Author's pov

After Samriddhi's departure, Henry headed towards his important meeting. When he stepped out of the elevator, a name caught his attention.

"Sir, may I know your name?" The receptionist asks the person.

"Abhinav Kapoor." The person replied, and Henry stopped in his tracks.

"Sir, do you have an appointment with Mr. Brown?" Receptionist ask.

"No, I don't have an appointment." Abhinav replied.

"Then I'm sorry, Sir............."

"Mr. Kapoor." Henry came from behind, and Abhinav turned. But the receptionist started sweating.

"Mr. Brown," Abhinav replied.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Brown. I didn't know that he was your guest." The receptionist apologized.

"It's ok." Henry said and offered his hand for a handshake with Abhinav, which he took. "Pleasure to meet you. Please do it this way, Mr. Kapoor." Henry gestured toward his private elevator.

"Beck, reschedule the meeting." He said.

"Boss............"

"Do I have to clear myself?" He didn't let her complete, and with one glare of his, Beck left.

"Yes, boss." She mumbled and left.

"You don't have to cancel your meetings, Mr. Brown; I'll wait. It must be important." Abhinav said.

"I'm handling what is important, Mr. Kapoor." Henry replied with a smile. Which Abhinav liked.

The elevator reached his floor, and he took a step back while showing the way to Abhinav. Which again impressed Abhinav.

He entered Henry's office and took a quick look at his cabin. Then they both settled on the couch.

"Do you know who I am?" Abhinav asked.

"Yes, I do." Henry replied casually, and Beck brought coffee for them, placed it on the table, and left. "I'm curious to know how you know me." He asked.

"My sister told me about you, but how do you know me because I'm sure she is not ready to talk to you normally yet?" Abhinav asked back.

"Yeah, she didn't tell me, but I saw you last time and..." Henry replied with a pang of guilt and stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"You misunderstood us." Abhinav chuckled.

"I'm sorry for that and really ashamed of what I did."

"You don't have to because my ex made the same mistake once." Abhinav replied with a smile, and Henry nodded.

"Why do I have the pleasure of your visit, Mr. Kapoor?" Henry asked.

"Please call me Abhinav, Mr. Brown." Abhinav said.

"Then it's Henry for you." Henry replied.

"Fair enough. I'm here to meet you." Abhinav said it directly.

"To know what kind of person I am." Henry said, he understood his intentions.

"Exactly. After all, it's a matter related to my sister." Abhinav replied honestly.

"She is lucky to have a brother like you." Henry complimented, "Trust me, I really respect your bond. You two loved each other and will always be there for each other. Besides the fact that she is not your real sister,"

"We are cousins, but she is more important than that." Abhinav said. "And we believe in relationships built by heart."

"Agreed." Henry nodded.

"I won't lie, but I did my investigation before coming here." Abhinav admitted.

"And do I get your approval?" Henry asked with a chuckle.

"My approval never matters; only Samriddhi's does. I won't lie; I want her to be happy, and if you make her happy, then I don't mind." Abhinav replied, getting straight in his seat. "But if I see any flaws in you, then it's my responsibility to make sure that you stay away from her."

Henry smiled and then said, "Do you find any threats in your investigation?"

"No, that's why I want to meet you personally because people can hide things in investigations too." Abhinav replied.

"Ask whatever you want to know about me, Abhinav, because I will never give up on her." Henry replied confidently. "So it's better if you know everything, whatever I may hide in an investigation."

"I know what I need to know, but there is only one thing. Which only you can answer." Abhinav paused, then continued, "Why her?"

"You don't know the answer? It's surprising, but it's ok, I'll answer." Henry replied, resting his left foot on his right knee. "Don't you know that your sister is a gem? I knew that from the very first moment I saw her. I won't lie, but I have been in many relationships but never found the right person, but after meeting Samriddhi, my search is fulfilled, and I won't let her go." He exhaled, then continued. "But her reasons for being single are useless. How could she think that her life will be the same as her mother's?"

"She told you that?" Abhinav asked in disbelief because he knew his sister had never said that to anyone.

