Recap: He agreed?!

"So, when are we doing this?" he asked, staring right at me.

I blinked, unsure I'd heard him correctly.
"What?"

"The meeting. When's it happening?" he repeated, a small, amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You're... actually going to do this?" I asked, struggling to mask my surprise.

Was he serious? Did the universe just bend in my favour?

"Well, it's not like you gave me much of a choice," he shrugged. "Besides, how bad could it be? I'm good with parents."

My jaw practically dropped.
"You're serious?"

"Look, Aisha," he said, leaning in slightly, his tone turning sincere,
"I get it. You were under pressure, and you panicked. It happens. So, if pretending to be your boyfriend for a day gets you out of trouble, I'm in."

He shrugged, making my day with his bright smile. Relief washed over me, but it was quickly followed by a fresh wave of anxiety.

"But... won't this complicate things? I mean, we'll have to act like a couple, and what if they see through it?"
I blabbered. My brain raced through the possibilities, each one worse than the last.

What if he thought I was completely insane for even asking?

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Naveen replied calmly.
"For now, let's just focus on getting through this meeting. We can figure out the rest later."

I dared to look up at him, surprised by his reaction.
"So... you're not mad?"

"Mad? No," he said, still smiling. "Confused? Definitely. But hey, it's not the end of the world. We'll figure it out. Don't stress; focus on your work. Okay?"

I slowly nodded, still in disbelief that Naveen had agreed so easily.

As he walked away, I felt a little lighter, as if maybe-just maybe-everything would work out after all.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair and staring at the ceiling.

Naveen, the guy who's always so put-together and serious, is actually willing to pretend to be my boyfriend?

I must be losing my mind.
Maybe I accidentally slipped into an alternate universe where the hottest guy is my partner in crime.

I won't screw this up.

I'll never let him find out that I really like him!

______

The afternoon sun streamed through the office windows, turning my desk into a spotlight for all the files that seemed to multiply like rabbits.

Each yawn felt like my brain was trying to escape the endless monotony, and the more I stared at my computer screen, the more it glared back at me, as if daring me to come up with a fresh idea.

I spun my pen in my fingers, hoping it might somehow stir up some inspiration, but instead, it only made my tear-blurred vision worse.

Naveen was off doing whatever mysterious marketing tasks kept him busy-probably dazzling clients with that perfect smile of his-while the management department felt like it was one step away from becoming a ghost town. The silence was so thick you could practically scoop it up and serve it in a bowl.

"Hey, intern!"

The sharp voice pierced through the quiet, jolting me out of my daze. Of course.

That's what's missing-
Serena's constant need to remind everyone she existed.

Great, just what I needed to brighten my day!

Her heels struck the floor like a series of mini explosions, and with every step, I think the entire building might feel the tremor.

"Why aren't you working?" she snapped, her voice cutting through the room like a whip.

I tried not to roll my eyes.
Serena always acted like she was the queen of this office, even though she was just another employee. She seemed to think she had a special licence to boss people around, and it grated on my nerves every single time.

"I am working," I replied, my voice flat.

"No, you're not. You're just staring at the screen!" she practically screeched, her voice so piercing that I had to roll my chair back to save my ears.

"This is working, Serena. Thinking."
I pointed at my head, meeting her gaze with a level stare.

She rolled her eyes so dramatically it was like she was auditioning for a soap opera, and huffed, crossing her arms and shifting her weight like she was preparing for a standoff.

Her annoyance radiated off her in waves, and I couldn't help but wonder what-or who-had put her in this mood.

Did Ryan brush her off again?
The thought of it almost made me smile.

"What happened, Serena? You look... upset," I said, trying to sound as casual as possible, though the amusement in my voice probably leaked through.

"I'm not upset!" she snapped, the denial coming a little too quickly to be convincing.

Oh, Serena, denial is not just a river in Egypt.

"Alright, alright. Just asking. No need to bite my head off."

"It's not your business," she muttered, her voice dripping with frustration. "Ugh! Screw it, I'll not do anything to grab his attention. It's his loss, anyway."

