Chapter 6 – The War Begins

Avira trudged through the door of her flat, kicking off her heels with a dramatic sigh. "Ananya, remind me again why I need a job?" she groaned, flopping onto the couch like a lifeless body.

Her best friend and roommate, Ananya, peeked out from the kitchen, raising an eyebrow. "Because you enjoy food, a roof over your head, and not being broke?" She walked over and handed Avira a glass of water. "Now spill. What happened?"

Avira sat up and took a long sip before dramatically throwing herself back on the couch. "You won't believe it. First, I literally ran into some grumpy, arrogant, suited-up man in the morning. And do you know what happened? I flirted with him—shamelessly! And guess what?" She paused for effect. "He turned out to be my boss!"

Ananya gasped, then burst into laughter. "No! No way! You're kidding!"

Avira groaned, throwing a pillow at her. "I wish I was! I thought I was just messing with some office employee. But no, it had to be Aditya freaking Singh!"

Ananya's laughter died down as she processed the name. A shadow of concern passed over her face. "Wait… the Aditya Singh? As in The Devil in a Suit? That Aditya Singh? The ruthless businessman who makes grown men cry?"

Avira waved her hand dismissively. "Oh please, he just thinks he's scary. But I'll show him exactly who Avira is."

Ananya watched her for a moment, worry flickering in her eyes. "Avira, are you sure about this? You've already been through so much. Can you handle working under a man like him?"

Avira's playful smirk faltered for a second, but she quickly covered it up with a confident grin. "Ananya, I've handled way worse. A grumpy CEO is nothing. And besides, if he thinks he can boss me around, he's got another thing coming!"

Ananya smiled at her fire but couldn't shake the worry gnawing at her. Later that night, as they were getting ready for bed, she noticed Avira reaching for her sleeping pills.

"Avira…" Ananya said gently, "Don't you think you should try avoiding those?"

Avira froze for a second before forcing a smile. "You know I can't sleep without them, Ananya." She let out a dry chuckle. "I can handle everything—this job, this city, even that arrogant boss. But I can't handle the nightmares." She popped the pill into her mouth and swallowed. "Don't worry, your friend is strong."

Ananya sighed, knowing this was a battle Avira had to fight on her own. "By the way, your parents called."

Avira's face softened. "Oh! I'll call them back." She adored her parents, but conversations with them always came with the unwanted reminder of her past—something she wasn't ready to face just yet.

The Next Morning…

Run, Avira, run!

Avira was late. Again.

Dressed in a soft pastel kurti, her dupatta tied casually around one wrist, hair flowing freely, and bag swinging on her shoulder, she sprinted toward the office entrance, muttering curses under her breath.

"One, I'm late. Two, that idiot boss of mine is going to scold me again. And three—ugh! I need to find a way to start waking up on time!"

Unaware that a certain pair of sharp, dark eyes were already locked onto her.

Standing near his sleek black car, Aditya Singh leaned against the door, arms crossed, watching her. The morning sunlight kissed her face, her expressions shifting between frustration and determination as she dodged passersby.

There was something… different about her. The way she moved, the way she muttered to herself, the way she didn't seem to care about the world watching her.

And that smile—so full of life. Something he had long forgotten.

Aditya clenched his jaw, snapping out of his thoughts. What the hell am I thinking? He straightened, his expression hardening. He had no time for distractions. Especially not ones as troublesome as Avira.

By the time she reached her desk, a thick pile of files landed in front of her with a loud thud.

She blinked at the mountain of paperwork before looking up to see Mr. Khadoos Singh himself, smirking down at her.

"Sort these. All of them," he ordered in his deep, authoritative voice.

Avira groaned dramatically. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Grumpy Singh!"

Aditya's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing!" she said quickly, forcing a sweet smile as she started flipping through the files.

A few moments later, Aditya glanced at his watch. "Where's my coffee?"

Avira let out a dramatic sigh but went to fetch it. When she returned, she handed it to him with an overly bright smile.

Aditya took a sip… and immediately spat it out.

"What the hell is this?!" he glared at her.

Avira, barely holding back her laughter, tilted her head innocently. "Oh, the café downstairs said that Mr. Aditya Singh's demands are out of control, so they politely declined to make it for you. But don't worry! They have invited you to make your own. You are more than welcome." She beamed at him.

His assistant coughed, trying to suppress a laugh. Even his brother, who was passing by, smirked but immediately looked away when Aditya's death glare shot in his direction.

Aditya clenched his jaw, taking a step toward her, voice dangerously low. "Ms. Avira, you seem to forget that you work for me."

Avira folded her arms. "And you seem to forget that I am not your personal barista, sir."

Aditya let out a dry chuckle, but his dark eyes held a challenge. "We'll see about that."

Oh, this woman was asking for trouble.

And just like that, the war had officially begun.