"No, she didn't." Henry replied truthfully, "She is an open book; it's not difficult to add two and two and find out her insecurities and fears."

"You made an investigation about her." Abhinav questioned.

"No, I didn't, but I won't lie, my brother James did, and I burned that folder. I want to know her the way she is—what she actually is. What is she hiding from the whole world? I don't need some information on papers to know her." He replied honestly.

His reply and his way of handling things show how much he cares about her. This impressed Abhinav; he is happy and relieved that a person like Henry is interested in his sister, and he doesn't have any issues regarding this, and if he had to fight with the whole family for them, he would gladly do that.

He also liked how Henry halted his work to talk to him because he could say that he is a very busy person and it's not easy to meet him.

Abhinav is observing him keenly and not finding any flaws in him. In fact, he agrees with Mrs. Kohli that Henry is the perfect partner for his sister.

Before Abhinav could say anything, the door opened with a loud thud, and Richard barged in.

"Why the fucking hell didn't you tell me, and why is that bastard still not being fired?" Richard questioned him, and behind him, Beck is running after him to stop him because Henry specifically told her not to disturb him. "Shut up, Beck; nothing is more important than her." Richard turned to Beck and said, These words caught Abhinav's attention.

"This meeting is over, Mister. You can leave." Richard said that while coming forward to Abhinav. Abhinav didn't reply, but instead, he questioned Henry.

"Is he talking about Samriddhi?" Abhinav questioned.

"And who the hell are you? How does he know her?" Richard first said to Abhinav, then second questioned Henry.

All the time, Henry signaled him to stop talking, but Richard didn't care.

"What is he talking about? I want to know." Abhinav asked.

"I don't understand who he is." Richard asked back.

And in all this chaos, Henry is unable to answer any of them. Before Henry could say anything, Richard said it again.

"Wait a minute, I have seen you somewhere." Richard said to Abhinav, "Are you going to answer who he is?" Richard asked Henry again, then answered himself. "I remember I saw you on Samriddhi's Instagram."

"Are you friends with her on Instagram? She didn't accept my request." Henry complained like a child, which earned a laugh from Abhinav.

"Oh god!!!! What is going on here?" Abhinav asked, laughing. "You must be Richard, her new brother."

"Yes, I'm, but would you please tell me who you are?" Richard asked.

Abhinav didn't reply to Richard but instead said to Henry, "She only adds to those who she knows."

"Well, technically, she knew me, and I know her." Henry replied like a child.

"That's not enough for my sister." Abhinav replied, and then it struck Richard's mind.

"Sister?? That means you are Abhinav." Richard asked.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brown." Abhinav said this while shaking hands with Richard.

"Oh, please call me Richard. Are you here to meet her? Is she fine? Or something serious?" Richard asked in tension.

"She is fine." Henry replied

"What are you talking about?" Abhinav asked, confused.

"Actually, two days ago, she was locked in the storage room of her bank. We all searched for her all night, and then we found her unconscious." Henry replied.

"What?" Abhinav asked in disbelief. "How is she? Is she fine? Why she didn't tell me when we talked?" Abhinav panicked.

"She is fine. That was just an accident. She must not want to get you worried, so maybe that's why she didn't tell you." Henry replied.

"Why is the person responsible for that not fired? I didn't expect you to be that careless." Richard said to Henry:.

"She didn't let me do anything." Henry replied.

"Woah, I'm glad, finally, there is a person who doesn't let you do anything." Richard said it teasingly, and Henry gave him a tough look. Abhinav is happy internally that, finally, a good guy finds her sister.

Now he wishes nothing more than her to accept him and be happy in her life.

Then they heard Samriddhi's voice coming from outside, talking to Smith because the door was open.

"Oh, shit!!!! She shouldn't see me here." Abhinav panicked.

"Hide in the restroom, then hurry up." Richard hides him inside and stands in front of the door.

Samriddhi came in and said, "I forgot one file on your table, Mr. Brown."

Then she saw Richard guarding the restroom door, and it was quite unusual because he hugged her every time they met.

"Hii." She said this to Richard while taking the file from Henry.