She began to rant, her words tumbling out in a rush as she gestured wildly, almost like she was trying to conjure up her own storm of anger.
I pressed my lips together, trying to hide the grin that threatened to break free.

"I can have any man on their knees in a minute," Serena boasted, her voice dripping with confidence.

"But he.."
She hissed gritting her teeth, probably plotting the poor person's death.
"He hardly even stares my way. He acts like he's the only hot shot in the world. As if."

Serena huffed, giving a quick tug to her already tight dress. Her hair was in smooth curls that definitely took more than an hour, and her Dolce makeup suited her so well that I almost forgot her rotten behaviour every time until she opened her mouth.

"And by he you mean..."

"Ryan, of course."
She scoffed his name out.

Oh my God!
Ryan ignored her?
I can't believe my ears.

What kind of alternate universe was this?

"What do you think?" Serena's voice snapped me back to reality.

"What do I think?" I repeated, stalling for time as I scrambled to form a coherent thought.

Oh boy! I usually refrain myself from commenting on any kind of office dramas- otherwise they'll drag me down!

"I mean," I started trying hard to get anything out of my malfunctioning brain, "maybe he thinks of the office as a workplace instead of a park? Maybe he's distracted."

Serena narrowed her eyes at me, clearly not buying it.

"Distracted by what? It's not like there's anything more interesting than this," she said, gesturing to herself with an attitude that could suppress even Mount Everest.

"Maybe he's just got something on his mind. Or, uh, maybe he's more... interested in working?"

I suggested, hoping she'd take the hint and move on. The last thing I needed was her dragging me into the drama.

Serena huffed in annoyance.

"Please. There's nothing more interesting than me in this entire building. If he's not looking my way, then there must be something wrong with him."

She flipped her hair back with an exaggerated sigh, as if the universe was just unfairly conspiring against her.

I nodded along, my mind still trying to wrap itself around the whole bizarre conversation.
Serena didn't seem the least bit concerned with my awkwardness, though.

Why did I even opened my mouth?

I rolled my eyes and started in a flat and boring tone, so that perhaps she could get bored out of this convo.
"Maybe he's in a serious relationship. Maybe he's married-"

"Ugh! Don't you think I research?" She cut me off with a snarl, frowning like I said something unfathomable.

"He's a bachelor, and wealthy too." She continued, with a huge grin as if imagining herself sitting on a pile of gold and diamonds.

"I just think he's not into me. He's always about Nave-" She cut herself off suddenly, her eyes darting to me with a mix of suspicion and something else I couldn't quite place.
"Or maybe he's just distracted by someone else... someone who's more of his type."

"His type? What's his type?"

"Looks like you've got competition," she smirked, her voice laced with a strange satisfaction as she turned on her heel and walked away, her head held high as if she'd just delivered some sort of victory speech.

I blinked, her words slowly sinking in. Competition? Over what?

My brain swirled to catch up as I watched her heels disappear down the hallway.

What was she hinting at?
Was Ryan-?

I shook my head.

No way!

I scrambled up to my feet and dashed toward the CEO's cabin as if my life depended on it-well, not just my life, but definitely my love life! Shit!

By the time I reached the door, my lungs felt like they were about to burst. I was gasping for air, my nostrils flaring as if I were some kind of panting dog. Seriously, I looked like a total mess.

I leaned against the door, peeking through the half-drawn blinds. My eyes landed on Naveen first-ah, those jeans! But then I spotted Ryan's more expensive pants, standing tall in the middle of the room. It seems like they're deep in conversation!

I hurriedly knocked on the door, then peeked through the blinds before knocking again.

But there was no response- no 'come in' or anything.

Serena chuckled as she walked past me.Shooting daggers through my gaze at her back, I plopped down on the nearby bench, straining my ears to catch any sound from inside.

"Looks like they're busy," she purred in her usual I'm-so-hot tone.I tried to calm myself, telling my racing thoughts to settle down.

I'm definitely hyperventilating the situation.

It's nothing like Serena claims... right?

But in the far corner of my mind, a persistent voice whispered things that weren't even possible.

Or were they?

But really, if Ryan ignored 'The Serena,' there has to be something fishy going on!

*****

Mission Status : Enemies ahead!

Need backup!