The office door opened.
Sia stepped out first, followed by Ram, both still engaged in their rather unfinished argument.
"I'm telling you, your team needs to learn how to behave professionally," Sia remarked, adjusting her sleeve.
Ram gave her a sideways glance. "That's interesting coming from someone whose team seems to consider every disagreement a personal war."
"At least my team knows how to make decisions."
"And mine knows how to follow them."
"Debatable."
"Very."
They continued walking, neither willing to give the other the satisfaction of winning the argument.
"We should call the Braves as well," Sia said. "If we're going to make this decision, I'd rather have all three teams present."
Ram nodded. "Fine. But I hope you're prepared to explain to your team that this is a professional discussion."
Sia stopped.
"Mine?"
Ram gave her a look.
"Yes. Yours."
She opened her mouth to respond, but the words never came.
Because both of them had finally reached the corridor.
And what they saw made them question every decision that had brought them to this building.
Dev's shirt was still bearing the evidence of his earlier encounter with coffee, while Saraswati stood in front of him, arguing with the determination of someone defending an entire kingdom.
"Can you just admit that you're impossible?" Saraswati snapped.
"Can you just stop acting like I'm responsible for every problem in your life?" Dev replied.
"You are responsible for at least half of them!"
"That's an impressive achievement. I didn't know I occupied so much of your time."
Saraswati looked ready to throw something at him.
A little distance away, Durga sat directly opposite Shiva. Her eyes were fixed on him with an expression that suggested he had personally offended her.
Shiva, meanwhile, seemed entirely unbothered.
He was comfortably seated with a book covering almost half his face, wearing that familiar, irritatingly calm smirk.
Apparently, even existing in the same room as him was enough to disturb Durga.
And then there were Krish and Radhika.
Radhika had returned from her cabin, but peace had clearly decided not to accompany her.
Krish stood nearby, looking far too entertained for someone who had been involved in the earlier incident.
"Are you planning to stare at me all day, Ms. Chaos?" he asked.
"Are you planning to speak all day, Mr. Flirt? Because I can arrange a permanent solution to that."
Krish raised an eyebrow.
"Threatening me already? I thought we were making progress."
"Then stop testing it."
He gave her an amused smile.
And just like that, round two had begun.
The employees had stopped pretending to work.
Some were whispering near the reception, others were exchanging messages, and a few had already created group chats that were becoming increasingly active.
One employee typed:
Is this an office or a reality show?
Another replied:
Forget the work. I need to know what is happening between those two.
A third message appeared almost immediately.
Team Mr. Flirt or Team Ms. Chaos? Vote now.
The poll was created.
The employees were horrified.
But not horrified enough to stop watching.
Sia stood frozen for a moment.
Ram looked from Dev to Saraswati, then towards Durga and Shiva, before finally settling his eyes on Krish and Radhika.
Neither leader spoke.
Vaani, standing a little behind them, slowly looked at the corridor, then at the two leaders.
She had seen enough.
In fact, she had seen more than enough.
She quietly opened her tablet and made a mental note to take a very, very long break.
Ram finally turned towards Sia.
"These are your professionals?"
Sia looked at him.
"Well, your are actually more professional then mine
Pause
In creating chaos." Sia said with a smirk.
Ram's jaw tightened.
"I haven't even said anything."
"Your face has."
For once, Ram had no immediate response.
Vaani glanced at the employees, who instantly returned to their desks the moment they noticed the leaders watching.
Sia took a deep breath.
"EVERYONE!"
The corridor fell silent.
Saraswati stopped mid-sentence. Dev straightened his shirt. Durga looked away from Shiva, who lowered his book just enough to observe the sudden change in atmosphere.
Krish and Radhika, however, were still looking at each other.
Sia was looking at Radhika with eyes,'you were the incharge.'
"I'm dead." Radhika muttered.
"Don't worry I'll save you."Krish replied with a smirk.
"But who will save you", Radhika replied looking at Ram who was looking at Krish like he can kill him any second now.
Krish's smile disappeared immediately.
Sia closed her eyes for a brief second.
This was going to be a very long day.
Ram and Sia stood in the middle of the corridor, their expressions growing darker with every passing second.
Neither said a word.
They didn't need to.