"Hey. How are you? Why didn't you tell me? And why did you forgive that person who locked you in??"Richard questioned her but didn't leave his place.

"I'm fine; that was just an accident, and why are you standing like that?" She asked.

"Nothing," Richard replied nervously.

"Pakka koi saheli Luka rkhi honi apni." She said.

"What???" Both brothers asked in unison because they didn't get what she just said.

"Nothing. " She replied with a chuckle and left. "I have to go bye," she said to Richard and left.

After she left, Abhinav came outside, and seeing Richard's face, he burst out laughing.

"What???" Richard asked.

"She thought you were hiding one of your girlfriends inside." Abhinav replied, and Henry laughed too.

"Shut up," Richard said while hitting Henry with his elbow.

"Why were you hiding from her?" Henry asked.

"For your good and my life, if she sees me here, then she will definitely kill me. But I'm happy I decided to meet you personally." Abhinav said to Henry: "I don't know what she'll choose, but I pray that she chooses wisely.
And thanks for having me and giving your time; I should leave now."

"Are you going to meet her?" Richard asked.

"No, I don't want her to know about my visit here. Can you keep that for me?" Abhinav asked, and both brothers nodded to assure him. "Thank you. Now that I'm getting late, I need to catch a flight to Canada."

"Aren't you living in India?" Richard asked.

"Yes. I'm going to do some work-related official work. I came here first to meet him, and now my work here is done. Goodbye. " Abhinav bid goodbye and left.

"So you got approval? Huh?" Richard teased him.

"No, he didn't come here to give me approval. He said, I only need her approval." Henry replied.

"Then you should ask him about her past. He must know whatever is holding her."

"I know what is holding her." Henry replied casually.

"Tell me what??" Richard asked curiously 

"It's none of your business." Henry said to him and left, "Beck, reschedule the meeting."

He left behind a confused Richard.

On the other hand, today's encounter is still repeating in Samriddhi's mind. She was completely lost in his eyes.

She never noticed that he had such beautiful eyes that she drowned in those beautiful blue eyes.

She can't understand if it's the fact that the song is playing in the background or what. But one thing is sure: she wanted to be lost in those eyes.

'Wait. What???? No no. Samriddhi, you can't let that happen, no.' She scolded herself mentally.

But that scene is still repeating in her mind, like her favorite movie.

In the evening, both brothers came together. She avoids Henry on purpose.

"So who were you hiding today?" Samriddhi asked Richard, and he choked on his saliva.

"What????? No, there was nothing like that." Richard answered nervously.

"OK, I'll believe you if you say so." Samriddhi replied teasingly.

In between those, her eyes made contact with Henry's, and she hurriedly diverted her gaze as someone caught her. Her heart started beating fast.

She excused herself and went to the kitchen to have water to calm her inner chaos, which started today.

At the same time, Henry entered the kitchen, as if her heart knew. It started beating faster as it would jump out of her rib cage.

She knew he was behind, so she didn't turn, but he came to her and took water from her and left, but he said something in her ear before leaving.

"Breathe, tigress, breathe." He said it in her ear from behind, his breath fanning around her neck. She felt goosebumps arousing on her entire body.

When he left, she took deep breaths to calm herself. Which she was holding for god knows how long.

They were all having dinner together and watching Ford vs. Ferrari. Then, in between, Richard said:.

"Christian Bale is a fantastic actor, but I like him more as Batman." Richard said.

"Well yeah, he had the best movies, no doubt, but Ben Affleck is a better Batman in comparison." Henry replied.

"No, no Christian is best. Let's vote." Richard said.

"Really?? Do you think they even care?" Henry said, pointing towards Hannah and Namrita. They both made disgusting faces.

"They don't, but she did." Richard knuckle-punched Samriddhi and said, "Tell us, Sammii, who is better, Batman?"

"No doubt both are best, but now we have one more actor in the race." Samriddhi said and took a bite of her food, then replied, "Robert Pattinson. Well, the audience appreciates his work and..."

"WHAT???" Both Hannah and Namrita screamed at the same time.

"He is Batman now?" Namrita asked.

