Chapter 5: Cornered by the Flame

The boardroom at Bharat Electronics buzzed with conversations, laptops clicking, presentation slides changing.

Poornima, dressed in a navy-blue saree, stood confidently near the projector screen, leading the quarterly strategy meet. Her voice was sharp, professional, unaffected.

Until…

“Excuse me,” came a familiar, smug voice from the door.

Her spine straightened instantly. Her jaw locked.

Veeresh walked in, confidently, dressed in a charcoal suit — sleeves folded, ID clipped on, and his smirk in place like always.

> “I’m Veeresh Gowda from IBM — project lead for the new finance-tech integration.”

The room went quiet.

Poornima blinked. He’s part of the joint project?! No. This can’t be happening.

> “Let’s proceed,” she said curtly, ignoring him.

But he didn’t ignore her — not even for a second.

His eyes followed her every movement. His gaze dipped lower than it should have when she turned toward the whiteboard. When a male colleague leaned in to show her some data, Veeresh’s jaw clenched.

She noticed.

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🌡️ Post-Meeting

Poornima walked briskly to the pantry, hoping to escape for a minute. But just as she grabbed her coffee, a voice whispered behind her ear—

> “That guy from earlier... too close, don’t you think?”

She spun around.

Veeresh.

Cornering her in the narrow pantry. The heat between them pulsing in the silence.

> “Move,” she said coldly.

He didn’t.

> “You’re making me cross every line, wife,” he growled lowly.

Before she could step away, his hand gripped her waist — not gently this time. It was a harsh pinch that made her flinch, her breath hitching in frustration and… something else.

> “Veeresh!” she snapped, shoving him away slightly, but he stood still.

He leaned closer, lips brushing dangerously near her ear.

> “Every time you act like you don’t care, I burn a little more. You don’t get it, do you?”

She stared at him — furious, flushed, completely cornered.

> “You wanted an agreement. But now you’ve made me want to destroy it.”

He stepped back slowly, smirking.

> “See you at home, Mrs. Gowda.”

And with that, he walked out — leaving her breathless, rattled, and furious… not just at him, but at herself — for how her heart skipped when he touched her.