Dev slowly adjusted his shirt. Saraswati suddenly found the floor very interesting. Durga leaned back in her chair, while Shiva calmly returned his book to its original position. Krish and Radhika, who had been seconds away from starting another argument, finally stepped apart.
Every single member knew that silence.
It was the kind of silence that promised consequences.
Ram looked at his team once before turning towards Sia. She returned the look with an equally displeased expression.
They hadn't said anything to each other about the punishment awaiting their respective teams, but somehow, everyone knew it was going to be difficult to escape.
Vaani watched the entire scene with a rather unimpressed expression.
These two have absolutely no right to lecture their teams about professionalism. They were practically having their own argument inside the office.
She cleared her throat.
"Since everyone seems to have finished their very important discussions, may I have your attention?"
All eyes turned towards her.
"The Braves will be reaching in half an hour. Both teams are requested to move to the conference room and remain there until further instructions."
A brief silence followed.
Half an hour.
With these two teams.
Vaani looked at the corridor once again, then at Sia.
For the first time that morning, she seriously considered asking for a salary increase.
Perhaps double.
She was going to need it.
Writing
The conference room was finally ready.
A long glass table occupied the centre, surrounded by comfortable chairs. The Queens had settled on one side, while the Kings occupied the opposite side. Files, tablets and a few untouched water bottles were arranged neatly across the table.
For once, the room almost looked professional.
Almost.
Saraswati was busy whispering something to Durga, Radhika was scrolling through her phone, and Sia was reviewing the documents placed before her.
Across the table, Dev was still examining the unfortunate condition of his shirt.
"You're still looking at it?" Krish asked, glancing at him.
Dev gave him an irritated look. "Would you prefer I look at you?"
"Depends. Am I looking particularly handsome today?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Before Krish could come up with another reply, the conference-room door opened.
Jai and Veer entered.
"Finally!" Jai exclaimed, pulling out a chair.
Saraswati's head shot up.
"JAI!"
She almost jumped out of her seat, but Radhika caught her wrist just in time.
Saraswati turned towards her with an offended expression.
"What?"
Radhika gave her a pointed look and subtly gestured towards the Kings.
Behave professionally.
Saraswati understood the message, although her expression suggested she strongly disagreed with the restriction.
"Fine," she muttered, settling back into her chair.
Jai, meanwhile, was enjoying the entire exchange.
"Missed me that much?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Saraswati replied, though the smile on her face betrayed her.
Durga exchanged a warm smile with Veer.
"Long time," she said.
"Too long," Veer replied.
Two pairs of eyes across the table noticed those smiles.
Dev looked away, pretending to adjust his sleeve.
Shiva remained behind his book, but the slight shift in his expression suggested he had noticed something too.
Krish, of course, noticed everything.
He leaned towards Dev.
"Should I be worried? Seems like our opponents have already started recruiting."
"Can you keep quiet for five minutes?" Dev muttered.
"That's a very unreasonable demand."
Before Krish could continue his commentary, another person entered.
Purav.
His gaze travelled across the room before settling on Radhika.
His face brightened.
He gave her a playful wink.
Radhika responded with a small smile.
Saraswati noticed it immediately and nudged Durga under the table.
Durga simply raised an eyebrow.
Across from them, Krish's attention shifted towards Radhika for a moment before he leaned back in his chair.
Interesting.
He didn't comment, though the faint expression on his face suggested he had plenty to say.
Purav took his seat beside the Braves.
Vaani, who had been standing near the entrance with her tablet, looked around the room.
Everyone was finally present.
She began placing water bottles in front of each person.
One.
Two.
Three.
By the time she reached the last chair, she had developed a strange feeling that the bottles might be the most useful things in the entire meeting.
"Everyone settled?" she asked.
A few nods followed.
"Wonderful. Let's begin before someone finds another reason to argue."
Sia placed her file on the table and straightened in her chair.
"Since we're discussing a possible collaboration, I think we should begin with introductions. We all know some of the people here, but not everyone. Let's make it official."
She looked around the table.
"I'm Sia, leader of the Queens."
Her voice was composed and confident.
Radhika followed.
"Radhika. I handle hacking and technical operations."
"Saraswati. Racing and design."
"Durga. Protection."
The four introductions were brief, but each carried the confidence of someone who knew exactly what she brought to the table.
Sia then gestured towards the other side.
