Chapter 224 - But his luck had finally run out.

Srinivas looked at the retreating figure of Zeenath through the corridor with a complicated look. Her boots echoed through the walls as she took each step forward. He just shook his head and went inside Shreya's office after a knock.

"What is it?" Shreya asked. The atmosphere around her did not change yet. She was still reeling on what Zeenath had just uttered. She had known Zee the longest of all the people here other than her own family but Zee was that one person she couldn't really reach on an emotional level. She knew that and understood that to an extend. But it still stung when Zee told her that Shreya had no right to meddle in her affairs. It left her feeling alienated somehow.

After her parents passed away, Shreya's world wholly revolved around these people she had trusted until Charan came along. She considered them family. But when one such person told her she was not, she did not know how to feel or react.

SO, unlike all the time they had been together so far, her stature and tone were distant.

Not like the one you would use with a friend but one you would use with that of an employee.

She was leaning back on her chair and looking at him straight into his eyes, but there was no warmth in them.

"Nothing… These came in for you…" Srinivas said passing her some envelopes and boxes over. Normally her mails, she would collect them on her way in or way out since very few people have clearance to this floor and Shreya doesn't really go anywhere in the building out of her office.

"Why are you bringing this over?" Shreya asked frowning.

"I was not… I wanted to give you this…" He said handing over the paper bag to her. "It's your dress for the evening. You left it at the car…"

Shreya looked at the bag with some resentment, "Do I really have to wear it?" At last, some sort of emotion seeped into her eyes even if it was only annoyance towards the dress.

"You were the one who bought it anyways!" He said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

But before Shreya could respond, someone knocked on the door and before Shreya could even yell to come in, Pritham walked in with a tablet on his hands looking anxious. His steps were almost to point of running when he approached her desk.

He did not say a word, just handed over the tablet to Shreya straight away. He did not dare to say a word actually because he knew how important this matter was… And knowing Shreya, he knew someone was going to get absolute hell today. And he was not looking forward to being that person.

Shreya's brows frowned, at first, confused but then after skimming through the screen, her face instantly darkened while her eyes flared. There was a surprise on her face but more than that there was also agitation something that is very rare to see in Shreya's face.

"How the hell did this happen, Pritham?" Her voice unconsciously became cold and restrained.

"Even I don't know… this was posted in our company forum just now. I took it down… it had been up for only a few minutes. But many people should have seen it already. It is lunchtime." Pritham explained. Their company forum is run on an Intranet that is not open to the public but only to their employees. So, it was fairly easier to take the photo down… but the building itself had tens of thousands of employees. SO, it was not easy to track who and all saw the photo and who did not.

"First make an announcement in the forum… Sign with my name on it. Anybody who shares the photo hereafter will be sacked immediately… I want you to contain the news within this building no matter what. I don't care how you do it. I want you to erase every last post of that photo…" Shreya said and handed him back the tablet as she walked out of the office.

Her stride was fast but steady as she reached Anne's office. She did not really knock. She just walked in as she talked, "Sorry, Anne. You need to cut short your lunch."

Anne and Madhu were both in the office having their lunch. When they heard Shreya, both put down their spoons and looked up. Looking at her serious face, both stood up instantly.

"What do you need from us, Shreya?" Madhu asked.

Shreya looked up and gave away the instructions.

"I need you guys to call up an emergency meeting. I want to see all the heads of the departments in 15 minutes in conference room 12. Broadcast the news building-wide if you have to. Those who don't show up can go straight to the finance department to get their final payment…"

Madhu and Anne looked at her bewildered but still nodded their head. Before they could even acknowledge, Shreya was out of the office.

Srinivas looked over his shoulders as Pritham worked on Shreya's computer.

There was a picture of a little girl with Shreya and from the looks of it, the picture was taken from the office cafeteria.

"Who is this?" Srinivas asked unconsciously. From the time he had been following Shreya he had not seen her with any kid so far. And before that, he never had much contact with Shreya in the first place. And Shreya herself or anyone around her never brought up Charan or Akira into conversation casually in fear they would piss Shreya off. So, it was obvious he wouldn't know about it.

Pritham looked away from the system to look at Srinivas for a second. But before he could contemplate whether or not the tell him, Shreya came in and answered for him.

"That's Charan's daughter and Charan is my boyfriend. You will meet him today." Shreya answered coming in to sit on the couch.

Pritham gave her back the tablet, "This picture is taken at our cafeteria. Most probably that last day you had called Akira over to the office… So, it should be one of our own…"

Shreya's eyes became so cold that it almost looked like ice. Her hands fisted as if they are itching to smash something.

Pritham did not even dare to continue…

"This is my own building, damn it. I shouldn't have to look over my shoulder even here." Shreya hissed. If only her voice was a blade, it would have sliced someone already.

"Nobody is getting away with this shit."

Pritham hesitated before continuing, "I have taken down all public posts. But I can't really do much about the photo being shared in their private chats or saved to the gallery."

Shreya looked at her watch and said absentmindedly, "I will be taking care of it. Did you track who posted it first in the forum?"

Pritham just stood there hesitating for a long time. He opened his mouth many times but then closed them at the last moment.

"I don't have time for this, Pritham. Spill it…" Shreya said impatiently.

"They did not even know who the kid was… they were speculating whether the kid could be your's… born secretly when you still young and such. It was mainly posted with malicious intent towards you and not Akira… If my guess is right, they were probably threatened by your status in the company and wanted to smudge your name to the mud…" Pritham explained.

"I don't care about that shit, Pritham. I need a name! That is all…" Shreya said, at last, getting up from the place.

Unconsciously, Pritham took a step back in reflex reaction even though Shreya did not take any step towards him. Even when he knew her anger was not for him, he still couldn't calm down his own heart from beating faster in fear.

"It… It was your cousin…" Pritham mumbled. He felt like he was going to piss his pants looking at Shreya's expression. There was an oppressive air around her that made people around her unconsciously feel a chill down their spines.

"Susmitha?" Shreya asked gritting her teeth. Only she knew how pissed she really was thinking it was one of her own family.

After all, Shreya was someone who regarded family above all else… blood-related or not… those whoever she considered as her family, she always kept them in high regard. She expected absolute loyalty from them and in return, she could do anything for them.

Pritham shook his head and mumbled another name, "Your other cousin… Mithun."

Shreya's eyes became a bottomless pit by then.

If he were Mithun, Pritham would have wished he was not born. Just by looking at Shreya, he could already guess the kind of hell that is going to be waiting for him.

If this had involved just Shreya, he would have probably gotten away with it as he always does… but his luck had finally run out. Without really knowing what he was doing, he had ended up crossing Shreya's bottom line. Now, he is not even going to know what hit him before he goes unconscious.