"Oh yeah, but I don't see much difference between him being a Batman because he was already a vampire." Richard commented, and Henry and Samriddhi both burst out laughing together.

Namrita and Hannah both cursed them.

"I know girls can't accept him as Batman. After all, they are still in love with their vampire." Henry said, and Samriddhi couldn't control her laughter.

"Don't laugh; you are also a girl." Namrita smacked Samriddhi's head.

"I don't like THE TWILIGHT SAGA.
Those movies make no sense, especially the last two parts. Neither I'm saying I don't like vampires; I do, but not those movies." Samriddhi said that while controlling her laugh, but suddenly her gaze rested on the laughing face of Henry.

Her heart skipped a beat after seeing his vampire-like fangs. She never noticed he had fangs and now she is unable to divert her eyes from his face. She can't understand what is happening to her.

"But you probably love his Cedric Diggory character." Henry asked her.

"Of course I do." She replied in a trance.

For the first time, she replied to him, smiling. His heart skipped a beat. He can't understand what just happened. Did she really talk to him normally?

'Maybe this is the beginning.' Henry thought to himself.

"Then what about Michael Keaton's Batman?" Henry asked suddenly.

"Classic movies are not allowed." Richard argued.

"No, we can't ignore him. He was the best." Samriddhi replied.

"Do you really watch classic movies?" Richard asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah. You can't ignore those, and more importantly, he is coming back  in the Flash movie." Samriddhi said.

"Along with..." Henry cut her.

"Ben Affleck." They said it at the same time. Samriddhi is a bit more excited.

"Two Nerds." Richard said to Henry and Samriddhi. Bit also he thought 'made for each other' to himself and smiled.

Henry saw her first time talking freely in front of him. He liked her this new side. Carefree and Nerdy.

"Agh!!!! Change the topic. You guys are making us bored." Hannah groaned in frustration.

"Shut up." Richard said to Hannah, then asked Samriddhi. "DC or MARVEL."

"BOTH." She replied instantly, which formed a smirky smile on Henry's face, but he hid it instantly. "And you?" She asked him back.

"None of them, honestly, but I enjoyed movies; it doesn't matter who they belong to." Richard replied. "You are exactly like him. He is also a huge nerdy fan like you." Richard replied while looking towards Henry.

"I know, after all, he named his dog Kal-El. Right, Mr. Brown." Samriddhi replied. Her reply shocked everyone. The girl who was not ready to talk to Henry now claims to know him.
How are the tables turned? But honestly, they are all happy.

"Yeah. " Henry answered proudly. "You never missed any movies," he asked.

"Nah," she replied instantly.

"First-day, first show, right, nerdy?" Richard asked while turning toward her.

"No. Actually, on their digital  release."She replied with a sad tone.

"Why so late?" Henry asked curiously.

"Because she is not allowed to go to a movie theater." Hannah replied on her behalf.

"Why??" Richard asked in disbelief.

"I don't know. Ummm. Being a single child.' She chuckled, "Especially a girl. My mom is a little overprotective, and my grandparents thought it's not safe to go to a movie theater for a girl. So I never go." She shrugged with a smile.

But this clenched Henry's heart because he could see how much she wanted to go and, god knows, how many more things she missed in her life.

"Why? It wasn't even a big deal to go to theatres." Richard said.

"It was for them." Samriddhi whispered with a smile hiding her pain behind it which wasn't unnoticed by Henry.

"I don't know why Indian parents become so overprotective sometimes that they won't even let their kids experience the life and let alone live is fully?" Namrita said.

"Your parents are also Indian." Hannah said.

"But they never stopped me from anything. I never missed anything in my life the way our Sammi missed everything." Namrita said.

"Now I am used to it." Samriddhi replied with a sad chukle and all he wanted right now is to give her world. Let her do everything that she missed in her life.

"We will go tomorrow. Yes, we will," Richard said.

"No, I don't want to, and I never saw this before, so it doesn't matter, especially if you can watch on TV with ultra HD features, then who wants to go to the movie theater?" she replied shrugging it off.

After that, they chatted a little bit, enjoyed their dinner, and both brothers left.

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