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CHAPTER - 5

Hate and Hate.

~~~Rajveer~~~

The clock on the wall read 1:00 a.m. but sleep was not an option tonight.

Not when there were shipments to oversee, deals to finalise, and people to manage. Running an empire like mine came with no breaks, only control. And I thrived on control.

Sitting at the desk, I scanned the latest report. One of my men had messed up a delivery route, which could have ended in disaster if not for a last-minute fix. I made a mental note to deal with him later.

It was a weapons consignment bound for a private client in Eastern Europe. The paperwork looked clean but single mistake could bring everything crashing down.

"Vijay," I called out, knowing he was nearby.

Within moments, he walked in, calm and composed as always.

He placed a thick folder on my desk. "This has the details of next week's shipments. I've added backup routes for each one, just in case."

I nodded, flipping through the pages. "Good work. What about security? Have you doubled the checks like I asked?"

"Done," he replied. "Every vehicle will be inspected twice before it leaves the docks. And I've handpicked the drivers for this run."

"What about the meeting with the Dubai group?"

"They're still asking for reassurances," Vijay said, his tone turning serious.

"Reassurances?" I raised an eyebrow, setting the report down. "They have been working with us for years. What suddenly changed?"

He shifted, clearly uneasy. "There's been whispers. That you've been taking a softer approach lately."

I leaned back in my chair, my fingers drumming against the armrest. "Softer? Because I refuse to touch women or children? Let them whisper. My principles will not change of what are still left."

The room fell silent as Vijay left, but my thoughts were far from quiet. My eyes drifted to the corner of my desk, where a slim binder had been sitting for the past week.

Aadya.

The name on the spine caught my attention.

I reached for it, my fingers brushing over the cover. The pages inside held every detail of her life, things I have no business finding out but was still going to. Flipping it open, I skimmed through the first few pages again, ones I had already read.

Then my eyes landed on a section about a boy.

Vishesh Sood, the page read.

The Boyfriend.

He worked in publishing, the file said, and had met Aadya during a work event. From what little the report mentioned, he had been in her life for a while now.

My grip on the binder tightened. Boyfriend. That word shouldn't have bothered me, but it did.

This was ridiculous.

She had walked into my house by accident last week, desperate and terrified. And before that? The only other time I had seen her was years ago.

I had turned sixteen. It was my birthday and Mom had thrown one of her grand parties. It was loud.

In the middle of all that noise, I had seen her.

I remembered watching her for a moment, wondering who she was and why she wasn't like the other kids, loud and running around. But the memory was brief, fleeting.

And now, all these years later, she had stumbled back into my world. Only this time, she was not a child anymore.

I closed the binder once again, pushing it aside before tracking the consignment once for myself, trying to take my mind away from the daughter of the man who has been my right hand for a long time now.

"Rajveer," Vijay's voice came through the intercom.

I pressed the button. "What is it?"

"The convoy is ready to leave. Final checks are complete. Do you want me to give the go-ahead?"

"Yes," I replied. "And make sure the lead driver has the alternate route memorised. No slip-ups."

"Understood," he said, and the line went dead.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the screen as the trucks began to move out one by one. My mind should have been focused on the shipment, on ensuring it reached its destination without a hitch.

But it wasn't.

Instead, it wandered back to the binder I had just pushed aside.

I picked up the phone on my desk, my fingers hovering for a moment before dialing the number. The call rang twice before it was answered.

"Boss," came the low voice on the other end.

"Rohan," I said, keeping my tone steady. "Update me on Aadya."

"She's fine, sir. Went to work as usual. Stayed late at the office, probably finalising something for her next story. She returned home around 10 p.m. Her mother and brother were home. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, three days ago she did go to a man's house, probably her boyfriend and then took a cab back. That felt a little off, considering he didn't drop her."

"That is perhaps because she is dating a boy instead of a man. Her surroundings? Anyone watching her?"

