Page 15 of Yes Boss
When she returned from escorting her to the lobby, Raghav was waiting by her desk. “Come into my office,” he said, holding the door open.
She followed without comment. Inside, she stopped where she always did, hands loosely folded, expression composed. If she’d just diffused an emotional landmine, it didn’t show.
“What did you tell her?” Raghav asked, genuinely curious.
“That you were in meetings all day,” Ishani replied evenly. “And that I’d make sure her concerns reached you.”
“That’s it?”
“I suggested we speak somewhere private,” she added. “Public spaces escalate emotions.”
He studied her. “And that worked?”
“Most people calm down once they feel heard.” She paused. “She was upset, but not unreasonable. Once she felt heard, she calmed down.”
“You gave her no details about my schedule?”
“Of course not.” A flicker of something like offense crossed her face. “I simply told her that creating a public scene would benefit neither of you, and that she deserved more than a false accusation.”
“False accusation?” Raghav raised a brow.
“You’ve never been in a relationship with her.”
The certainty in her tone caught him off guard.
“How can you be so sure?”
She met his gaze without hesitation. “You wouldn’t choose her.”
The room went still.
Raghav studied her, impressed despite himself. Where his previous assistants would have panicked or called security, Ishani had handled the situation with a composure that matched his own.
“Thank you,” he said finally. “That could have been... complicated.”
Ishani nodded once. “Is there anything else you need, Boss?”
That “boss”—formal, distant—suddenly bothered him. “No. That’s all, Ishani.”
“It’s my job,” she said simply, turning to leave.
As she returned to her desk, Raghav remained standing, watching her through the glass. She busied herself with whatever task had been interrupted.
By Friday, Raghav had to admit something had changed.
He found himself creating reasons to keep Ishani late. Reports that weren’t urgent, questions that could have waited, meetings that stretched longer than necessary because he kept asking for her input.
“The Singapore presentation needs a complete restructure,” he told her Friday evening, even though the current version was already approved. “Can you stay back?”
“Of course.” No pause. No question.
Saturday brought another excuse.
“I need briefing material for Monday’s executive committee. The usual templates won’t work.”
She stayed again. Hours past closing.
Evenings settled into a pattern he didn’t question at first—working side by side, ordering dinner when it got late, conversation drifting once the work slowed. He learned she’d played chess competitively in college. She discovered his fondness for classic literature. Small details, exchanged in the quiet of an empty office while the city lights came on outside the windows.
