Chapter 13 - Rumors at Work

🕘 Monday Morning – Zed Corp Office, 9:04 AM

The energy in the office was unusually chaotic for a Monday. Coffee machines were working overtime, printers were jamming like DJs at a rave, and half the tech department was pretending to "debug" things while whispering like schoolgirls.

Rohan Malhotra stepped into the office, half-tucked shirt and a leftover yawn, and immediately sensed something was off.

"Why is everyone looking at me like I forgot pants?" he whispered to Dev.

Dev raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't check Slack, did you?"

"I just woke up. Why?"

Dev pulled out his phone and showed Rohan the company group chat—specifically the meme someone had posted two hours ago.

🖼️ A grainy photo: Two shadows kissing through a window.📍 Caption: "Who's the mystery couple from the villa trip? 👀👀 #ZedCorpScandal"

Rohan's soul left his body for a full three seconds.

"That's… that's not us, right?"

"Well, it's not me and Aanya," Dev said. "And unless the hotel staff had a romantic getaway with Diya, I'm gonna bet…"

"Oh God," Rohan muttered.

He collapsed into his chair and covered his face with both hands.

"It's fine," Dev said, patting his back. "Just deny everything."

"That works when you're a politician. Not when your secret girlfriend is the CEO's daughter."

🧾 Meanwhile – Ishita's Office, 10:12 AM

Ishita Rajawat sat at her desk like a queen during wartime—smiling professionally, typing elegantly, while half the department peeked into her cabin pretending to need paper.

Diya texted her from across the room:

Diya: "We are so exposed 💀"

Ishita: "How bad?"

Diya: "If this were a K-drama, we'd already have a jealous ex plotting revenge and a dramatic elevator kiss."

Ishita: "Great. Just what I needed."

"Ma'am," her assistant poked in, "do you want me to delete the post?"

"No. Let them have their tea."

She sipped her actual tea—calmly.But inside? A full-blown fire drill.

🔁 Lunch Break – Rooftop Cafeteria

Rohan sat with his tray—rice, dal, shame.

Ishita joined him a moment later. A few heads turned. One guy choked on his juice.

"Are we… really doing this?" he whispered.

"You mean sitting together like functional humans? Yes."

"They're all staring."

"Let them," she said, popping a grape in her mouth. "We've been hiding. Maybe this is the universe leaking our secret for us."

"Or maybe it's a prank by Ajay."

"Hotel guy?"

"He has the vibe."

She laughed. The kind of laugh that made half the office staff blush and wish they were the ones sitting across from her.

"So," Rohan said. "We come clean?"

"Not yet. Let them burn with curiosity."

📣 The Real Trouble — 3:47 PM

Everything was fine… until Mr. Rajawat, the CEO, walked into the open office floor.

Everyone froze like they were auditioning for Mannequin 3.

He strode past Rohan, past Dev, and stopped in front of the HR cabin.

Then turned.

His eyes fell on Rohan.

And held.

Long enough for Rohan to internally write his resignation, plan a backpacking trip to Himachal, and maybe become a monk.

Then, the CEO walked away without saying a word.

"That's worse than yelling," Rohan whispered.

"Maybe he didn't see the photo," Dev offered.

"Oh, he saw it," Rohan muttered. "He invented CCTV before it was cool."

📱 Text Later That Night – 10:01 PM

Rohan:

We might be in trouble.

Ishita:

We've always been in trouble.

Rohan:

You're surprisingly calm for someone whose dad might disown her.

Ishita:

He hasn't, yet.

Rohan:

…Yet.

Ishita:

You're worth it.

Rohan:

You're insane.

Ishita:

And you love it.

He smiled at the screen. And for a moment, the noise quieted.

Let them talk.Let them gossip.Because behind the rumors… something real was finally taking shape.