Hidden Agenda.

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𝙎𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 1: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

The week had passed quickly, and 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 found herself nervously clutching the proposal report in her hands. She stood outside 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s office, taking a deep breath before knocking.

“Come in,” 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s voice called out from within.

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 opened the door and stepped inside. Ayaan was seated at his desk, scanning through emails. He looked up briefly and gestured for her to sit.

“You have the report?” he asked, his tone businesslike.

“Yes, here it is,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 said, handing him the neatly prepared document.

𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 took the report and started reading silently. The silence stretched on for what felt like hours to 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖, though it was only a few minutes. Her heartbeat quickened as she watched 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s expression shift from focused to mildly impressed.

“This is good. Detailed and concise. You’ve managed to cover the weak points in Tech Innovations' proposal quite well,” 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 said, finally breaking the silence.

“Thank you. I wanted to make sure we were fully prepared for the negotiations,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 leaned back in his chair, his intense gaze still fixed on her. “You’ve got potential, Rhea. But don’t get too comfortable. The real work begins when you step into that negotiation room. They’ll be expecting to push their advantage.”

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 nodded. “I’ll be ready. I’ve already begun researching potential counterarguments.”

𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s lips twitched into what might have been the ghost of a smile, but it quickly faded. “Good. We meet with their team tomorrow at 10 a.m. Be there early. We need to be on the same page.”

“I’ll be there,” Rhea affirmed.

As she stood to leave, 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 stopped her with a question. “Why did you decide to join *𝙈𝙚𝙝𝙧𝙖 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨*?”

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 hesitated for a split second, then answered, “I wanted to work for a company that makes a real impact. And I’ve heard you’re the best in the business.”

𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her. “We’ll see if you can keep up.”

𝙎𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 2: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧

After leaving 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s office, 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 decided to take a walk to clear her head. She was headed to the elevator when she bumped into someone she hadn’t expected to meet—𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖 𝙈𝙚𝙝𝙧𝙖.

“Whoa, careful!” 𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖 said with a wide grin, catching her arm to steady her.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 exclaimed, looking up at him.

𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖 laughed. “No harm done. You’re 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖, right? I’ve heard a bit about you. I’m 𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖—𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s brother.”

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 immediately recognized the charm everyone had been talking about. 𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖’s warm demeanor was a stark contrast to 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s cold professionalism.

“Yes, that’s me. It’s nice to meet you,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 said politely.

𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖 tilted his head slightly, as if assessing her. “So, how’s my brother treating you? Don’t worry—I won’t tell him whatever you say.”

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 chuckled softly. “He’s… intense, but I think he means well.”

“That’s one way to put it,” 𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖 said with a grin. “Let me give you some advice—don’t let him intimidate you. He’s tough, but he respects people who stand their ground.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 replied, feeling more at ease.

“Well, if you ever need a break from Mr. 𝘾𝙀𝙊, feel free to find me. I’m around,” 𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖 said with a wink before walking away.

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 smiled to herself as she watched him go. 𝘼𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙮𝙖’s presence was refreshing, but she couldn’t forget why she was really there. She couldn’t let personal connections distract her from her mission.

𝙎𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 3: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

Later that evening, 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 found herself at her desk, going over her notes for the upcoming negotiation. The office was quiet, and most of the staff had left. She was fully absorbed in her work when her phone rang.

It was **𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖**, her best friend.

“𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖! How’s it going?” 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖’s cheerful voice filled the line.

“Busy,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 replied, leaning back in her chair. “I’ve got a big negotiation tomorrow with *Tech Innovations*. I’m a little nervous.”

“Nervous? You? The girl who aced every debate in college? You’ll be fine!” 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖 reassured her.

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 smiled. “Thanks, 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖. It’s just… 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙝𝙧𝙖 is no joke. He’s smart, ruthless even. I need to be on my A-game.”

“Ruthless, huh? Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you. But remember, you’re there for a reason. You’re more than capable,” 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖 said, her voice softening.

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 sighed. “I know, but there’s so much at stake. If I mess this up, it could ruin everything.”

“Listen to me, 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖,” 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖 said, her tone serious now. “You’ve survived worse than a business negotiation. You’re strong, and you’re smart. Don’t let anyone—especially 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣—make you doubt that.”

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 nodded, even though 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖 couldn’t see her. “You’re right. Thanks for the pep talk. I needed that.”

“Anytime! And hey, if you need to blow off steam afterward, call me. We’ll go out and forget all about 𝘾𝙀𝙊𝙨 and corporate takeovers,” 𝙈𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙖 joked.

“I’ll hold you to that,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 said, laughing before hanging up.

𝙎𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 4: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮

The next morning, 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 arrived at the office early, as 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 had instructed. She was surprised to find him already in the conference room, reviewing documents.

“Morning,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 greeted him, setting her things down.

𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 looked up briefly. “Morning. Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 replied with a confident smile.

“Good. Remember, we don’t just accept their terms. We counter, we push, and we make sure we come out on top,” 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 said, his tone sharp.

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙙. “Understood.”

The room began to fill with executives from *Tech Innovations*, and soon, the negotiation was underway. 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 watched as 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 led the discussion, effortlessly maneuvering through their arguments and countering with his own.

When it was 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖’s turn to speak, she stood tall and presented her analysis with calm precision. She noticed 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 watching her closely, his expression unreadable.

After what felt like hours, the meeting finally ended. As the *Tech Innovations* team left, 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 turned to 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖.

“You handled yourself well in there,” he said, his voice low. “Better than I expected.”

“Thank you,” 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 replied, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he nodded and walked away, leaving Rhea standing alone in the conference room, her heart pounding.

𝙎𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚 5: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙩

Later that evening, after the successful negotiation, 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and froze. It was an unknown number, but she recognized it immediately.

Her hands shook as she answered. “Hello?”

A familiar voice echoed through the line. “𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖, it’s time. You’ve been inside long enough. We need the information on 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 Mehra.”

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖’s breath caught in her throat. “I’m working on it. Just give me more time.”

“You’re running out of time. Don’t forget why you’re really there,” the voice warned before the line went dead.

𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 stared at her phone, her mind racing. She couldn’t afford any mistakes. The stakes were higher than she’d realized.

The episode ends with 𝙍𝙝𝙚𝙖 succeeding in her first major negotiation, but her true mission is hinted at in a mysterious phone call that reminds her she’s working undercover.

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𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙮 #𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗱u💕

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