"No, sir. The street was quiet. I kept an eye on her building and followed her route home. No suspicious activity."

I leaned back, letting out a slow breath. "Good. Keep your distance, but don't lose sight of her. If anything feels off, I want to know immediately."

"Understood."

I ended the call and set the receiver down, my eyes drifting to the binder once more. It was strange. I had hundreds of men under my command, deals worth millions to close, and yet here I was, making sure one woman stayed safe.

One woman who had nothing to do with me or my work.

Nothing to do.

I tapped my fingers on the desk, trying to shake the feeling that had been growing inside me since last week. Aadya was Vijay's daughter, someone who should have been a simple name in my books, instead, she had been in my head.

As I sat there, lost in thoughts that had no place in my life, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I said, my voice sharp but steady.

Aadesh stepped inside, holding a tablet in one hand and a schedule in the other. He gave a small nod before speaking. "Boss, a reminder about the business summit tomorrow morning. It's scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Oberoi. You'll be addressing the board members and giving an interview afterward."

I frowned slightly, my mind still caught between Aadya and the convoy currently on the move.

"They're focusing on your success with the logistics and infrastructure projects," Aadesh explained. "The interviewer wants to know how you've managed to turn your businesses into some of the most profitable in the country. They'll also touch on your future expansion plans."

I nodded, standing up from my chair and stretching my arms. "Anything else?"

"Yes. You'll be meeting with the investors after the speech. They're pushing for updates on the green energy project. It's a priority topic for them."

I walked to the window, looking out at the dimly lit city. The summit was important. It helped in keeping my white businesses spotless which was as critical as running the empire from the shadows.

It gave me legitimacy, a face the world could respect.

"Prepare everything," I said. "Make sure the documents for the green energy project are updated. And arrange a list of talking points for the interview. I do not want to miss anything."

"Already done, sir," Aadesh said. "The car will be ready by 8 a.m. to take you to the venue. Do you need anything else?"

"No, that'll be all," I replied, turning back to him.

He nodded and left the room, leaving me alone once again. I glanced at the clock. It was well past 2 a.m., but sleep was out of the question.

The soft sound of footsteps echoed outside my office door before it opened and my mother stepped in.

"Rajveer," she began,"it's past 2 in the night. Are you planning to sit here all night again? Do you think this is how you take care of yourself?"

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Maa, there's work to be done. I will sleep later."

"Later never comes for you," she retorted, walking over and placing a hand on my shoulder. "This empire of yours will crumble if you fall sick."

I knew better than to argue with her when she took this tone. "Fine. I'll go to bed in a while."

She wasn't convinced. Her sharp eyes scanned the room before landing on the desk. Her gaze froze on the binder sitting near the corner. I followed her line of sight, and my stomach tightened when she picked it up.

"Aadya?" she said, reading the name. Then her eyes caught the photo I had unconsciously left on the desk. Her eyebrows shot up in recognition. "This is Vijay's daughter!"

My chest stiffened. "You know her?"

She gave me a knowing look. "Of course, I know her. I see her on the news often. And I've met her a few times too. Rajashree, Vijay's wife, brought her to a couple of functions when she was younger. Such a polite and intelligent girl."

I stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

"Why do you have her file?" she asked, placing the binder back on the desk.

"She has found some trouble. Exposed some dangerous people. I have stationed my men for her security." I confessed to her.

Maa raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you personally take an interest in someone's safety?"

"She is Vijay's daughter." I told her. That was explanation enough.

Maa didn't look convinced. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Stop turning into your father day by day Rajveer. Lying to your own mother should never be this easy for you." She said before giving me one final stare and walking out, leaving me alone there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
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~~~Aadya~~~

"Aadya, I need you to head to the Oberoi asap. Sarthak was supposed to cover the summit and interview Rajveer Pratap Ranawat....." I was having my morning coffee when my editor-in-chief called me but the coffee spilled out of my mouth.

