Shikha felt more conscious than ever when hushed whispers surrounded her. She looked at her reflection in the pristine and spotless mirror-like glass of Vikram's cabin to look for anything that could attract the kind of attention that she was receiving. She appeared a bit flushed, but nothing outlandish. Shikha pulled the veil tightly against her, covering her more than she would normally prefer, as she walked towards the cabin assigned to her by Vikram.

She opened the door as quietly as possible, to avoid garnering any more attention than she already was. The immaculate designing of the room had left her in awe. The cabin was much smaller than Vikram's cabin, quite understandably, but larger than her own bedroom which she shared with her sister. She could not understand the lavishness bestowed upon her, and she had no reason to complain.

She settled onto the luxurious leather chair behind the mahogany desk filled with everything she could need, letting excitement and nervousness wash over her senses in a way she could have never fathomed. It felt like dream-come-true moment and she resolved to not let Vikram down. 

He had been the first one to appreciate her talents and place his complete trust in her abilities. She felt the urge to impress him and make him proud overpower every other emotion running in her mind. She opened the laptop placed in front of her, one of the high-end models and the latest launches of the year. It did seem like employee satisfaction ranked very high on Vikram's interests.

The idea of satisfaction made her delve into the concept of sentiment analysis which she could use to develop a project for his company. He did mention that his company catered large number of clients, and sentiment analysis was touted to be pathbreaking in customer service. She began looking around to help her customize her idea to cater the needs of the company.

"Hey Shikha, I am Sukriti, Vikram Sir asked me to guide you about your project. How is it coming?" asked the tall and confident lady, who walked into her cabin. Shikha stood up in a courteous gesture, and turned the laptop towards her.

"I was thinking about developing something related to Sentiment Analysis. We did something similar in our college, and I thought it could be useful to the company as well," answered Shikha, eager to know her views about her idea.

"Well, I think you should choose something easier, Shikha. Our data set is humongous and expecting this program to function with that, for a beginner like yourself, I don't think that's right. Moreover, we have the top brains of the state working on something similar to this, for our company and I have seen your grades in the college. Choose an easier project," replied Shikha, her condescending tone and desperately sweet tone making Shikha's skin crawl and her eyes began to sting with tears.

"Okay, Ma'am. I will think of another project soon," exclaimed Shikha, trying to cover her disappointment at the discouragement from her supposed advisor.

"Yes, do hurry up! I'll be on the first floor, if you need me," stated Sukriti, before walking out of Shikha's cabin.

The broken pieces of Shikha's confidence, which she had painstakingly rebuilt after listening to Vikram's kind words, had disintegrated once again. Her self-esteem crumbled and she could feel her mind going reeling with the words she had heard from Sukriti. Vikram's words began to resonate in her ears but they were soon overpowered by Sukriti's derisive words.

She stared blankly at the monitor, hoping to be salvaged from the demons ravaging her mind. She did not want to let Vikram down, and it seemed that she had already let him down. Like clockwork, the door opened suddenly, revealing the man himself.

"Hey Shikha, I thought you would appreciate an early lunch, and maybe we could discuss your ideas over some appetizing food," he drawled, stopping midway as he analyzed her expressions and her broken state.

"Hey, what happened? Is everything alright?" he prompted, stepping closer to her side as she rose from her seat as a mark of respect.

"Nothing, Sir. I was just overwhelmed by everything," she said, hoping that he would accept his life and praying that he would not, that he would question her about it and erase her worries once again.

"It does not look that way. Someone said something, isn't it? Who is it?" he demanded, leaning towards her, allowing her earthly fragrance and barely there perfume to overwhelm his senses.

"It's fine, Sir..."

"I need a name, Shikha."

"Sir, Sukriti Ma'am said that I should try some project which is in my league. She is right, I was trying for the unattainable," she answered timidly, looking down at their feet, realizing how close they were.

Vikram pulled his phone from his blazer and quickly dialed a number, without replying to Shikha. "In Shikha's cabin. Right NOW!"

"Sir? Sir, it is not her fault," argued Shikha, realizing that he had called the woman, who had broken her newly formed wings. A part of her relished his protectiveness and the other was scared for the woman, who was going to be at the receiving edge of his fury.

"I had sent her to guide you to the path you have chosen, if she cannot do that, she should restrain from demotivating you as well. She needs to know that," retorted Vikram, his lips set into thin line as his eyes conveyed his fury to her.

"May I come in, Sir?" muttered Sukriti, appearing visibly scared.

"What is it that I am hearing, Sukriti? You discouraged her instead of providing proper guidance as I had instructed. Is this the way you motivate our interns, Sukriti?" he demanded, leaning against the desk as he scanned her whimpering form.

"I am sorry, Sir. I was just being straightforward," replied Sukriti, almost moved to tears.

"Apologize to her," he remarked, surprising both the women in the room.

Shikha would never admit it, but, she knew that she wanted to hear to that apology from the woman who thought she could get away after damaging her self-esteem. 

"Shikha, I am sorry," mouthed Sukriti, looking at Shikha impassively.

"Great! You are fired. You have one hour to clear the premises. We don't need services of someone who does their job as badly as you do," announced Vikram, pushing himself off the desk and straightening his blazer, as if he had just commented about the weather.

"Sir?" the ladies questioned in unison. Shikha did not want the matter to cause the other woman to lose her job.

"You heard me. Get out of my sight!" barked Vikram, sparing her one last glance before she nodded her head curtly, and walked out of the cabin.

"Sir, you did not have to fire her. She just did what she thought was right," argued Shikha, knowing the importance of employment very well.

"Oh, I had to fire her after what she did. She had no right to hurt you or your feelings. She deserved it. Now, can I offer to treat you with some amazing dessert from the nearby cafe to elevate your mood?" he asked, leaving her with a loss of words. He seemed to be the knight-in-shining armor and after what he had done for her, she did not have the heart to refuse him nor the guts to see what would happen if she disappointed him in anyway.

As she picked her purse up, Vikram smirked and noted internally to reward Sukriti lavishly for her participation in the act which helped him secure his image in her heart, and also an impromptu date.

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