Ishan’s POV

Something was suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Because five minutes ago Shivay suddenly got a phone call…

Walked outside…

And then Manik also disappeared.

Coincidence?

Absolutely not.

I was standing in the kitchen doorway with my arms crossed when my phone rang.

Shivay calling.

I answered immediately.

“Hello?”

His voice came quickly.

“Listen, emergency ho gaya hai. Main aur Manik thodi der ke liye mere ghar ja rahe hain.”

I frowned.

“Emergency?”

“Yes,” he replied quickly. “Important kaam hai.”

Very suspicious.

Very very suspicious.

I narrowed my eyes even though he couldn't see me.

“So tum dono ek saath emergency pe ja rahe ho?”

Silence.

Then he cleared his throat.

“Haan.”

Hmm.

I pouted dramatically.

“Great. Sab log yaha bore ho rahe hain aur tum dono outing pe chale gaye.”

From the other side Shivay sighed.

“We’ll be back in an hour.”

“Ek hour?” I repeated.

“Yes.”

The call ended.

I looked at my phone.

Then in the living room.

Then back at my phone.

Something was definitely going on.

But fine.

If they were coming back in an hour…

Then I had one hour to do something productive.

Or chaotic.

Same thing.

I clapped my hands suddenly.

“Okay!”

Everyone looked at me.

Shubman already looked tired.

“Ab kya?” he asked suspiciously.

“I’m cooking.”

Rohit froze.

Virat looked concerned.

Mayank whispered, “Bhagwan hum sabko bachaye.”

I ignored the haters and marched into the kitchen.

---

Thirty minutes later—

The kitchen looked like a battlefield.

But a delicious battlefield.

Three burners were on.

Steam everywhere.

Spices everywhere.

And Mayank looked like a soldier who had lost the will to live.

“ISHAN,” he shouted. “KITNA NAMAK DAALNA HAI?!”

“Feeling se daal!”

“Feeling se khana nahi banta!”

“Creativity chahiye cooking mein!”

Mayank groaned in despair but continued working.

Meanwhile—

Abhishek had taken out his phone.

And was recording.

Only me.

Not the food.

Not Mayank.

Just me.

“Bro what are you doing?” I asked.

“Content,” he said calmly.

He zoomed the camera.

“Chef Ishan in action.”

I flipped the spoon dramatically.

“Welcome to MasterChef Disaster Edition.”

Rohit started laughing from the living room.

Virat shouted, “Bas kitchen jala mat dena!”

Shubman however…

Was not laughing.

At all.

He was sitting on the sofa watching the chaos like someone forced him to attend a circus.

His jaw tightened every time I shouted something in the kitchen.

And honestly?

I loved it.

So I shouted louder.

“MAAAYANK DAL MAKHNI CHECK KAR!”

“HO GAYA!”

“NAHI HOYA HOGA!”

“ISHAN—”

Abhishek zoomed the camera again.

“Perfect,” he said proudly.

“This video is going viral.”

And honestly?

He was right.

Because I looked amazing.

Chaotic.

But amazing.

---

After some time—

The cooking was finally done.

Shahi paneer.

Dal makhni.

Chawal.

And kheer.

A full royal dinner.

Mayank looked exhausted.

I looked proud.

We carried the dishes outside.

Rohit sniffed the air dramatically.

“Smells good.”

Virat looked surprised.

“Ishan ne banaya?”

Mayank immediately pointed at me.

“Maine sirf zinda rehne ki koshish ki.”

Abhishek was still holding his phone.

Recording everything.

Shubman looked at the food.

Then at me.

Then back at the food.

Still annoyed.

Amazing.

I cleared my throat.

“I have bad news.”

Everyone looked up.

At the same moment—

Abhishek also spoke.

“Me too.”

Rohit frowned.

“Ek minute.”

Virat sat forward.

“Wait.”

Mayank blinked.

“What??”

Rohit, Virat and Mayank spoke together—

“WHAT??”

Abhishek crossed his arms.

“Team management ka message aaya.”

Virat sighed dramatically.

“What’s new.”

Abhishek looked at me.

I nodded.

Then both of us said together—

“We are into corporate.”

Silence.

Three seconds of pure silence.

Rohit blinked slowly.

Virat frowned.

Mayank looked confused.

Shubman finally spoke.

“…Matlab?”

I leaned against the chair and sighed like a tragic hero.

“Matlab punishment.”

Abhishek nodded.

“Brand workshop.”

Mayank gasped.

“Corporate training?”

I nodded sadly.

“Communication skills.”

Virat immediately started laughing.

“Tum dono?”

Rohit almost fell from the sofa.

“Corporate etiquette seekhoge tum log?”

Abhishek looked offended.

“Very funny.”

I pointed at everyone dramatically.

“Kal se hum dono suits pehenke presentation denge.”

Rohit wiped tears of laughter.

Virat clapped slowly.

“This I have to see.”

Mayank whispered, “The HR department survives nahi karega.”

And then—

Shubman spoke again.

Dry voice.

“No one deserves that punishment more.”

I turned toward him slowly.

Then smiled sweetly.

“Oh relax.”

I leaned back proudly.

“At least corporate training mein kitchen nahi jalta.”

From inside the kitchen—

Something suddenly burned.

Everyone turned their heads.

Smoke slowly started coming out.

Mayank whispered in horror—

“…kheer.”

