The Client’s Angry

My Cruel Love.

(Maya had it all under control—or so she thought. With confidence in her stride and her designs ready, she stepped into the biggest meeting of her career. But when Mr. Daniel opened the file… every page was blank. Gasps filled the room. Maya was stunned, Abir was furious, and Arman? He just sat there, calm and cold, watching her fall apart. Someone tampered with the designs—but who? And why now?)

Maya's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Arman. He was staring right back at her, his expression mocking—as if to say, "What happened, Miss Maya? Where did all your confidence go?"

Mr. Daniel: Mr. Harman, what's going on here? Where are my designs?"

The room fell into a tense silence. Everyone was momentarily frozen, unsure of what had just happened. Abir quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation.

Abir: "Mr. Daniel, please, have a seat. I promise everything is under control. Maya personally handled your designs—everything is ready. It looks like there's just been a file mix-up. Give us a moment to clear this up."

Maya: "Please don't worry, Mr. Daniel. I personally put together your design portfolio. I just need a moment—I'll go get the correct file."

Mr. Daniel seemed to calm down a bit. He looked at Maya and said,

Mr. Daniel: "Alright, Miss Maya. I'm giving you twenty minutes. I want the correct designs in front of me by then."

Maya (humbly): "Thank you so much, Mr. Daniel. I'll bring them immediately."

Then she turned to Arman and said, "Sir, can you please come with me?"

Arman stood up silently and calmly. He turned to Miraj and said,

"Miraj, please arrange some drinks and snacks for our guests. We'll be back shortly. Dad, you stay."

His father nodded in agreement. Then Arman, Maya, Abir, and Tanisha left the room together.

They went straight to Maya's cabin and began searching thoroughly. Maya and Tanisha turned the place upside down, but the file was nowhere to be found. Arman remained expressionless—silent, as if none of this was happening. He quietly went to his own cabin and sat down. The others followed him.

Abir: "What now? And where did both those files even go?"

Tanisha (hesitantly): "Sir, if you don't mind me saying something…"

Abir: "Go ahead."

Tanisha: "I think someone deliberately removed the original files and replaced them with similar-looking fake ones. Otherwise, how could this have happened?"

Maya: "But I left the files on my desk yesterday before leaving. I locked my cabin myself, and the keys never left me. I even unlocked the door myself this morning. Everything looked fine. I don't understand what could've happened in between."

Tanisha: "So where did the original design files go? These duplicate ones don't contain any designs at all."

Arman (seriously): "What's the use of saying all this now, Miss Tanisha? Even if someone tampered with the files, Miss Maya is still responsible. How could she be so careless?"

He then looked directly at Maya, who was still standing with her head bowed.

Arman: "Well, Miss Maya? Confidence gone now? Couldn't carry out your responsibility properly? Skill alone isn't enough—you need accountability too, the ability to safeguard your work."

Abir dropped onto the sofa, head in hands, overwhelmed and lost for words. Maya didn't respond to Arman. Instead, she stepped forward and said in a calm, steady voice:

Maya: "Sir, may I please have the key to your wardrobe?"

Arman raised his eyebrows at that, surprised. Even Abir looked up, confused by her unexpected request.

Maya simply stood there, hand outstretched.

Without a word, Arman walked over to his drawer, took out the wardrobe key, and placed it in Maya's hand. A part of him wanted to see what she'd do next.

Maya walked over to the wardrobe, unlocked it, and took out two files—along with a small box. After locking the wardrobe again, she turned and walked back to Arman, holding the files out.

Maya: "Here are the original design files. The ones I left on my desk were just copies of these originals. These contain all the actual designs. I made copies as a precaution, just in case something went wrong. I never imagined it would actually come in handy like this."

Abir jumped up and took the files from her, flipping them open anxiously.

Abir: "Oh thank God! Yes, it's all here—every single design! I can't tell you how relieved I am. I I thought I was going to pass out!"

Arman too took the files from Abir and began inspecting them. His eyes widened slightly—everything was perfectly in place. He was stunned. He had completely underestimated Maya.

Maya: "Before I left yesterday, I came to your office, Sir. You weren't there—maybe you were in the bathroom. Since I was running late, I left the original files inside your office cabinet without informing you."

She then walked over to Abir and opened the small box, pulling out a memory card.

Maya: "Here, could you please connect this to the projector in the meeting room? I've prepared videos for each outfit type separately—it'll make the presentation easier to follow."

Both Arman and Abir looked at her in awe. Neither had imagined Maya would prepare something like this. Arman especially felt humbled—his earlier judgment of her was entirely wrong. But instead of embarrassment, he felt proud. This girl really does have talent, he thought. And she proved it through her actions.

Abir: "Alright then, let's go. We're running late—Mr. Daniel must be waiting."

Arman handed the files back to Maya and walked out, the others close behind.

Back in the meeting room, Arman took his seat while the rest followed. As soon as Maya entered, Mr. Daniel asked impatiently:

Mr. Daniel: "Miss Maya! Where are my designs?"

Maya approached him with a smile and placed the files on the table in front of him.

Maya: "Here are your designs, sir. Everything is included."

Then she quietly took her seat. Mr. Daniel looked around at everyone, then picked up the files and started flipping through them. The moment he turned the first page, his stern expression melted into one of pure satisfaction.

Everyone in the room let out a collective breath of relief—everyone except Arman and Miss Disha. Arman remained as unreadable as ever. But Disha's previously cheerful expression faded into disappointment as she saw Mr. Daniel's delighted face.

It felt like she'd just suffered a huge blow.

To be continued…