Page 49 of The Secret Bride
I entered the dining room to find the table already set, steam rising from covered dishes.
"Good morning, Mamta ji," I said as she appeared with a pot of tea.
"Good morning, sir. I will serve your breakfast now."
As she began uncovering dishes and filling my plate, I looked around the room.
"Where is Viya?"
Mamta ji set a paratha on my plate before answering.
"Viya beta fed Dadi ji her breakfast in her room. Then she left for the office about twenty minutes ago. Her manager called her urgently this morning. She did not even have time to eat breakfast herself."
My hand tightened around my fork.
She had left without eating again. This was becoming a pattern I did not like.
"Did she say what the urgent matter was?"
"No, sir. Just that Vikrant sir needed to see her right away."
I nodded and focused on my breakfast, though my appetite had diminished significantly. Why had Vikrant called her in urgently? Was there a problem with her work? Had something gone wrong with a project?
An uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach.
I finished breakfast quickly and headed to the office, arriving earlier than usual. The building was still relatively quiet, most employees not yet at their desks. I went straight to my cabin andthrew myself into emails and reports, trying to distract myself from thoughts of Viya.
Around ten o'clock, Meera knocked and entered with her tablet.
"Sir, Vikrant and Viya Mehra are here to see you. Should I send them in?"
My heart jumped at the sound of her name.
"Yes. Send them in."
I straightened in my chair, trying to compose myself into professional CEO mode. A moment later, my office door opened.
Vikrant entered first, his expression respectful and professional. And behind him came Viya.
The moment I saw her face, my hands clenched into fists under the desk.
Her eyes were red. Not just tired, but red like she had been crying. Her face was pale, and she was holding her laptop against her chest like a shield.
Someone had made my wife cry.
Vikrant stepped forward.
"Good morning, sir. I apologize for Viya missing her presentation last week due to the family emergency. She has completed all the work and is ready to present her optimization proposal to you today."
Viya's voice was small when she spoke.
"I am sorry, sir."
I forced my jaw to unclench and my voice to remain calm.
"It is alright, Vikrant. Family emergencies take priority. You may leave. Viya can give me the presentation."
Vikrant looked slightly surprised but nodded.
