Chapter 11
Chocolate Day
Two days of mysterious gifts had left Ishani feeling off-balance, like the ground beneath her carefully ordered life had shifted. She was sure today would bring something new, and the anticipation made her skin tingle with unwanted nerves.
As she stepped onto the floor, she quickly scanned her desk for any unexpected packages or flowers. There was nothing. Just the neat, clean surface she had left yesterday. Relief mixed with a strange disappointment in her chest as she set down her things and turned on her computer.
The morning dragged on. Each hour without a delivery felt longer than the last. She found herself looking up every time someone walked by, her body tensing at the sound of the elevator doors opening.
By eleven, she’d checked her email five times to see if there was any digital message she’d missed.
By noon, she’d given up expecting anything at all.
“No special delivery today?” Kavya asked, stopping by her desk on the way to lunch.
“Apparently not,” Ishani replied, keeping her tone deliberately neutral.
“Maybe your mystery man got cold feet.” Kavya shrugged. “Or maybe he’s planning something bigger.”
Ishani’s phone rang just as Kavya walked away. She picked it up, expecting a client.
“Ms. Rao?” The receptionist’s voice made Ishani sit up a little more. “You have a delivery waiting for you at the front desk.”
Her heart jumped unexpectedly. “What kind of delivery?”
“The kind that smells absolutely amazing,” the receptionist replied. “I’d bother you to please come and collect it. I am running short on staff today.”
Ishani glanced toward Raghav’s office. His chair was empty. At a management lunch meeting she’d scheduled it herself. He wouldn’t be back for at least an hour.
“I’ll be right down,” she said, rising from her desk.
In the lobby, the receptionist handed Ishani a shiny black box tied with a deep red ribbon.
The box felt heavy in her hands. There was an elegant design covering the lid that Ishani instantly recognized—Marzipan Magic.
It was a fancy chocolate shop known for being so exclusive that they didn’t even have a storefront.
You had to book a reservation months in advance to get their chocolates.
“Someone likes you very much,” the receptionist said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “I heard they don’t even take new clients without a referral.”
Ishani accepted the box, fingers tightening around it. “Did you see who delivered it?”
“A courier service. Very professional. Card’s attached to the ribbon.”
Sure enough, a small envelope was tucked beneath the bow. Inside was another cream card with the a printed note: “Sweet things for someone who hides her sweetness.”
She carried the box back upstairs, setting it on her desk. The ribbon came away easily, sliding against her fingers like water. When she lifted the lid, the scent hit her first—rich chocolate mingled with spices. Cinnamon. Cardamom. Rose.
Inside the box were twelve beautiful chocolates, each one a tiny work of art with colorful designs.
Ishani’s heart raced as she recognized the flavors—cinnamon-spiced ganache, rosewater truffle, cardamom dark chocolate, honey-saffron praline.
These were all her favorites. She had only mentioned them once, during a late dinner with Raghav three months ago, when they had shared dessert after wrapping up the Jakarta presentation.
Raghav?
Her heart jolted right out of her chest.
Her fingers hovered over the chocolates.
The elevator chimed, and she quickly closed the lid, though not quite fast enough. Raghav emerged, earlier than expected from his lunch meeting. His eyes fixed immediately on the black box on her desk, his expression darkening with what looked like irritation as he approached.
“Another delivery?” His voice was deceptively calm, but something in his tone made her spine straighten.
“Yes,” she replied, meeting his gaze steadily.
Raghav’s jaw tightened. “My office. Now.”
That jolt became a steady thud. How could it be him? She wanted to slap herself. This man knew nothing about romance. She knew this much.
She followed him, box left behind on her desk. As she entered, he closed the door behind her, then moved to lower the blinds with three sharp tugs. The office darkened, privacy descending around them like a curtain falling. He turned to face her, arms crossed, expression thunderous.
“This has gone too far,” he said, his voice low and serious. “These gifts are causing a distraction.”
“I didn’t ask for them,” Ishani replied, heat creeping into her cheeks despite her effort to stay calm.
“But you accept them,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “The roses. The bracelet. Now chocolates.”
“How did you—” She stopped herself, realizing he must have heard about the bracelet. People talked. Kavya talked.
“These gifts are affecting productivity,” he continued, stepping closer. “They’re distracting everyone.”
“I’m managing my work just fine,” she shot back, lifting her chin slightly. “My performance hasn’t suffered.”
