So far:
Tamil took Nila home and introduced her to his parents.
Now:
For the past two days, Tamil had been extremely busy with a tender submission at work.
When the office landline rang, Nila picked it up.
"Hello, Nila? Why isn't Tamil answering my calls?" Raji, Tamil's mother, asked.
"Aunty, he's preparing an important tender document. That's why he's unable to take calls," Nila replied politely.
"Alright. Tell him to eat the lunch I packed for him. He skipped breakfast too," Raji said with concern.
"Okay, aunty. I'll make sure he eats," Nila promised and hung up. She then took Tamil's lunch box and walked into his cabin.
"Sir, aunty called. She said you skipped breakfast, so please don't forget to eat lunch. Here it is," she said.
"Mhm… just keep it there. I'll finish this and eat in five minutes," Tamil replied without looking up. Nila nodded and left.
A few hours later, Tamil called her back into his cabin.
"Nila, please scan this quotation price and keep it confidential. Seal it in an envelope and courier it to this address. Today's the last day. Don't forget," he instructed, handing her the document.
"Sure, sir," Nila said and took it carefully.
That night, Tamil stayed late at the office to finish the work and finally reached home exhausted.
"Why are you so late?" Raji asked as she opened the door.
"Sorry, Raji, I got delayed," he said.
"Fine, come eat something."
"No, I'm too tired," Tamil said, heading to his room.
"Just a few bites, at least," Raji insisted. But he didn't respond and went inside.
The next morning, to avoid getting scolded again, he forced himself to eat a little breakfast and left early for the tender submission.
At the tender opening venue, the officer announced:
"This tender site received ten quotations. We'll announce the top three bidders now. Third place goes to Mr. Tamil."
Tamil froze.
"Second place, Mr. Durai — with just a ten-rupee difference from Mr. Tamil," the officer said.
Tamil's heart sank. He immediately realized — someone had leaked his quotation amount. "That's it… the tender's gone," he muttered, dejected.
Durai too looked puzzled. "Who came first, then?" he asked.
"The winner of this tender — Mr. Balasubramanian, father of Mr. Tamil," the officer announced.
Tamil stood stunned for a moment before realizing what had happened. When the event ended, he went straight to the office.
He called Nila into his cabin.
Seeing the tender papers in his hand, Nila smiled. "Sir, did we win the tender?"
Tamil's expression was cold. "Do you even know how we got it? I trusted you so much, Nila! Do you have any idea how important this tender was? I worked day and night without rest, and you— you leaked the quotation!"
"Sir! What are you saying? I didn't tell anyone!" Nila's voice trembled.
"No one but you and I knew the price. And you expect me to believe you didn't leak it? You already agreed to pretend to be my girlfriend for money — maybe you did this for money too! If you wanted it, you could've just asked me. Don't stand in front of me — just leave!" he shouted, his anger blinding him.
Tears welled up in Nila's eyes as she turned and ran out.
"Nila, what happened? Why are you crying?" her colleague Nandhini asked.
"It's nothing… just a headache. I'm going home," Nila said, grabbing her bag and leaving, tears still rolling down.
Thinking about how harshly he had scolded Nila, Tamil regretted it.
"Maybe I lost my temper too much," he thought with guilt, and then he too left for home.
When he reached home that night, his father greeted him excitedly. "Hey, Tamil! Congrats, son!"
"Thanks, Dad. But how did you even manage to quote the right price?" Tamil asked, puzzled.
"Yesterday, Nila called and said, 'Uncle, Tamil hasn't been eating properly or sleeping for the past two days. He's been really busy with an important tender. He's just finished preparing the quotation amount and gave it to me. This tender means a lot to him, and he'll be very disappointed if he doesn't get it. So I downloaded the quotation form and brought it home. If you can just fill in the amount in your name and give it to me, I'll courier it right away,'" Tamil's father explained.
As he finished, Tamil's heart sank — he realized how terribly wrong he had been — she had done everything for him.
Just then, his friend called. "Tamil, that guy Durai bribed someone at the government office and got your quotation details. That's how he knew your amount!"
That was the final blow. Tamil felt crushed with guilt.
"I went too far… what have I done? Because of my anger, I accused her unfairly," he said to himself and quickly texted Nila:
"I'm so sorry, Nila. Dad told me everything. I should never have doubted you or spoken like that. I understand how hurt you must feel. As punishment, I'll do anything you ask — please forgive me. It'll never happen again."
Nila read the message and replied:
"Sir, I had so much respect for you. But today you proved you're just like every other man. If your father hadn't explained, you would've never believed me. You think women like me will do anything for money. When you asked me to act for money, there was a reason behind it. But when I do something sincerely, you assume I'm greedy. I can't forgive you. But I can't quit my job either. So yes, I'll continue working — for the money you think defines me."
Tamil's chest tightened as he read it. He replied again:
"You're right, Nila. I now understand how cruel my words were. I'm ashamed of myself. Please forgive me. I promise I'll think before I speak — not just to you, but to anyone. Once again… I'm truly sorry."
Nila didn't reply. But as she read his message, a small sense of calm returned to her. At least he understood, she thought with a sigh.
The next morning, Tamil reached the office early, hoping to see her. But Nila quietly avoided him all day.
Later, Tamil told Nandhini, "Tell Nila I'll be late today — I'm attending the tender success party." Then he left.
Moments later, Nila arrived. "Madam, Tamil sir asked me to tell you he's gone to the party. He'll be back in the evening," Nandhini said teasingly.
"Nandhini, you know everything that happened yesterday. Why tease me?" Nila frowned.
"I know, but poor sir. He's been looking for you all morning, completely miserable. He only spoke harshly out of anger — don't hold it against him," Nandhini said kindly.
Nila sighed. "I know. Every word he said still echoes in my mind. It'll take time for me to forget. But… the only comforting thing is that he realized his mistake right away and had the humility to apologize — even to someone who works under him. For that, my respect for him… has come back."
Will Tamil and Nila reconcile?
Will this first clash between them become the first step toward love?
To be continued…