Chapter–1

A man dressed in a perfectly tailored suit stood surrounded by a crowd of reporters, their microphones stretched toward him from every direction.

He was no ordinary businessman. He was Arjun Rathore, the CEO of Rathore Industries.

Despite the constant barrage of questions, Arjun remained calm and composed. One by one, he answered them with the professionalism expected of a man in his position.

A few steps away stood his secretary, Sara, quietly observing the press conference. She held a tablet against her chest and occasionally checked her watch while waiting for the event to conclude.

By the time the last reporter had asked their final question, it was nearly two in the afternoon.

After leaving the venue, Arjun and Sara drove to Sara's house.

They were not only boss and secretary—they had also been best friends since childhood. They knew each other as well as a flame knows its wick.

Arjun was reserved and somewhat aloof. He preferred keeping to himself and rarely initiated conversations unless necessary. Most of the time, he remained absorbed in his work.

Sara, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Cheerful, energetic, and endlessly talkative, she had a way of bringing life into every room she entered.

When they arrived at Sara's house, she pressed the doorbell.

No response.

She rang it again.

Still nothing.

"Looks like nobody's home," Sara muttered.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a spare key. Just as she was about to unlock the door, it suddenly swung open.

Both she and Arjun looked up.

Standing in the doorway was Sara's younger brother, Vivek.

One look at him was enough to tell that he had only just woken up.

His eyes were half-open with sleep, his hair was sticking out in every direction, and he was still wearing his nightclothes. Stretching lazily, he let out a yawn.

"Didi, you already have a key," he complained sleepily. "Then why do you keep ringing the bell and ruining my sleep?"

Sara narrowed her eyes at him.

"Forget that. What on earth happened to you?" she scolded, glaring at him. "It's almost three in the afternoon and you're still sleeping?"

Vivek rubbed the back of his neck.

"What was I supposed to do? I stayed up all night working on a presentation. I barely slept."

The three of them stepped inside.

"Oh really?" Sara placed her purse on the table. "Then why didn't you go to the office today?"

Arjun silently settled onto the couch, listening to their conversation.

"The presentation isn't due until tomorrow. The boss suddenly had some other work, so there wasn't much point in going today," Vivek replied with another yawn.

Still groggy from sleep, he hadn't even noticed that Arjun was sitting right there.

Arjun leaned back comfortably, quietly enjoying the sibling banter.

"You have it easy, Didi," Vivek grumbled while rubbing his eyes. "Your boss is your best friend. You don't have to be afraid of him. My boss is always yelling at me."

A smile tugged at Arjun's lips.

Sara glanced at him before scoffing dramatically.

"Oh, really? Best friend or not, he's a tyrant. An absolute tyrant!"

Arjun's smile widened.

"You should be grateful your best friend isn't your boss," she continued. "Otherwise, you'd be doing twice the amount of work you're doing now. And on your days off, that so-called best-friend boss would show up at your house carrying stacks of files."

"Come on," Arjun finally interrupted. "I'm not that bad."

The moment Vivek heard Arjun's voice, his eyes widened in horror.

He turned so abruptly that his foot slipped.

"Aaaah!"

Before he could properly fall, Arjun was already on his feet.

He rushed forward and helped steady him while Sara hurried over as well. Together, they helped Vivek sit down on the sofa.

Sara gently rubbed his back.

"What happened? How did you suddenly fall?"

"My foot slipped..." Vivek muttered weakly.

Arjun sat down beside him.

"Wait here. I'll be right back," Sara said as she got up.

Before she could leave, Vivek quickly grabbed her wrist.

Sara blinked.

"What?"

"I-I'm coming with you."

He stood up immediately.

As he turned, his gaze met Arjun's.

For a brief moment, the two stared at each other.

Then Vivek quickly looked away and hurried toward the kitchen.

Sara and Arjun watched him disappear around the corner.

A second later, they looked at each other.

And burst out laughing.

"Why is your brother so terrified of me?" Arjun asked between laughs.

Sara wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Probably because he doesn't know your real personality."

From the kitchen came a loud shout.

"Didi! Where are you? Come here quickly!"

"There it is," Arjun said dramatically, gesturing toward the kitchen with both hands. "Your summons has arrived."

Sara swatted his arm.

"You never miss a chance to tease my brother, do you?"

"What can I say?" Arjun shrugged with a mischievous grin. "Your brother is just too fun to tease."

Then he winked at her.

"Didi!"

"I'm coming, okay?" Sara called back.

She walked into the kitchen and headed toward the shelf to take out some vermicelli.

But as soon as she turned around, she froze.

Vivek was standing in front of the stove, absentmindedly staring into space.

In one hand was a container of sugar.

And he was continuously pouring it into the tea.

Without stopping.

Without even looking.

Sara's eyes widened.

She rushed forward, set the vermicelli on the counter, and immediately snatched the sugar container from his hand.

The sudden action startled Vivek back to reality.

"What are you doing?" Sara exclaimed. "Were you planning to dump the entire container into the tea?"

Vivek blinked.

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Then his expression changed.

"You should forget about the tea and tell me something first."

His brows furrowed slightly.

"Why did you bring Arjun with you?"

There was a trace of irritation in his voice that hadn't been there before.

"What do you mean, why did I bring him?" Sara frowned at him. "He's my friend. And it's not like this is the first time he's come here. So why are you acting so dramatic?"

Vivek opened his mouth to answer but stopped himself.

"Well... it's just..." He pressed his lips together for a moment, searching for an excuse. Then he gestured toward himself with both hands.

"At least you could've warned me beforehand." He looked down at his crumpled nightclothes and messy hair. "Just look at me. What must he be thinking about me right now?"

Sara stared at him for a second before letting out a snort.

"As if that matters." She rolled her eyes and turned back to the counter. "Why do you care what he thinks about you? It's not like he's your lover that you're feeling embarrassed in front of him."

Vivek nearly choked on air.

"W-What kind of logic is that?!"

Ignoring him completely, Sara picked up an onion and began slicing it.

"Besides," she continued casually, "I don't schedule my guests according to your convenience. If you're presentable, good. If you're not, then too bad. I can't stop inviting people just because you haven't gotten ready."

Vivek stared at her in disbelief.

Sometimes he seriously wondered whether she was his sister or his greatest enemy.

With an annoyed huff, he spun around and marched out of the kitchen.

"Dramatic," Sara muttered under her breath.

A moment later, the sound of a door slamming echoed through the house.

Vivek had locked himself inside his room.

Sara merely shook her head and continued chopping the onions as though nothing had happened.

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