“Your focus has,” he said, taking another step toward her.
Now she had to look up to meet his gaze. “I messaged you three times today about the Singapore files. You didn’t respond.”
Had he? She couldn’t remember. Maybe she really had been too distracted.
“I’m sorry if that’s true,” she said stiffly. “It won’t happen again.”
Raghav studied her closely, as if trying to find something behind her calm facade. “Do you know who’s sending these gifts?”
“No,” she admitted honestly.
“No guesses at all?” he pressed, his voice dropping lower. “No one who seems particularly interested?”
His question hung in the air, heavy with meaning she couldn’t grasp. She thought of Samrat, the new VP from tech, and the names her colleagues had thrown around. None of them felt right. She thought of Raghav himself and quickly dismissed that idea.
“No one,” she replied.
Raghav’s eyes flickered with something like amusement. It passed too quickly to read.
“If this keeps happening,” he said, turning to his desk, “I’ll have to get security involved. Anonymous gifts can be risky.”
“That seems a bit much,” Ishani replied, surprising herself with her boldness.
Raghav glanced back at her, an eyebrow raised. “Really? Someone is watching you, learning what you like, and sending you very personal gifts. Doesn’t that worry you?”
When he put it like that, it did sound alarming. But the gifts felt too thoughtful and well-chosen to be a real threat.
“I’ll let you know if anything crosses a line,” she said finally.
“See that you do,” he replied, dismissing her with a nod.
As Ishani walked out of his office and headed back to her desk, Raghav bit his lip to keep from smiling. He felt a surge of satisfaction, watching her as she settled into her chair, the chocolate box still waiting for her.
She’d been waiting for today’s gift. He’d seen it in the way she’d glanced at the elevator all morning, in the slight droop of her shoulders as the hours passed with nothing arriving. The disappointment had been real and revealing.
Raghav recalled the night months ago when she’d mentioned those chocolate flavors.
They’d been reviewing presentations late, ordered dinner from that restaurant she liked.
The dessert menu had prompted a rare personal comment from her about how she loved artisanal chocolates, especially those with spices. Cinnamon ganache was her favorite.
He had tucked that information away in his mind, just like he did with everything else he thought might be useful. Now, it was paying off.
He watched her open the box again, hesitate, then finally select a chocolate.
As she bit into it, her eyes closed briefly, a small, private smile touching her lips before she quickly suppressed it.
The sight sent heat spiraling through his chest. That expression, that momentary surrender to pleasure, was exactly what he’d wanted.
Raghav turned back to his desk, satisfied with how his plan was unfolding.
The lecture about productivity had been necessary—a cover for his keen interest, and a way to see her reactions.
Her defensiveness told him everything he needed to know.
She was intrigued, possibly even captivated, by these anonymous gifts.
By him, though she didn’t know it yet.
Teddy Day
The morning had settled into its usual rhythm. Ishani glanced at her watch: 11:17. She’d been checking the time every few minutes since ten, though she wouldn’t admit why. Her eyes drifted to the elevator, then back to her screen. Three days in a row now. Would today make four?
The elevator doors chimed. Ishani’s head snapped up before she could stop herself. The receptionist approached her and Ishani saw a small package balanced carefully in her hands.
All eyes on the floor followed the receptionist’s movement with renewed interest.
“Ms. Rao?” she said, placing it on her desk with a smile.
The moment she left, Ishani unwrapped it carefully.
A small plush puppy emerged—cream with floppy ears and a brown patch on its chest. Her breath caught.
Not just any stuffed animal, but an exact replica of Kaju.
Her parents’ new dog that she’d only seen through video calls.
The dog no one at work could possibly know about.
The familiar cream envelope waited beneath one paw. “While the real one awaits,” the printed text inside read.
Her stomach tightened. How could anyone know about Kaju? She’d only spoken to her mother about the puppy in the break room after hours. When everyone was gone.
Except someone hadn’t been gone. Someone had heard.
Raghav’s face flashed in her mind, unexpected and unwelcome. She shook her head.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Ishani. Raghav Khanna doesn’t send plush toys, he sends termination notices.’
Yet the timing... and the specific gift...
“Oh my god, is that today’s delivery?” Kavya’s voice cut through her thoughts as she appeared beside the desk, coffee in hand. “It’s adorable!”