"There is something about this whole situation which is instilling a sense of impending doom. I hope I am wrong about this," said Shikha in a shaky whisper as they walked out of Vikram's cabin after he had dismissed the interns.

"Hey! We'll be fine," assured Rohan, wrapping his arm around Shikha's shoulder and pulling her closer to himself. "Honestly, the rules, the stoicism of every employee, and our boss' reputation isn't helping me either, but I am sure that we'll make it out just fine! Just like we always do!"

"Why am I posted alone, Rohan?" demanded Shikha, her thoughtful hazel eyes meeting his compassionate brown ones, seeking solace and comfort from her friend. "And why do I have to report directly to the MD?"

"I don't know, Shi! It is better if you do not question him about anything. You know about his short temper, right? It is best to avoid being on the receiving side of it. Besides, you might be posted alone, but he said that we can meet during the breaks and we will!" consoled Rohan, holding her by both her shoulders and grinning at her, prompting her to reciprocate his grin with a weak one of her own before she enveloped him in an embrace.

"You really know how to calm me down, mister! You should have taken up counseling!" whispered Shikha, gratitude gleaming in her eyes.

"What to do, Shi? If I don't calm you down, I might end up dying catering to your tantrums. It's really self-preservation," teased Rohan in a stentorian tone as she chuckled before pulling away from the embrace. "You are impossible!"

"I want you to bury him in so much work that he doesn't have time to breathe, let alone speak to her. Send her in! She has had enough of his company for today!" ordered Vikram through gritted teeth, his intense and penetrating gaze watching her double over with laughter. His balled up fists were struggling to be set free to tear everything down, and yet, like the seasoned businessman and strategist that he was, Vikram Singhal had chosen patience.

"As you say, Sir. I will try to change his working hours as well," said Shekhar, hoping that the change would cause the friends less pain. Vikram nodded at his statement, but his eyes continued to be glued to her.

In the few meets they had over the past few weeks, he had never seen her careless smile intended for him. A helpless frown marring her features was her adornment of choice whilst meeting him. He wanted to turn the tide, irrespective of what it sought from him, and be at the receiving end of her whimsical and graceful smile, which reached her soulful and warm eyes.

The curt knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. He straightened himself up and allowed himself to lighten up. His stoic and unfathomably green eyes with hints of brown had softened up as he voiced his approval for her entry.

"Sir, Shekhar sir said you wanted to meet me."

Shikha's hands fidgeted behind her as she hid the signs of her nervousness from him.

"Yes, Shikha. Please take the seat," said Vikram, pointing towards the seat opposite to him in a gentle tone that was uncharacteristic of him.

Shikha shuffled before as she took the seat with a squeamish smile. She had barely rested herself onto the seat, as if she would have to make the run at any moment.

"So, tell me something about yourself. What do you want from life?" he asked, hoping that she would ease up while answering his questions and divulge information that he could use in his ploy.

"I want to be financially independent, sir. Our orphanage helped us with everything since I was four. I want to make them proud and contribute to the orphanage one day. So far, no one believes that I'm capable, not even my sister. But I want to prove them wrong," she answered, a weak gratuitous smile playing on her lips.

Vikram nodded in understanding, jotting her priorities in his mind. He wondered that if guiding her towards her goal would help her appreciate him, and he knew what to do. He had seen her academic record and he would not have given it a second glance if it was not for his interest in her. Vikram had decided to ambush her with his confidence in her and give her the validation she sought with great zeal.

"You will, Shikha, I am sure. So, I know you are in your final year of B. Tech Computer Science, but what coding languages are you proficient in?" he asked, leaning towards her, setting his plan into action.

"Um, Python, JavaScript, and to some extent Swift," she said with hesitance ringing in her voice.

"Excellent! As you know, my company specializes in DataScience which preferentially uses Python. As a part of your internship, you need to do a few projects with us. Why don't you do the first one in Python? I am sure you would do a wonderful job," said Vikram, relishing the way surprise danced on her features, listening to his confidence in her abilities and his praise of them.

"I will surely give my best, sir. Is there anything specific that you want me to do?" she asked, hints of a smile tugging at the edges of her lips after listening to the words of encouragement from him. After years of struggling to ace her academics and putting up with comments from everyone around her, she had almost given up, especially after the continuous rejections during the placement drive, but his words acted like a ray of hope through the surrounding darkness.

In the view of the blinding light that his encouragement brought along, her fears seemed to have lost their footing as she focused on improving her skills and turning his words into reality.

"I am giving you free rein in this project, Shikha. You may do anything that you deem fit. We do cater many clients and I am sure that we can find a client who could use your project," said Vikram, a victorious glint surfaced in his eyes upon seeing a smile on her face.

She could not believe that he had offered her the chance to market her project. Her smile widened like her eyes, which had turned into saucers.

"Thank you so much, Sir! I will not let you down!" she exclaimed gratefully, cursing herself for questioning his intentions in the past.

"Pleasure is all mine! Oh, the office on the right of mine is yours! There is a laptop and an intercom. If you need anything else, let me know!" he added, shocking her further that they had provided her with an office of her own. She had never heard of such luxuries for the interns, but the wave of excitement coursing through her washed away the suspicion and skepticism in her mind.

"Thank you so much for everything, Sir! I will get to it right away!" chirped Shikha, fidgeting with her hands but with excitement.

"I will see you for lunch. All the best!"

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