Chapter 1

Nandini's hand clenched tightly around the edge of the piece of papers that she was holding. She stared at it with complete rage. If looks could burn, then no one would have seen the papers again. She was working as an intern for experience before applying to her dream company. She just received her monthly feedback and it was exactly in contrast to what she was expecting.

She closed her eyes, gulped and inhaled a deep breath, she looked at the piece of paper in her hand once more with hope it wouldn't be what it was. But it was not going to change. The report she submitted was covered with scribbling of red pen, indicating numerous mistakes and her feedback was horrible. Too personal to be honest.

Nandini could feel an acidic taste build up in her mouth. Her eyes rapidly scanned the pages again and again as she re-read the awful remarks. It happened for the first time in her entire intern life.

"How are you exactly planning to monitor such a risky and sensitive project? How can you manage the site with so many dangers popping up? You don't seem to glance at the plan properly before submitting the plan.

Your previous report says you're a capable worker but you left no room apart from questioning their judgment. Because your plan and report regarding this project is abysmal. I hope you had gone through the policies, rules and regulations of our company before joining.

According to the policies of our company, the facilities have to be inspected on a yearly basis to determine if they meet industry regulations or not. As I reviewed your plan, your proposed procedural changes do not fall within the budget nor the required time constraints. Is this how you plan on our company meeting our legal requirements?

Did you even bother to check if the labor hire companies listed were licensed? Do you want us to face a slavery lawsuit? I wonder how you overlook such a crucial detail. Also it was not the only one. If you go through the plan submitted, you'll find plenty of them. Your work ethic is so poor and reviewing your research and proposals is a waste of time. I'm surprised you even know how to staple a stack of papers together.

I'm not at all sorry to add this, you don't meet the standard of our company. I surely have to look after the process you joined here and the panel who hired you. Or did they hire you as a quota filler? The nepo quota?"

As Nandini read the terrible offending comments once again about her work, she knew who it was made by. She knew from the very time she read it.

Manik. Manik Malhotra. It was Manik Malhotra who reviewed her work.

Nandini completed her graduation and applied to the main branch of 'Micro Yard'. She was aware that Manik Malhotra was the shareholder of this particular company. More precisely, he had the highest amount of shares. He almost owned the company. She believed her luck could not get any worse.

Manik was the same person whom Nandini hated even before she knew the meaning of hatred. He was the son of her father's friend who happened to be the feudal landowners of one of the states. Currently Manik had taken over all the businesses his father owned so as the feudal one. It was his idea to invest in the tech business which proved to be a nice venture for them.

Nandini was desperate to get an internship[, so she blindly applied for entry to each and every company that had a vacancy. She didn't even bother to check about the owners and other stuff. It was not only her, her friends, Alya, Dhruv and Aryaman too applied here. To their luck, all of them were selected here and she didn't think twice before joining 'Micro Yard' and that's how she landed with Manik as her boss.

Technically, her boss was the legal department's manager Mrs. Sen, but her fate had something else stored for her.

Previously, Manik never bothered to step into the head office of this particular business as he was busy taking care of their real estate business and feudal properties while 'Micro Yard' was run by his maternal cousin, Kabir. But God knows for what reason, he decided to take care of this company at this moment, overseeing his other jobs. He decided to be here for the exact 6 months, the same 6 months when Nandini was supposed to work there.

Manik couldn't be any more surprised when he glanced at the list of newly appointed interns for the legal department and he realized Nandini was working in his company as his employee. He immediately self-appointed himself as her boss and she was now reporting her case assistance and legal regulation compliance work directly to him.

Mrs. Sen, the head of the legal department was surprised as well because Manik Malhotra never really bothered about these matters before. She tried to reason that his focus needed at some other matters more but he was the owner after all and the owner's say was final.

Nandini Kapoor was screwed in every sense....

Nandini was trying her best not to give him any scope to complain, regarding her work but he was a pro when it came to finding errors in her works. And now, after reading the latest load of pure and utter bullshit he had written in the name of reviewing her work, her temper crossed the boundary which she was holding back through a single thread and it was broken already.

Her temper was soaring astronomically high. She stood up from her desk with a jerk and pushed back her chair so hard that it fell to the floor, tearing the silence of the office. Each and every head of the room turned towards her, they looked up to see what had broken the silence. But she was in no fucking mood to entertain them. She cared about exactly nothing.

"Fuck him! Fuck his company! And fuck his job!" Nandini cursed, gritting her teeth angrily.

She marched towards Manik's cabin and pushed the door of the corridor so hard that it made a banging sound. She royally ignored the shocking audible gasps from her colleagues behind her. She stormed down the hallways in a blind rage.

Not even a week back when this sort of unprofessional behavior was unheard of from Nandini. She couldn't even think of making any scene in her work place no matter how ruthless Manik was, how he was testing her patience or how he was getting into her nerves. She appreciated herself for not losing control over herself when he provoked her. She would've never lost composure, dramatically thrown open doors or stomped around in rage. But she couldn't afford suffering in silence anymore.

Manik was surely being a dick to her. To only her. On purpose!

At that moment, Nandini couldn't wish for anything else but to strangle him alive to death in his own office.

"I'm done playing nice." She thought.

Nandini stormed up towards Manik's cabin, clearing two interns coming in her direction and quickly moved out of her way to avoid getting steam-rolled by her. She entered the elevator at the end of the corridor and slammed her finger onto the number of floor Manik was at, fuming as the elevator doors shut. Nandini was still clenching tightly onto the papers she was handed with a vice-like grip.

The moment the elevator pinged and the doors opened, Nandini resumed her storming down the hallways till she reached Manik's cabin door. She didn't even bother to knock as she said to herself that she had enough of being with him when he didn't deserve her goodness. She pushed the door with all her strength, let it swing open and hit the wall inside with a loud bang. Nandini strode straight inside the office and slammed the door shut behind her.

Manik was engrossed in his work. He looked up from his laptop and raised an eyebrow. He looked amused rather than shocked at her arrival. It seemed he was waiting for her arrival only. Soon his lips curved into a smirk.

"Nandini..." He took her name calmly. It was too calm unlike other times. He leaned his back to rest on his comfortable leather chair and entangled his fingers together. "You seriously need to learn the basic etiquettes along with your work."

His remark worked as the last pin of the coffins. She bristled at his words.

How dare he act so smug!