Robin's face turned serious, and he grabbed Arjun's collar, asking firmly, "What did you do to her? Tell us, you bastard." Other colleagues joined in, supporting Robin with, "Yeah, spill the beans, you scoundrel." Robin kept going, wondering, "Did you force her to respect you or something?" The group of colleagues chimed in again, saying, "Why aren't you talking? Come on, spill it, you scoundrel."

As Kirti attempted to intervene, Diana enveloped her in a hug, remarking, "You pure soul. You must have been through a lot." Suddenly, more female colleagues joined Diana, clutching kerchiefs and wiping away their imaginary tears, consoling, "Oh, you poor thing." Kirti, utterly taken aback, found herself in a state of shock amidst this emotional display.

Neither Arjun nor Kirti were given a chance to speak as the others dominated the scene with their actions and exclamations.

Due to the uproar, the assistant manager stormed into the lunch cabin, bellowing, "What's going on here?" Abruptly, the commotion ceased, and everyone who surrounded Arjun and Kirti were disappeared in the blink of an eye. Kirti, still in shock, struggled to make sense of the sudden turn of events.

After the assistant manager departed, Robin once again rose, seizing Arjun's collar. Swiftly, Kirti interjected, "It's not what you think. I was just talking casually." Hearing this, Robin released his grip, and in unison, the onlookers exclaimed, "Oh!" before dispersing to resume their tasks.

Arjun expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thanks for saving me." Kirti responded with a casual, "It's okay." Arjun continued, "You're fortunate to have Vishnu as your mentor. He's truly skilled, having trained at least 5 newcomers in just 2 years as a team leader. Some folks are there, who only mentor one person in their entire 5-year stint as team leaders." He subtly directed it towards Robin.

As Arjun's words hit their mark, Robin shot back with a touch of indignation, exclaiming, "You scoundrel! Don't count on me to bail you out when trouble comes knocking, and spare me your dating advice inquiries."

On the flip side, Arjun, adopting a more serious tone while addressing Kirti, emphasized, "You see, Kirti, there's a lone warrior in our office who truly puts in the hard yards, and that's none other than Robin," subtly attempting to butter up Robin with a dash of praise.

Diana couldn't help but interject, exclaiming, "Wait a minute. You're actually seeking dating advice from this paragon of wisdom? Are you seriously that oblivious? No wonder your dating life is struggling." Arjun, with a touch of sadness, responded, "Is it true?" Continuing his narrative, he shared, "You know, just yesterday, I went on a date, and she tossed her coffee in my face.

Upon hearing this, Kirti inquired, "What did you say that made her throw coffee at you?" Arjun, with a sigh, explained, "She asked me what I liked about her. Following Robin's advice to be honest, I said 'b***s.' But listening that, she made a disgusted look on her face and threw coffee on me, ruining my new shirt."

Diana and Kirti were visibly stunned by Arjun's revelation. Diana chimed in, advising, "You don't have to be brutally honest, and definitely don't follow his advice anymore." Arjun, with a penetrating gaze at Robin. Robin, responding to the intense stare, defended himself, saying, "Don't look at me like that. I only shared what I personally do. If it backfires, what can I say?" The conversation continued, with more of Arjun's comically disastrous dating anecdotes.

Similar to the previous day, after receiving her task, Kirti promptly submitted her completed work to Vishnu. While he reviewed her work, she shared every incident that happened in lunch time with him, leading to a delightful and engaging conversation between the two.

After Arjun, Kirti stood out as the only one conversing with Vishnu in a natural manner. The warmth in her conversations made Vishnu almost forget about any concerns regarding his appearance. Unlike usual, where he often found himself deep in thought about others' perceptions, but Kirti's interactions never triggered such thoughts, creating a refreshing and comfortable atmosphere.

After a few days had slipped by, Kirti stuck to her routine, patiently awaiting the arrival of other members in lunch area while engrossed in checking web novels on her phone. Diana, curious, approached and inquired, "What are you doing?" Kirti, momentarily emerging from her imaginative world, responded, "Oh, I'm just lost in a novel."

Diana inquired, "Which novel?" Kirti responded, "My Affair with a Billionaire." Intrigued, Diana questioned the name, to which Kirti explained, "Don't be deceived by the name; it's a captivating story. Alyssia, the protagonist, initially faced poverty and discrimination from friends but discovers love with Luther, a billionaire CEO. The way they meet and their beautiful love story and chemistry—it's enchanting. Once you start reading, you'll fall in love with it."

