw clenched.

He cut the call the moment she entered.

"The investor pitch deck for today's board meeting — it wasn't updated. The data being shown is outdated by two quarters."

Meher's eyes widened slightly.

"I—I wasn't told to update the deck, sir. I assumed the final version—"

"Don't assume," he cut in, his tone sharp but controlled. "In this company, a delay is a deal lost. The meeting starts in thirty minutes."

He picked up the tablet and handed it to her.

"Fix this. Add the current quarter's metrics, update the growth projections, and remove the outdated visuals. You have twenty-five minutes."

She took the tablet carefully. "I'll do it."

Arav didn't reply — just returned to his screen.

Meher walked out of the cabin with her heart in her throat.

She sat down at her desk and opened the files.
Everything inside her screamed panic — but she knew panic was a luxury she couldn't afford.

She opened her laptop, plugged in the company dashboard access, pulled the Q3 data, analyzed the top-line growth figures, updated the trend charts, and reformatted every visual one by one.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard. A few senior executives passing by stared — not used to seeing the CEO's assistant buried in financials like a data analyst.

Exactly twenty-two minutes later, Meher took a deep breath, saved the file, exported the PDF, and sent it to Arav's inbox.

Then she knocked.

"Come in," came the usual clipped voice.

She walked in and handed him the tablet.

"Deck updated, sir. Key figures from Q3 added, visuals refreshed, last page has a summary slide too."

Arav opened the file and scrolled through.

For the first time since she'd met him, his fingers paused mid-swipe.

He didn't say anything — but he didn't need to.

The silence that followed wasn't heavy.

It was... impressed.

He closed the tablet.

"Join me in the meeting. You'll assist in presenting slide transitions."

Meher blinked.

That wasn't in her job description.

But she nodded.

"Of course."

Arav walked out, leaving Meher stunned for a second.

She stood still, notebook in hand.

And for the first time that day, a quiet smile crept onto her lips.

Let the game begin.