Page 44 of Yes Boss
The elevator doors opened.
She stepped out, the bracelet’s box heavy in her bag, and the question heavier still.
Chapter 11
Chocolate Day
Two days of mysterious gifts had left Ishani feeling off-balance, like the ground beneath her carefully ordered life had shifted. She was sure today would bring something new, and the anticipation made her skin tingle with unwanted nerves.
As she stepped onto the floor, she quickly scanned her desk for any unexpected packages or flowers. There was nothing. Just the neat, clean surface she had left yesterday. Relief mixed with a strange disappointment in her chest as she set down her things and turned on her computer.
The morning dragged on. Each hour without a delivery felt longer than the last. She found herself looking up every time someone walked by, her body tensing at the sound of the elevator doors opening. By eleven, she’d checked her email five times to see if there was any digital message she’d missed. By noon, she’d given up expecting anything at all.
“No special delivery today?” Kavya asked, stopping by her desk on the way to lunch.
“Apparently not,” Ishani replied, keeping her tone deliberately neutral.
“Maybe your mystery man got cold feet.” Kavya shrugged. “Or maybe he’s planning something bigger.”
Ishani’s phone rang just as Kavya walked away. She picked it up, expecting a client.
“Ms. Rao?” The receptionist’s voice made Ishani sit up a little more. “You have a delivery waiting for you at the front desk.”
Her heart jumped unexpectedly. “What kind of delivery?”
“The kind that smells absolutely amazing,” the receptionist replied. “I’d bother you to please come and collect it. I am running short on staff today.”
Ishani glanced toward Raghav’s office. His chair was empty. At a management lunch meeting she’d scheduled it herself. He wouldn’t be back for at least an hour.
“I’ll be right down,” she said, rising from her desk.
In the lobby, the receptionist handed Ishani a shiny black box tied with a deep red ribbon. The box felt heavy in her hands. There was an elegant design covering the lid that Ishani instantly recognized—Marzipan Magic. It was a fancy chocolate shop known for being so exclusive that they didn’t even have a storefront. You had to book a reservation months in advance to get their chocolates.
“Someone likes you very much,” the receptionist said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “I heard they don’t even take new clients without a referral.”
Ishani accepted the box, fingers tightening around it. “Did you see who delivered it?”
“A courier service. Very professional. Card’s attached to the ribbon.”
Sure enough, a small envelope was tucked beneath the bow. Inside was another cream card with the a printed note: “Sweet things for someone who hides her sweetness.”
She carried the box back upstairs, setting it on her desk. The ribbon came away easily, sliding against her fingers like water. When she lifted the lid, the scent hit her first—rich chocolate mingled with spices. Cinnamon. Cardamom. Rose.
Inside the box were twelve beautiful chocolates, each one a tiny work of art with colorful designs. Ishani’s heart raced as she recognized the flavors—cinnamon-spiced ganache, rosewater truffle, cardamom dark chocolate, honey-saffron praline. These were all her favorites. She had only mentioned them once, during a late dinner with Raghav three months ago, when they had shared dessert after wrapping up the Jakarta presentation.
Raghav?
Her heart jolted right out of her chest.
Her fingers hovered over the chocolates.
The elevator chimed, and she quickly closed the lid, though not quite fast enough. Raghav emerged, earlier than expected from his lunch meeting. His eyes fixed immediately on the black box on her desk, his expression darkening with what looked like irritation as he approached.
“Another delivery?” His voice was deceptively calm, but something in his tone made her spine straighten.
“Yes,” she replied, meeting his gaze steadily.
Raghav’s jaw tightened. “My office. Now.”
