[Author's POV]
[Next Morning]
The sun hasn't yet brightened the sky when Aarav wakes up in his king-sized bed, the heavy curtains still drawn. The room is dark, silent, and cold , just the way he likes it. There's no alarm. He never needs one. His mind wakes him up on time, always a few minutes before dawn, always with the same thoughts haunting the edge of his consciousness.
He doesn't go to the gym or straight to the shower like other days. Today is different. He walks down the quiet hallway of the mansion, dressed in black pajamas and a charcoal grey T-shirt. His destination is his study, a room filled with bookshelves, sleek tech, and a large desk that faces a digital monitor. He switches on his laptop without hesitation, muscle memory guiding his fingers across the keyboard.
The screen flickers to life, revealing grainy but live CCTV footage from a street far from his luxurious world, a modest apartment block in a quiet Bangalore neighborhood.
Priya's building.
He leans back in his chair, watching.
The street outside her apartment is still half-asleep. A stray dog stretches near a parked scooter. A milkman walks past, whistling softly. But Aarav's eyes stay fixed on the door waiting, unmoving.
After two hours at 8:01 AM, the latch clicks open.
There she is.
Priya steps out with her bag slung over one shoulder, dressed in a simple salwar suit, her hair tied into a clean ponytail. She doesn't look around. She walks with that same focused, no-nonsense pace he remembers from the office. There's no trace of the fear or nervousness, only quiet determination.
After a minute his men message him that priya gets in the autorickshaw. Aarav exhales through his nose.
He closes the laptop softly. There's no need to watch more. She's safe. She's on time. And today is day two of surveillance, the day Aarav puts things in motion.
By 8:30, he's walking down the grand staircase in a crisp, grey button-down shirt tucked neatly into tailored black trousers. His hair is styled as always not a strand out of place. He doesn't glance at his reflection, he doesn't need to.
In the dining hall, his mother is seated by the glass door, sipping her tea with a serene expression. She lifts her eyes as he enters, mildly surprised.
"You're up early," she says.
"Hmm," he replies, adjusting his cuff. "Got work."
He sits down as the staff serve his breakfast, avocado toast, boiled eggs, black coffee. Unlike usual, there's a calm energy around him today. A rare softness in the eyes.
His father is still out of the country and Aarav enjoys the silence his absence brings. There's a sharper edge to his focus when no one is around to interfere.
He slices into his toast mechanically, mind already working.
She's in the wrong department. Lost among entry-level tasks and boring bug reports. No one sees her the way he does sharp, intuitive, emotionally disciplined. And that's exactly why she belongs with him.
He picks up his phone mid-bite, wipes his fingers with a napkin, and dials a number from memory, Neha Sharma, one of his most efficient junior leads in HR coordination.
The call connects in two rings.
"Good morning, sir," Neha greets, her voice sharp and alert.
Aarav's tone is cool, deliberate. "Morning. I need something set up immediately."
"Of course, sir. What's the requirement?"
Aarav takes a sip of his black coffee before replying, as if he's not in a rush though the storm in his mind is already racing miles ahead.
"I want a presentation-based fast-track program for the interns who joined this month," he says, voice low but firm. "Make it look like an internal talent recognition initiative. Something ambitious. Visionary."
There's a pause.
"Just for this month's interns?" Neha asks, confused.
"Yes," Aarav says, calm as ever. "We'll tell them it's a one-time initiative to identify high performing individuals early. They'll submit proposals or pitch product enhancements, something innovative, ideally aligned with their current projects."
Neha hesitates. "And... the reward?"
Aarav sets his cup down gently.
"The selected interns will be offered early absorption. Skip the six-month wait. Straight entry into AI Solutions under my team or it can be other department as well. Make sure that's highlighted."
"I see. That's a big incentive."
"Exactly," Aarav says, his gaze steady as if he's seeing through the glass walls of the dining room into something far beyond. "We'll attract the best ideas... and the right kind of minds."
Neha's voice grows more confident. "Understood, sir. Should I notify HR and department heads?"
"Right away," Aarav replies. "I want the official email out within two hours. The deadline for presentation submissions will be 24 hours. Make it competitive."
"Got it. And the final selection panel?"
"I'll review the shortlist myself," Aarav says simply.
Another pause on Neha's end. "...All right, sir. I'll handle it personally."
"Good."
Aarav ends the call without saying goodbye, fingers already scrolling through his inbox as if the matter is done.
But in his mind, it's only just begun. Because out of all those interns, there's only one whose presentation really matters. And he's already made sure she'll win. But the truth is simpler.
