1: Where it all began.

I peeped through the window and swallowed looking at my wristwatch. I was late because of the traffic jam, and I couldn't do anything about it. "Please, drive as fast as you can", I signaled the driver as soon as I saw traffic clearing. The driver slightly turned his head around, gave me a sinister look before turning his attention towards the road again.

Excuse me, I'm paying you.

"I wish I can hurl my car through the air, Ma'am", the driver sarcastically replied, making me flinch. The word Ma'am sounded like some curse word from his mouth. I could obviously beat him with my level of sarcasm, and let his score go back to zero, but I decided to stay quiet because I wasn't really in a condition to be kicked out of a vehicle and neither did I have the power to book another cab.

I was heading to a place I should've years back. Fashion designing had always been my passion, but only because of family pressure, I had to take commerce. After completion of my graduation and after failing twice in the Chartered Accountancy exams, I decided to drop it. I sucked at making decisions and maybe that's why I lost 3 complete years of my life studying something which failed to amaze me.

"I'll be there soon", I text Sarah, the human resource manager, and wait for her reply. I smile superficially when I read "Okay, be here soon". I wasn't really enrolling myself as a student in some fashion school. I was old enough for that. I mean, I'm 23, and students who take up the course are mostly between the age-groups 16 to 20. Getting called 'aunty' by a fellow classmate was the last thing I wanted to hear.

I was on my way for an interview for the position of a customer care representative in a well-renowned boutique of our city, namely 'Try Me'. I did get job offers relating to the position of an accountant, but I rejected every one of it. I strove for mental peace, and maybe if I got this job, I'll be able to find it, because art certainly makes me happy and blesses me with inner peace.

After a while, as soon as I reached the required destination, I paid the driver his fare and exited the taxi whilst banging the door as aggressively as I could. Well, the driver sure deserved it.

After registering my feet on the ground, I tucked my shirt inside my jeans and straightened my shirt. I unlocked my phone, took a quick selfie and captioned it 'Wish me luck' and forwarded it to my best friends. Without waiting for any reply, I marched inside the huge entrance.

"Hi, I'm here for the position of the customer care representative. Can I meet Sarah, please?" I interrogated the receptionist and addressed myself.

She looked at me, from head to toe, browsed my name from her email, and replied "Yeah, sure. You've to wait for like an hour because the human resource recruiter is occupied for the time being"

I settled my ass on the nearest seat, and grabbed the magazine from the table and flipped the pages so as to entertain myself. I looked at my phone again, to keep a check on the time, but it felt like time seemed to stop. 15 minutes passed, and my ass was yet glued to the chair. Certain thoughts revolved around my mind, like, what if the CEO is hot? What if he falls in love with me?

Life isn't some romantic book Kyra. Get a reality check.

I allowed my eyeballs to whirl around the place. The artistic walls, the designed velvet curtains, the specially carved tables left me in admiration. I peered inside one of the cabins whilst leaning towards its direction. My eyes encountered a lot of dresses, each hung up on a hanger close to its mannequin. To my content, the view consumed all my time because like I said, art always amazed me.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I neither received it nor took hold of it. "Miss. Ahuja..?" I heard the receptionist call my name again, so I strolled in her direction, all scared and excited.

"Yes...?" I gestured with a smile.

"Ma---", I cut her off as I felt my phone vibrate again. Maybe, I shouldn't keep ignoring the caller, because maybe it could be someone important. I excused myself from the lady and attended the call.

There were like 5 missed calls from Maa (Mom) which popped on my notification screen like a bombshell. The relatable post now made sense that 'Surrendering self to the cops is scary, but not as scary as missed calls from one's mom'. What would've been the issue?

I called Maa instinctively "Maa, what's wrong?"

"I don't care wherever you are. You need to rush home"

"No. I mean, why...?" I was pulled back by the urgency in her tone. It wasn't her request but her declaration.

"I want you to be home in half an hour. You get it, right?" she interrogated in a higher tone this time.

I kept silent for a while, and let her question remain unanswered. It was my reflex which was unable to speak at the moment. I was really excited about this job, for being in a line which amazed me, for having my chance of independence. But, maybe, certain thing's are ought to remain the same they are and sometime's though you crave something of your choice, you are served by something which is totally against it.

"You hear me?" she questioned again.

"Yes. I'll be there soon", I rushed inside instinctively, gathered my bag, and without making any eye contact with the receptionist, exited the place. I felt bad, probably worse. Not because I couldn't have a love story with the CEO but because my whole life was dominated by my parents. It felt like I was obliged to them. Call it their love, their overprotective nature, or their dominance.

