Dhiviya hummed her favorite song as she drove to the office, enjoying the peaceful morning. She slowly pulled into the parking lot, but her mood soured instantly when she spotted the BMW parked next to her car. It was Athavan's car, which could only mean one thing—Anjana was here early.
She scowled. "Why is that thick-skinned cousin of mine at work so early?" she mumbled to herself.
Dhiviya had tolerated enough of Anjana's antics. Maybe it was time to take back what rightfully belonged to her.
With renewed determination, she stepped into the office. However, something felt off. The entire Raj Sekaran family was gathered there, including Anjana's arrogant elder brother, Navin.
Anjana turned the moment she saw Dhiviya and snapped, "Why are you so late?"
Dhiviya raised an eyebrow and gave her cousin a puzzled look. She glanced at the office clock—she was actually twenty minutes early.
"What crazy stunt is this snake trying to pull now?" she thought but chose to ignore Anjana. Instead, she walked over to the punch card machine, took her card, and stamped her arrival. Calmly, she made her way to her desk.
Her officemate, Punitha, was already there, busy printing some documents. Dhiviya leaned in and whispered, "What's going on?" She still refused to acknowledge Anjana's irritated glare.
Punitha looked up in surprise. "Meeting in five minutes. You didn't get the memo?"
Dhiviya shook her head.
Punitha gave her a knowing look and stole a glance at Anjana. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "That snake girl sent everyone a memo last night, asking them to come early for a meeting. The boss has another appointment later, so he wanted to see us fifteen minutes ahead for an important announcement."
Realization hit Dhiviya. Anjana must have deliberately excluded her from the memo, hoping she'd miss the meeting and get into trouble. Unfortunately for Anjana, her plan had failed. Dhiviya's early arrival had ruined her scheme, and now she was lashing out unnecessarily.
Smirking slightly, Dhiviya turned to Anjana. "Ah, Anjana, my husband wants his car back. Here's your car key." She reached into her handbag, pulled out the Bezza's key, and extended it toward her cousin. "I'll take his car key now."
Anjana's face twitched in irritation. For the past week, she had been spreading all sorts of rumors about Dhiviya's wedding. Some said her husband was a poor foreigner, others claimed he was an uneducated village boy, or even a temple priest. Meanwhile, she had been flaunting Athavan's BMW as if she had bought it herself. To avoid exposure, she had actively avoided Dhiviya all week. Today was no different—she had tried causing trouble just to prevent this exact conversation from happening.
But now, with everyone watching, she had no choice but to return the key.
Dhiviya had been feeling mentally weak for the past week, struggling with her confusion about Athavan's true nature. His strict yogic lifestyle had made her doubt everything. But after everything that happened over the last two days, she had gained some clarity.
Athavan wasn't just some temple-going hermit—he was highly educated, a software developer, and financially independent. He had businesses back in his hometown and wasn't dependent on his father's wealth in Walaysia. His grandfather was a well-respected Ayurvedic Grandmaster, which explained his disciplined lifestyle. However, the biggest revelation was Athavan's guilt over his mother's death. His ascetic lifestyle wasn't just about spiritual discipline—it was his way of punishing himself.
Maybe, in three months, things would change.
A small smile curved on her lips as she recalled the way Athavan had mocked her family yesterday. He wasn't emotionless like she had thought.
To Anjana, however, that smile felt like mockery. Her worst fear had come true—everyone now knew that the luxury BMW belonged to Athavan, the man she had spent the week ridiculing. The onlookers around them now had a new question in their minds—was Athavan really the loser Anjana had claimed he was?
Anjana's resentment boiled over as she snatched her car key from Dhiviya. With clenched fists, she reluctantly handed over the BMW key.
Navin quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. "Alright, everyone, let's head to the meeting room. My dad is waiting!" he announced with a sly grin.
As everyone moved toward the meeting room, Navin subtly gestured for Anjana to stay back. Once the others were out of sight, he leaned in and whispered, "WhatsApp me the car number and the car photo. Where did you park it?"
Anjana's eyes lit up with understanding.
"Relax," Navin murmured. "I won't let that low-class dog drive a better car than us. If we can't drive it, she won't either. Let's see how she walks home tonight."
Anjana smirked, finally feeling some relief, as Navin walked away toward the meeting room.
Inside the meeting room, Raja Sekaran stood at the head of the table and spoke in a firm tone. "Everyone, listen carefully. I'm sure you've all seen yesterday's headlines. AD Tech is offering a golden opportunity. They are outsourcing multiple projects, and at 9 AM today, their open tender list will go live. Any company or individual can submit their bids. Since their deadlines are tight, they are desperate for resources.
Now, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that we have heavy competition. The good news? We aren't limited to submitting just one tender. We can bid for multiple projects.
To capitalize on this, I'm forming a task force under my son, Navin, to analyze and compile a list of viable projects. This will be our top priority. I expect full cooperation from everyone."
Without waiting for any questions, Raja Sekaran walked out, leaving his employees with mixed feelings.
A project from AD Tech was exciting, but under Navin's leadership? That was a nightmare.
Navin was notorious—lazy yet cunning. He never did any real work, always passing it onto others while claiming all the credit. He was like a hybrid of a lazy pig and a scheming wolf. Unfortunately, Dhiviya was often his favorite victim.
Navin strolled toward the main seat in the meeting room, flashing his usual smug smile. Dhiviya knew she was about to be assigned an unfair workload.
As expected, he said, "Dhiviya, you heard what my dad said. I need the full project list by noon. No excuses. Just get it done."
Dhiviya stood up without a word and walked toward the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Navin barked.
"To start gathering data. The website goes live in five minutes," she replied flatly, keeping her emotions in check.
Navin smirked. "Oh, okay. Carry on."
Inside, he was already planning his next move. "Let's see how she walks home tonight," he thought darkly.
The End.