Maa and Aarav looked at me, wide eyed.

"Interview who now?" I asked, making sure that I had heard wrong.

"Rajveer Pratap Ranawat, the owner and CEO of Ranawat Holdings Corporation. It's an exclusive interview which we had managed but Sarthak has called in sick and no one is as good as you with finance and business except for him." He said, explaining me.

"Sir, please, please send someone else. I really don't think I'm the right person for this." I begged him.

"Nonsense, you're the best for this after Sarthak. Now don't worry, I'll make sure that you're duly compensated for this, I assure you." He said and hung up before I could respond.

" I swear kabhi kabhi mujhe aisa lagta hai ki upar waale jo hain na, voh plan karte hain ki chalo, aaj dekhte hain ki Aadya ki waat kaise lagayein." I groaned, slamming the cup on the dining table and stormed to my room to change.

(TRANSLATION - I swear, sometimes I feel like God plans, Let's see how we can mess up Aadya's day today.)

"Tera kuch nahi ho sakta Aadya, toofan bani kyun ghoomti rehti hai tu har time?" Maa asked and I rolled my eyes, rushing to the washroom.

(TRANSLATION - Nothing can be done about you, Aadya. Why do you keep roaming around like a storm all the time?)

I took a quick bath and got dressed in one of my pink sarees and packed my bag before leaving, promising Maa that I'd have my breakfast there.

Aadya's Look -

It took me about forty minutes to get to the hotel where I met Ronnie who had the questions for the interview.

"Aadya you have about one hour to prep yourself. Rajveer is allotted a speaking time of 30 minutes which starts in about half an hour. Immediately after that, you're going to take his interview live. The team is setting up in the conference hall as we speak." He told me, handing the questions over and I gave him a nod.

I flipped through the questions Ronnie handed me, scanning them quickly. Most of them were straightforward, about his legitimate businesses, his success, his plans for sustainability and green energy innovations.

I glanced at my watch. Twenty-five minutes left before his speech started. My palms felt clammy, and I wiped them on the sides of my saree, trying to calm my nerves. I had done hundreds of interviews before.

But I had never done one with a man I hated.

Hated.

I sat in the middle row of the packed conference hall, my notebook balanced on my lap, pen ready. The chatter around me died down as Rajveer Pratap Ranawat walked onto the stage.

I focused on the empty page in front of me, pretending not to notice him, but my hands tightened around the pen.

He was impossible to ignore. Dressed in a crisp grey suit, he walked with the kind of confidence that turned heads.

The crowd's attention was glued to him, but I was busy preparing myself to endure the next thirty minutes.

The microphone crackled, and his voice filled the room.

He spoke about his company's achievements, the importance of infrastructure development, and the strides his team had made in green energy. Words meant to impress.

I scribbled down notes, keeping my eyes fixed on the page. My pen moved fast, but my mind was racing faster.

Every word out of his mouth sounded polished and perfect, but I knew better. Behind the smooth words and the powerful image was a man who controlled things most people couldn't even imagine.

Then it happened.

I felt his gaze on me.

I looked up, just for a second, and our eyes met.

My breath caught in my throat. His eyes were sharp, intense, and locked right onto mine. He didn't falter, didn't look away. He just kept speaking, his voice steady, as if nothing had changed. But something had.

I stiffened, my fingers gripping the pen tightly. My heart was pounding, but I wouldn't let it show. Instead, I glared at him, hoping he'd look away first. He didn't.

His eyes held mine, calm and steady, like he was trying to read every thought in my head. The longer he stared, the angrier I felt. How dare he? How dare he act so composed, like he wasn't the reason for half the chaos in my life?

I broke the stare first, dropping my gaze back to my notebook.

My hand shook slightly as I continued writing, but I forced myself to focus. I wouldn't let him get to me. Not now. Not ever.

I wasn't here to admire him, and I certainly wasn't here to back down. This was my job, and I'd do it well, no matter how much I hated him.

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