Page 76 of Since You Stole My Heart
With a soft chuckle, she tightened her hold, flattening her palms against his chest. She rested her head against his back, closing her eyes as the cold air rushed past them. He could have kept driving, for all she cared.
They reached the foundation office too soon. Swayam brought the bike to a smooth stop.
Kashvi got off and removed her helmet.
He followed, running a hand through his tousled hair. ‘Text me when you’re done. I’ll pick you up.’
She shook her head. ‘You don’t have to. I’ll get a cab.’
‘No. I’ll be here. I have a surprise planned, and I don’t want you coming home early and ruining it.’
‘Okay. I’ll be waiting,’ she said, biting her lower lip to hide her smile.
His gaze softened. Swayam reached for her hand, turning it gently before pressing a kiss to the back of it. ‘I’ll see you soon, baby.’
Then he pulled away, the engine roaring as he rode off. Kashvi stood there for a moment, savouring the faint echo of his laughter.
Chapter 15
The familiar scent of paper, ink, and coffee greeted Kashvi as she walked into the office premises. She nodded in acknowledgement at the staff’s greeting as she passed, mentally cataloguing her work for the day.
Kashvi pushed open the glass door to her cabin, tossing her purse onto the sofa beside it. She had barely taken two steps when a loud pop rang through the room and a shower of bright, glittering confetti rained down on her.
She turned to find Naina standing at the door, both hands raised in triumph, her face lit with delight.
‘What are you doing?’ Kashvi asked, shaking confetti from her unruly, still-damp hair.
Naina, her assistant, clasped her hands together, bouncing lightly on her heels. ‘Come on, cheer up. It’s your birthday!’
‘And that means you attack me the moment I walk in?’ Kashvi asked, narrowing her eyes at her.
She waved off the scolding. ‘This is nothing. I had something wild planned, but I realised I probably shouldn’t do anything that could get me fired.’
Naina picked a few confetti pieces off the oversized sleeve of her yellow kurti. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, and the wide grin she wore made her look younger than she was. There was something about her unguarded enthusiasm that made the office feel a little less stuffy.
Kashvi snorted, setting her phone down on the desk. ‘You’re not getting off that easily. I love you too much not to make you suffer with me, so get back to work.’
She pulled out stacks of files from her drawer, intending to sort through them, when she noticed Naina still lingering at the door.
Kashvi saw how her earlier excitement had dimmed, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. ‘What’s up? Something on your mind?’
Naina twisted her fingers together, drawing in a breath. ‘I’ve been hearing rumours that the organisation might be shutting down, and if it’s true, I wanted to ask if you could maybe give me a recommendation?’
Without giving her a chance to respond, Naina rushed forward, words spilling out. ‘I really want to keep working for you, Kashvi. You’re literally the best boss, and you always work around my college schedule. I’m very grateful, but my family depends on me, and I can’t afford to be without a job for even a month.’
Kashvi raised a hand to stop the flood of words, then pointed to the chair in front of her. Naina followed the silent instruction and sat down.
Kashvi slid a glass of water towards her. ‘Okay, first, you need to breathe. Second, who told you we’re shutting down?’
‘People are talking.’
No doubt the employees under her father were responsible for spreading this. Kashvi sighed. ‘We’re not shutting down, Naina. In fact, things are about to become much more stable because I’ll be taking over as chairperson soon.’
Naina’s eyes widened. ‘Wait. You mean you’ll be… in charge?’
Kashvi gave a small nod. ‘And that means I can finally approve the things on my checklist. I’ll be promoting you from my intern to the chairperson’s executive assistant, with a salary that matches the effort you put in. Is that something you’d agree to?’
Naina gasped. ‘Are you serious?’
