“Yes, I am fine,” Priya snapped back from her trance, keeping her eyes on her lap.
She didn’t want to look at him with so many emotions swirling inside her head, making her feel overwhelmed.
“See Priya, I know I am the last person you would trust to confide in, but if you feel anything is wrong, you should speak up. Even if I’m the last person you want to turn to, I’m still the only person you have, because you have no one else,” Priyank’s words pierced through her thoughts.
‘You are not the only person. You make sure of it by forcing others out of my life,’ Priya answered silently in her heart.
She didn’t understand why he wanted to know if she was comfortable when he knew how his presence made everything worse.
Suppressing the urge to say anything, she didn’t want to break the fragile illusion he was trying to create.
Priya remained silent, her mind tangled in a web of conflicting emotions. She couldn’t shake off the feeling of being suffocated, trapped in a reality she never asked for.
As Priyank resumed his work, Priya’s gaze drifted back to the window. The view outside seemed to mock her, a cruel reminder of the freedom she longed for but could never attain.
If she thought deeply, she didn’t know where she went wrong in her life to end up like this.
Always a good child, helpful, never once a rebel. Always obedient, never thought or did anything wrong to anyone.
And yet, here she was.
Her life had taken a turn for the worse, everything going wrong, as if she was being punished for something she never did, or perhaps didn’t even know she did.
Knock! Knock!
The door was knocked, and Priyank responded, “Come in.”
“Sir, you need to check these files,” the door opened, and a young man entered.
He handed the files to Priyank, standing in front of him, the table creating a barrier between them.
Priya looked in their direction, noticing how the man’s feet were trembling.
And why wouldn’t they? Priyank was undoubtedly intimidating. She couldn’t understand how he was the boss or owned the company, where people worked for him. She would prefer death over working for him.
As Priyank flipped through the files, his expression remained unreadable. Priya couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for the young man standing before him, clearly trembling under Priyank’s imposing presence.
She watched silently, feeling a surge of resentment towards Priyank for instilling such fear in his employees. It was clear that his authoritarian demeanour had created a toxic work environment.
“This shit you call a file, bastard,” Priyank forcefully threw the file at the man’s face, papers scattered everywhere. The man stood there, unfazed by the outburst.
Priya gasped, her hand covering her mouth to stifle any sound.
Fear gripped her as bile rose in her throat, leaving a bitter taste. She couldn’t help but notice how he didn’t treat anyone like a human, neither her nor the people around him, except for his mother.
“Tell me, what crap did you come here with? You wanted to waste time, huh?” Priyank asked loudly, his eyes filled with fury.
Work meant everything to him, and any mistakes or slackness from his employees infuriated him. He couldn’t contain his anger when things didn’t go right, considering the huge sums he paid for efficiency.
But his employees seemed determined to raise his blood pressure with their incompetence.
As Priyank’s rage simmered, Priya felt a surge of sympathy for the man standing before them. She couldn’t fathom how anyone could endure such humiliation and mistreatment.
Priya glanced around the office, taking in the tense atmosphere.
“Sir, I’m sorry, I’ll fix it,” the man softly spoke as he began collecting the papers from the ground. Priya caught a glimpse of his face as he moved towards her, keeping his eyes low as if afraid of some terrible consequence.
And with Priyank, anything was possible.
Priya noticed his bleeding nose from where the file had struck him. Her hands trembled, wanting to help, but Priyank’s anger paralyzed her.
“You better get it right, or I’ll show you what happens when you slack off,” Priyank arrogantly threatened as the man stood up after collecting the files.
“Yes, boss, I’ll assemble the team and work on it,” the man responded nervously.
“I expect that file to be in my inbox within an hour.”
“But…”
Before the man could finish, Priyank hurled the glass ball from his table, narrowly missing the employee’s feet.
The man flinched, clearly shaken by Priyank’s display of aggression.
“I’m not paying you to defy my orders. When I say I want it in an hour, I mean it. Get it done or I’ll throw you out along with your so-called team. I won’t tolerate people wasting my time,” Priyank growled, his fingers gripping his hair as he struggled to control his anger. He wanted nothing more than to smash the man’s face in.
He noticed how Priya’s eyes had been fixed on the scene since the man entered.
Though not in the wrong way, he still resented her attention being diverted elsewhere. When they were alone, she’d been gazing out the window, but now she seemed entirely focused on them.
Despite his fury, he refrained from directing it at the man. He could see how the man kept his eyes lowered, ignoring Priya’s presence as if she didn’t exist in the room.
It was perhaps this act that saved his life; otherwise, Priyank might have acted rashly.
He despised incompetence, and those who dared to offer excuses were the worst.
Priyank clenched his jaw, struggling to rein in his anger.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before speaking again. “You heard me. Get it done, and don’t make any more excuses,” he ordered, his tone dripping with disdain.
The man nodded quickly, his eyes still fixed on the ground. Priyank watched him for a moment longer before turning his attention to Priya, who was staring at him with a mixture of concern and disapproval.
“What?” he snapped, his irritation flaring up again.
Priya shook her head, her expression softening slightly. “Nothing,” she replied quietly.
“Then what the hell are you staring at? Do you have something to say?” Priyank growled.