Page 53 of No Boss
Deliberately.
He watched her write it down.
Naina choked back another laugh, her hand over her mouth.
“From tomorrow,” Abhinav continued, meaning every word, “I want daily reports on Haveli operations. On my desk by eight. Every morning. Comprehensive.”
Meera looked up. Their eyes met. “Comprehensive,” she repeated.
“You know what the word means.”
Her mouth curved, just barely. “Yes, Boss.”
The tone said she knew exactly what it meant, and that he might regret it.
She closed her notebook, turned, and walked out.
The room fell quiet just for a moment. Then Naina buried her face in her hands.
And Abhinav’s composure, held together with discipline and habit, finally gave way.
His laughter broke free.
Full. Unrestrained. Raw.
As if something long locked away had found a crack and rushed through it. His head tipped back, shoulders shaking, the sound unlike anything that had left him in months.
Sarita’s hand rose to her chest. She watched him. Did not speak. Did not move.
Her son laughed as he once had, before grief and control had taken over. Her eyes filled. She blinked against it, careful not to disturb the moment.
Naina lowered her hands, staring at him as if unsure what she saw.
Abhinav exhaled and tried to steady himself. He straightened, pressed his lips together. The smile remained, refusing to leave.
“She’s something,” he murmured.
He picked up his tea.
Sarita and Naina stayed silent.
When he looked up, his mother was still watching him. And in her eyes, clear and open, stood something he had not seen in a long time.
Relief.
???
Meera worked through the night.
Comprehensive, he had told her. She intended to deliver exactly that.
By morning, she had thirty-seven pages. Meticulous. Exhaustive. And just a little bit vengeful.
She placed the file on his desk at 7:45 and walked out.
At 8, he entered.
At 8:10, she stood in front of him again.
