Mumbai, Shyna Chauhan was seen making her way to a delivery point on her pink scooter. She was struggling to find her way through the congested traffic of Mumbai. The diverse traffic of this city included motorbikes, cars, donkey carts, autorickshaws, taxis, cows, and bicycles, to name a few. Although Shyna’s scooter looked worn out, it was still carrying the load of several pizza boxes. “Beep, beep, beep!” Shyna had her hand on the horn button, and with her other hand, she was directing the…

her education there. Despite not having a bachelor’s degree, she was more talented than the rest of her competitors. Her education in the States made her fluent in English. She didn’t just have good language skills but also good cognitive aptitude and emotional intelligence. She had various work experiences at a young age, enough to make her stand out from the other applicants. Shyna was confident, good at public dealing, and could perform tasks under enormous pressure. Her diverse multitude of experiences made her…

how things would go in the interview. Finally, it was the day of her interview. She woke up at the right time and was standing before her wardrobe. “Umm, what should I wear? A white shirt paired with a blue skirt or black trousers?” Shyna was thinking to herself about what she should wear that day. After a lot of brainstorming, she finally decided what to wear. She wore a white collared blouse tucked inside a blue pleated chiffon skirt that flowed just below her knees…

off her brow with her dupatta (a draping scarf) before bending down and picking up Shruti’s wet kurti (Eastern-style short shirt) out of the bucket with fresh laundry she had just finished doing. She wrung out the excess water and stood up on her toes. She then flung the kurti onto the clothing line to air dry under the harsh sun. It had been two days since her interview and encounter with Mr. High-and-Mighty. She felt her flushed cheeks reddening even more when…

back in his chair, confident that his business proposal would be accepted within the week. Mr. Kaiser was a very difficult client, but he had very deep pockets and the fame that Aiden needed to establish himself in Hong Kong. Having him on board as a key investor and shareholder in his company would give him an edge in the market there. He should be ecstatic, yet all he could think and see was the girl manning the desk down the hall to his office…

bup from the contract he had been deeply engrossed in to find Shyna smiling down at him standing in front of his desk, her iPad and notebook in hand, dressed smartly in a flowy silk skirt that came down to her calves with a broad brown belt buckled around her trim waist, followed by a silk button up tucked into her skirt. Her hair was in a high ponytail with errant strands framing her smiling face. “Oh boy, she looks like a dream.”…

returning home was greet her mother. Shyna’s mother was paralyzed and couldn’t walk on her own. So, she would move from one place to another with the help of a wheelchair. Shyna used to take her mother’s wheelchair to the kitchen to talk with her while cooking, where they would discuss everything that happened throughout the day. Today was no different. “So, how was your day, Mom?” Shyna asked her mother while stirring the curry with a spoon. “It was fine. It’s just that…

anticipating her test results. She did her best on that test but was still unsure if it would meet the job criteria. The third day after giving the test, Shyna was busy singing a song and doing the laundry when suddenly, her phone started ringing. Ring! Ring! The loud ringtone of her phone took her aback. As soon as she heard it, she rushed to pick it up, leaving the half-sorted clothes on the floor. Shyna hadn’t missed a call since the day…

was getting ready for school. He was dressed in uniform, and his hair was practically glued to one side of his head with gel. Looking at his reflection, he examined his jawline, noting the faint beard that had just started to sprout on his cheek and felt proud. He looked handsome for a boy his age. At 18, he was still an adolescent with raging hormones, and thinking about her got his heart racing. It’s not that he felt like that for every…

hands in front of her and nodding as a way of greeting. “Good morning, sir. What can I do for you?” He remained silent and still, like a beautifully carved statue forever set in a brooding visage. His obsidian eyes followed Shyna from top to bottom leisurely, and it was all Shyna could do not to squirm with discomfort. The look in his eyes was unreadable, so she couldn’t tell if he disapproved of her clothes or if it was something…

irrevocably doomed. For the past hour or so, all he had done was continuously watch Shyna out of the corner of his eye, who was paying close attention to whatever was being discussed, something he should be doing, and making actual notes for which he was grateful as he knew he would desperately need them later while curbing the urge to pound his fist into the wrinkly, podgy faces of the old dogs he was forced to call his stakeholders. Bloody bastards had been gawking…

staring out the huge glass wall at the rain shower pouring over the city of Mumbai. Her office building was on a higher ground which provided extra elevation. On top of that, she was currently on the twenty-fifth floor. It gave her the perfect view of the lovely city she called home, and she could not wait to get home and buy some pakoras and samosas from Uncle Bharthwaj’s dhaba café. She had just gotten free from chatting with Shilpa and was returning to her floor…