𝟭 | 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟

"𝒯𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒢𝒶𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃 𝒫𝑒

𝐵𝒾𝓀𝒽𝓇𝒾 𝐻𝒶𝒾 𝒵𝓊𝓁𝒻𝑒𝒾𝓃

𝐵𝒶𝓃𝓀𝑒 𝐵𝒶𝒹𝒶𝓁"

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

IN DELHI...

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It was five in the morning.

Misha was peacefully lost in her dreams when the shrill sound of her alarm shattered the silence.

She groaned, still half-asleep, and kicked the mattress in frustration. After what felt like an eternity, she finally managed to reach for the alarm and turn it off.

For a few seconds, she simply sat there, staring blankly at the wall.

Then she sighed and got out of bed.

Her hair was tied into a messy braid that fell over her shoulders, and she was dressed in a cerulean-blue pyjama set covered in tiny white lilies. She grabbed her phone, opened Spotify, and played her favourite song before lazily making her way toward the washroom.

An hour later, Misha stepped out looking completely different.

She was dressed in a pretty light-pink kurta with delicate chikankari embroidery. Her pitch-black hair was left loose, falling all the way down to her waist.

The moment her favourite song, "You Are My Soniya" from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, started playing again, Misha completely forgot about everything else.

She began dancing around her room, happily singing along to the song.

That was when her phone started ringing.She glanced at the screen.

Unknown Number. Misha frowned and ignored it.

A few seconds later, it rang again.

Ignored.

Again.

And again.

"Seriously?" she muttered, rolling her eyes. Finally, she grabbed the phone and answered.

"Hello, kya hai yaar, aapko thoda sa bhi—"

(Hello, what is it, why don't you have some—)

"Arey! Di, main hoon Saira, Ashok Ji ki beti!"

(Hey! Sis, it's me Saira, Ashok's daughter.)

Misha's annoyance disappeared instantly.

"Saira!"

Within seconds, the two girls were deep into a conversation.

One topic turned into another, then another, and before Misha even realised it, nearly two hours had passed.

The moment she ended the call, she casually glanced at the clock.

Her eyes widened.

8:00 AM.

"Oh, shit! I am late!"

She immediately grabbed a pair of jhumkas from the table and rushed out of her room, trying to put them on while running.

"Mishu, aaraam se, gir jaaogi!"

(Mishu, be careful, you might fall.)

Raman's voice came from downstairs.

Misha stopped for a second, remembering that she was, in fact, running down the stairs while attempting to put on heavy earrings.

"Oops."

She slowed down and carefully made her way downstairs.

The moment she reached the ground floor, she headed straight toward the kitchen.

"Mom, main breakfast nahi karungi. Mujhe Durga Ma ke mandir jaana hai."

(I'm not having breakfast. I have to go to the Durga Ma Temple.)

Manisha looked at her daughter for a moment before nodding.

"Accha, theek hai, aur haan, aaj thoda jaldi aa jaana."

(Okay, but try coming home a little early today.)

"okay!"

Misha agreed without even waiting to hear the rest.

She quickly slipped on her white heels, grabbed her things, and rushed toward her car.

Fifteen minutes later, she reached the temple.

She parked the car and walked inside.

The familiar sound of temple bells filled the air as she approached the idol of Maa Durga. She folded her hands, closed her eyes, and began praying.

For her family.

For their happiness.

For their safety.

And, of course, for the continued growth and success of Joshi Industries.

For a brief moment, a strange sensation ran through her.

Something she couldn't quite explain.

Misha frowned slightly but chose to ignore it.

She finished her prayers, took the blessings of Maa Durga, and walked back toward her car without paying much attention to the people around her.

Soon, she was on her way to Joshi Industries of Technology.

As soon as she reached the office, she parked her car and headed straight toward the elevator.

She stepped inside and pressed 19.

When the doors opened, Misha stepped out and walked toward her cabin.

"Good morning, ma'am."

"Good morning."

Employees greeted her as she passed, and Misha politely acknowledged them before entering her cabin.

She placed her things on the table and settled into her chair.

She had barely opened her laptop when the door opened.