"Let's move to the Braves."
Jai leaned forward.
"Jai. Racing."
"Veer. Protection."
Finally, Agni introduced himself.
"Agni. Strategy."
His eyes met Sia's for a brief moment. She acknowledged him with a small nod, and he returned it.
Ram watched the exchange without comment.
Vaani made a small note on her tablet before turning towards the Kings.
Ram straightened slightly.
"Ram. Leader of the Kings."
His introduction was as brief as Sia's.
Then came the next member.
All the queens were taking sip of the water from the bottle.
Krish leaned back comfortably, resting one arm on the chair.
"Krish. Hacking and technology."
Dev finally managed to recover.
He looked at Krish, then at Radhika.
"Well, congratulations. We came here for an alliance and apparently found a wedding announcement."
"Dev," Ram warned, although the amusement in his voice was difficult to hide.
Krish leaned forward, his usual confidence slowly returning.
He looked at Radhika with a curious smile.
"Love of your life, Ms. Chaos?"
Radhika pointed a finger at him.
"Don't you dare."
"Why? I'm just trying to understand my new responsibilities."
"You have no responsibilities!"
"That's disappointing. I was beginning to feel special."
"Krish. Hacking and technology."
The moment the name left his mouth, three pairs of eyes turned towards him.
Sia froze.
Radhika's fingers tightened around her water bottle.
Durga blinked, then slowly turned towards Sia.
For a brief second, the three of them simply stared at the man who had just introduced himself.
Krish?
This name looks too familiar to be ignored.
Flashback
Sia was busy looking at her ankle and moving it. Then looked at him ," What ? She is not interested in you, Purav. Stop wasting her time and yours... well I don't care about your time."
Purav asked Sia," But why?"
" Why do I care about your time? Dumbass." Sia replied frustrated.
Purav asked, " No ..no.. I mean why can't she be with me. I mean ...any specific reason."
Sia's anger rising with each question." Yeah because she doesn't like you."
Purav replied," Not possible. I worked with her all these days. It doesn't seem like that."
Now Sia's anger which was on last stage but she could not hold back and said loudly," Cause she love someone else and his name is Krish. Love of her life so, bro you better waste your time on someone else."
Radhika stopped, still putting her phone near her ear and turned around.
" What the hell? Who is this Krish now?"
(Author : Well now you know. Who is krish Radhika .)
Not that Krish.
Surely not that Krish.
Beside them, Saraswati frowned, trying to understand their sudden silence. Then her eyes widened.
"Wait… Kri—"
Durga's hand immediately flew over her mouth.
Saraswati's muffled protest was the only sound between them.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Radhika slowly turned her head towards Sia. Her expression remained perfectly composed, but her eyes carried a very clear message.
I'm going to kill you.
Sia gave her the smallest, most apologetic smile she could manage.
Sorry.
Durga kept her hand firmly over Saraswati's mouth, silently begging her not to make things worse.
Across the table, the Kings exchanged confused glances.
"What?" Dev whispered to Shiva.
Shiva shrugged. "How would I know? I only heard my teammate introduce himself."
Krish looked from one Queen to another, his eyebrows drawing together.
"Is there something particularly interesting about my name?"
"Nothing," Radhika replied immediately.
"Absolutely nothing," Sia added, a little too quickly.
Krish narrowed his eyes. "That sounded convincing."
"Then stop asking questions," Radhika said.
Before Krish could respond, everyone reached for the water bottles Vaani had placed on the table. The Kings, still confused by the Queens' strange reaction, began drinking.
That was when Purav leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting from Radhika to Krish.
A familiar smile appeared on his face.
"So…" he began casually, pointing towards Krish. "Radhika, he is the love of your life?"
Silence.
A spectacular, absolute silence.
And then—
The Kings choked.
Dev coughed so violently that he had to put his bottle down. Shiva turned away, trying to recover his composure, while Ram, who had been drinking peacefully until that exact moment, suddenly found himself regretting every sip.
Krish just stilled.
Krish stared at them.
"What on earth?"
Dev raised a hand, still coughing. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
Shiva patted his back with an expression of complete seriousness. "Congratulations, brother."
Krish turned towards him. "For what?"
"For finding out about your love life before the rest of us."
"Shut up, Shiva."
