The morning sun of Bangalore spilled through the glass windows of the metro as it cut across the city. The air buzzed with its usual chaos—honking cabs, impatient bikers weaving through traffic, and the endless rush of people heading to work. But for Ruhi Khanna, today wasn’t just another morning.

It was the beginning of something she had dreamed about for years.

Clutching her leather folder tightly to her chest, she glanced at the towering skyline in the distance. The building that stood tallest among them all—the shining glass structure with OE etched boldly across its façade—was her destination. Oberoi Enterprises.

The name itself carried weight. OE wasn’t just a company, it was a brand, a legacy in the business world. And at the heart of it was a man everyone knew but few had ever truly met—Reyansh Oberoi. The youngest CEO the conglomerate had ever seen, he was known for being ruthless in boardrooms, brilliant with strategies, and coldly unreachable outside of them.

Ruhi’s lips curved nervously as she exhaled. “This is it, Ruhi… no turning back now,” she whispered to herself.

She had left her modest apartment an hour earlier, dressed in a crisp white blouse tucked neatly into beige trousers, her hair tied back in a sleek ponytail. It wasn’t about looking stylish; it was about looking professional, confident. The kind of image that could survive first impressions inside OE’s intimidating corridors.

The glass doors of Oberoi Enterprises slid open as she stepped in, and for a second, she almost forgot to breathe.

The lobby was breathtaking—marble floors polished to perfection, chandeliers casting golden light, employees walking with purposeful strides. Receptionists answered calls with trained smiles, and large screens displayed OE’s recent achievements: mergers, launches, charity events. The aura screamed success, but it also whispered something else—competition, ambition, pressure.

Ruhi straightened her shoulders. This was the world she had worked so hard to step into. She wasn’t here to get intimidated. She was here to belong.

“Excuse me, are you Ms. Ruhi Khanna?” a voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned to see a young HR assistant holding a clipboard.

“Yes, that’s me,” Ruhi replied, smiling politely.

“Welcome to OE. I’ll guide you to the orientation room. Please follow me.”

Her footsteps echoed as she walked behind the assistant, her eyes stealing glances at the sprawling office floors they passed—glass partitions, workstations buzzing with activity, teams huddled in discussions. She could already feel it—the pulse of OE was fast, demanding, relentless.

And somewhere above all this, sitting in the corner office that overlooked the city, was him.

Reyansh Oberoi.

At that very moment, on the top floor, Reyansh stood in his office, one hand resting on the glass wall as he gazed at the city below. His sharp jawline and perfectly tailored suit added to the commanding aura that made people look twice when he walked past. But behind that composed face, his mind was a battlefield of decisions—numbers, risks, deals.

“Mr. Oberoi, the new interns have joined today. Would you like to meet them later?” his secretary asked, entering cautiously.

Reyansh’s gaze didn’t shift. “Only if any of them prove to be worth meeting.”

The secretary nodded quickly and left. Reyansh was not known for small talk or pleasantries. He believed only results mattered. And in his world, emotions were a distraction.

Back in the orientation room, Ruhi sat among other fresh recruits. She listened attentively, taking notes while others scrolled through their phones or exchanged whispers. Her determination stood out, though no one noticed—not yet.

But fate had a strange way of weaving its threads.

Because soon enough, the paths of the ambitious girl who dreamed of making a mark, and the CEO who believed he had no space for anything but power, were about to collide.

And nothing about their lives would remain the same.

To be continued ~~

The first day at Oberoi Enterprises already felt heavier than Ruhi had imagined. The glass towers of the building seemed to watch her every step, as if demanding she prove she belonged.

The HR manager led the group of fresh interns down the hallway into a boardroom that looked like something out of a corporate magazine — sleek glass walls, polished mahogany table, chrome chairs. The air-conditioning hummed softly, but the chill went deeper, crawling into nerves.

Ruhi sat down quietly, clutching her notebook. Around her, the other interns whispered nervously.

“Do you think he’ll show up today?” one whispered behind his hand.

“They say Mr. Oberoi doesn’t waste time on interns. He’s… different,” another replied, awe mixed with fear.

Ruhi’s lips pressed into a thin line. She had heard the same stories: Reyansh Oberoi, CEO of OE, a man who built empires out of numbers and crushed competition without blinking. Cold. Brilliant. Untouchable.

But she hadn’t come here to fade in the background. She was here to be seen.

The glass door opened with a sharp click.

Silence fell instantly.

Reyansh Oberoi walked in.

Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a charcoal-grey suit that fit him like second skin, his very presence commanded the room. His eyes swept across the interns in one swift movement — assessing, calculating, as if he could weigh their worth in a single glance.

“Good morning,” his voice rang out, low and deep. Not warm, not cold. Just an echoing authority that filled the space.

The HR manager hurried forward. “Sir, the interns for this year’s Marketing and Strategy program.”

Reyansh didn’t nod. He didn’t smile. He folded his arms across his chest and stood at the head of the table.

“Introduce yourselves. Name, background, and why you think you’re fit for OE.”

One by one, the interns scrambled to their feet. Most stumbled through the usual rehearsed lines: passion, hard work, eagerness to learn. Reyansh’s face didn’t shift once, not even an eyebrow raised.

Then it was Ruhi’s turn.

Her knees felt heavier than stone, but her chin lifted with quiet defiance. She pushed back her chair and rose.