A girl with tan skin and sharp features walked inside, carrying a thick stack of files. She was dressed in a bright yellow dress, and the wide smile on her face made her look even more cheerful.

"Good morning, ma'am!"

She walked over to Misha's desk and placed the files in front of her.

"Ma'am, these are the files you asked us to work on. We've completed everything."

She pushed the files slightly closer to Misha.

"You can check them once, and if any corrections are needed, you can let me know."

Misha nodded.

"Hmm, okay, Sanvi."

Sanvi was Misha's personal assistant, but she was much more than just an employee.

She was one of Misha's trusted employees.

Misha trusted her completely, and Sanvi's dedication and efficiency were the main reasons Misha had chosen her as her personal assistant.

Sanvi quickly went through Misha's schedule, informing her about the meetings she had that day before leaving the cabin.

Once she was gone, Misha immersed herself in work.

One file became two. Two became five. And before she knew it, lunchtime had arrived.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Karthik walked inside.

Misha immediately noticed the suspicious smile playing on his lips.

He was dressed in a beige suit over a crisp white shirt, with the top three buttons left undone, giving him his usual effortlessly charming look.

He walked toward Misha's desk, pulled out the chair opposite her, sat down...

And simply stared at her.

Misha continued working for a few seconds before finally glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Kya hua, mere pyaare se chehre par aapka bhavishya dikh raha hai kya?"

(What happened, can you see your future on my pretty face?)

Karthik shook his head, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face.

"Mera bhavishya itna kharaab nahin hai ki ab tumhare chehre par dikhega."

(My future isn't so bad that it will now be seen on your face.)

Misha narrowed her eyes.

"Accha, toh mujhe ghoor kyun rahe ho?"

(Oh, then why are you staring at me?)

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.

Karthik suddenly stood up.

"Dekh raha hoon ki tumhari bandar jaisi shakal ko kaun shaadi ke liye haan karega."

(I'm seeing how anyone will agree to marry someone who looks like a monkey.)

Before Misha could even process the insult, Karthik bolted toward the door.

"KARTHIK!"

Misha immediately grabbed the nearest pen and ran after him.

Just as she was about to catch him, the cabin door opened.

Raman stood there.

He looked at Misha.

Then at Karthik.

Then back at Misha.

Both of them froze.

"Rukhh jaao, mere dono shaitaano!"

(Stop, my two devils!)

Misha immediately pointed at Karthik.

"Papa, aapko pata hai kya? Aapke is bewaqoof bete ne mujhe bandar kaha!"

(Dad, do you know what? Your stupid son called me a monkey!)

Karthik immediately hid behind Raman, peeking over his shoulder.

"Toh maine galat kya kaha?"

(So what's wrong with that?)

"Karthik!"

Misha took a step forward, but Raman quickly stopped her and gently tapped Karthik on the head.

"Dono bas karo."

(You two, enough.)

Karthik grinned innocently.

Misha, however, wasn't convinced.

Raman affectionately consoled his daughter until she finally calmed down.

The moment she was satisfied, Misha turned toward Karthik and stuck her tongue out at him.

Karthik rolled his eyes.

But unlike his sister, he already had his attention somewhere else.

His phone was in his hand, and his fingers were busy typing a message to someone very important.

Rithika.

Raman shook his head at his children before walking toward the couch and sitting down.

"Misha, how many meetings do you have today?"

Misha turned toward him.

"I have two meetings after lunch. They shouldn't take too much time."

"Okay."

Raman leaned forward, his expression becoming slightly more serious.

"And I wanted to tell you both one more thing."

Misha and Karthik looked at him.

"Yesterday, Ashok's first son returned from London."

Karthik's fingers stopped moving on his phone.

Raman continued casually,

"So, the Rajkot family is coming to our house for dinner tonight."

"Whattttt!"

To be continued.....

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I hope you all liked the chapter! 🤍

Please vote and show some love because it really helps the book reach more readers. 🥹✨

If you have any questions, thoughts, or theories, feel free to comment below!

And tell me, how many of you have an annoying-but-sweet brother? 😂 I have one too, and trust me, he's DAMN annoying! 😭🤍

Thank you for reading the first chapter. 🫶🏻

Happy reading, guys! ✨📖