Page 153 of Carnal Games

What hurts the most is that he doesn’t stop me.

The moment I set foot in the lobby, I remember I’m the highlight of the latest gossip. Every pair of eyes falls on me, watching me like I’m an alien. My vision tunnels, heart beating a mile a minute under the uninvited microscopic attention of the crowd.

The murmurs, the curious gasps, and covert glances multiply. I make a mad dash toward the elevators. Every second that ticks by waiting for the car to arrive, my anxiety triples in intensity.

Fortunately, the elevator arrives and it’s empty.

I quickly shove inside and hit my floor before anyone can join me. Closing my eyes, I lean against the far wall and inhale in and out. Counting the floor numbers as the car glides upward eases my nerves.

My desk is exactly how I left it. The papers from that day are neatly organized and kept in a corner.

“Look who’s back!”

I jump at Arjun’s voice and whirl around.

“Enjoyed your paid vacation?” he taunts with a sardonic smile. Bypassing me to go sit at his desk, he says, “You were supposed to ease my burden. Yet here I am, picking up your slack.”

I open my mouth to tell him I wasn’t on a damn vacation, but something entirely different comes out, “It wasn’t on purpose, Arjun. I’m back now. I’ll take over. Just email it all to me.”

Placing my purse and pink Stanley cup tumbler on the tabletop, I switch on my desktop and lower myself to the seat. As the screen powers on, I sense Kian before he rounds the corner.

My pulse kicks up at the sight of him before flattening swiftly as his cruel words from earlier ring in my ears.

Arjun climbs to his feet as Kian motions for him to follow him to his office, not sparing me a glance. As if I’m invisible.

Yesterday feels like a hallucination.

Today—a living nightmare.

A message pops up on my screen from Yukta in the company’s collaboration platform’s workspace that every employee uses.

YUKTA: Are you back?

ME: Hii! Yeah, I am.

YUKTA: Meet me in the breakroom downstairs?

ME: I’m busy atm. See you at lunch?

YUKTA: Sure. Glad you’re better and back.

No sooner had I minimized the chat, Arjun hops out and ambles to my desk. I raise an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Mr. Singhania wants you to lead the monthly management meeting at twelve today as he needs to go ahead for an urgent meeting across town,” he informs me, making my shoulders stiffen. “He may run late, so he wants you to start without him. I’m emailing you the template for the presentation and the points that need to be discussed.”

He goes to turn around. I yell, “Wait— Why me? Can’t you do it?”

“I have other important tasks.”

“But I—I haven’t attended one before.”

“Then you better start preparing,” he mocks. “Or you’ll make a fool of yourself.”

A frantic beat starts building inside my chest, suffocating me as my mind plays one worse scenario after another. This is so far out of my comfort zone. Will they take me seriously? How am I supposed to start? What if they ask follow-up questions? I haven’t had time to practice or make notes and memorize them.

Every person in the conference room will be brilliant and confident, while I’d be a flailing fish out of water.

Witnessing Arjun’s attitude, I sense no help from him. I glance at Kian’s closed office door, contemplating whether to tell him I have a bad case of stage fright. Especially with this task being dumped on me out of nowhere. I’m incapable of thinking on the fly.

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