Author’s POV
Darkness slowly lifted from her mind.
A dull ache pulsed behind her temples as consciousness returned. Her eyelids fluttered before finally opening.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar.
High.
Elegant.
Too elegant.
For a moment, she remained still, silently observing her surroundings. Soft golden lights illuminated the polished marble floor, and massive glass windows revealed the glittering city skyline far below.
This wasn’t a hospital.
And it definitely wasn’t her home.
Slowly, she pushed herself up.
Her body felt weak, but her movements were controlled.
Just as she tried to sit properly, a glass of water appeared in front of her.
Without looking at the person offering it, she accepted it naturally.
“Thank you,” she said calmly.
She drank slowly before placing the empty glass on the table.
Only then did she look at the person standing beside the sofa.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, silence filled the room.
He stood there with effortless authority—tall, composed, and dangerously calm. His presence alone seemed to dominate the entire space.
Anvi studied him quietly for a second before looking away.
“How did I get here?” she asked.
The man walked over and sat on the sofa across from her.
“You were unconscious in a cab,” he said calmly. “So I brought you here.”
Anvi nodded once.
“Thank you.”
Her tone was polite, but distant.
Aditya observed her carefully.
Most people would panic in a situation like this.
She didn’t.
Instead, her eyes moved across the penthouse, quietly analyzing everything.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
He already knew the answer.
But somehow… hearing it from her mattered.
“Anvi.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Something about that simple smile caught Aditya off guard.
His heart skipped once
Annoyed by his own reaction, he stood and walked toward the kitchen.
A minute later he returned with a cup of coffee and handed it to her.
“Here."
She accepted it.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Aditya.”
The moment he said it, she let out a small laugh.
Aditya frowned slightly.
“Is my name that funny?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I just thought… not every Aditya is bad.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You know someone named Aditya?”
Her expression changed instantly.
The softness disappeared.
“I’m talking about Aditya Rathod,” she said.
“The owner of Rathod Enterprises.”
Aditya remained silent.
Because the man she was talking about…
…was him.
“Yes,” he said calmly.
Anvi’s jaw tightened.
“I hate him.”
For a moment, the room fell silent.
The words hung heavily in the air.
Aditya watched her carefully.
Few people had the courage to speak about him like that.
Especially right in front of him.
“Why?” he asked quietly.
“What did he do to you?”
Anvi stood up from the sofa, frustration flashing across her face.
“That man handed me fake property papers,” she said sharply.
“As if my entire business was just a toy he could play with.”
Her voice carried anger—but also pride.
“I built that project from nothing.”
“And he destroyed it.”
Aditya frowned slightly.
Because he remembered something.
The building.
Anurag had mentioned earlier that the property documents were illegal.
“That building is illegal,” Aditya said instinctively.
The moment the words left his mouth—
Anvi froze.
Slowly, she turned toward him.
Her gaze had changed.
Sharp.
Observant.
Suspicious.
“How do you know it’s a building?” she asked quietly.
“I never mentioned a building.”
Aditya remained calm, but inside his mind something shifted.
She was sharp.
Too sharp.
Anvi took a slow step closer, studying him carefully.
“Interesting,” she murmured.
“Most people only know the surface of a problem.”
“But you seem to know the details.”
Before Aditya could reply—
The penthouse door suddenly burst open.
“Boss!”
Both of them turned.
“Vipul?” Anvi said in surprise.
Vipul Khanna rushed inside, slightly out of breath.
The moment he saw her, relief flashed across his face.
“Boss—where were you? I’ve been searching everywhere!” he said anxiously.
But the formal tone didn’t hide the worry in his voice.
Because outside the office, Vipul wasn’t just her secretary.
He was her closest friend.
The only one who had seen her struggles from the very beginning.
Anvi immediately sensed something was wrong.
“What happened, Vipul?” she asked.
Vipul hesitated.
“N-nothing, boss.”
Anvi crossed her arms.
“Vipul Khanna.”
Her voice turned calm but firm.
“Stop acting like an employee and speak like my friend.”
Vipul sighed.
That was the problem with her.
She could read him too easily.
“Fine,” he said quietly.
“We received a legal notice from Rathod Enterprises.”
The room fell silent.
Vipul continued quickly.
“They said if we don’t respond immediately, they’ll file a case against us.”
“And if that happens…”
He hesitated.
“…our company won’t survive.”
Anvi’s fingers slowly tightened.
“And if we want to stop it,” Vipul added quietly,
“…we have to pay them ten million dollars.”
For a brief moment, the words felt like thunder crashing inside the room.
But Anvi didn’t panic.
She didn’t collapse.
Instead, she closed her eyes briefly and took a slow breath.
When she opened them again—
Her gaze was steady.
Cold.
Determined.
She turned toward Aditya.
“Thank you for helping me,” she said calmly.
“And the coffee was good.”
Without waiting for his reply, she walked toward the door.
Vipul followed her immediately.
Aditya remained standing in the center of the penthouse, watching her leave.
The elevator doors closed.
Silence returned.
Aditya slowly took out his phone.
“Gupta.”
“Yes?”
Aditya’s eyes remained fixed on the empty space where she had been standing.
___________________________
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