Dev finally managed to recover.
He looked at Krish, then at Radhika.
"Well, congratulations. We came here for an alliance and apparently found a wedding announcement."
"Dev," Ram warned, although the amusement in his voice was difficult to hide.
Krish leaned forward, his usual confidence slowly returning.
He looked at Radhika with a curious smile.
"Love of your life, Ms. Chaos?"
Radhika pointed a finger at him.
"Don't you dare."
"Why? I'm just trying to understand my new responsibilities."
"You have no responsibilities!"
"That's disappointing. I was beginning to feel special."
On the other side of the table, Saraswati had finally escaped Durga's hand. She looked at Purav, then at Radhika, and a slow grin spread across her face.
Purav caught her eye.
For a moment, they shared a knowing look.
He was amused, certainly. But beneath that amusement was a tiny flicker of disappointment. He had once hoped Radhika might look at him differently. And now, apparently, there was a man sitting across the table who had somehow been given the title of the love of her life.
Saraswati noticed the brief change in his expression, but wisely decided not to comment.
Radhika, meanwhile, looked ready to bury herself beneath the conference table.
"Purav," she said sweetly.
"Yes, Radhika?"
"Do you value your life?"
"Depends. Is this about the question or the answer?"
"Both."
Purav laughed, lifting both hands in surrender. "I was only asking! You should be happy. Your love of life is sitting right here."
"Purav!"
Krish leaned forward, finally finding his place in the conversation.
"Wait a minute." He looked at Radhika, a mischievous smile slowly forming. "Love of your life, Ms. Chaos?"
Radhika closed her eyes for a second.
Of course.
Of all the people in the room, why did it have to be him?
"Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Flirt."
"I'm not flattering myself. I'm simply trying to understand why my name caused such a dramatic reaction."
"Maybe your name is unfortunate."
"Or maybe someone has been talking about me."
"Trust me, nobody would waste their time."
Krish placed a hand over his chest, pretending to be wounded. "That hurts. Especially coming from the supposed love of my life."
Saraswati burst into laughter.
Durga lowered her head, hiding her smile behind her bottle.
Sia, who had been trying very hard to look innocent, suddenly became extremely interested in the papers in front of her.
Ram noticed.
"Something tells me," he said, looking at Sia, "that you know more about this than you're letting on."
"Something tells me," Sia replied without looking up, "that you should mind your own business."
Dev finally recovered enough to join in.
"Krish, I must say, you have impressive achievements. We've barely started discussing an alliance, and you've already secured a lifelong relationship."
Shiva nodded thoughtfully. "And here I thought he was only good with computers."
Krish shot them both a warning look. "Are you two finished?"
"Not even close," Dev replied.
Shiva leaned back. "Should we congratulate you now or wait for the wedding invitation?"
"Try saying that again."
"Wedding invitation?" Shiva repeated innocently.
Dev nearly laughed into his bottle.
Krish looked towards Ram for support. "At least our leader has some sense."
Ram calmly placed his bottle on the table.
"Don't involve me."
"Come on, Ram."
"I have no intention of getting involved in your personal matters."
Dev's grin widened. "Personal matters?
Listen to him. He's already distancing himself from the wedding."
Shiva added, "Perhaps he's worried he'll have to give a speech."
Ram gave both of them a cold look.
"Would either of you like to leave this conference room?"
"See?" Dev whispered to Shiva. "Even the leader is nervous about the wedding."
Krish leaned back, looking thoroughly betrayed by his own team.
"I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Correction," Shiva said. "You're surrounded by people who know your future better than you do."
Radhika finally put her bottle down.
"Can we please return to the actual reason we're here?"
"Of course," Krish replied, turning towards her with an innocent expression. "Anything for you."
"Don't."
"Whatever you say, love of my life."
"Krish!"
The conference room erupted into laughter again.
Vaani, standing near the screen with her tablet, stared at the twelve people around the table.
She had expected introductions, professional discussions and perhaps a few disagreements.
Instead, she had somehow witnessed a surprise engagement, a team-wide water disaster and a series of threats.
She quietly opened her notes.
Meeting agenda: Alliance discussion.
Then, after a pause, she added another line.
Survival strategy: Required.
Because if this was how they behaved before the meeting had even begun, she could only imagine what the actual alliance discussion would look like.