“Ruhi Khanna. Marketing graduate, Delhi University. Why OE?” She paused, meeting his eyes without flinching. “Because OE doesn’t just create success, sir. It creates storms. And I don’t want calm waters. I want to know if I can stand in the middle of that storm without breaking.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

One intern shifted uncomfortably. Another let out a soft gasp. No one ever spoke to him like that.

Reyansh’s eyes narrowed. He tilted his head slightly, as if weighing her words. For a second, Ruhi thought she had overstepped.

And then — just for the briefest flicker — his lips curved into something between a smirk and a challenge.

“Storms, Ms. Khanna?” His voice was dangerously smooth. “Do you know what happens to people who stand in storms? They get swept away.”

Ruhi’s heartbeat pounded, but she didn’t lower her gaze.

“Or they learn to dance in the rain.”

For a fleeting moment, she thought she caught surprise in his expression — gone so quickly she wondered if she had imagined it.

The HR manager cleared his throat nervously. “Shall we… continue, sir?”

Reyansh finally sat down, but his eyes remained on her.

“Very well. Let’s see if your actions can live up to your dramatic metaphors.”

The introductions ended quickly after that, but the atmosphere in the room had shifted. Every intern stole glances at Ruhi — some impressed, some annoyed, some already marking her as competition. She ignored them, though her own pulse hadn’t yet steadied.

As everyone filed out of the boardroom, Ruhi’s spine tingled with unease. She hadn’t just met Reyansh Oberoi. She had challenged him — knowingly or unknowingly.

And by the look in his eyes, he was not a man who let challenges go unanswered.

To be continued ~

The echoes of Reyansh Oberoi’s words stayed with Ruhi long after she left the boardroom.

“Let’s see if your actions can live up to your dramatic metaphors.”

It wasn’t just a statement. It was a challenge.

By afternoon, the interns were divided into teams for their first project—a market analysis for a luxury brand OE was considering acquiring. The assignment was tough, something even full-time associates struggled with. The HR manager had announced it with a polite smile, but everyone knew it wasn’t just a “learning exercise.” At OE, even interns were tested like warriors entering battle.

Ruhi’s team quickly found a corner in the glass-walled workspace. The others argued over strategies, pulling out laptops and flipping through slides. But Ruhi remained still for a moment, her pen poised above her notebook. She was listening—measuring the noise, filtering the chaos.

One of the interns scoffed, “Are you even going to contribute, Ms. Storms-in-the-rain?”

The group laughed quietly. Ruhi didn’t flinch. Instead, she leaned forward, her voice calm but steady.

“Your numbers don’t add up. The target market isn’t millennials—it’s aspirational Gen Z. If you build your strategy on the wrong audience, you’re already sinking.”

Silence.

The intern who mocked her stared at his notes, realizing she was right. Slowly, the others began looking at her, waiting for her to continue.

By the time the report was polished, most of the ideas were Ruhi’s, though she never once raised her voice or fought for credit. She simply led, without even trying.

---

Late evening, just when everyone thought the day was over, a message came:

“Mr. Oberoi wants the interns’ presentations now.”

The interns froze.

Now? Already?

Ruhi’s chest tightened. She wasn’t afraid of hard work, but the thought of presenting directly to Reyansh Oberoi again sent a rush of adrenaline through her veins.

---

The conference room was colder this time. Reyansh sat at the head of the table, not standing like before. His suit jacket was off, his tie loosened slightly, but his presence was no less commanding. His gaze flicked to the interns as though he already knew who would impress him—and who wouldn’t.

One team presented. Reyansh didn’t react. He only asked sharp questions that left them stuttering. Another team tried to dazzle with flashy slides; he dismissed them with a single raised brow.

Finally, it was Ruhi’s team’s turn.

She stood at the center, her hands clasped to hide the faint tremor in her fingers. But as she began speaking, her nerves melted away. Her voice grew steadier with each word, passion coloring her tone. She didn’t just list data; she told a story—about consumers, desires, and trends that even Reyansh hadn’t seen presented this way before.

For a fleeting second, she thought she saw something shift in his expression. Interest. Curiosity.

When she finished, the silence was deafening.

Then Reyansh spoke.

“Who came up with the shift in demographic analysis?”

Her teammates glanced at her. Ruhi lifted her chin. “I did, sir.”

Reyansh’s gaze pinned her, sharp and unreadable. “And you’re certain you’re right?”

“Yes.” She swallowed, but her voice didn’t waver. “The numbers and behavior patterns confirm it. If OE misses this shift, the acquisition risks failing within two years.”

The room went utterly still. One of the interns looked horrified at her bluntness. No one contradicted the CEO at OE.

But instead of snapping, Reyansh leaned back in his chair, studying her like she was a puzzle piece that didn’t fit the way he expected.

Finally, his lips curved—half a smirk, half something else.

“Interesting.”

He turned to the HR manager.

“Assign Ms. Khanna directly under Strategy. I want her reports on my desk.”

The HR manager blinked in shock. “But sir, she’s still an—”

“Interns who prove themselves don’t stay interns for long at OE,” Reyansh cut him off. His gaze lingered on Ruhi one last time before he looked away. “Meeting over.”

---

As the others filed out, murmuring with envy and disbelief, Ruhi’s heart raced. She hadn’t just survived her first day—she had been noticed.

Noticed by Reyansh Oberoi himself.

And whether it was a blessing or a curse, she had no idea yet.

---

To be continued ~~