[Scene: Toast of Royals, Udaipur – Staff Lounge, 7:13 p.m.]
Arjun stared at the call log on his phone like it was a ticking bomb.
Arjun (thinking):How the hell do I get Trisha Singhania to show up here… face Reeva… and not stab me later for lying about a board meeting that doesn't exist?
He took a deep breath, glanced at Yashika across the room—who raised an eyebrow at his pacing—and finally dialed.
Trisha (answering, slightly irritated): "Monty?"
Arjun (voice steady, all-business): "Board meeting tomorrow. 11 a.m. sharp. You need to attend in person."
Trisha (groaning): "Can't I just Zoom in with some CEO energy and chai? I have a thousand things lined up here."
Arjun: "Nope. We need signatures. Legal forms. Physical presence. No proxies."
Trisha (suspicious): "Can't Reeva sign those? She's a co-founder too."
He froze. His eyes darted to Yashika like he was signaling a sniper in a heist film.
Yashika (jumping in smoothly): "I wish only Reeva's signature were enough…"
Trisha (frowning): "What do you mean?"
Yashika (casual, acting like she wasn't lying through her diamond-polished teeth): "Reeva's donating 1% of our profits to an NGO supporting queer youth. It's beautiful, but since it involves company funds and annual charitable disclosures… we need both co-founder signatures. Yours included. Audit stuff. Legal compliance."
A pause. Long enough for hearts to race.
Trisha (softer, surprised): "She's donating to an NGO?"
Yashika: "Yes. Quietly. Didn't even want a press release about it."
Another beat of silence.
Trisha (finally): "Okay. I'll be there tomorrow."
Arjun (quickly): "Great. Looking forward to seeing you."
Trisha: "Don't. You sound weird. Bye."
Click.
Arjun exhaled like he'd just survived an assassination attempt.
Yashika (collapsing into a chair): "We are officially con artists. Elite edition."
Arjun: "No regrets. They need to see each other."
Yashika: "You think this'll fix things?"
Arjun: "I don't know. But ignoring each other hasn't worked either."
Yashika (arms crossed): "If Trisha finds out there's no board meeting…"
Arjun: "We'll both be six feet under. In designer coffins. With monogrammed death certificates."
Yashika (deadpan): "Reeva cannot know either. She still thinks the meeting's legit."
Arjun: "Exactly. If she even suspects it's a setup, she'll either ghost the meeting… or murder us with one of those deadly stilettos she wears."
Yashika (smirking): "Both our girls are CEOs with rage issues and emotional repression. Are we playing matchmakers or signing our own death warrants?"
Arjun (grinning): "Probably both. But at this point, I'll take spontaneous combustion over this arctic-level cold war."
They clinked coffee mugs like it was a blood pact brewed in espresso.
[Moment Later – Same Lounge, Yashika sipping coffee]
Yashika (absently): "Also… Tanvi will be coming too."
Arjun (raising a brow): "Who? Tanvi? Trisha's PA?"
Yashika (guilty): "Uh nuhh…"
Arjun (grinning): "You suck at lying."
Yashika: "You just lied on call to Trisha five seconds ago."
Arjun (mock offended): "I prefer the term 'strategic miscommunication.' Now spill—what's the deal with Tanvi?"
Yashika (hesitating): "Nothing. Yet. But… we like each other. I guess."
Arjun (leaning back): "Huh. Cute."
Yashika (defensive but flustered): "It's not like a thing-thing. It's just… soft. Quiet. New. I don't even know if it's real yet."
Arjun (softly): "That's how it starts. The best ones always feel like they're sneaking up on you."
Yashika (smiling): "Tell that to Reeva and Trisha."
Arjun: "Oh, I intend to. Right after we survive this grand emotional ambush."
They both laughed, a rare moment of ease amidst all the storm clouds brewing in their boss-ladies' hearts.
And somewhere deep inside, both silently prayed that tomorrow's "board meeting" would either fix everything—or finally blow it all up so something new could grow from the ashes.