I sighed.

“Minor technical issue.”

Rohit collapsed laughing.

Virat covered his face.

“He is into my company,” Shubman said.

For a second I didn’t understand.

Then I did.

Then I looked at him slowly.

Virat bhai looked at me first.

Then at Shubman.

Then back at me.

Rohit bhai…

Started laughing.

Not small laughter.

Full Rohit Sharma stadium laughter.

Virat leaned back on the sofa and smirked.

“Best of luck to you, damad ji.”

Shubman immediately looked at him.

“SHUBMAN.”

Virat raised his hands.

“Hai wahi.”

Rohit bhai wiped tears from his eyes.

“Same baat hai.”

Mayank blinked in confusion.

“Tumhari placement?”

Abhishek answered casually,

“Thakur Groups.”

Silence.

Then—

“Aah.”

Everything suddenly made sense.

Too much sense.

And I didn’t like it.

Because Thakur Groups meant only one thing.

Power.

Money.

And dangerous family politics.

Before anyone could say anything else—

A voice came from the door.

“Baby ki company mein.”

All of us turned.

Shivay was standing at the entrance.

Manik beside him.

Both looking very calm.

Too calm.

Like nothing unusual had happened.

Which was suspicious.

Very suspicious.

I narrowed my eyes at them but ignored it for now.

Because something more important was happening.

Shivay walked inside.

“Oh and by the way,” he said casually.

“Baby is going to love this.”

I should explain something.

Shivay calls his elder brother “Baby.”

No one knows why.

We asked.

Many times.

He refuses to explain.

Mayank once said it’s probably childhood trauma.

Anyway—

Shivay looked around the room.

“I also have a bad news.”

I immediately pointed at him.

“WHAT??”

He shrugged casually.

“I am joining Thakur Groups.”

Time stopped.

Literally stopped.

Abhishek choked on his water.

Violently.

Like someone tried to drown him from the inside.

I dropped to the floor.

Actually dropped.

My brain had officially left my body.

Virat bhai’s mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

Closed again.

Rohit bhai stared at Shivay like he just heard the wrong language.

“Wait.”

He blinked.

“Wait.”

He pointed at Shivay.

“Repeat that.”

Shivay leaned against the wall calmly.

“I’m joining Thakur Groups.”

Abhishek was still coughing violently.

Mayank was patting his back like a stressed nurse.

“Breathe! Breathe!”

Virat finally spoke.

Slowly.

“Baby ki company…”

Then he pointed at Shubman.

“…Shubman…”

Then at Abhishek and me.

“…tum dono…”

Then at Shivay.

“…aur tu bhi?”

Shivay nodded peacefully.

“Yes.”

Rohit bhai looked around the room.

His brain is clearly trying to connect the dots.

Then he pointed at Shubman.

“So…”

Then at me.

“Your husband.”

Then at Shivay.

“His brother.”

Then at Abhishek.

“Your corporate partner.”

Then at Manik.

“And whatever this man is doing here.”

Manik raised an eyebrow.

“Main witness hoon.”

Virat leaned back slowly.

“Matlab pura circus ek hi company mein ja raha hai.”

Mayank whispered,

“HR resign kar dega.”

I was still sitting on the floor.

Processing.

Processing.

Processing.

Then suddenly—

I stood up.

Pointed dramatically at Shivay.

“YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE.”

He frowned.

“Kya?”

“You joined the company just to torture me.”

Shivay looked genuinely confused.

“Ishan—”

“DON’T ISHAN ME.”

Rohit bhai started laughing again.

Virat clapped slowly.

“This is going to be the best corporate disaster in history.”

Abhishek finally stopped coughing.

Barely.

He wiped his mouth and looked at Shivay.

“You too?”

Shivay nodded.

“Yes.”

Then he looked around calmly.

“And Baby wants everyone in the office tomorrow.”

Dead silence.

Then—

Rohit whispered,

“Office?”

Virat leaned forward.

“Tomorrow?”

Mayank closed his eyes.

Shubman rubbed his forehead.

Abhishek stared at the ceiling.

And I—

Looked at the entire room.

Then declared dramatically—

“The corporate world is not ready for us.”

Shivay smirked slightly.

Virat shook his head.

Rohit whispered,

“Ye log company nahi…”

“…company ki aatma nikal denge.”

From the corner Manik finally spoke.

Calm.

Dangerously calm.

“Wait till Baby meets all of you.”

Everyone turned to him.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Why are you smiling like a villain?”

Manik folded his arms.

“Because…”

He looked directly at me.

“…Baby hates chaos.”

Silence.

Then everyone slowly looked at me.

I smiled proudly.

“Oh good.”

I crossed my arms.

“Then he’s going to hate me.”

Rohit fell back on the sofa laughing.

Virat covered his face.

And Shivay sighed quietly like a man who knew—

Tomorrow was going to be a disaster. 😌🔥

To be continue....

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Author's note

Hey readers 🤍

Before I start writing the next chapter, I wanted to ask you something.

Do you want more IshMan moments in the upcoming chapter? 👀

Their scenes always bring so much emotion and intensity to the story, so I’m curious to know what you all want to see next.

Tell me in the comments:

✨ Should the next chapter have a special IshMan moment?

✨ Or do you want more plot and mystery first?

Your opinions help me shape the story, so don’t stay silent! 🖤

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Stay tuned 😉