Chapter 1: A Deal Worth Everything

The smell of antiseptic filled the hospital corridor as Aadhya sat outside the intensive care unit, staring blankly at the paper trembling in her hands. The numbers printed on it refused to make sense, no matter how many times she read them.

₹18,50,000.

The amount felt unreal.

Her father had suffered a severe heart attack two nights ago. The doctors had managed to stabilize him, but the surgery he needed was expensive, far beyond anything their family could afford.

Aadhya closed her eyes.

For the past forty-eight hours, she had done everything she could think of. She had called relatives she hadn't spoken to in years. She had applied for emergency loans. She had even sold the small gold chain her mother had given her on her eighteenth birthday.

It still wasn't enough.

Not even close.

"Main itne paise laaungi kahaan se?" she thought helplessly.

The ICU doors opened.

A doctor stepped out holding a file.

Aadhya immediately stood up.

"Doctor, Papa kaise hain?"

The doctor's expression softened.

"Abhi ke liye stable hain. Lekin surgery aur delay nahi kar sakte."

Aadhya swallowed hard.

“Papa theek toh rahenge na?” she asked anxiously.

The doctor hesitated for a moment before replying.

"Haan… lekin agar operation time par nahi hua toh risk badh jayega."

Her hands tightened.

“Payment…” she asked softly.

The doctor adjusted the file in his hands.

"Teen din ke andar confirmation chahiye hoga."

Three days.

Three days to arrange nearly nineteen lakh rupees.

The number echoed inside her head like a cruel joke.

She thanked the doctor and slowly sat back down. Her hands felt cold despite the summer heat outside.

Her phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

Normally she would have ignored it.

Today, she answered immediately.

"Hello?"

"Miss Aadhya Sharma?"

The voice on the other end was professional and unfamiliar.

"Haan."

"I'm calling from Khanna Enterprises."

Aadhya frowned.

The name sounded familiar.

Very familiar.

Khanna Enterprises was one of the largest business groups in the country.

"Mr. Zayan Khanna aapse milna chahte hain."

For a second, she thought she had heard wrong.

"Maaf kijiye… kaun?"

"Mr. Zayan Khanna."

Aadhya sat upright.

"Mujhse kyun milna chahte hain?"

"Yeh information mujhe share nahi ki gayi hai, ma'am. Agar aap ready hain toh aaj shaam 6 baje ek gaadi aapko lene aa jayegi."

The call ended before she could ask another question.

Aadhya stared at her phone in silence.

"Yeh sab kya ho raha hai mere saath?" she whispered.

Confusion settled heavily in her chest.

She had never met Zayan Khanna.

She didn't know anyone connected to him.

Why would one of the country's most powerful businessmen want to see her?

---

At exactly six o'clock, a black luxury car stopped outside the hospital.

Aadhya almost didn't get in.

Almost.

But desperation had a way of pushing people toward decisions they normally wouldn't make.

The drive lasted nearly forty minutes.

When the car finally stopped, she found herself standing in front of one of the tallest buildings in the city.

Khanna Enterprises.

The lobby alone was larger than her entire apartment.

"Yeh jagah toh kisi five-star hotel se bhi zyada mehengi lag rahi hai," she thought nervously.

A receptionist guided her toward a private elevator.

Minutes later, she stood outside a large office.

The doors opened.

And for the first time, she saw Zayan Khanna.

He stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city.

Tall.

Impeccably dressed.

Cold.

There was something intimidating about the way he carried himself, as though he was used to getting exactly what he wanted.

He turned toward her.

Dark eyes met hers.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then he gestured toward the chair across from his desk.

"Baithiye."

Aadhya remained standing.

"Mujhe pehle yeh jaan'na hai ki aap mujhe yahan kyun laaye hain."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Not a warm smile.

A calculating one.

"Seedhi baat karti hain. Mujhe yeh pasand hai."

His voice was calm, yet there was something unsettling beneath it.

Aadhya folded her arms.

"Mere paas paheliyan suljhane ka waqt nahi hai."

Zayan studied her carefully.

Almost as if he were evaluating her.

Judging her.

Finally, he opened a folder resting on his desk and slid it toward her.

Aadhya looked down.

Inside was a contract.

A very detailed contract.

Confusion crossed her face.

"Yeh kya hai?"

"Ek deal."

The simple answer only irritated her further.

"Kaisi deal?"

Zayan leaned back in his chair.

"Mujhe agle 6 mahino ke liye ek girlfriend chahiye."

Silence.

Aadhya blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Surely she had misunderstood.

"Kya?"

"Tumne sahi suna."

For the first time since entering the office, genuine disbelief appeared on her face.

"Aap mazaak kar rahe hain?"

"Main kabhi mazaak nahi karta."

The confidence in his voice made her stomach twist.

Aadhya looked back at the contract.

Then at him.

Then back at the contract.

"Aap pagal hain."

To her surprise, Zayan laughed.

A short laugh.

The first sign that he was actually human.

"Yeh mujhe kaafi baar kaha gaya hai."

Aadhya pushed the contract back toward him.

"Main jaa rahi hoon."

She stood up.

Before she could reach the door, Zayan's next words stopped her cold.

"Main tumhare father ki surgery ka poora kharcha dunga."

The room went silent.

Aadhya slowly turned around.

For the first time, his expression was completely serious.

"Kya kaha aapne?"

"Maine kaha, main poora kharcha dunga."

Her heart began pounding.

"Aur badle mein?"

Zayan's gaze never left hers.

"6 mahine."

The words hung between them.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Life-changing.

Aadhya looked down at the contract again.

One signature.

That's all it would take.

One signature could save her father.

One signature could solve every problem currently destroying her life.

Yet something about Zayan Khanna made her uneasy.

People like him never gave anything for free.

Never.

"Aur agar maine mana kar diya?" she asked quietly.

For the first time, the smile vanished from his face.

"Toh tum us darwaze se bahar chali jaogi."

His voice remained calm.

"Aur phir hum dobara kabhi nahi milenge."

The city lights shimmered beyond the glass walls.

The contract rested silently on the desk between them.

Aadhya stared at it.

Then at Zayan.

Then back at the blank line waiting for her signature.

And for the first time in her life, she realized that sometimes the most dangerous deals didn't involve losing money.

Sometimes they involved losing your heart.

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