Diana remarked, "Doesn't that make her a bit of a gold digger?" Kirti, taken aback, responded, "How can you say that? Every girl dreams of finding a wonderful prince, someone who arrives on a beautiful white horse and whisks her away to the palace. What's wrong with having such dreams?"

Kirti continued, "Why should men have all the fun? If they can imagine different scenarios according to their needs, why can't we do the same?" Diana replied, "You're correct, but we call it lust, not love, don't we?"

Kirti fell into thought after hearing that and asked, "Then what, according to you, makes a great love story?" Diana replied, "Let me think." After pondering for a while, she said, "You have to imagine it, okay," and began narrating a particular scenario to Kirti.

(Diana started her narration.)

Underneath the soft glow of the evening sun, the couple wandered along a tranquil path, their fingers entwined in a dance of shared affection. Amidst their journey, the girl's gaze was captivated by a newly unveiled, enchanting restaurant. With a gentle sigh, she said, "Imagine how amazing it would be to have dinner in a place like that. What do you think?"

In response, the guy replied, "It would be incredible, but we don't have that much money at the moment." She retorted, "I know, you silly. I was merely suggesting to imagine the scenario. You didn't have to bring up our financial status. Let's forget about it; instead, let's head to your room. I'll whip up a delightful meal for you."

The words left an indelible mark on the guy's mind. The following day, driven by a deep desire to fulfill his lover's wish, he ventured to the restaurant. As he perused the menu, he discovered that the prices for a decent meal were twice the amount he typically earned from his part-time job. Undeterred, he made a silent vow to work harder, determined to turn the enchanting dream they shared into a beautiful reality.

He worked really hard, taking on extra jobs and sometimes even skipping meals to save money. After a few months, he finally saved enough for a nice dinner for both of them. Excited, he asked her to meet him, telling her to wear something nice for a special dinner.

Due to his part-time jobs, he struggled to spend quality time with her, and she grew increasingly upset with his changed behavior. Every time she attempted to discuss it, he skillfully shifted the topic. However, on that particular day, frustrated with the situation, she confronted him, threatening to cancel their plans and return home unless he explain the reason for taking on more part-time jobs. In response, he said, "I'll explain later. For now, please come with me."

As they reached the restaurant, she asked him, "Why did you bring me here?" He replied, "For what to have a  dinner." She surprisingly said, "Here. Are you mad? We are about to go to our regular dining place na." He replied, "Then how will it make special on our anniversary. We have to celebrate it in your dream restaurant and don't worry this is the reason why I worked hard of my ass and saved the money for this dinner only."

She got mad, asking, "Why'd you do that? I won't come. I don't want to ruin your hard work on this. Just keep it and get yourself some good clothes. I can't eat that food." He said, "Please don't put it like that now. I worked really hard for this, and if you don't come, it'll be really sad for me."

She thought for a bit and then agreed, saying, "Okay, but this better be the last time. You get that, right?" He said, "Yep." So, they both went in. When they checked the menu, the guy was surprised by the higher prices. He asked the waiter, "Did the prices go up?" The waiter said, "Yes, sir. You know, everything gets more expensive over time."

Curious, she asked the guy, "Is everything okay? You seem lost in thought." He responded, "No, nothing's wrong," and proceeded to place an order. After some time, the waiter brought a lone plate of meals, setting it before her. Surprised, she inquired, "Where's yours?" He apologized, saying, "Don't worry about me. Your cooking is the tastiest and fanciest to me. Go ahead and enjoy. I wanted to treat you to a meal in this fancy restaurant as you wished. That's why I ordered only one meal for you."

(Diana ended her story in middle.)

Diana became quiet and calm after telling the last line. But Kirti, feeling really interested, couldn't wait to know more. She eagerly said, "Tell me what happened next. Don't leave me with a cliffhanger now. Please continue."

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Author's Note: Guys, just to be clear, I don't dislike any of the stories I mentioned in this chapter. They're all products of my imagination as a writer. We all have our unique perspectives, right? If anyone feels hurt by those references, I sincerely apologize.  The story I talked about is totally random, just something I thought up. If it sounds like any existing novel or webnovel, please tell me, and I'll change it.

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