Two Brothers: Shadows of Deception

Chapter 28

The Coffee Conundrum and Stairway Shenanigans

(Priyadarshini)

I placed the coffee mug on the pantry table with a loud bang, expressing my frustration. How dare he? This was the fifth time he had asked me to make him a cup of coffee. Initially, I thought I had made a mistake when he complained about it being too sweet. Then I adjusted it to be less sweet, but he said it was too bitter. The next time, I added more milk, only to be told it was too milky. And on the fourth attempt, when I reduced the milk, he claimed it was too strong. Finally, with the fifth cup, I took extra care to make it exactly as he wanted. But when I went to give it to him, he was on a call and asked me to leave it on the table. I was relieved, thinking that this time he couldn't find fault with my coffee. However, after ten minutes, he called me into his office and requested another cup, explaining that the previous one had become cold, rendering it undrinkable.

Aha! He must be intentionally trying to irritate me.

"Mr. Siddharth Aryan, if you ask me for another cup of coffee, I swear I'll add Harpic instead of sugar!" I scolded him silently in my head, then made my way towards his office. I knocked on the door and entered after hearing his "come in." Approaching his desk, I placed the coffee in front of him. "Go to the finance department and ask Mr. Sharma for the file on the Lonavala project," he instructed without even looking at me. "Yes, sir," I replied obediently, ready to leave.

"Hmm, Ms. Ranganath, do you know where the finance department is located?" he asked from behind. I turned and looked at him. "Yes, sir. It's on the 30th floor," I responded.

"Good. Carry on. Oh, and the elevator won't be working for the next two hours due to maintenance work, so please take the stairs," he said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"What?!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with terror. We were on the 60th floor, which meant I had to climb up and down 30 flights of stairs. Oh my god! What was I going to do?

"Yup! And I need it in 10 minutes," he added, his smirk widening.

"What? In 10 minutes? But, sir, how can I? It's..." I was cut off by his stern interruption.

"Your time starts now," he declared, his tone serious.

Without wasting a moment, I rushed out of his office. "Tomorrow, Mr. Siddharth Aryan, you're getting Harpic in your coffee," I cursed him silently as I hurriedly descended the stairs. I reached the finance department in just five minutes. Now, I had to find Mr. Sharma. However, I was not yet familiar with all the employees, and Natasha had only mentioned the floor numbers. I looked around, but everyone seemed engrossed in their work. Approaching a woman nearby, I asked her where I could find Mr. Sharma. To my surprise, she didn't seem to hear me and gestured something incomprehensible.

Just as confusion took hold of me, someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Josh standing there. "Thank god you're here. Can you please tell me where I can find Mr. Sharma?" I asked, relieved to see a familiar face.

"Why do you need to see Mr. Sharma?" he asked, a puzzled expression on his face. "I need to collect a file from him," I explained.

"Oh, I see. His cabin is over in that corner," Josh pointed out. "Thank you," I said gratefully and dashed towards Mr. Sharma's cabin, leaving a perplexed Josh behind. I managed to retrieve the file from him and hastily made my way back to the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Huffing and puffing, I cursed my decision to wear heels. From tomorrow onward, sneakers would be my go-to footwear. I removed my heels and clutched them in my hands, glancing at the time. Only one minute left. Shit!

Sweating profusely and gasping for breath, I finally reached the 60th floor. Taking a brief moment to catch my breath, I raised my hand to knock on Siddharth's office door. However, before I could do so, the door swung open, and Siddharth stepped out. Startled, I looked at him, then at my raised hand. His brow furrowed, and confusion swept over me. I turned my gaze downward and realized in horror that I was holding my heels in my hands. Hastily dropping them to the ground, I closed my eyes in sheer embarrassment. Opening them upon hearing someone clear their throat, I found Siddharth standing there with a teasing smirk on his face. I let out a scoff of annoyance and extended the file towards him.

"Sir, the file you needed," I said, trying to maintain my composure. He glanced at his watch and then shifted his gaze back to me. I swallowed nervously, unsure of what was coming next.

"Hmm, you're five minutes late. Don't worry, keep the file on my desk. I'll review it tomorrow," he said, his smile laced with mockery.

My jaw dropped in disbelief. Tomorrow? So, he had intentionally made me run around for this file?! Oh my god!

His smirk widened as he walked towards the elevator and pressed the button. With a cheerful "DING," the doors opened. My mouth practically hit the floor, and my eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. He waved goodbye to me, that same smirk still lingering on his face, and the elevator doors closed. He had tricked me. The elevator was working perfectly fine. Aha! Which fragrant Harpic should I choose? 😠 I tapped my foot in annoyance, mentally uttering the curse, "May the chocolate chips in your cookies always turn out to be raisins!" 😡 My annoyance turned into a determined frown as I silently vowed, "Mr. Siddharth Aryan, this is not over yet. You just wait and watch." 🤨

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