He just wants her closer. Where he can watch her. Control the pace. Break the distance without ever making a move she could question.
And now, the game begins.
Time: 10:25 AM | Intern Workspace
The office is bright with artificial lights and the quiet hum of machines. AC chills hum softly above. Priya walks in and heads straight to her desk, placing her bag down. The usual morning routine follows — login, open Slack, check for task updates. Her teammates, Tanya, Rohit and Sudeep, are already engaged in half-sleepy banter about some bug from last night.
She quietly joins the flow, opening her design board to revisit the mockups she submitted earlier that morning. Everything feels normal. Until her inbox pings.
Subject: INTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT , FAST-TRACK INTERN PRESENTATION PROGRAM
Her brows pull together as she clicks it open.
---
Dear Interns,Infinitum Tech Solutions is excited to announce a one-time 'Fast-Track Presentation Program' for all interns who joined in the current month.
The objective: Identify highly promising individuals for early absorption into the AI Solutions & Deployment department and other departments.Each intern is invited to submit a presentation pitch — this may include:
• Product enhancement ideas
• Innovative feature suggestions
• Tech-enabled solutions aligned with existing Infinitum projects ,Submissions are due within 48 hours.
Final evaluations will be conducted under the direct supervision of Mr. Aarav, Senior Product Manager – AI Solutions.Selected interns will be offered immediate full-time roles, skipping the standard 6-month internship evaluation cycle.
All the best,
HR Neha Sharma.
---
Priya's mouth goes slightly dry as she re-reads the words, especially the last paragraph.
"Is this... real?" she mumbles.
Tanya turns toward her. "You got that mail too?"
Sudeep swings around in his chair, wide-eyed. "Bro! Full-time in just one month? That's insane."
Tanya frowns. "This is sudden. Why now?"
Priya doesn't answer. Her eyes are still fixed on the email. Is this normal? Is this how companies worked?
She tells herself to stop overthinking. Maybe it's just a coincidence. A lucky break for everyone.
Somewhere across the office, behind a wall of frosted glass and silence, Aarav sits in his cabin, sipping his second coffee of the day. He doesn't need to watch the cameras right now. He already knows she's seen the mail.
He smiles slightly, a soft, inward curve of his lips that no one else sees.
Priya turns her chair slightly, her brows still drawn together, the email open on her screen. "Tanya," she says softly, leaning closer. "Do you think this was planned before? I mean... fast-track hiring? It wasn't mentioned during induction."
Tanya swivels toward her, equally confused. "Yeah, I thought about that too. There was no talk of anything like this last week. And they want full presentations in 24 hours?" She lowers her voice. "Feels... sudden."
Sudeep joins in. "Maybe they're under pressure to fill AI team slots faster."
She hesitates, then clicks her laptop shut.
"I think I'll just go ask HR," she says.
Tanya raises a brow. "You sure?"
"Just to understand the scope... I don't want to mess it up if it's legit."
Time: 10:55 AM | HR Bay — 3rd Floor
The HR bay is cooler and quieter than the rest of the building. The polished floor reflects soft ceiling lights, and the walls are lined with nameplates and clean glass partitions. Everything here feels ordered.
Priya walks in slowly, clutching her notepad as she approaches the HR helpdesk area. Behind one of the desks sits Neha, the intern HR coordinator typing busily and a half-empty smoothie placed beside a pile of printed forms.
She looks up with polite detachment.
"Yes?"
"Good morning ma'am... I'm Priya Singh. I just had a quick question about the intern presentation program. The email said it's a one-time initiative?"
Neha straightens slightly. "Yes, that's correct. It's a new program."
"It wasn't mentioned during induction," Priya says carefully, "so I wanted to confirm if it was something recently planned."
Neha nods, her tone professional but not unfriendly. "It was decided this morning and sent to us for coordination. The company wants to experiment with faster ways to evaluate intern performance. This format allows them to see how interns think beyond their assigned tasks."
"I see. So it's open to everyone who joined this month?"
"Yes," Neha confirms. "Anyone who joined in the current intake is eligible. You can present any idea, a product improvement, a new feature, anything innovative.
If selected, the intern may be offered an early full-time position. The review panel will shortlist the best submissions."
Priya gives a polite nod. "All right. Thank you , Ma'am."
Neha is already turning back to her screen, typing again. "Make sure to read the guidelines in the email. Submissions are due in forty-eight hours."
"I will," Priya says softly.
She turns and walks out of the HR bay, her steps steady and quiet against the floor.