It was a sunny day. Sunlight always gave me vitamins and strokes. A stroke which turned my skin into a joke, precisely, my skin turned red whenever exposed to the sun. I sheltered my face by providing a roof to my forehead with the help of my hands. No, it didn't reduce the sun rays but I somehow felt relieved. That's a human ideology, okay? We fan from our hands, though it doesn't generate much air, we keep doing it.

We feel relief when our heart is at peace, and at this very moment, my heart wasn't.

Looking left, right, and then left again, I crossed the road so as to hire a taxi for my return journey. When I was in the middle of the road, I carefully waited close to the zebra crossing and examined the traffic lights. As soon as the lights turned red, I started crossing the road.

But, suddenly, I was hit fiercely by a biker whose face was covered with a helmet. I fell on my elbow, my face contacted the road's surface, and my knee got twisted because of my heels. My hair landed on my face, obstructing my view towards the surrounding. I gathered some guts and tilted my chin up, to look at the man's vehicle number, because of whom I experienced a downfall, which gathered every vehicle's attention.

The man didn't come in my direction. He took a halt at some distance away from me. He turned his head around, in my direction. His dark brown eyes shined under the sun, and he watched me straight without even blinking twice. His covered face obstructed my view towards his face. All I could see was his skin color, his eyes, and some part of his subtle beard.

He stayed still in the position for a minute long. A small hole took birth on his cheek, and his lips curve slightly into a smirk.

Dimples, seriously?

I pouted in annoyance. I on gaining all the courage which was left within me uplifted myself. I tried to examine my skin in search of any open wounds, but gladly there was none. I tried looking at that stranger's direction again, but he was gone. G-o-n-e.

"Did you note his motorbike's number?" a stranger man, probably in his 40's came towards me.

Oops, I was too busy checking him out.

"Oh no, I didn't", I responded.

"You're okay?" he questioned inquired.

"I'm fine", I answered with a genuine smile.

"Come on, get in my car. I'll drop you", he offered me a ride to which I said no twice, but he was too kind to accept my rejection. I comforted myself in the back seat of his car as his wife sat on the passenger seat. The couple was extremely genuine. We had a gala talk whilst they drove me home.

I insisted on them to pay a visit to my house but they were in some kind of hurry, so they drove off. Giving a smile to my apartment's watchman, I entered the elevator. I pinched on the 3rd floor and rushed inside the hallway. Though none of my wounds were serious or visible, the joints in my body hurt.

But, I at least got an excuse to protect myself from Mom's shouting. I rang the doorbell and waited close to the door with my hands tightly wrapped around my stomach. As soon as mom opened the door, I rushed inside completely ignoring her. I hanged my handbag in one of the hooks of my room's door.

I freshened myself up, and then made way towards the hall-room again. "Yeah, Maa...?" I raised my right brow and inquired.

"My baby", she came closer to me and engulfed me in a bear hug. I hugged her back and pulled away after some time. I was completely perplexed by her sudden mood change.

"I never realized that you're such a big girl until today", I simply nod allowing her to move on.

"Oh! Happy Realisation", I grin sarcastically. Don't blame me. I was yet mad at her.

She stroked my cheeks with both of her hands. I knew this was trouble. "Come on. Get ready quickly. The Singhanias can arrive any moment"

"Singhanias..?" I questioned. Deep inside I knew that where this conversation was going.

"They've asked your hand in marriage for their son", okay, so now she was spilling out the beans.

"Marriage...? What?"

"I know it's too sudden but your father and I can't help it either"

"I'm not ready", I pull away.

"Yes you are"

I reluctantly push her hands away when she tried resting them on my shoulders "I'm not ready", I repeated.

"You know. It's just not you who isn't. Your father and I are involved too. They have some allegations against your father, plus Ahaan is a really nice guy to spend life with", she rubbed my shoulders as she tried to explain. My vision was blurred because of the tears which took birth on my waterline.

"Wasn't Paa (daddy) an honest police officer?" I offend. My father was a retired police officer. My family literally survived on the pensions provided to us monthly.

In all the years, I couldn't enjoy my life because almost every officer, traffic or inspection, were in close contact with my father. So, whenever I was somewhere, my father would know about it. Other than this, I truly believed that my father was an honest officer. At least his actions attested for my beliefs back then.

"What wrong did he do?" I questioned Maa.

"Well, you can't know about it. There are strings attached, but, you can save this family, your little brother, and sister, for once"

"I can't know about it but I can tie a knot with someone because of it. Who am I? Yours and Dad's investment...?" I offended frowning. I made way towards my room whilst stomping my feet

****

Thank you for giving this book a try. It'll definitely take you on a roller-coaster of drama and emotions. Stay tuned.

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