"That's good progress, Shikha. There are a few bugs, which are understandable because you are relatively inexperienced, but that's a good project. Improvise on it and it will be an amazing one," lauded Vikram, genuinely surprised by her growth curve after he vested his trust in her.

Her excitement was contagious as her lips stretched out ear-to-ear in glee. The barely conspicuous confidence, hidden behind the faze of self-doubt, began to gleam in her eyes after listening to his words of praise. She let out the breath she was unknowingly holding and loosened her fingers intertwined in a death grip.

The naivety and transparency in her actions ignited remorse in his shrewd mind. Her glistening, reverent and alluring eyes, which caught his fancy from the second they locked with his, compelled him to drop his gaze and break the tumultuous embrace of their eyes.

"Thank you so much, Sir. I will make the necessary corrections," replied Shikha, earnestly. She could barely contain her excitement to share the compliments with her beloved ones, and to prove them wrong.

Vikram wordlessly nodded at her and gave her a half-smile, unable to string words together to form a sentence that would do justice to her emotions and his apprehensions. He turned around to leave her cabin when the door barged open to reveal an exuberant and flamboyant woman.

"I heard that you were here, so, I rushed here before you could hear the news of my arrival and flee," she stated, making her way towards him.

Flee?

Shikha was surprised to note that Vikram Singhal had chosen flight over confrontation with the woman in front of her. Needless to say, her curiosity was heightened to know about the mysterious woman and the reason why she had such an unusual effect over her boss.

"Niti, you know my answer," replied Vikram firmly. His stiff posture and clenched jaw betrayed his discomfort, and yet, Niti was keen on pursuing the conversation.

"And you know that I do not accept your answer. Why? Do you know how many men I have rejected in your wait?" demanded Niti, stepping towards Vikram as he took a step away from her, much to Shikha's surprise.

"I was clear in my answer, Niti. I don't believe in relationships without the tag of 'marriage' and I don't love you romantically," he answered calmly, hoping that the conversation would not leave a bad impression to Shikha.

"Why? Am I not beautiful enough? Am I not devoted enough? What is it that you desire and that I lack?" she questioned, furiously.

She knew him to be 'the one' when they met at a party organized by her father, who was Vikram's ally, and her father's admiration of the man only seemed to elevate her feelings towards him. Despite innumerable attempts from her and her father, Vikram did not budge.

"You are definitely beautiful, Niti. Undoubtedly devoted and talented. But I am searching for something that was snatched years ago from me, something that reminds me of my first love and it is not your fault that you are not that. I am sorry, but this cannot be," he explained, his gaze seeking the woman who fits the picture like the missing piece of puzzle that he had been searching for.

Vikram's words and his unnerving gaze startled Shikha. The longing in his voice and agony swirling in his eyes revealed the open wounds of the past, and Shikha could not help but wonder if it was somehow linked to anarchic rules that he imposed throughout the area.

"And what if you never find that?" cross-questioned Niti, struggling to contain the sobs that threatened to slip away from trembling lips.

"I know, I will. And I also know that you will find someone who accepts you the way you are instead of expecting to see something that they always wanted," assured Vikram with a rare smile playing on his lips as he began to escort her out of the cabin to avoid startling Shikha further and began to curse Shekhar for executing the plan with Niti without confirming with him once again.

His freshly reignited conscience cursed him for hatching another ploy to catch her fancy, and his insolent and fazed mind refuted the voice of rationality.

Thousands of questions ran in Shikha's mind as she pondered the possibilities.

What was that invaluable thing that was snatched from him that he craved more than anything? What could be the one trait that Vikram Singhal desired?

Troubled by the confusion, she decided to share her woes with her bestfriend and barged into the cabin next to hers, making Rohan jump from his seat.

"Shi, yaar! You scared me!" he exclaimed, straightening himself up, before concern flooded his mind as he took in her troubled features.

"Hey, is everything alright? Did your mentor say something about your project?" questioned Rohan, pulling a vacant chair next to him and signing her to sit, which she gladly accepted.

"He did, but, that is not confusing. Some spurned lover of his came into the cabin today and the apparent reason of rejection is that she did not remind him of someone. He said that something was snatched from him years ago and he wanted it back. How is that even related to proposal?" wondered Shikha, reminiscing the way his burning gaze danced over her features, as if he was memorizing her features.

"Well, I don't know about what he lost. But, I heard that he has a personal reason to enforce the rules restricting the mingling of opposite genders. Maybe he has had a bad breakup in the past and he doesn't want anyone to experience that," replied Rohan, thoughtfully, to which Shikha merely nodded.

"You still didn't tell what he told about your project. You were so tensed yesterday about that, remember?" demanded Rohan, remembering the way she dedicated herself completely to the project to avoid losing his trust on her.

"He pointed out a few bugs, but he said that it was good and if I improvise, it would be amazing," answered Shikha, still in a daze. She still could not understand the reason his eyes sought her out while answering the question, or if it was her misinterpretation.

The unmistakable tingle and the blanket of goosebumps, however, told another tale.

The tale, which began with his fascination towards her, saw a turn of tables as her fascination towards him grew by leaps and bounds.

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