There's no visible reaction on her face, no frown or worry. But her mind is already working, running through possible ideas, trying to assess how much time she'll need to come up with something good.
Just the quiet realization that something unexpected has arrived and she doesn't want to miss the chance to prove herself.
Time: 4:20 PM | Aarav's Cabin
The sun has shifted west, casting a warm, golden hue across the glass walls of Aarav's cabin. The office is quieter now a post-lunch lull has settled over the building, broken only by occasional footsteps in the hallway or the muted ding of elevator doors.
Aarav stands beside the floor-to-ceiling window, coffee mug in hand, though untouched. His gaze isn't fixed on the skyline outside.
It's on the large monitor mounted to the side of his desk, its feed split into four discrete panels, cycling through different angles of the intern workspace below.
One of the frames holds his attention more than the others.
Priya.
She's seated at her desk, her head slightly tilted, one hand absentmindedly playing with her pen while the other scrolls through a document on her laptop. There's a notebook open beside her, filled with hurried scribbles and bullet points.
She looks focused. A little tense. But there's a subtle brightness in her expression, something close to hope. Excitement, even.
Aarav watches her in silence. She taps her pen against her chin, then suddenly smiles softly to herself. Probably an idea. She leans forward, types something quickly.
He slowly exhales, his jaw relaxes. There's something intoxicating about watching her like this. Not afraid. Not guarded. Just... trying. Trying to do her best.
For a position she doesn't even realize has already been decided.
He leans back against the edge of his desk, eyes never leaving the screen.
"Don't be tense, baby..." he murmurs under his breath, a dark softness curling in his voice. "I'm not gonna let you lose."
The words hang in the stillness of his cabin, not meant for anyone but himself. Not meant for her ears, not yet.
Downstairs, she's flipping through more notes, occasionally discussing something with Tanya. The other interns are talking too now. Some laugh. Some furiously typing.
But Aarav's attention never strays.
Only she matters.
She has no idea she's already being moved into place.
No idea that the path she's walking was built by the very man watching her now. He finally takes a sip of his cold coffee, expression unreadable.
There's a knock on his cabin door.
He doesn't answer immediately. His gaze lingers on the screen a moment longer, watching Priya tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes glowing faintly in the light of the monitor. Then he looked at the door.
"Come in."
Time: 4:45 PM | Aarav's Cabin
Aarav is back at his desk now, finally responding to emails or at least pretending to. His eyes still wander to the monitor every few minutes, checking on the interns' floor. Mostly, checking on her.
Just as he's about to switch tabs, his phone vibrates.
Private Line – (private eye)
He answers with a low, clipped tone. "Yes?"
A voice comes through, hushed but urgent.
"Sir... I need to ask something. Did you assign another man to watch over Priya ma'am?"
Aarav's eyes sharpen instantly. "What?"
"I mean... someone other than me?"
He straightens in his chair, his jaw tightening. "Are you out of your mind? What are you talking about?"
"I— I'm sorry, sir," Private eye stammers slightly, clearly nervous now. "It's just... yesterday I noticed a man near her building. It looked harmless. Standing across the road for a while, then left directly opposite Priya Ma'am's building on the third floor of an old building. I thought he was just a passerby or a neighbor."
Aarav doesn't interrupt — but his fingers curl slightly on the edge of the desk.
He continues, more carefully now.
"But today... same guy. Same clothes. He was already outside her apartment before she came out. I didn't think much at first, but I followed at a distance. Sir... he tailed her all the way here. Now he's standing outside the company."
The silence that follows is heavy and chilling. Aarav leans forward slowly, his voice dangerously low.
"What does he look like?"
"Mid-thirties. Average height. Wearing a cap. Carries a phone but hasn't used it but keeps pretending to be on calls though. Keeps his face down."
Aarav's pulse is steady, but there's a cold fire behind his eyes now.
"Listen to me carefully," he says. "Do not approach him. Just stay on him. Watch every move. If he talks to anyone, note it. If he tries to get close to her, I want to know immediately."
"Yes, sir."
The line clicks off.
Aarav sets his phone down slowly, staring at nothing for a moment. The atmosphere in the cabin shifts.
His world, the one he controls with surgical precision, has a crack in it.
Someone else is watching his girl. His jaw clenches. A muscle ticks in his cheek. This isn't about office politics anymore. This isn't even about the plan.
This is personal.
His eyes stay fixed on the darkened glass in front of him, but his mind is already moving — calculating, shifting, preparing.
The man watching Priya...He may not know who he's dealing with.
But he will, soon.
And no one — not even her father — will see it coming.
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To be continued........
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