Chapter 11 #2
Before Ishani could answer, three other women from accounting huddled around her desk, exclaiming over the puppy.
“It looks so expensive,” one of them said, touching the fur reverently.
“What does the note say?” another asked, trying to peek at the card Ishani had quickly slipped into her drawer.
Kavya’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Your secret admirer is getting serious. First flowers, then jewelry, then chocolate, and now this? Valentine’s Day is going to be spectacular.” She lowered her voice, leaning closer. “My money’s still on Samrat.”
“It’s not Samrat,” Ishani said with more surety than she felt. She picked up the puppy, cradling it in her hands. “It’s exactly like my parents’ new dog. Exactly.”
“How would anyone know what your—”
The sudden hush that fell over the floor cut Kavya’s question short.
Heads turned toward Raghav’s office, where the door had swung open with enough force to make the glass wall vibrate.
He stood in the doorway, his gaze locked on Ishani’s desk and the gathering around it.
His jaw clenched tight enough that a muscle twitched visibly along his temple.
He approached her desk. The crowd dissolved instantly, women scattering back to their stations.
Only Kavya and Ishani remained, the former taking one strategic step backward.
“Ishani,” Raghav said, his voice low and controlled, “is this becoming a daily event?” His eyes fixed on the plush puppy she still held, his expression tightening as if the toy had personally insulted him.
Ishani straightened her spine, meeting his gaze directly. “I don’t control when or if gifts are delivered, Boss.”
“And you’ve made no effort to discourage them? Despite our discussion about workplace distractions?”
Something in his tone made her fingers tighten around the soft toy.
“I don’t know who’s sending them,” she replied, the words precise and measured, “so I have no way to discourage them.”
Their eyes locked, neither backing down. The silence stretched between them, charged with something more complicated than simple irritation. His gaze dropped to her hands where they cupped the small plush dog, lingering there before rising slowly back to her face.
“The puppy resembles something specific to you,” he said, not a question but a statement.
Ishani blinked, thrown off by his perception. “Yes. My parents recently adopted a dog that looks exactly like this.”
“That information is private,” Raghav said, his voice dropping lower. “Personal. Yet someone knows it. That doesn’t concern you?”
The same point he’d been making for days. Yet the way he emphasized it felt almost like... a confession?
No. That was impossible.
“I’m handling it,” she said finally.
“Clearly.” His gaze swept over the puppy, her desk, the lingering onlookers who pretended not to be watching. “See that these disruptions don’t affect your work. Or anyone else’s.” The last sentence he directed pointedly at the entire floor, his voice rising just enough to carry the message.
Instantly, the sound of typing filled the air. Papers rustled as everyone pretended to focus on their work.
Raghav kept his eyes on her a moment longer than needed, something unreadable flashing in his expression before he turned and headed back to his office.
Once his door shut, Kavya let out a dramatic sigh. “That guy is intense. You’d think someone was spying on the company instead of just sending you Valentine’s gifts.” She nudged Ishani’s shoulder playfully. “But did you see how he looked at the puppy? Like he wanted to set it on fire.”
“He’s concerned about office productivity,” Ishani murmured, though the excuse sounded hollow even to her own ears.
“Sure, and I’m concerned about global warming when I take long showers,” Kavya replied with a snort. “That was jealousy, pure and simple.” She checked her watch. “Staff meeting in five. Try not to bring your furry friend—Boss might spontaneously combust.”
As Kavya walked away, Ishani glanced toward Raghav’s office.
Through the glass wall, she caught him watching her, his gaze heavy and intent.
When their eyes met, he didn’t look away or pretend to be working.
Instead, he held her stare deliberately, unapologetically, before finally returning to the documents on his desk.
Throughout the day, the pattern repeated.
Every time Ishani absently touched the plush puppy—straightening its ears, adjusting it on her desk—she’d look up to find Raghav’s eyes on her.
Each time, that same muscle in his jaw would tighten, his gaze tracking her movements with an intensity that made her skin warm.
By late afternoon, she’d taken to touching the puppy deliberately, just to see if he’d look up. He always did. As if he had some sixth sense attuned specifically to her, activated the moment her fingers brushed the soft fur.
It wasn’t anger in his expression, she realized slowly. It was something deeper, more complicated, possessive and hungry in a way that made her pulse quicken each time their eyes met.
The question that had been building since the first rose grew stronger: could it possibly be him?