Chapter 2 : Forced Alliance

By Monday morning, Mira had calmed herself down — at least outwardly. Inside, she still replayed every second of that meeting, her mind running through imaginary scenarios where she’d stood her ground, slammed the clicker in his smug face, or delivered a comeback so sharp he’d have no choice but to sit down and shut up.

But real life was never that neat.

She sipped her too-strong coffee at her desk, eyes fixed on her laptop as she tweaked her presentation. She’d spent her entire weekend rewriting the pitch, making it bigger, bolder — more ruthless than ever. If Rohan Malhotra wanted to play games, she’d show him she could play better.

Her phone buzzed. Team Meeting. Conference Room. 10 AM. — Mr. Khanna

She cursed under her breath. Great. Another chance to watch Rohan demolish her work in front of everyone. Mira grabbed her notebook and marched down the corridor.

Inside the conference room, half the team was already there — Anya shot Mira a sympathetic smile, Sameer gave her a discreet thumbs-up. Rohan sat near Mr. Khanna, sleeves rolled to his elbows, flipping through a folder like he was too busy to acknowledge her existence.

Mira dropped into a chair across from him, ignoring the way he raised an eyebrow at her barely concealed scowl.

Mr. Khanna cleared his throat once the last few stragglers came in. “Good. Everyone’s here. Let’s get to it. We’ve secured preliminary approval from the client. They loved both your directions — so much so that they want us to merge them.”

Mira stiffened. Merge? That was corporate speak for Mira, do twice the work and share the credit.

Mr. Khanna continued, oblivious to her brewing rage. “Given the scale of the campaign, I’m pairing Mira and Rohan as co-leads.”

Sameer let out a low whistle. Anya’s eyes darted between Mira and Rohan like she was watching two tigers forced into the same cage.

Mira sat forward. “Sir, with all due respect—”

“Mira.” Mr. Khanna raised a hand. “This is non-negotiable. We need both of you — your energy, your ideas, your track record — and Rohan’s… big-picture vision.”

Mira wanted to gag at big-picture vision. She could practically feel Rohan’s smugness radiating across the table.

Mr. Khanna looked between them like a nervous parent. “I know you two have… strong personalities. But the client is worth millions. So put your egos aside and make this work. Understood?”

Mira swallowed her pride — for now. She forced a tight smile. “Of course, sir.”

“Perfect.” Mr. Khanna stood. “You’ll share the presentation in three days. I expect synergy.”

The moment he left, the room buzzed with whispers. Mira grabbed her notebook and stood, ready to storm out — but Rohan’s voice stopped her.

“Mira,” he said, his tone maddeningly polite. “Can we talk?”

She turned slowly. “Talk? Or do you want to hijack another one of my ideas first?”

He ignored the barb. “You know as well as I do we don’t have time for petty fights.”

She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. “You should’ve thought of that before you decided to play genius in front of the client.”

He let out a short, humorless laugh. “You’re good, Mira. One of the best I’ve seen. But you play it safe.”

Her jaw dropped. “Safe? I work twice as hard as anyone in this office! You think you can waltz in here and—”

“I know you do,” he cut in, suddenly serious. “But you’re afraid to risk too much. This brand needs bold. Risky. Uncomfortable. And whether you like it or not, you need me for that.”

She hated that he might be right. She hated even more that a tiny part of her admired it.

She glanced at Anya, who was pretending to type an email nearby but was very obviously eavesdropping. Mira blew out a sharp breath. “Fine. Three days. We do this my way first — then yours. Deal?”

Rohan gave a small, infuriating smile. “Deal.”

She pushed past him, muttering under her breath. “God, give me strength.”

As she walked away, she felt it — the strange, electric tension humming between them. The same tension that had her pulse racing and her mind already plotting ways to beat him at his own game.

One thing was clear: if this was going to work, they’d have to fight. Together.

Or against each other.

Or both.

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