Chapter Ninety One.

Chapter Ninety One.
Veda was enjoying her personal space in the lounge area.

A glance at her phone told her it was time, the others were already heading to the conference hall for orientation. Her heart fluttered with excitement.

The hall was huge, and buzzing with energy. Veda’s eyes widened in awe as she found an empty seat. She had just settled in when a familiar voice interrupted.

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

She looked up to find Kabir standing there, smiling.

The irritation was instant, but she forced a polite curve to her lips.

“I don’t own the seats.” she said lightly, looking away.

Kabir chuckled under his breath and sat down beside her.

His gaze kept flicking her way, and she could feel it even without looking.

“Hi! Wow, are you really Veda Ahuja?” a girl from the row ahead suddenly turned to face her, eyes bright.

Veda blinked, momentarily confused by the attention, but nodded.

“Damn! You broke the Phoenix Institute of Technology & Arts’ record! Do you know how hard it is to get into this company for IT? Or even to get posted here? Your name was the top. You must be insanely smart.”

Veda’s surprise softened into a small smile. “Um… thank you. I just did what any student would, worked hard and smart.”

“Trust me..” the girl said with a laugh, “most people get in here through connections. You rock, girl.”

Veda’s smile grew warmer.

“I’m Shanaya.” the girl added, then she stood up and left her roll seat and came to say beside Veda.

◇◇

The orientation kicked off with the usual formalities, the polite welcomes, the company’s grand history, a quick reminder of VyomTech’s “vision and mission.” People clapped at the right moments, some half-listening, others already scrolling through their phones under the table.

Shanaya, however, was leaning close to Veda, her eyes sparkling like she was about to spill tea too good to ignore.

“I heard a young guy is in the mix of the owner of this company.” she whispered, grinning like she knew something nobody else did.

Veda’s brow creased, but she kept her gaze forward, still pretending to focus on the speech. “Really? A young guy? I mean, I did my research, but it’s owned by..”

“By someone older, yeah, yeah, I know..” Shanaya cut her off, practically bouncing in her seat.

“Actually..” Kabir leaned in from the other side, his tone casual but clearly interested in the gossip. “The main owner’s older, but word is they recently gave a massive share to some young guy.”

Veda’s head turned toward him, a small frown tugging at her lips.

Huh? Then how come I didn’t see that anywhere? she thought, feeling an odd tug of curiosity.

“Well...” Shanaya continued, lowering her voice like they were in the middle of some spy operation, “according to rumors, he’s not just young, he’s ridiculously handsome. Like, break-the-internet handsome.” Her eyes were practically glazed over with daydreams.

Kabir rolled his eyes. “No one cares if he’s handsome.”

“Oh, please. Handsome and a genius..” Shanaya shot back. “Apparently, the last time he came here, he personally fixed some critical server issue when even the in-house tech team was struggling.”

Veda’s brows rose. A young guy stepping in to handle a server problem for a place like this?

That… was impressive.

She found herself leaning slightly closer without even realizing it.

“Anyway...” Shanaya smirked knowingly, “you’ll probably see him. He’s supposed to be attending the orientation too.”

That snagged Veda’s attention for real. “What? Really?” She hated to admit it, but now she was curious, she wanted to see the face behind those skills.

“Oh yeah, and I think I even saved his picture somewhere...” Shanaya was halfway through unlocking her phone when the voice over the mic suddenly announced:

“And now… we will introduce… Varun Sengar.”

Veda’s world froze. Her smile evaporated instantly, replaced by a tight, unreadable expression.

Her gaze shot to the door, and there he was, walking in like he owned the air itself.

His presence filled the room effortlessly, each step calm and confident.

Her grip on her bag tightened until her knuckles ached.

Beside her, Kabir noticed immediately. His brow furrowed.

“Oh my God..” Shanaya breathed beside her, “that’s him. Isn’t he so… ugh… melt-worthy? If he even looks my way, I might just faint.”

Veda swallowed hard, forcing her eyes away.

“Are you okay?” Kabir asked quietly, still watching her.

She glanced at him briefly, nodded once, and looked straight ahead again, but she was far from okay.

Kabir’s gaze flicked toward Varun. The guy had reached the stage now, and his eyes began scanning the crowd… until they landed squarely on Veda.

And then, he smiled.

It wasn’t the polite, public kind of smile. No. This one carried weight. Meaning. History.

Kabir felt it instantly. A small shiver slid down his spine.

Then Varun’s gaze shifted to him.
For some reason, that look made Kabir’s stomach drop.

“What the hell…?” he muttered under his breath.

♤♤♤

All through the orientation, Veda barely heard a word. The speeches became nothing more than a distant hum in her ears.

She kept her eyes locked anywhere but on the stage, refusing to meet Varun’s gaze… but she could feel it.

That unwavering stare. Heavy. Relentless. He wasn’t even pretending to look elsewhere.

Her pulse drummed in her ears, her nails biting into the strap of her bag as she counted down the minutes.

The moment it ended, she was on her feet. She slid into the crowd of departing IT recruits, her head ducked, moving quickly.

The second she stepped out of the hall, she inhaled sharply, like she’d been holding her breath the entire time.

Relief was short-lived.

“Are you okay?”

She stopped. Kabir was beside her, his hand lightly catching her wrist.

His eyes were filled with concern, but the contact made her frown instantly. She pulled her hand free without hesitation.

“I’m fine..” she said firmly, her voice clipped. “And please… I don’t like being touched. Especially by someone I just met.”

Kabir’s mouth parted, then closed again. He swallowed, nodding in understanding.

“Thanks for your concern.” Veda added, tone softer but still guarded. “But I’m fine.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away at a pace that didn’t invite further questions.

Kabir stood there, watching her retreat.

Was it that guy? The one from the stage? Something about her reaction didn’t sit right.

Meanwhile, Varun strode out of the hall in long, purposeful steps.

His eyes swept the corridor, left, right, searching. No sign of her.

His jaw tightened, and without a word, he pivoted sharply and walked back inside, his expression unreadable but his mood anything but calm.