Shikha reflected on her conversation with Sunaina and Rajeev. Apprehension splayed over the memory, invoked dread in her heavy heart. There was something about his persona which intrigued her and piqued her interest while threatening her at the same time.

She prayed it was her nervousness which rendered her weak after listening to the stories of his reign of terror, and convinced herself by reminiscing about the fateful night when he had let Rajeev and her free, despite breaking his rules.

"I hope I can prove their fears are unfounded. He looks intimidating, but his entry into my life only brought happiness so far. That night, he saved us from a horrific fate and today, his company chose me for an internship when I had lost every hope of placement. Maybe he is my lucky charm," thought Shikha, her altruistic mind shrugging away the calls of her intuition as she snuggled into her blanket comfortably.

They had been asked to report to VSTech, Vikram's company, and she had no intention of ruining the first impression with her seniors. Despite her enthusiasm and excitement for the following day, Shikha shut her eyes closed hoping to slip into slumber as quickly as possible so that she could rise early and prepare herself for her day.

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VSTech,

Shikha and the other interns, who were selected the day before, reached VSTech Head Office much before the reporting time, as they were keen on having a great first impression in the eyes of Vikram Singhal. It was known to everyone that the man was punctual and liked others to follow his suit, and they had no intentions of letting him down on the first day.

"Are you nervous, Shi?" asked Rohan, who had seen Shikha fiddle with her dupatta and he was aware it was one of her methods to ease away her nervousness.

"No then, Rohan. After facing so many rejections, I had given up on finding an internship. I want to give my best to this. This is such a renowned company. If we can receive good feedback from here, it will do wonders to our resumes. Do you think we will get to work together?" asked Shikha, hoping that their boss assigned them to the same supervisor so that she would have some known face around her to help her around.

"I really hope so, Shi. Even if I am not, I am just one text or call away. Always. Remember that," assured Rohan, hugging her from her side as she smiled at him.

Vikram Singhal marked his entry at that very opportune moment. He walked in and his stature demanded attention from everyone present and while everyone willingly gave him the attention he sought, Rohan and Shikha appeared lost in each other.

His jaw clenched, and he balled his palms into fists, glaring at the couple in front of him - without a worry and openly declaring their affection for one another. Her eyes haunted him with every breath and it so appeared that, in reality, she had eyes for someone else, much to his annoyance.

Shikha's eyes traveled towards Vikram's fuming form after listening to the whispers around her and she jumped to her feet while pulling Rohan with her, startling Rohan with her knee-jerk reaction. She stepped away from Rohan, and Vikram's lips stretched to form a smirk. The way she pushed her friend away after being alerted to his presence soothed his previously bruised ego.

He signed to Shekhar and moved towards his own office. "Interns, follow me into the cabin," ordered Shekhar, following Vikram's stride.

Vikram took his seat and Shekhar stood next to him, ready to offer any kind of help his boss might need.

"Ankita and Pamela, you will work under Shashank Sharma. Rohan and Simran, you will be working under Roopa Sen. And Shikha, you are with me!" announced Vikram, enunciating the last few words pertaining to his lady with a predatory smirk dancing on his lips.

"Do we have questions?" asked Vikram, for the sake of formality, for he already knew no one dared to question him, but much to his surprise, there was someone who had questioned him.

"Sir, a small request. Um, er, is it possible for me to work with Rohan? I will be more comfortable working around him, as I have never been in a corporate atmosphere before."

Shikha's request as a mere hoarse whisper resulted from her startle when she realized Vikram had chosen her to work with him, and the floodgates of terror opened to reveal the consuming fear which accompanied her as Rajeev's words of precaution rang in her ears.

Shekhar looked at the girl with an arched eyebrow. He had not understood the reason behind choosing Rohan when Vikram had every intention of separating him from the woman of his interest. He hoped Vikram's obsession with the timid girl does not end catastrophically for everyone involved.

Anger was about to take the better of him, but he had reined it, convincing himself he would exact the payback from her in his own sweet way. He knew it was neither the time nor the place to show the consequences of such a request. He had to take it slow if he wanted her for himself, and he knew it.

"Ms. Agarwal, we never change these rosters, and if we start now, it will be unfair to those who requested before you. I am here for you, if you need any help. You can always meet him during the breaks..." said Vikram and mentally added, "If you get any."

"Sorry, sir. I shouldn't have asked that," replied Shikha, after Rohan kicked her for her reckless and unprofessional demand. She wondered, with her heart sinking, if it was the beginning of what Sunaina and Rajeev had warned her against.

Little did she know, Vikram was the obsessed and devoted thorn, and she was the naïve and delicate rose.

Little did he know, in the quest of claiming her, he would turn her into a bleeding rose.

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