"So, how are things going at your office? Strangely enough, after your initial excitement about the internship, you haven't narrated any incidents of your office to us," remarked Sunaina, accepting the plate of freshly fried onion pakoras prepared by Rajeev, following their custom of relishing a delicacy on every Sunday.

"Yeah! First job, and we haven't heard a thing! I thought that we would not hear the end of it once you begin the internship! Is everything alright?" added Rajeev, settling on the chair beside Sunaina after forwarding Shikha's plate to her.

Shikha stared at the couple uncomfortably and awkwardly. She was well aware of their impression of her boss and the stark contrast between that and the one on her mind.

"Well, it's going fine. Really. The project idea that I had, it was approved and it's going well," answered Shikha, smiling widely as she hoped that she managed to satisfy to convince the duo with her incomplete answer. She began to munch on the fritters exasperatedly, praying that they would not ask any further questions.

Sunaina's eyes narrowed as she processed her sister's answer. She had noted that Shikha had tactfully and calculatedly omitted any information regarding her boss, or her equation with him after their rather heated confrontation about the internship.

"And your boss? How is he?" asked Rajeev, voicing out his concern, unlike Sunaina.

A direct question meant that Shikha could not dodge the bullet. "He's fine. I don't see him much, anyway."

She felt remorse ravaged her conscience as she lied through her teeth, but from where she stood, she saw no other way. She did not believe that she would be able to justify her impression about him to Sunaina and Rajeev, especially after knowing that they saw him as a threat to her.

She earnestly wished they were on the same page as her, allowing her to express her gratitude and admiration of the man to them. But, unfortunately, the suspicion and fear in their eyes made her erase any thoughts about narrating the anecdotes from work.

"Oh. I thought he was your mentor for the internship, wasn't he?" pointed Rajeev, having heard Shikha's conversation with Rohan in the preceding days about exceeding Vikram's expectations on her.

Shikha felt sweat pour out of her temples as she was unable to remember the time she had revealed that piece of information. She could not help but wonder if they heard her mumbling to herself about him and using his name to motivate herself to pull the all-nighters.

"Oh, uh, he is. He is. But, um, I don't see him much. Just submit the project and getting approvals. Yeah. Yeah, that's it," she answered, stuttering and fumbling nervously, much to her annoyance.

"Shikha. You can tell us anything, you know that, right? Is everything alright? You seem awfully jumpy," asked Sunaina, shifting closer to her sister and wrapping her arm around her sister's shoulder.

Sunaina was worried if she did not like her boss and if he terrorized her, and she was petrified if she did like him and if he did not terrorize her in any way. She did not know which of the two scenarios was harder to digest and being on which end of Vikram's emotional spectrum was safe for her younger sister.

"I know, Jiji. Trust me, I am fine," replied Shikha, smiling hesitantly at her sister. She could not reveal that she was plagued by the inexplicable behavior of her boss whom they despised or the fact that she was more affected by him than they would like to hear.

"Well, that's great then! Fifteen more days and you will be done with this internship!" exclaimed Rajeev, cheerily, as he internally hoped that they would not cross paths once again.

Ironically, his statement made the ghost of a smile on her lips fade away as she realized that they would soon have to part, and she would not be able to revel and relish his attention, affection, and appreciation anymore.

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"Sir, I am sure you would have realized by now, but the paid internship ends in fifteen days," remarked Shekhar, eagerly waiting to know his boss' next plan to ensure that Shikha lies in his line of sight for as long as he could.

"I am aware of that. How do we make sure that Shikha doesn't leave my life without exposing my interest in her?" mused Vikram, juggling the paperweight staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Offer her a job? But, we don't hire freshers," answered Shekhar, confusion muddling with his thought process.

"We don't hire freshers, Shekhar, but start-ups do. And you know what's the thing with start-ups?" he prompted pompously, a devious and dangerous glint gleaming in his eyes as an idea struck him.

"They are short of money so they can be bought quite easily," replied Shekhar, staring at his boss incredulously as he began to predict Vikram's plan.

"But, but, that would be quite obvious, won't it? We'll wait for some company to hire Shikha and make sure that they suffer some losses. We will make them so desperate that they will be about to release their staff, and that's when we will buy their company," explained Vikram, smirking triumphantly as he visualized his plan playing out just as he had wanted and his dear doe-eyed damsel walking into the trap laid by him.

"She will be enthralled by your generosity and she will grateful to you for saving her employment," added Shekhar, internally commending the way Vikram's shrewd brain functioned and thankful that it did not involve depriving someone of their life or their limbs.

"Yes. And they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', don't they? Time to test the theory," exclaimed Vikram, vowing to himself to make every moment of the time apart would be worth it.

The master of manipulation had chosen his cards and so has the destiny. But, will accomplishing the mission brings the satisfaction which Vikram has craved all his life, or will it turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory?

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